MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Memphis is getting ready to celebrate its 200th birthday in style, throwing a massive party on the Bluff City’s front lawn, Tom Lee Park.
Local 24 News is a proud sponsor of the bicentennial bash Celebrate Memphis.
Friday, crews put on the finishing touches ahead of this massive birthday celebration, which will feature music, food and aerial festivities. The community is also expected to come together to set a new world record.
With three and a half miles of lumber, 19,000 screws and 800 man-hours, a massive table across Tom Lee Park is ready to make history.
A new Guinness world record is expected at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, with 1200 people sitting together on the world’s longest picnic table.
“Everyone wants togetherness anyway, so it kind of defies all the things that go wrong in the world, so bringing everyone together kind of pushes that aside,” Thomas Griffin with Memphis in May said.
Memphis will make history as it honors it during Saturday’s daylong bicentennial Celebrate Memphis festivities.
“What a great way to end Memphis first 200 years and kick off the next century,” Robert Griffin with Memphis in May said.
More than 20 musical acts, including Lucero, Al Kapone, and STAX Academy students, will spread their sound across five stages.
“There’s a little bit for everyone to cover all genres and every taste,” Robert Griffin said.
Also planned: a late afternoon air show with parachute landings. And when the sun sets, drones will take to the skies.
“We’ll have 60-70 drones over the Mississippi River, spelling out different words or different symbols, Memphis icons, that you’ll see lit up over the Mississippi River,” Robert Griffin said.
Then, it’s the grand finale, a 30-minute fireworks extravaganza, the longest ever in the Bluff City.
“World record picnic table, the first ever drone show, lighted drone show over the Mississippi River, and now Mid-South’s largest fireworks show as the finale, I hope people don’t miss it, because it is free admission,” Robert Griffin said.
Gates open at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. While you can bring food and drinks to Tom Lee Park (no glass bottles allowed), there will be security checking items to ensure the bicentennial event is a safe event.
Local 24 is a proud supporting partner of ‘A New Century of Soul,’ the official Memphis bicentennial celebrations.
Join us on Saturday, May 25, 2019, for a live two-hour prime-time special, ‘Celebrate Memphis’, at 8:00 p.m. only on Local 24, in association with Memphis in May.
