After a stellar performance run in New York, The Central High School jazz band came home with a first-place win. 

With 30,000 tickets scanned for the three-day music festival in Tom Lee Park, how did Riverbeat compare to its previous year? 

The Central High jazz band did it. They defeated bands from across the country — and around the world — to win the Essentially Ellington contest in New York. And, yes, there were many tears.

The owners of Union Centre changed the iconic blue dog art in late April. Only one blue dog painting remains on the building. 

“I am excited to grow creative collaborations around environmental humanities, especially care for water as our lifeblood,” Gretchen E. Henderson said.

The Central High jazz band continued to blaze through New York, advancing to the finals of the Essentially Ellington contest. Said Ollie Liddell, the band’s director: “We play with the spirt of the city, man.” 

“Runway at the Museum” at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art featured more than 50 designers from across the U.S.

A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and a trio of R&B singers hit the Orpheum stage, hot New Orleans rappers come to the FedExForum, a plethora of gospel singers come to the Landers Center, and a satirical heavy-metal band travels to Minglewood Hall.

A pope movie returns to the big screen, GloRilla is throwing a bash and Memphians look ‘superfine' for a Met Gala party. 

This week, Memphis celebrates Tom Lee, Soul & Spirits celebrates smoked beer and Wiseacre is having the most metal pop-up shop ever.

Two concert bookers from Growlers join Minglewood Hall, precipitating changes at both venues. 

Ollie Liddell, the director of bands at Central High, wasn’t sure how his jazz band would get to the Essentially Ellington contest at Lincoln Center. Then Memphians came through for him.

Also notable, “Shadow Force,” an action thriller about an estranged couple who are former special ops soldiers who go on the run with their son, is a new release this week.

As part of the Brooks’ Memphis Art & Fashion Week, interior designer and HGTV star Carmeon Hamilton and interior designer Colin Chapman hosted a Met Gala watch party on Monday, May 5.

Something for the rain and something for flair. At a music festival where fashion meets function, here’s what attendees were wearing. 

The third day of Riverbeat Music Festival included performances from Benson Boone, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Anderson .Paak and more.

Related content: 

Gallery: See photos from Riverbeat Music Festival Day 1

Gallery: See photos from Riverbeat Music Festival Day 2

In less than a year, enter the Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time immersive playground on Mud Island to be transformed into the main characters in an open-world video game in a real-world space.

The second day of Riverbeat Music Festival included performances from Cage the Elephant, Public Enemy, The Killers and more. 

Related content: 

Gallery: See photos from Riverbeat Music Festival Day 1

Calvary Episcopal Church will celebrate the reconstruction of its 1935 Aeolian-Skinner organ, which was nearly silenced by the 2023 theft of its pipes.

Chalkfest drew hundreds to the Brooks Museum of Art in Overton Park, as Memphians took advantage of a sunny afternoon to have fun at outdoor events around town.

Friday marked the first day of Riverbeat Music Festival’s second three-day festival in Memphis as hundreds of attendees descended onto Tom Lee Park.

The first day of Riverbeat Music Festival saw performances from Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Steve Aoki and more.

Related content: 

Gallery: See photos from Riverbeat Music Festival Day 2

On this week’s Sidebar podcast, Eric Barnes is interviewed about music, work and how he doesn’t listen to the lyrics.