It’s not too early to start thinking about spring events — especially when they involve food.
The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest will celebrate its 50th anniversary when it returns May 12th and continues through May 15th. The event will again be held at Liberty Park.
According to its news release, the contest featured more than 200 teams, which represented 27 states and seven foreign countries, in 2026. It introduced the festival’s first Open Fire World Championship and hosted the Junior World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
As the release states, “All team applications, including a diverse array of ancillary competition categories, will go live on Thursday, November 5th, 2026, and will be available at www.memphisinmay.org/barbecue.”
In addtion, the release says, “The event includes competition divisions for pit masters of all ages and experience levels. Teams can compete in the traditional championship pork categories of ribs, shoulder, or whole hog, or enter the Open Fire World Championship, which challenge competitors to showcase their live-fire cooking skills using a variety of proteins and techniques beyond traditional barbecue. The Patio Porkers Division offers amateur teams the opportunity to experience championship-level competition in a ribs-only contest, while the Junior World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest welcomes young pit masters ages 9-17 to put their grilling skills to the test.”
Returning to downtown Memphis will be The Great American River Run and its annual 5k, 10k, and Half-Marathon events. Registration goes live on November 5th at https://memphisinmay.org/river-run/
For more information on Memphis in May, go to www.memphisinmay.org
