2021 Cooper Young Festival will be celebrated on Saturday, September 18 from 9 am to 7 pm. See you then!
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 18th.
In its 34th 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
Cooper Young Festival Kickoff Party
September 16 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Festival Friday 4 – Miler
Calling All Young Artists – Grade 1st – Grade 12th
November 4 from 6 to 7 p.m.
John McIntire
Legendary, internationally known artist to design 2021 poster
The Evolve Bank and Trust Cooper Young Festival is pleased to announce that local Memphian and Cooper Young resident, John McIntire, has been named the 2021 Poster Artist.
John McIntire is a legend in Memphis and beyond. He was born in Wellsville, Ohio, one of ten children. While attending college, his professor abruptly walked out leaving John as the teacher for the rest of the semester. After college, John attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, all eight years on scholarship. In 1961, the Director of the Memphis Art Academy, Ted Rust, sent John tickets to come interview. John was 26. This turned out to be a huge turning point in John’s life, as he was a sculpture teacher at the Memphis College of Art for over 24 years. John continued to teach until 1985.
John has been called the last of the beatniks and one of the first hippies by his friends. John is known across Memphis for his attire always being a Hawaiian shirt. He donated a collection of over 700 Hawaiian shirts to the College of Art in 2007; the event was recorded in Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
John always thought of himself as a painter more than a sculpture donating hundreds of paintings to museums across the country. John has several public sculptures in Memphis, two of which are The Muse, A Bicentennial gift to The City of Memphis from the Memphis Art Academy in 1976 which stands downtown and a statue of Jesus commissioned by Elvis’ entourage members for a Christmas present that is in the garden near Elvis’ grave at Graceland.
View the 2019 Festival Poster

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 cyba@bellsouth.net 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
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