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DINING

15 fantastic Memphis food events to attend in April

Jennifer Chandler
Memphis Commercial Appeal
The Memphis Farmers Market opens annually the first Saturday in April.

Spring has sprung! In addition to cherry tree blossoms, buttercups and tulips, April in Memphis brings lots of fun food events.

Here’s a round-up of where to go for good eats this month.

Memphis Farmers Market Opening Day 2019

G.E. Patterson and South Front Street, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., free

The downtown Memphis Farmers Market is the largest farmers market in town and will feature close to 50 vendors on opening day, selling everything from early Tennessee produce like greens and lettuces to local honey to meats to prepared foods and baked goods. The market will be held every Saturday through the last weekend in October.

Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market

First Congo Parking Lot, every Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., free

Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market is held every Saturday year-round. At this Midtown market, you can expect to find locally sourced produce, locally raised meats, baked goods, fresh cut flowers and live music.

Food Truck Fridays at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens starts April 5 and runs through the end of September.

Food Truck Fridays

Dixon Gallery & Gardens, every Friday, April through September, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., free

Every Friday until the end of September, Dixon Gallery & Gardens will host Food Truck Fridays. Each week, a different set of three food trucks will be at the Dixon during lunch. Grab a bite and wander through the gardens, as admission is free during the event. The food truck schedule is posted at Dixon.org.

Southern Hot Wing Festival

Tiger Lane, April 13, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $17 online ($25 at the gate), kids 12 and under free

In its 17th year, the Southern Hot Wing Festival is a celebration of the chicken hot wing, the drummie, the flat, flap, and everything in between. Started by a local Memphian who felt the South had more to offer than just amazingly great BBQ, the Southern Hot Wing Festival happens each April. More than 70 teams will compete in this family-friendly event that includes live music. Bring dollar bills with you as teams sample their wings for donations to the Ronald McDonald House.

The annual Overton Square Crawfish Festival will take place April 13, 2019.

Overton Square Crawfish Festival

Overton Square, April 13, 12-6 p.m., free

Hosted by Bayou Bar and Grill, the annual Overton Square Crawfish Festival is a family-friendly event that includes crawfish, libations and live music. Admission is free, but there are charges for crawfish and drinks. A VIP ticket for $75 offers all-you-can-eat crawfish, drinks and a close-up viewing spot near the stage.

The third annual Kaleidoscope Food Festival is April 13 at Wiseacre Brewing Co. The event celebrates the cultural diversity of Binghampton, one of Memphis’ most diverse neighborhoods, with a 14% “foreign-born” population of residents representing more than 20 nations.

Kaleidoscope Food Festival

Wiseacre Brewing Co., 2783 Broad Ave., April 13, 1-5 p.m., free

The third annual Kaleidoscope Food Festival in Binghampton celebrates the community's diversity and lets attendees experience cultures from around the world through food, performance and storytelling. Food vendors will feature multicultural entrepreneurs operating in the Binghampton neighborhood. And of course, you’ll get to enjoy top-quality and uniquely flavorful Wiseacre beer with your food. Admission is free; tickets for food and beer will be for sale.

Beale Street Wine Race

Beale Street, April 14, 1 p.m., free

Watch and root for your favorite restaurants and bartenders as they compete in four events for cash, prizes and glory. Beale Street Wine Race festivities include a parade, the Queen of the Vine contest, a grape stomp and the great wine race. This decades-old annual event is for the 21 and over crowd.

Hopped Festival V

Memphis Made Brewing Co., 768 S. Cooper St., April 20, 1-10 p.m., free

This is the fifth year for Memphis Made Brewing Co. to host this annual event. This beer festival will feature a ton of hoppy brews throughout the day and includes live music and food trucks.

Botanical Bars

Memphis Botanic Garden, April 25, 6-8:30 p.m., $30 members ($40 nonmembers)

“Stop and smell the rosé” is the theme for the first Botanical Bars event of 2019. The event series allows guests to sip on wines, ales and botanical cocktails while a stroll through the gardens highlights the plants that give these beverages their unique flavor. For the list of all the Botanical Bars events in 2019, visit memphisbotanicgarden.com.

Spirits & Soul Fest

South Main Arts District on Friday and Old Dominick Distillery on Saturday, April 26-27, $75 for a one-day pass or $100 for a two-day pass

Spirits & Soul Fest is a two-day festival that brings the Tennessee Whiskey Trail to downtown Memphis. Distillers from around the state will join artists, tastemakers and local businesses of the South Main Historic Arts District for a weekend of music, food and the finest Tennessee spirits.

Roar and Pour

Memphis Zoo, April 26, 7-10 p.m., $125

The Memphis Zoo has become known for its food and wine fundraisers. Roar and Pour will be an exclusive culinary and cocktail experience with several of Memphis’ top chefs. Don’t miss the bourbon pairing with a distinguished Cuban cigar roller.

Taste the Rarity

Wiseacre Brewing, 2783 Broad Ave., April 27, 3-7 p.m., $65

This is the event for beer lovers. More than 25 craft breweries from across the country, along with several Memphis breweries, will be sampling their craft beers at Taste the Rarity. Wiseacre also will release its Unicornucopia 2019. It’s the sixth year for this event, which includes live music, circus acts, backyard games and food trucks. It runs rain or shine and will move inside the brewery if there is inclement weather.

Midsouth Food Truck Festival

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, April 27, 11 a.m., $5 online ($8 at the gate) 

The fourth annual Midsouth Food Truck Festival will be gathering over 70 food trucks for a day of food and fun. This event brings food trucks together from St. Louis to the Gulf Coast of New Orleans and everywhere in between. Each truck offers a $5 sample as well as a full menu. Be sure to vote for your favorite so it can win the People Choice award.

Cooked crawfish are transferred to bins to be served up at the Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival in downtown Memphis.

Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival

Wagner Place, April 28, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., free

In its 27th year, Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival is the largest one-day crawfish festival outside Louisiana. Each April, more than 35,000 people come down to the banks of the Mississippi to get their share of 17,000 pounds of fresh, spicy Louisiana crawfish. In addition to the crawfish, Rajun Cajun features several family-friendly attractions, including live music from three stages with authentic zydeco music on the main stage and other local favorites throughout the day. Admission is free; tickets for food and drink are available. All proceeds benefit Porter-Leath.

Agricenter Farmer’s Market Opening Day 2019

Agricenter International, May 1, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., free

Agricenter Farmer's Market, established in 1986, is the oldest continuously operated six-day-a-week farmers market in Tennessee. All vendors offer items that they personally farm raise, home grow or hand craft. It is open May through October, and hours are 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturdays.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com, and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.

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