Mekong Memphis Festival

A cultural celebration marking 50 years since Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Thai refugee families first resettled in Memphis, TN.

The Mekong Memphis Festival is a community-led cultural celebration in Memphis' historic Washington Bottoms neighborhood, marking fifty years since Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Thai refugee families resettled along the Cleveland Street corridor beginning in 1975. The festival honors a story of arrival, perseverance and belonging through the food, music, art, and traditions these communities carried from the Mekong River to the Mississippi. Held Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 11:00a-6:00p, the all-ages reunion gathers the community for an intergenerational day of Southeast Asian performances, cuisine, and heritage — strengthening cultural visibility, neighborhood identity, and cross-community connection in Memphis. The event also leaves a lasting legacy: improvements made for the festival, including a garden area and a walking path, will become a green space for the adjacent Buddhist temple and neighborhood, extending the reunion's impact well beyond a single day.

Organizers: Vietnamese Buddhist Association Of Memphis, Crosstown Memphis CDC and The Works