Brittany, Margie, and Ashley Neal (Photos: Michael Donahue)

Bacon in a various concoctions, including covered with chocolate on a skewer, was available along with a variety of bourbons at the annual Memphis Bacon and Bourbon Festival, which was held October 10th at FedEx Event Center.


  • Brad Wilson and Sara Ocean

  • Ricardo Rivera and Jakie Alvarez

  • Knekole and
    Lonell Broadnax

  • Bill Belcher and Michael Shing

  • Tomisha Ross and Maria Blaze

  • Chase and Chuck Plesofsky

The event, which drew 650 people, featured 14 cocktail/neat sip samplers and 10 food vendors. Event sponsors Hollywood Casino/First Jackpot Casino featured an amazing spread, which included the chocolate-covered bacon on skewers.

Vehicles from Roadshow BMW, another sponsor, were parked on the grounds. Other sponsors were Memphis Flyer and Crown Royal.


  • James, Joshua, and Jimmy Thron and Q. Hayes 

  • Clayton and
    Kate Winter

  • Bernard and
    Olivia Botha

  • Joe Celotto and Bianca Velez

  • Lernard and Lintresa Chambers

  • Gwendolyn Lackland and
    Faye Gilland

“We were delighted to host another beautiful sunset Bacon and Bourbon Fest event at the gorgeous Shelby Farms Park,” says event producer Molly Willmott. “We can’t wait to celebrate our 10th anniversary of Bacon and Bourbon Fest in 2026. It’s going to be a big one.”


  • Austin Hopper and Delkin Jones

  • Crawford Wilson

  • Sean Otto, Gage VanRensselaer, and Johnny Woolridge

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until...