The Cooper Young Festival 2025

Saturday September 13, 2025 9AM to 7PM

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Thank you Memphis! CYFEST 2023 was a blast! See you on Saturday, September 14, 2024!

Click here to see 2015 Cooper Young Festival Poster Art

The Cooper-Young Festival, hosted by the Cooper-Young Business Association (CYBA), is Memphis' most anticipated outdoor celebration. Held in Memphis' largest historic district, the Cooper-Young Festival is scheduled for September 13, 2025.

In its 37th year, this event has grown tremendously and is one of Memphis' most highly attended Festivals. This year, over 130,000 guests will enjoy an appealing mix of art, music and crafts presented by over 435 artisans from around the country. The Cooper Young Festival is a true celebration of the arts, people, culture and Memphis heritage.

Cooper Young was named one of the "Top 10 Great Neighborhoods in America" by the American Planning Association in 2012. Come join us for the party and get to know why Cooper Young is Midtown!

*No Pets Please

Events

Festival Friday 4 – Miler

Lamar Sorrento

View the 2024 Festival Poster

The 37th Guaranty Bank Cooper Young Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in the largest historic district in Midtown, Memphis. Cooper Young Fest is a true celebration of our local musicians, artists, history and heritage.

Internationally known Lamar Sorrento will be our 2025 CYF Poster Artist. Lamar is a celebrated guitar player and self-taught painter, who paints the musicians whom he admires. Lamar started painting rock and roll and folk-art paintings back in 1991. He has painted many famous musicians over the years i.e. Bob Dylan, Bo Diddley, Hank Williams and Dolly Parton to name a few. He has made many contributions across the world; he painted a ten-foot-tall guitar for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, cover art for the Alejandro Escovedo tribute cd “Por Vida” and contributed two paintings of Johnny Cash to Bill Miller’s book, “Cash: An American Man.”

When asked for a short bio, Lamar said “I started painting in 1991 to help deal with my obsession with American music; mostly stuff from 1922 to 1975. I was living in Cooper Young when I started; I had no goal as far as selling art, I just wanted the paintings for me to look at. I painted musicians that I liked and then I painted buildings and other things. Some people in Memphis started wanting my art, then people in other towns started wanting my art. I traveled around the country showing and selling my art for a while; I met many famous people. I still live in Cooper Young. Some people still like my work and some people still don’t, maybe you do.”

Volunteer

Our Festival is one of the biggest events in Memphis annually – HUGE. We can use alot of volunteers! Please call our CYBA offices at 901-276-7222 or email us at [email protected] if you would like to join in the fun as a volunteer this year!

Tamara Cook

Executive Director
Cooper Young Business Association

Office: 901-276-7222
Fax: 901-276-2043

[email protected]
www.cooperyoung.com
www.cooperyoungfestival.com

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Music Lineup

To Be Announced Soon

5:15 – 6:30 PM

Join us for the 36th Guaranty Bank Cooper Young Festival on Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. We invite you to celebrate all things Memphis in the largest and oldest historic district dating back to 1849. Hand-made art from Memphis and across the United States and great local Memphis music are what we are all about. We kick up the fun on this one Saturday each year.

Guaranty Bank Stage

located in front of Young Avenue Deli

First Congo Stage

located in the First Congregational Church parking lot- Congo Stage for 2025 cancelled

Mempho Presents Stage

located at intersection of Young & Meda

Guidelines

  • Bands must be from Memphis, TN and play original music.
  • Regional touring schedule will be looked on favorably.
  • Having music to sell digitally and/or physically will be looked on favorably.
  • No physical press kits required. Please only send links or digital press kits. List of previous press encouraged.
Submissions to Cooper Young Festival: Please send your links to Tamara at [email protected] for our Music Selection Committee to review. Bands can submit at any time of the year. Selected bands will be notified at least two months before the festival play date.

Vendors

Booths on sale starting June 15th

The CY Festival Artist Vendor Application is turned on June 15 every year at 12 am (that’s midnight on June 14th). The cost for a 10' x 15' booth space is $285.00 credit cards only (we pay the required Code Enforcement permit fee). Only 10 x 10 tents allowed on festival site per Code, bigger tents do not fit our site setup and cause problems with neighboring vendors. We do not take early applications. All vendor artist booths are processed through this website application feature. Please look at the Festival Site Maps to pick your top three booth requests for the application. We will try to place you as close as possible to your requests. No live animals may be sold from your booth.

THE INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR is back OPEN for 2025. In Section D, we will offer artist vendor booths to vendors that sell imported, manufactured or non-vintage collectibles. Mass-produced items like clothing lines, t-shirts, hats, etc. can be sold in Section D only. Please state “Section D” in your “Description of Merchandise” area on the application along with what you will be selling.

Booths may not be sub-leased by the artist vendor under any circumstances. If you cannot make the Festival, you must return your booth to us so that we can allow an approved artist on the waiting list have a chance to display their art. We reserve the right to shut down any unapproved vendor on the Festival grounds. All booth fees are non-refundable.

This application process is only for vendor artists booths. All retail shops, commercial businesses, brick and mortar shops and food vendors seeking a booth space for the Festival, please call Tamara Cook, Director of the CYBA at 901-276-7222 for these opportunities that are available until they sell out.

PLEASE BE ADVISED, IF YOU HAVE MANUFACTURED MERCHANDISE, YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED BOOTH SPACE ON THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH LOT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR. WE WILL NOT MAKE ACCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.

Please make note that Generators are NOT allowed and that electricity is not supplied with booth space.

Click here for Table/Chairs Delivery Pricing

See list of this year's Featured Artists

Booths will go on sale June 15, 2025 at 12 am.

Cooper -Young Festival 2025 - Vendor Application, September 13th – Rain Date September 14th

*If you do not see the application link at 12 am CST, refresh your browser.

To fill out the 2025 application CLICK HERE

Check Back here on June 15th

Food Vendors

We have approximately 25 food vendors each year at the CY Festival. Food vendors must have the following:
  1. Comply with all Health Department permit requirements
  2. Comply with all City of Memphis / Shelby County Code Enforcement requirements
  3. Comply with all Food Truck and Food Concession requirements
  4. $1,000,000 in Commercial General Liability Insurance, $2,000,000 in General Aggregate Insurance
  5. Must provide a Certificate of Insurance naming the Cooper Young Festival as an additional insured Certificate Holder

Food Vendors are added on a need basis when a space becomes available. Food Vendors that were with us the previous year and had satisfactory performance are invited back the next year. The usual size of the food vendor spaces are from 10" x 10" to 10" x 20."

Since we are a street festival, electricity is not available in all locations. A set up fee is charged depending on how much space is needed and area of the festival.

If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please send a email to [email protected] with the following:

  1. Picture of setup
  2. List of items and prices to be sold
  3. A list of equipment to be used in setup
  4. The size of your setup
  5. Whether or not you need electricity or if you have a generator
  6. Name of business, phone and contact information

You will be notified if a place has been found for you by July 1.

Commercial Vendors

A limited amount of small business commercial spaces are available annually that are spread throughout the festival site. The majority of our festival vendors are handmade artists showing and selling their wares that they made themselves at their home.

If you have a retail or store front where you sell your items or you manufacture your items with the help of others, you would be considered a Commercial Vendor. Please contact [email protected] for available space and costs.

Section A

Full Festival Layout

Click to Download

Section A Continued

Cooper St, from Nelson Ave to Trestle

Click to Download

Section D

First Congregational Church parking lot - International Bazaar

Click to Download

Section E

Parking lot at corner of Young Ave and Cooper St.

Click to Download

Sponsors

2025 Sponsors

2025 Sponsors

Guaranty Bank

Memphis Flyer

WMC Action News 5

Memphis Grizzlies

Southland Casino Hotel

Ounce of Hope

Betly

Minuteman Press

Mempho Presents

Mid-South Chevy Dealers

Toof

ProShow

National Economy Plumbers

Kix 106

98.1 the Max

WRBO FM

98.9 The Roar

Memphis Magazine

I Love Memphis

Pearls of Grace

Direct Auto Insurance

Become a Sponsor

The Cooper Young Festival has over $300,000 in radio, television and print media with a reach to just under 2 million people the three months before the festival date. If you would like to sponsor the Cooper Young Festival, please contact Tamara Cook for opportunities available at this time. She can be reached at 901-276-7222 and [email protected]

Local Business Love

Local Business Love

Aldo’s Pizza Pies

Bain Barbecue

Celtic Crossing

Central BBQ

Central Stay

Coco & Lola’s

Crone Construction

Ferren Family Counseling

Glo Medical

Jack Brown’s Burger and Brews

Kismet Properties

McLemore & Co., Realty

Memphis Drum Shop

Memphis Tabernacle

Midtown Bramble

Midtown Massage

Mulan Bistro

Nagoya House

New Ballet Ensemble

Pavo Salon

State Farm Insurance

The Captain Group

The Soap Factory

TLC Closing

Tsunami

Young Avenue Deli