Memphis in May says no plans to cancel or postpone events,
Memphis in May has no plans at this time to postpone or cancel its signature festival events due to coronavirus concerns, officials said Tuesday.
"We're continuing to monitor any directives from the CDC and local health officials, but at this point local health officials are continuing to insist that the risk for this area is low," said Robert Griffin, vice president of marketing for the Memphis in May International Festival.
The idea that Memphis in May this year could rebrand itself as a less alliterative Memphis in September or a Hoagy Carmichaelesque Memphis in June hardly seems far-fetched, considering the cancellation this month of the massive SXSW (South by Southwest) festivals in Austin and the news that several major music events — including Southern California's Coachella and Stagecoach festivals, both set for April, are in talks to postpone. Miami's Ultra Music Festival, set for March, was canceled. "Dominos are falling in the festival world," reported Variety.
The risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus should be lower in Memphis than at those other events, Griffin said. That's because attendance at the Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is largely "regional," with 45% of the 107,153 people who attended the 2019 musicfest residing within 200 miles of Memphis, Griffin said.
On the other (washed or unwashed) hand, that means tens of thousands of festivalgoers bought their tickets from beyond that "regional" boundary. In what until this year was considered a barometer of festival health, the Beale Street Music Festival attracts a certain number of attendees from around the world, with buyers from 26 countries purchasing tickets to the 2019 event.
Because most of the 75,000 or so people who attend the barbecue contest buy their tickets at the gate, Griffin said, Memphis in May has no accurate numbers on their points of origin. However, the competing teams last year represented 26 states and six foreign countries, he said.
The Beale Street Music Festival is set for May 1-3 in Tom Lee Park, with the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest following May 13-16 in the same location.
Griffin added that advance ticket sales for the music festival remain robust, and "We've had no communications from any of our artists" regarding plans to withdraw from the event.