Memphis in May leader Mack Weaver high on future of the festival, despite challenges
Mack Weaver is the new head of Memphis in May International Festival, and he's a certified barbecue contest judge. It is also abundantly clear that he has a competitive streak.
At a Rotary Club of Memphis luncheon speech Tuesday at the Brooks Museum of Art, an attendee asked Weaver about SmokeSlam, the competing BBQ festival that happens on the same weekend as the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The Memphis in May contest is May 15-18 at Liberty Park, while SmokeSlam is May 16-18 at Tom Lee Park.
Asked if he was worried about the competition, Weaver scoffed at the new entrant. "How many people watch a Junior League football game when the Super Bowl is going on?" he responded.
Weaver, a 25-year Memphis in May employee, said he's done nearly every job associated with the group, ranging from volunteer to CFO. In late January, Weaver was named Memphis in May’s new president and CEO, succeeding long-serving head James Holt.
Now he is on the frontlines of the city's best-known branded festival as it is still recovering from post-COVID19 blues and faces competition from SmokeSlam and the just-completed RiverBeat Music Festival, also held at Tom Lee Park.
Weaver notes Memphis in May faced some financial turbulence after the 2022 festival at the Fairgrounds at Liberty Park and signature events last year at the newly renovated Tom Lee Park that drew smaller-than-expected crowds. But he maintains that Memphis in May's brand is strong, having drawn about 100,000 attendees to the 2019 Beale Street Music Fest that featured such stars as Cardi B and Miley Cyrus. He pointed out the 2019 music festival also featured a partnership with Facebook, the first time the social media giant sponsored a music festival, he said.
More: Why Memphis in May's new leader is confident the organization will turn things around
Then, as Weaver put it, the "wheels fell off the nation and the world" with the COVID-19 shutdowns. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021.
And Memphis in May remains locked in a court battle with Memphis River Parks Partnership, which is suing Memphis in May for $1.4 million in damages the park group said the festival caused in the spring of 2023.
Asked if the festival could return to the riverfront park it called home for years, Weaver avoided directly answering the question. "I don't know if we'd be welcome (to Tom Lee Park) by the organization that currently runs the park," he said, referring to MRPP.
The parks partnership, in response, noted that Memphis in May "inflicted $1.425M in damages to Tom Lee Park with its two events in May, 2024. The determination of damages was made by an independent arbiter in a contract signed by the City of Memphis, Memphis in May, and Memphis River Parks Partnership."
The park partnership added that the city covered $500,000 of that amount, and Memphis in May paid another $250,000. MRPP sued Memphis in May to recover the remaining balance of $675,000 the partnership spent on repairs to the park. "When and if Memphis in May pays what it owes, the Partnership is open to talking about the organization’s use of the park, just like we field requests every day from all kinds of prospective renters. Our priority is providing a great experience for all Memphians 365 days a year on their riverfront," the parks partnership said in a statement.
Despite the challenges and rancor with the partnership, Weaver told the Rotary audience he remains committed to seeing that Memphis in May, in its slimmed down form, can thrive into the future.
"I've been a part of this city and this city is part of me," said Weaver, a Memphis native who graduated from South Carolina State University. "And Memphis in May is Memphis."
Mark Russell is executive editor of The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at mark.russell@commercialappeal.com or 901/288-4509
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis in May leader Mack Weaver high on festival's future. Here's why
