Memphis has a special quality that pulls you in. It doesn’t look, sound, or feel like anywhere else. That allure radiates through our music and art, and the people of the city themselves. A new festival coming in October seeks to celebrate that magic — our mojo— and the diverse ways it’s expressed.

Memphis MOJO Festival is a two-day, multi-venue music and arts festival set for October 5 & 6, 2019. The festival is being organized by friends and family of the late musician and activist Omar Higgins, who was a co-founder of MOJO. The founding team had been building upon their vision for the festival since 2013. In response to Omar’s untimely passing, musicians and artists whose lives have been impacted by him, including his bandmates and brothers David & Joseph Higgins, are launching the festival and crediting Omar as the singular creator to honor him.

“The Mission of MMF is to create, and craft a festival that pays homage to the past while showcasing new cutting edge musical genres including all facets of visual, digital and fine art that is springing up from the rich, deep soil of our historic city. Memphis has MOJO and that is what the world knows Memphis to have — something magical, visceral and real. We are uniquely the most diverse music and arts city in the world. We simply need to bring it all together to tell the entire story and allow Memphians and our guests to experience the MOJO that is alive and flowing in our history, in our present, and in our future.”

The Memphis MOJO Festival team plans to produce performances and festival events at multiple venues in downtown Memphis, and neighborhoods beyond including the Edge District, Soulsville, Crosstown, and Whitehaven.

Proceeds from MMF will help to fund education initiatives, social justice initiatives, eliminate blight, and unite Memphians to take action as a “family that cares about our shared home.”

A second component to MMF is an industry expo that will occur October 2 – 4.

Stay tuned to the Memphis MOJO Festival website for more information to come, and follow MMF on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.