Aside from the various national festivals that are celebrated in Memphis with the same vigor that you will see across the rest of the country, such as Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Labor Day and Christmas, in Memphis, more than any other city in the world, the calendar is dominated by the lives of two men: Elvis Aaron Presley, the self styled King of Rock and Roll, and Martin Luther King Jr, the massively important leader of the civil rights movement, who died in 1969 at the very peak of his importance.

For Presley fans, the most important dates in the calendar are January 8th, the anniversary of his Birth, which is celebrated by devotees in a similar way to Christmas. The biggest celebrations however are saved for the night of August 17th, the anniversary of his death from a massive heart attack. Fans of the singer descend on Memphis from all over the world for a massive candle light vigil in the gardens of Graceland and the surrounding area, during which the fans will sing favorite songs, and share stories about how the King has touched their lives.

April 4th is the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior, and is celebrated across the world as the day that most symbolizes the massive struggle for equality between the races in the USA during the 1960s. It is great testament to the occasion that people of all races attend the speeches and rallies that take place in Memphis to commemorate the death of King, and the day is a very moving tribute to his life and values, and all that he did for the people of the world.

During the summer, there is a movie festival in Memphis, and while it may not have the same impact on cinema as Cannes, it concentrates more on art films, and is generally seen as being a much more accessible event than other similar events around the world, and allows fans the opportunity to get close to movie stars that they would not otherwise be able to meet in the real world. There are regular screenings of the films and a low key awards ceremony at the end of the week.