2026 Southern Foodways Symposium
2026 Southern Foodways Symposium: Memphis Movements
October 10–11, 2026
Memphis, TN
SFA brings our annual Fall Symposium to Memphis the weekend of October 10–11, 2026. We’ll explore food and movement across space and time, from the Mississippi River to Interstate 40, from Stax Records to Beale Street, from the People’s Grocery to the I AM A MAN campaign. We’ll examine historical, cultural, and physical movements and connect them to the vibrant foodways of the Bluff City. Again and again over its 200-year history, groups of Memphians have come together to build and rebuild the kind of city they want to live in. Join us to learn about the foods and movements that have fueled them, and continue to fuel them.
SYMPOSIUM TICKETS
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
A schedule of events and a roster of featured presenters will be published online prior to the ticket sale date.
Current SFA members may purchase tickets at Noon CT. Emails will be sent to all current members on Monday, August 3, with instructions on how to purchase a ticket. Questions about your membership status? Email marybeth@southernfoodways.org.
The general public may purchase tickets at 1 pm CT. There will be a TICKETS link on the left side of this page to access the ticket site.
Must be 21+ to attend.
No refunds after Monday, September 7, 2026.
SFA recommends using a desktop or laptop to purchase tickets, not a smartphone.
TICKET PRICING AND PURCHASING
A full-access 2026 Southern Foodways Symposium ticket is $500.
Note that the $500 ticket is subsidized by generous contributions from our donors.
LODGING
Room blocks have been arranged at the following hotels. Call the hotel to secure your reservations. Rooms are available until the cutoff date or until the block sells out.
Canopy by Hilton
164 Union Avenue
901-613-4741
Booking Link for Canopy
*reserve by Aug. 25
The Central Station, a Curio Hotel by Hilton
545 S. Main Street
833-320-4040
Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis
33 Beale Street
901-520-6214
*reserve by Aug. 25
The Peabody Hotel
149 Union Avenue
901-529-4000
*reserve by Sept. 9
Other recommended hotels include:
The Big Cypress Lodge at the Bass Pro Shop
Hotel Pontotoc
