Beale Street Zydeco Festival

The Beale Street Zydeco Festival is two nights this year: Friday and Saturday (plus some events on Sunday). Beale Street is Memphis’ own version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Both sides of the street are lined with night clubs and music venues. For the festival, the city blocks off traffic down Beale and each of the clubs along Beale St hosts a different zydeco band. One single price ($10 Friday, $15 Saturday) gets you a wristband that will get you into any and all of the clubs with music scheduled from 5pm to 5am.

The festival offers a wide variety of bands for your listening and dancing pleasure (be forewarned though, the dance floors in these clubs can get pretty crowded). It’s a great chance to enjoy a bunch of bands for one low price and re-connect with dancers from all over the country.

Among the bands playing this year:

* Keith Frank (at BB King's)
* J. Paul and the Zydeco Nubreeds (at Pat O'Briens)
* Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience (Club 152)
* Thomas 'Big Hat' Fields & His Foot Stompin' Zydeco Band (at King’s Palace Café)
* Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp: (at Club 152)
* Li'l Malcolm & the House Rockers (at Rum Boogie Café)
* Dikki Du & the Zydeco Crew (at Blue’s City Café)
* Roy Carrier (at Silky O’Sullivan’s)
* Same Ole 2 Step w/Lil' Guyland Leday (at Alfred’s)