2008 Beale Street Music Festival Line-Up Announced for Memphis In May

The 2008 official Beale Street Music Festival line-up has been announced today (Mar. 6) and includes performances by Project Pat, Fergie (Black Eyed Peas), Al Kapone, The Roots, Aretha Franklin, and tons more.

The 2008 official Beale Street Music Festival line-up was announced today at least fifteen minutes before the planned 2 p.m. announcement time. The 2008 Beale Street Music Festival will take place from May 2, 2008 through May 4, 2008 at the Tom Lee Park in Downtown Memphis, TN.

The line-up will include:

Aretha Franklin, Fergie (Black Eyed Peas), The Black Crowes, Sherly Crow, The Roots, Arrested Development, Memphis’ own Lord T and Eloise, Project Pat, Muck Sticky, Al Kapone, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more than 50 other great acts.

For the full list of performances visit the Official Memphis In May website or follow the related link.

Tickets are currently on sale now with the three day passes being $63.50 and available up until April 30th only. Tickets can be bought at Ticketmaster.

Other dates to remember:
International Week (Celebrating Turkey), May 5 – May 10, 2008
World Championship Barbecue Contest, May 15 – 17,2008
Sunet Symphony , May 24, 2008

Memphis in May is a month long festival held in Memphis, Tennessee in Downtown Memphis which features a number of festivities at the Tom Lee Park which includes the Beale Street Music Festival which showcases a mix of local and national music acts, International Week, World Championship Barbecue Contest (with guest appearances from TV hosts at Food Network and BBC) and the Sunset Symphony.

Each year the International Week is themed around a different country and gives everyone a look, taste, feel and learning experience of the selected country’s culture. This years 2008 International Week will be themed around Turkey.

The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest brings some of the best grillmasters from around the globe together and gives them a chance to show off their grilling skills. The competition has three official meat categories: pork ribs, pork shoulder, and whole hog and features a number of special events which includes Ms. Piggie, Best Booth, T-Shirt Design and more. This event is where the world champion is crowned at the world’s largest pork barbecue competition. According to Memphis In May, the total purse available for 2008 is over $90,000 with the Grand Champion prize at a whopping $10,000. Other food contests include Hot Wings, Baked Beans, Sauce, Anything But (Beef, Poultry, Seafood and Exotic) and more.

The Sunset Symphony event will be held on a single stage at Tom Lee Park and is usually free or requires a small attendance fee. This concert is stated to be the largest annual performance event of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and is the closing event for the Memphis In May Festivities.