Riverside Drive between Georgia Avenue and Beale Street in Downtown Memphis will be closed to traffic from April 22 to May 26.

But things will look a lot different in Tom Lee Park.

Riverside and the park have traditionally closed every year for the load-in and load-out of a month of Memphis in May International Festival events.

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This year, Tom Lee Park will remain open to the public between the Riverbeat Music Festival (May 3-5) and the SmokeSlam barbecue contest (May 16-18), then will open again four days after the competition awards its first barbecue honors.

The Memphis River Parks Partnership, which operates and maintains Tom Lee Park and other riverside parks and properties under contract with the city, is planning a series of spring events at nearby river parks including Zumba classes, skate nights and yoga.

Here is the schedule for Riverside Drive and Tom Lee Park:

• April 22–May 26: Riverside Drive closed between Georgia Avenue and Beale Street
• April 28–May 7: Tom Lee Park closed for Riverbeat Music Festival setup, the festival itself and load-out
• May 3–May 5: Riverbeat Music Festival
• May 8–May 10: Tom Lee Park playground and Sunset Canopy open
• May 11–May 24: Tom Lee Park closed for Smokeslam setup, the event itself and load-out
• May 16–May 18: SmokeSlam
• May 22–May 24: Tom Lee Park playground and Sunset Canopy open
• May 25: All of Tom Lee Park reopens

The schedule means the park will be open in some measure on the May 8 anniversary of Tom Lee’s 1925 rescue of 32 people on the Mississippi River south of Memphis.

In recent years, MRPP has held Tom Lee Day ceremonies at different locations to mark the occasion, including naming the winners of an annual poetry contest in Lee’s honor.

Before the park redesign, there was a 2019 anniversary gathering at Beale Street Landing.

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Memphis in May relocated its barbecue contest to Liberty Park and put its annual Beale Street Music Festival on hold for 2024. MIM’s barbecue event will run May 15-18, the same weekend as Smokeslam.

Forward Momentum then leased Tom Lee Park for its inaugural Riverbeat Music Festival and Smokeslam, both produced by its subsidiary Mempho Presents.

When Memphis in May used the park for its events, its Tom Lee statue and Beale Street Landing would be fenced off to prevent access to both.

During the 2023 edition of the festival, following the park’s $62 million renovation and reconfiguration, barriers protected some new areas and landscaping from foot traffic.

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But festival-goers could use some of the park’s new features for shade and seating.

“Our priority is accessibility and equity in the riverfront parks, even when we have organizations leasing space for special events,” said Jasmine Stokes, programming and engagement director for MRPP in an emailed statement. “Our goal is to ensure people are able to enjoy their river and their riverfront and maybe explore parks they haven’t experienced before — throughout the year.”

So far, MRPP has Yoga on the River sessions planned for the nearby River Garden at Mississippi River Park on May 7, 14 and 21, along with a May 30 Sunset Skate event at the same location.