Mempho Music Festival lineup: Widespread Panic, The Avett Brothers to headline

Widespread Panic and The Avett Brothers will headline the 2021 Mempho Music Festival this fall. The fourth edition of the event — which will take place at the Memphis Botanic Garden — will run Oct. 1-3.

Mempho organizers announced the bulk of the festival’s lineup Wednesday, confirming that Southern jam band titans Widespread Panic would headline two nights of the festival, with The Avett Brothers headlining a third. 

In addition to the headliners, a group of acclaimed national artists will also perform, including Lucinda Williams, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Black Pumas, Julien Baker and Waxahatchee, among others. 

A selection of local and regional artists will also round out the lineup, with Mississippi blues act Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge, joining a contingent of Memphis notables, including Grammy-nominated combo Southern Avenue, Liz Brasher, The City Champs and The Dirty Streets. A few additional acts are expected to be added in the coming weeks. 

Lineups by day and performance times have not been announced.

Mempho — which launched in 2017 and was named one of America's best emerging festivals by USA TODAY — was established as a fall counter to the long-running Beale Street Music Festival.

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Held in October, the first three years of Mempho included headline performances by Post Malone, Wu-Tang Clan, The Raconteurs, Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell, among other notables.

After staging the festival at the Shelby Farms Park from 2017 to 2019, Mempho was scrapped last year amid the pandemic. Earlier this year, Mempho organizers confirmed they would move the outdoor festival a new location, the Radians Amphitheater at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

Marking the first major festival to return to the Mid-South following the pandemic, Mempho organizers note they will be “working closely with local and state health officials to ensure a safe and unparalleled experience for all attendees.”

In February, early bird/advance price tickets for Mempho Fest 2021 were made available and have since sold out. Three-day general admission and VIP tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased for $185 and $585, respectively. 

VIP ticket packages include access to a dedicated viewing area in front of the main stage; complimentary parking; $100 in "Mempho Bucks" to be used on food and beverages or merch; catered hors d’oeuvres; access to a private bar serving premium craft beer, wine and cocktails; air-conditioned restrooms; WiFi and charging stations; and special entrance and exit.  

All tickets can be purchased at the Mempho Music Fest website or through Ticketmaster.

Mempho Music Festival 

Oct. 1-3 at Radians Amphitheater at Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road

Tickets: General admission passes are $185, VIP passes are $585

To purchase tickets, visit the Mempho Music Fest website or Ticketmaster.

Widespread Panic (two nights)

The Avett Brothers

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Black Pumas

Lucinda Williams

Moon Taxi

Julien Baker

Waxahatchee

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Andy Frasco & the U.N.

Will Hoge

Southern Avenue

Liz Brasher

The City Champs

Dirty Streets

More acts TBA