Cooper Young Festival. How I love you so. You might be getting too big for your britches though. This year was by far the busiest I have ever seen it. We got there about noon and parked .81 miles away from the entry point on the south side by the Tabernacle. When we left at 4:00 or so, the streets were lined miles further away than we were. It was really kind of crazy how many where there. I am sad to say I didn't find a damn thing other than food and beer to buy this year. Not a damn thing. I already have all of the shit that peaked my interest. My wife did want a painting for my kid, but hesitated and said she would come back for it. When we got back, it was gone and she was bummed. We talked to the artist about commissioning a new piece, so maybe. It was the best piece of art in the festival. I should have just bought it myself when we liked it. I'll be back next year, hope someone with some nice art will tempt me. Just a heads up, snack wise.... Stick Em' food truck and Butterific cookies for the win no matter m what here. For real. read more

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Our first time going to this festival and it was packed. First time we went was around 11am and it wasn't as bad then but the second time we went around 4pm and it was shoulder to shoulder. The parking was bad. I think we parked almost 2 miles away. So many booths yet not many food options. Guess I expected a lot of options. I did however find something great, a place called Wild Bills. The place sold sodas in tin mugs with unlimited refills. We bought the barrel mug for 15 bucks and we probably refilled it 6-7 times. Easily got my money back with those refills. Overall we had a good time. read more

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Sadly, as this festival has increased in popularity, the numbers of attendees have made it almost impassible and, therefore, impossible to enjoy. It also seems as if the overall quality of the artisans has decreased over time, such that many of the booths seem to hold "do-it-yourself" arts and crafts projects from Pinterest. It is true that if you go early, parking is a bit easier and the crowds a bit lighter - but not really easy enough and light enough to lure me back. I think that this festival is probably most fun for the college-aged and near-college-aged crowd for whom stumbling down Cooper with an open container still seems novel, but I'd rather just shop on Etsy and drink my beers from the comfort of my own home. read more

This is my favorite festival in Memphis and I look forward to it every year. It's artsy-fartsy, totally cool and incredibly fun. Located in and around the historic intersection of Cooper and Young, the streets are closed off and lined with booths displaying and selling local crafts such as paintings, jewelry, pottery and almost anything else you can think of. There's live music all day long at various locations and food vendors everywhere. The area restaurants are open as well. But with 85,000 people in attendance, you can expect a wait. Parking is a bit of a challenge as it's all street parking. Be prepared to walk a bit. Oh - and no pets allowed. read more

Get here early to browse booths and park more easily! This festival has grown to a very nice capacity. It is small enough to be neighborhood-like, yet large enough to hang for hours. The booths are eclectic, and the food is...well...carnie food. read more

This is a great festival with plenty of great music, food, beer, vendors and amazing local and locally-themed t-shirts. It does get really crowded, but good street fair/festivals should. I do wish they would push it to the beginning of October to have a better chance of not so hot weather. This is a fun festival that is well organized and with a good variety to please everyone. read more

The Cooper-Young Festival kicks off in mid-September 17, 2010 with a Festival Friday 4-Miler run in Bluff City. The festival itself, on Saturday, the 18th, lasts from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and stretches out from the Cooper-Young intersection in Midtown. It's a colorful festival, with food booths, artist booths of all kinds, and live music scheduled throughout the day. Usually a combination of bluegrass and alternative/indie bands. I love coming to support local, regional, and international artists. You'll see businesses, painters, potters, photographers, clothing, and jewelry. It really promotes a sense of community, and September isn't usually too unbearably hot -- so you can comfortably enjoy. And the best part? The festival is free. read more

This was my first go at the Cooper-Young Festival, and I was pleasantly surprised. Seeing as this area tends to be my favorite part of Memphis, I knew I had to get down to experience the festival. This festival is right up my alley. It is very artsy and caters much to that crowd, though it still tends to be a lot of fun for families. A lot of the local shops in that area offer specials and sales. They are all very supportive of the festival, and very patient with the "window shoppers." I saw so many paintings, pottery pieces, jewelry items and even clothing that I wanted. Not to worry, I totally held back and only left with a very cool necklace. The food was pretty amazing as well. I have to say, I was much more excited for the food at the Delta fair when I should have been waiting for this one with baited breath. It put Delta to shame. The live bands I heard throughout the streets were right on as well. I heard a mix of blues, jazz and indie rock playing. I love it when festivals feature more than one genre of music. It makes me happy that all my favorite music sounds can play nicely together, if even for only one day. The festival lasts from 9am-7pm, which allows for both early risers and the late goers. As a bonus, this festival is totally free. You can do all of the above without spending a penny. Though, I find it hard to understand how you could leave without purchasing something. read more

A great local, community festival. This is a fun, artsy area of town and the streets are closed off for the festival each year. It's a great time to enjoy the local shops, restaurants and bars. Vendors set up and offer jewelry, pottery, and clothes. Live music is held through out the day. It's a great way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the area and the weather is usually turning a little cooler this time of year. read more

Love. It. This is the fall kickoff for me! The booths display all kinds of wares. Yes, many are booths are selling cheap beads on elastic string similar to what third graders proudly make for Mother's Day, but there are a lot of gems along the route, too. There are always a lot of interesting concepts and quite a few items created to draw a laugh. Some tips: - Go early. It gets crazy crowded in the early afternoon. - Again, go early, or plan to enjoy a long walk from and to your vehicle. - Most people stick to the rules of traffic flow. Don't be the idiot going against the flow on the wrong side of the street getting angry because everyone is bumping into you. You are the problem. They are being polite to the angry idiot going the wrong way! - Street snacks are a must. Enjoy your treat somewhere out of the foot traffic. You don't want dozens of people breathing on your food and they don't want to wear it when you stop paying attention to your surroundings while happily chewing. - Be sure and take a moment to enjoy the kids from School of Rock and the Drum Shop! They are fun! read more

I have loved the Cooper Young Festival for many, many years. First of all, Cooper-Young is one of the greatest areas in the whole city, in my opinion. Secondly, the festival features tons of artists, musicians, crafts people, and other vendors. And lastly, it's free. Good times! We always look for the gem and mineral booth that holds a huge variety of different sized rocks and gems for sale. Some have been made into jewelry already, but most are not. A favorite with my husband and my daughter- she has inherited his love of cool looking rocks. Last year, there was a face-painting booth set up right next to the gem and mineral tent. Total heaven to my daughter. There are also a couple of stages for live music, and they always schedule really great acts. My only complaint is that the festival has become ridiculously crowded over the past couple of years. Now, I don't mind crowds but it is almost to the point where it's just not enjoyable anymore. Or maybe I'm just getting old. Who knows? I'll still be there. read more

I haven't missed a single one of these since I moved to memphis. It's a fun thing to do on a sunny fall day. Lots of things to see and eat! The locals set up booths of all kinds of arts and crafts. Very creative things that are sometimes very overpriced, but still worth seeing! There's pronto pups everywhere, corn on the cob, and beer. You will definitely not go hungry. It can get very crowded but it's still worth popping by this festival. Parking is a nightmare so brace yourselves. You will have to find a place to park in neighboring streets. read more

Cooper Young Festival - Typical view at the festival! - Festivals Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Spent a 12 hour day at CYF as my wife had a booth. Had a great time as always. If you don't have fun at CYF, you just don't have fun. read more

Cooper Young Festival - CYF - Festivals Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Lots of arts and crafts booths and we loved the designer chocolates. Parking was a bit of a pain - had to walk couple of blocks. Good variety of food and music. Definitely worth going back for! read more

Cooper-Young Festival has been on the top of my list for things to do in Memphis for years. I think this year would have been my 5th year going. I didn't go this year because I had to work. Overall it's a great festival to attend. It's free, it promotes the arts, & people are usually really friendly. read more

I have always enjoyed coming to this festival however it has just gotten too big which makes me sad!! The lines for food and drinks were incredibly long and moving around at times was almost impossible....good luck on parking be ready to walk a mile. I would suggest doing what we do get there around lunch say hi to all your friends then uber to nearby place get lunch and come back and look at the tents later in the day....it was a lot better this way. I do love this event I just wish there was more space. We will continue to check the festival out every year though it is great to see so much business in the area and it really kicks off the fall season every year! read more

I'm not crazy about CYF. I've only been a handful of times. Once when I was pretty young, like twelve, and then a few times in the last couple of years. This festival has outgrown the area. This is a picture from the 2013 festival that pretty much sums it up: http://memphisjuncture.com/post/61231376916/cooper-young-festival-2013 I don't mind crowds. But droves of people have to park a mile a way from the actual festival in every direction (my house is exactly a mile from CY). It certainly didn't help that the Souther Heritage Classic was happening at the same time. I walked to the festival and turned right back around and went home. HOWEVER. However. Here is what I wrote the day of the festival with the link above, and something to counter my negativity about the entire city of Memphis descending upon the general area: "One mile from my house yesterday the entire metropolitan area and then some was sweating in unison; all in honor of some of Memphis' finest artists, organizations, food establishments, and other things I'm sure I'm missing. Even though I do not regret skipping it, and even though his picture makes me doubly thankful that I live in a much quieter part of Midtown, I think it's cool that this is the kind of place I live. The kind of place where everyone wants to be, even if they have to forgo personal space to do so." So, regardless of the crowds and chaos, I have a lot of appreciation for the life it adds to the already vibrant Midtown! read more

Overcrowded. No Room to walk. Oblivious groups standing around, blocking the already-narrow street while strings of people are trying to funnel their way around said group. No way you can even check out the artwork when you're packed in like sardines. I walked a couple of blocks into the festival, then took a side street to escape! This festival should do what River Arts Fest does, which is spread it over 2-3 days. Then, there won't be such a mad rush. In my eyes, this is a mediocre + overrated event. For art, I'll be heading to the much less crowded River Arts Fest. read more