"Mempho deserves a world-class music festival”

By Saanya Srivastava

In its second year, Mempho Music Fest has grabbed the attention of everyone. The festival was thoroughly enjoyed by all whether they were locals or Wisconsinites. Get the inside scoop on what festival founder, Diego Winegardner, says about the festival and its future!

Earlier this month was the second annual Mempho Music Fest. Mempho was started by Diego Winegardner, a Memphis local, who believes “Memphis deserves a world-class music festival.” Since its first year last year, the festival has grown immensely and has obtained some of the world’s most recognized artists to perform. In the festival’s second year, huge headliners such as Post Malone and Beck and many other artists made this festival one to remember.

Overall, the festival was a great experience and shows an enormous amount of promise in the future. Unlike most festivals, Mempho’s security was more advanced. Instead of paper tickets, there were wristbands that contained an electronic card which was scanned going in and out of the grounds, allowing easy re-entry for many folks. Mempho took place at the 4,500 acre Shelby Farms. When asked why he chose Shelby Farms as the location, Winegardner, festival director, said, “I was back here visiting Memphis a couple of summers ago and some friends of mine took me on the Green Line on a bike ride. The Green Line didn’t exist when I was growing up. We ended up out here in Shelby Farms Park and I was completely blown away. The sun was setting on the Hyde Lake and I just had a lightning bolt moment.” This “lightning bolt moment’ turned into a lively two-day music festival for everyone in the world to enjoy.

Winegardner claims Mempho has the ability to stand out from other festivals because it contains “that rich Memphis history and music that a lot of the world has heard about but never experienced” which will bring out huge crowds from all over the country. Another reason Mempho stands out is that it is the only festival in Memphis to offer camping. Currently, camping is the only feature that is offered, but in the future, Mr. Winegardner plans on procuring more access to other parts of Shelby Farms, such as the paddle boats, etc.

Knowing that Mempho will continue to grow and become a bigger name, Winegardner has already thought of plans to accommodate the growth. First, he plans to change the number of festival days. Soon, the festival will be three days long rather than two. This will give more tourists an opportunity to come and sightsee during their free time. The number of stages will also change to allow more artists to come and perform. There are even plans for a “more rigorous and open application process” to allow more local bands to have the chance to perform.  

The final and most effective reason Mempho will be able to grow is because of Memphis. Winegardner believes that the best way Mempho will grow is if everyone in Memphis gets behind it and supports it.
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