Memphis in May barbecue contest is back at Liberty Park: What we know about the 2024 event

It's official: The Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is returning to Liberty Park in 2024.

Memphis in May announced the move Thursday in an email obtained by The Commercial Appeal. The contest will be held May 15-18.

The email also stated Memphis in May was suspending Beale Street Music Festival in 2024.

The barbecue contest and Beale Street Music Festival were at Liberty Park in 2022, while renovations were underway to their longtime home at Downtown's Tom Lee Park.

Memphis in May's return to Tom Lee Park in 2023 proved to be a costly one.

The festival's events at Tom Lee resulted in $1,425,366 damages, which are owed to the Memphis River Parks Partnership, which manages the park. In September, Memphis River Parks filed a lawsuit against Memphis in May, seeking to collect an outstanding balance of $675,000 for the damages to Tom Lee.

On Oct. 3, Memphis in May reported it suffered a record $3.48 million loss from its 2023 operations.

Memphis in May first indicated it was looking to move the barbecue contest to Liberty Park in late September. According to a survey of teams conducted by Memphis in May, 77% of teams supported Liberty Park as the venue for 2024.

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at [email protected] and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis in May barbecue contest returns to Liberty Park in 2024