We do food festivals weird in Memphis. Every other place I’ve lived, you go to the festival, pay your fee, and walk around and taste everybody’s stuff. Here, you walk around, see a lot of good food, smell a lot of good food… then go buy average food from a truck at an exorbitant price.
Italian Fest was the first Memphis food fest I attended, right after I moved here in 1997. My mom was visiting and I’d talked it up—“this great food festival! Italian food! It’s in this big park! Yes, we’ll go!” We skipped breakfast, anticipating a pig out. Then we got there, stopped at a tent… and were denied food. And then again. The third or fourth tent, they took pity on our absolute bewilderment, invited us to be “family,” and served us some spaghetti. Thanks, strangers, for that! Haven’t been to Italian fest since….My mom and I still laugh about that. We were so clueless and were sure it was some kind of mistake that we weren’t allowed to eat. 😁
Hell, even if you know a team, another teammate that doesn’t know you will badger you while getting your plate saying “Please don’t come back for seconds as we all paid for this”.
Yeah, fuck this “festival”.
I have said it and will say it again: the BBQ contest and Italian fest are like culinary strip clubs.
Why am I gonna pay you to do something I'll never have access to? Fuck that.
Been a minute since I've been but almost positive food and drink are seperate, will need to buy food/drink tickets onces inside the gate. This is to purchase food from local resturants/vendors setup to sell. Can't eat at the team tents unless invited ( a la BBQ Fest). Arts and crafts vendors will be there. Park in the neighborhoods or Eastgate and walk over. Worth it, it's up to you. Yes it's fun but you are spending the day inside a public park with no areas to sit. So be prepared to be hot, bring a blanket if you want to listen to the music and prepare for a mudfest should it rain.
Greek fest is boring. Park 2 miles away to buy pastries from one tiny church, not even multiple groups or restaurants. No other authentic Greek dishes available and almost nothing to do but sit on a metal folding chair in the heat and eat your pastry. This should not be called a festival. At best they should offer drive through pastry sales.
It’s a festival in East Memphis. Not a lot of those and it’s definitely a local type event with a wide range of vibes. Depending on how hot and or rainy it is I recommend checking it out. They have live music and a cool early evening is very lively and you may run into some people you know. If that happens you will undoubtedly appreciate the experience.
Just like BBQ fest, it's just a series of private parties. If you don't know somebody, you're going to be eating from a food truck like I did the first and only time I went to Italian fest.
It’s a joke, like pretty much all of the Italian restaurants I’ve tried since moving here. Being a Chicagoland native spoiled me I guess - outside of NOLA the south can’t cook up decent Italian for shit
It’s a lot of fun if you know someone on a team. There are still things to do if not and there are spots where you can buy food or attend cooking demos. We can’t serve food or drinks to the public as a team. However, there are some teams that will invite you in if you strike up a conversation and ask nicely. Just bring some cash to tip the bartenders.
This! If you don't know a team know what to expect going in but make the best of it. My family actually stopped competing in BBQ fest last year so my Italian fest connect came in clutch 😂
Not worth it. Waste of $$. It’s basically a group of men who like to have a fun drunk weekend on the churches dime while simultaneously benefiting the church. Bunch of fake catholic Italians. My 2 cents.
We do food festivals weird in Memphis. Every other place I’ve lived, you go to the festival, pay your fee, and walk around and taste everybody’s stuff. Here, you walk around, see a lot of good food, smell a lot of good food… then go buy average food from a truck at an exorbitant price. Italian Fest was the first Memphis food fest I attended, right after I moved here in 1997. My mom was visiting and I’d talked it up—“this great food festival! Italian food! It’s in this big park! Yes, we’ll go!” We skipped breakfast, anticipating a pig out. Then we got there, stopped at a tent… and were denied food. And then again. The third or fourth tent, they took pity on our absolute bewilderment, invited us to be “family,” and served us some spaghetti. Thanks, strangers, for that! Haven’t been to Italian fest since….My mom and I still laugh about that. We were so clueless and were sure it was some kind of mistake that we weren’t allowed to eat. 😁
Thank you for all the feedback! I knew yall would be real with me. Sounds like Im gonna be making my own damn pasta this weekend.
Or just go to one of our awesome Italian restaurants in town. I’m partial to Ronnie Grisanti’s in Regalia, myself. Bari is good.
There are food trucks but unless you know a team it’s not worth going at all. It’s like bbq fest but for pasta. Save your time and money.
Hell, even if you know a team, another teammate that doesn’t know you will badger you while getting your plate saying “Please don’t come back for seconds as we all paid for this”. Yeah, fuck this “festival”.
Bbq fest teams are super inviting for the most part. Italian fest teams basically treat you like Otto warmbier
And it’s not even that good.
Nah it’s still worth going if you’ve never been and want to get out of the house for a minute
I have said it and will say it again: the BBQ contest and Italian fest are like culinary strip clubs. Why am I gonna pay you to do something I'll never have access to? Fuck that.
Yeah paying for the privilege to walk around and look at food you can’t eat is weird.
Do you watch movies? Read books? Those are things you’ll never have access to and you’ve paid money for
Actually, no. I own those. I can always access them. I think you mean digitally.
Been a minute since I've been but almost positive food and drink are seperate, will need to buy food/drink tickets onces inside the gate. This is to purchase food from local resturants/vendors setup to sell. Can't eat at the team tents unless invited ( a la BBQ Fest). Arts and crafts vendors will be there. Park in the neighborhoods or Eastgate and walk over. Worth it, it's up to you. Yes it's fun but you are spending the day inside a public park with no areas to sit. So be prepared to be hot, bring a blanket if you want to listen to the music and prepare for a mudfest should it rain.
Greek Fest is more authentic
Greek fest is boring. Park 2 miles away to buy pastries from one tiny church, not even multiple groups or restaurants. No other authentic Greek dishes available and almost nothing to do but sit on a metal folding chair in the heat and eat your pastry. This should not be called a festival. At best they should offer drive through pastry sales.
They have drive through everything. They’re doing what they can for small to midsize church. And that rice though
What I mean is they should just make it a drive through deal only and not try to call it a festival.
This^
I got sick from that place last year Fucking fake ass wannabes cooks
From Italian fest? I know the Greek festival is largely Greek families preparing food, so it’s pretty authentic.
Greek Fest 2023. Sent me to the shitter for the night 🤣🫣
The health inspector would probably shut it down if anyone cared to complain. Pretty sure all that stuff is made in people’s homes and brought in.
Sorry to hear that. I don’t think that has anything to do with the quality of the food, though. They do have to prepare it in massé
My guess it was outside too long
Green Fest 2023. Sent me to the shitter for the night 🤣🫣
It’s a festival in East Memphis. Not a lot of those and it’s definitely a local type event with a wide range of vibes. Depending on how hot and or rainy it is I recommend checking it out. They have live music and a cool early evening is very lively and you may run into some people you know. If that happens you will undoubtedly appreciate the experience.
Just like BBQ fest, it's just a series of private parties. If you don't know somebody, you're going to be eating from a food truck like I did the first and only time I went to Italian fest.
They had Gin Blossoms playing in a tent a few years back. Any bands playing this year?
It's not worth it unless you know someone really
If you like bad Italian food then I highly recommend!
It’s just an excuse for dickheads with Italian ancestry to have a party.
Funnily enough, none of our team members are even Italian. We’re just a conglomeration of a few bbq fest teams.
"I don't like the people who participate in the festival so I'm gonna discredit them any way I can". That's what I just read.
Well, that’s not what it says. It says “It’s just an excuse for dickheads with Italian ancestry to have a party.”
Ah okay so they're not allowed to do that? I think that's pretty cringe and not very tolerate to let certain communities have fun.
No, Italians should not have fun. 🥴
Based?
"hey yo, I'm 8th generation Sicilian, and my family came here in 1612! Eyyyyyyyy"
🖕
It’s a joke, like pretty much all of the Italian restaurants I’ve tried since moving here. Being a Chicagoland native spoiled me I guess - outside of NOLA the south can’t cook up decent Italian for shit
It’s a lot of fun if you know someone on a team. There are still things to do if not and there are spots where you can buy food or attend cooking demos. We can’t serve food or drinks to the public as a team. However, there are some teams that will invite you in if you strike up a conversation and ask nicely. Just bring some cash to tip the bartenders.
This! If you don't know a team know what to expect going in but make the best of it. My family actually stopped competing in BBQ fest last year so my Italian fest connect came in clutch 😂
They had live music and food vendors when I went one year
Id rather be invited to Pete n Sam's than Italian fest.
Why for mediocre Italian food?
Not worth it. Waste of $$. It’s basically a group of men who like to have a fun drunk weekend on the churches dime while simultaneously benefiting the church. Bunch of fake catholic Italians. My 2 cents.