What to know about parking at Beale Street Music Festival
Lots expected to fill fast; alternatives available
Beale Street Music Festival is right around the corner, and with it comes an increase in traffic and a decrease in available parking.
About 90,000 tickets have been sold so far for the three-day event, which starts Friday at the Fairgrounds in Liberty Park.
About 50% of attendees are expected to be from the Memphis area, with the other half from out of town. For local residents not going to the festival but who might be trying to travel through the area, officials warn that traffic might spike during the performances of larger artists. Acts such as Van Morrison, Three 6 Mafia and Megan Thee Stallion are all expected to attract large crowds.
“We ask the citizens to practice patience, to adhere to all signs, signals from those police officers that we have in the intersections,” Memphis Police Col. Keith Watson said during a Wednesday press conference.
For those attending the festival, having a plan for transportation and parking is recommended.
Here’s everything festival-goers need to know about getting to and entering Beale Street Music Festival. valparking for Beale Street Music Festi
It is recommended that concert-goers arrive early to find parking, with lots expected to fill up quickly.
There will be seven identified parking lots in the area and those lots are set to hold around 4,000 cars in total. The lots will cost between $20 and $30, with the stadium lots, Coca Cola plant, Tobey Park and the Avery Lot planning to take both cash and credit.
Thomas Carrier, general manager for Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, estimates there will be about 500 to 600 spots available in other area lots that Liberty Park does not currently know of. Both the MPD and Liberty Park ask any one parking at the festival to be courteous of the residential neighborhoods surrounding the park.
The MPD asks festival-goers to be careful to park in well-lit areas and to not leave any valuables in their cars.
Alternatives to parking
There will be ride share drop-off locations at Tiger Lane East Parkway. Guests should expect to have to walk a little bit from this drop-off location to the fairgrounds, Carrier said.
In addition, there will be free rapid bus shuttle between Downtown and the fairgrounds by Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA). While registration for this service has closed, Bacarra Mauldin, the MATA chief of staff, said they will attempt to accommodate everyone who needs a ride.
“We encourage people to bring their registration if they pre-registered for the service,” Mauldin said. “However, we will do our best to accommodate anyone and everyone who needs a ride. But we are encouraging those who have registered to bring their registration, because of course those persons will be given priority.”
The shuttle service will run on Friday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m. The shuttle pickup locations Downtown will be at the Corner of Second and Exchange and on the Union Avenue side of The Peabody hotel. Each pickup location will have signs and green flags. The drop-off locations will be at Early Maxwell and Central, as well as at Early Maxwell and Southern.
Street closures
At this time, there will not be any road closures. There will be protected areas for things such as shuttle dropoffs and crosswalks.
“No road closures at this time, but protected areas for pedestrian crossing,” Watson said. “Also those areas where we unload and load those citizens from those MATA buses.
Points of entry
There will be security checks at every festival entry point. According to the Beale Street Music Festival website, guests may not exit and reenter the park.
All bags must be clear, with a size maximum of 18 inches by 18 inches by 18 inches. Only one unopened water bottle, 20-ounce or less, is allowed to be brought in and Camelback hydration packs must be 1.75 liters or less.
Outside food and drink, drones, strollers, pets and chains/spikey jewelry are not allowed past the entrance point of the park.
A full list of what is allowed to be brought into the park is available at the Beale Street Music Festival website.
Gina Butkovich covers Desoto County, storytelling and general news. She can be reached at 901-232-6714 or on Twitter @gigibutko.