Throughout the month of May 2024, celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with events and activities across Memphis.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
If you have an event that you’d like added to the calendar, please email details to aapiheritagemonthmemphis@gmail.com
More events will be announced soon!
Happy Hour Kick-Off with Good Fortune
Wednesday, May 1st | 5:00pm-7:30pm CST | Caption by Hyatt
Join us at the Caption By Hyatt Beer Garden in partnership with Good Fortune Co to celebrate the dynamic culture and heritage of our local AAPI community! We look forward to welcoming you.
Your ticket includes:
Enjoy cocktails crafted with unique Asian spirits and ingredients. Sake, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks will also be available.
Food—Indulge in scratch-made dishes inspired by authentic Asian flavors, featuring a limited-edition menu just for our guests.
21 and up ticketed event. Purchase tickets via Eventbrite.
Caption by Hyatt, Beer Garden
245 S Front Street
Memphis, TN 38103
This event kicks off AAPI Heritage Month Memphis & The Hungry Tiger Food Tour with Edible Memphis.
This month the Hungry Tiger will take you on a tasty trek around town to restaurants showcasing some of our Memphis Asian ethnic communities. We’ll visit long-standing staples and more recent additions, and hopefully introduce you to a new-to-you favorite. If you’ve been looking for a reason to check out local eats or a way to connect with other folks in our community, this is for you!
Check out the full tour schedule at thehungrytigermemphis.com
Learn more about how this delicious initiative began in Edible Memphis’s story “Calling All Hungry Tigers.”
Super Saturday - ‘China Blues: The World of Blue & White Ceramics’
Saturday, May 4th | 10:00am-12:00pm CST | Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Join the Memphis Brooks Museum for Super Saturday - China Blues: The World of Blue and White Ceramics as we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month! Learn about different kinds of patterns, designs, and motifs that have been used to create blue and white porcelain all over Asia. Design your own blue and white ceramics on paper with markers and oil pastels, inspired by the beautiful pieces found in China Blues: The World of Blue and White Ceramics.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
1934 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38104
Let’s Grab Coffee on WYXR Radio Show Interview
Monday, May 6th | 11:00am-12:00pm CST | WYXR.org or 91.7FM Memphis
Tune in for an engaging conversation about Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the local celebrations, and the histories of our local Asian American communities.
Let’s Grab Coffee is a weekly interview-style radio show hosted by Dr. SunAh M Laybourn. On this special AAPI Heritage Month episode, Dr. Laybourn sits on the other side of the microphone as she’s interviewed by multimedia journalist and WYXR Program Director, Jared “Jay B” Boyd.
This show kicks off special AAPI Heritage Month programming on Let’s Grab Coffee. Subscribe to the show on Apple and Spotify.
AAPI Heritage Month Student Art Competition Art Show Opening Reception
Monday, May 6th | 6:00pm-7:30pm CST | Cossitt Library
This year is the inaugural AAPI Heritage Month Memphis Student Art Competition. Join us as we celebrate the power of creativity to bridge cultures and forge connections. On display are the winning artwork from Memphis and Shelby County K-12 students. Let these works of art be not just a reflection, but a celebration, of the rich mosaic of voices and experiences that make up the AAPI community and the impact of AAPI culture.
The opening reception will provide the opportunity to congratulate the student winners. Refreshments will be provided.
Free and open to the public. Let’s show our support for our student artists and our K-12 teachers.
Artwork will be on display from May 6th-May 25th.
Cossitt Library
33 Front Street
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Japanese Culture Club
Saturday, May 11th | 10:30am-12:00pm CST | Benjamin L. Hooks Library
Join us for Memphis Public Library's Japanese Culture Club! This monthly meeting will be dedicated to the appreciation of Japanese culture. The club will focus on immersing attendees in Japanese customs and traditions as well as popular culture in a fun and engaging environment.
Benjamin L. Hooks Library
3030 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38111
AAPI Heritage Month Celebration
Saturday, May 18th | 9:30am-1:30pm | Bert Ferguson Community Center
Explore the rich and diverse cultures of our local Asian ethnic communities. Enjoy live performances, cultural activities, and food. This event highlights the diversity of Memphis with representation from Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Pakistani communities.
Bert Ferguson Community Center
8505 Trinity Road
Cordova, TN 38018
“Blurring the Color Line” Documentary Screening & Discussion
Wednesday, May 22nd | 6:00pm-8:15pm | National Civil Rights Museum
In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, join the National Civil Rights Museum’s Unpacking Racism for Action Program for a special screening of BLURRING THE COLOR LINE. BLURRING THE COLOR LINE follows director Crystal Kwok as she unpacks the history behind her grandmother’s family, who were neighborhood grocery store owners in the Black community of Augusta, Georgia during the Jim Crow era. This documentary serves to disrupt racial narratives and bridge divides.
Registration is FREE. Click this link to register.
More about the Unpacking Racism for Action program: Unpacking Racism for Action is a thought-provoking series of educational programs offered by the National Civil Rights Museum to deepen the awareness and understanding of the many manifestations of racism through an examination of how racism, implicit bias, and the ideology of whiteness impact human relationships in society. Contact DEI Programs and Community Engagement Program Manager, Arlinda Fair Cathey with questions and concerns at acathey@civilrightsmuseum.org.
National Civil Rights Museum
450 Mulberry Street
Memphis, TN 38103
Common Grounds: A Tasting of History and Fusion
Thursday, May 23nd | 5:00pm-7:00pm | Anti-Gentrification Coffee Club
Join us at the Anti Gentrification Coffee Club for a unique tasting event where we explore the rich flavors and stories intertwining our shared histories. From coffees to popular foods, this guided tasting experience will take your taste buds on a journey through time and culture.
Let's come together and explore the common grounds that unite us all. Don't miss out on this opportunity to sip, savor, and socialize in a welcoming atmosphere.
In order to provide the space to connect with one another and learn together, this is a limited seating event.
Brought to you by Cxffeeblack and Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Memphis.
Anti-Gentrification Coffee Club
761 National Street
Memphis, TN 38122
Between Heaven and Earth, We Build Our Home Art Exhibition
Saturday, May 25th | 4:00pm-8:00pm | UrbanArt Commission
Between Heaven and Earth, We Build Our Home explores the themes of ancestry, immigration, and homemaking in an exhibition featuring AAPI artists from Memphis and the South. Join us at the opening reception to view the work and experience a special performance by MengCheng 梦城团 Collective. Artists include: Thandi Cai, Sai Clayton, Sharon Havelka, Vivian Havelka, John Lee, Christine Yerie Lee, Huifu Ma, Susan Mah, Lili Nacht, Yangbin Park, Neena Wang, Yidan Zeng. Curated by Neena Wang.
Performance by MengCheng 梦城团 Collective at 7:00pm.
Outdoor Asian night market with food and merch vendors.
Artwork will be on display from Tuesday-Thursday May 28th through June 20th. Gallery hours: 12:00pm-5:00pm
UrbanArt Commission
422 N. Cleveland
Memphis, TN 38104
Supported by: AAPI Heritage Month Memphis, Chinese Historical Society, Google, UrbanArt Commission.
Raise Your Flag workshop
Sunday, May 26th | 2:00pm-5:00pm | UrbanArt Commission
Join us for the “Raise Your Flag” workshop led by MengCheng 梦成团 Collective members LiLi 丽丽 Nacht and Yidan Zeng. You will learn cyanotype printmaking techniques and work together to create your own flag based on dreams and values from the community. The workshop is free and no prior art-making experience is necessary. Register at bit.ly/mcraiseflag.
UrbanArt Commission
422 N. Cleveland
Memphis, TN 38104
Supported by: AAPI Heritage Month Memphis, Chinese Historical Society, Google, UrbanArt Commission.
Memphis Dragon Boat Festival
Saturday, June 1st | All Day | Hyde Lake, Shelby Farms
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The drummer at the helm of the boat beats the drum to set the pace, as 20 team members heave in time with each beat, slicing their paddles into the water, propelling the 46-foot-long dragon boat towards the finish line. The atmosphere is electric. The competition is heated. The boom of the drum, the glistening lake, the yell of the steerer’s commands to the team, the fireworks, the food trucks, the children’s activities, the cheering of the crowd, and multiple brightly colored dragon-scaled boats neck and neck in fierce pursuit of the finish line.
For more information on this annual event hosted by the Memphis Chinese Community Center and to register your team, visit MemphisDragonBoatFestival.com
Hyde Lake at Shelby Farms
6931 Great View Drive North
Memphis, TN 38134
