Memphis' new music festival gets a name; lineup coming in early 2024

The new spring music festival at Tom Lee Park officially has a name. On Tuesday, Forward Momentum — the organization that will stage the multiday concert event — announced its Riverbeat Music Festival, which will take place May 3-5 at Tom Lee Park.

The branding for Riverbeat Music Festival comes two months after the event was first announced, effectively as a replacement for the long-running Beale Street Music Festival.

In October, Memphis in May confirmed it was suspending its annual Beale Street Music Festival after more than 40 years, due to falling attendance and crippling financial losses.

A day later, the Memphis River Parks Partnership, which manages Tom Lee, announced it had reached an agreement with Forward Momentum, the promoters of the Mempho Music Festival, to put on a concert festival at the riverfront park in May 2024.

The end of Beale Street Music Fest at Tom Lee Park, and the launch of the Riverbeat Festival, follows the Memphis River Parks Partnership’s $61 million renovation of the riverside attraction.

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“Riverbeat will bring the community together to celebrate an exciting new chapter in the rich musical history of Memphis by creating an immersive fan experience across a wide range of musical genres,” Forward Momentum executive Jeff Bransford said in a statement announcing the Riverbeat Music Festival name.

Forward Momentum — which describes itself as being “owned by a group of prominent Memphians” — has also announced a new barbecue contest in Tom Lee for May.

Mempho Presents, which is a division of Forward Momentum, is “an independent promotion company that ... produces shows and events year-round at venues in Memphis, TN, and the Mid-South.” This includes the annual Mempho Music Fest, which takes place each fall at the Memphis Botanic Garden. That event will continue as normal — but Mempho has been tasked with putting together a major spring festival at Tom Lee.

According to Forward Momentum, the group has “been securing major music talent for Riverbeat Music Festival” with lineup and ticket information “expected to be announced in early 2024.”

For more information and updates on the festival, go to Riverbeat.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Riverbeat Music Festival in Memphis: What to know about new fest