May 31, 2026
June on the backroads means school is out, the days are long, and something is happening in almost every town across all six counties. The humidity is real, but so are the free outdoor concerts, the courthouse lawn food trucks, the farmers markets in full swing, and the kind of summer energy this region does better than almost anywhere else.
This is a bigger month than you might expect. Here is what we found.
This one might not be on your radar yet, and it absolutely should be. The Germantown Charity Horse Show is 77 years old, one of the oldest continuously running sporting events in Tennessee and one of the largest all-breed horse shows in the country. Five full days at the show grounds at 7745 Poplar Pike, Germantown, running 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM daily. The lineup covers Hunter/Jumpers, Tennessee Walking Horses, Gypsy Vanners, American Saddlebreds, Paso Finos, Sidesaddle, and Carriage Driving. Tuesday is free admission. Worth a drive even if you have never been to a horse show in your life. Full schedule at gchs.org.
Two shows are on the books at the Amphitheater in early June. Jelly Roll (The Little ASS Shed Tour) with Jay Webb plays Friday, June 5, at 7 PM. Everclear with Marcy Playground plays Sunday, June 7, at 7:30 PM. Check bankplusamphitheater.com for current ticketing details, as programming at this venue can shift. Either way, it is one of the bigger concert weekends of the summer in DeSoto County and well worth the trip across the state line.
Appling Lake at Bartlett hosts its annual Children’s Fishing Rodeo on June 7 (the lake is closed June 2 through the event to prep). A genuine community tradition that draws families from across the north side of the county.
The Germantown Performing Arts Center hosts its outdoor Concerts in the Grove series throughout June. The MD’s perform on Thursday, June 18, from 6:30 to 8 PM at 1801 Exeter Rd, Germantown. Visit gpacweb.com for the full June calendar, including additional dates.
Main Street Collierville’s Summer Concert Series runs every Thursday on the Historic Town Square, Collierville. Free admission, bring a chair and a blanket. The Town Square is one of the better outdoor music settings in Shelby County on a summer evening. Full lineup at mainstreetcollierville.org.
The Millington Farmers Market opens for the 2026 season on Tuesday, June 11, at Discovery Nature Park (5152 Easley Street, Millington). Local makers, growers, and producers, with food trucks and live music on select weeks. Runs June 11 and June 25.
Fayette County is showing up for June with community events spread across multiple towns, plus the standing anchor of the Fayette County Farmers Market in Somerville running every Tuesday and Saturday morning, 8 AM to noon.
The whole town participates. A great excuse to drive the Oakland streets on a Saturday morning and see what turns up. Oakland is a quick drive east on US-64 from Collierville.
Oakland Parks and Recreation is opening a new park on June 13. Check the Oakland Parks and Recreation Facebook page for location and details.
Oakland Parks and Recreation hosts a community Fishing Derby on June 20. Check the Oakland Parks and Recreation Facebook page for location and time.
The City of Moscow hosts its annual Juneteenth Celebration at Moscow City Hall on June 19, with food, music, and local culture. Moscow sits on Highway 57 in western Fayette County, one of the better quiet drives in the region.
Delta Blues Winery hosts a Juneteenth Wine and Soul Fest on June 21. Right in the heart of Fayette County. Check Delta Blues Winery on Facebook for details and ticketing.
Somerville’s square rewards a slow morning any weekend in June. Southern Pickers, Ruth and Rice, Farmer’s Hardware: you know the list. The drive from Somerville out toward Mason is still the best afternoon in this part of the world, and Bozo’s Hot Pit Bar-B-Q in Mason is still the answer to what to eat when you get there.
Fayette County in June is full green and a little wild, and the roads between the small towns are exactly what this project is about.
Tipton County is having a full June, with events spread across Covington, Munford, Brighton, and Atoka.
Atoka Railroad Adventure Plus (110 Michael Ave, Atoka) hosts a free community gathering to kick off the summer, with local vendors and family-friendly activities. Free admission.
Free outdoor live music at 797 Distillery in Covington. The Risky Whiskey Boys play outside. A good warm-up for a Covington afternoon or evening.
100 Union St, Covington. Local growers, artisans, bakers, ranchers, and producers. A reliable Saturday morning anchor for any Covington trip.
Veterans Plaza, Munford. About 30 vendors on the schedule for each date. Local growers and crafters. Check munford.com for updates.
The 2nd Annual Depot Day takes over the Covington Farmers Market at 100 Union St, Covington. The lineup includes a vendor market, crawfish boil, food trucks, a car show, and tastings at 797 Distillery. One of the bigger community events on Tipton County’s June calendar.
Next to Town Hall, Atoka. Local producers and makers. Running the same day as Depot Day, so a Tipton County Saturday on June 13 has real options.
Brighton fills its streets with live country music, vendors, and food for the Country Boots and Beats Festival on June 20. An outdoor street festival with a genuine local feel. Brighton is about six miles south of Covington on US-51.
The Historic Ruffin Theater hosts Generations Live on June 20. Check the Historic Ruffin Theater on Facebook for show times and ticketing.
TiLt makes its debut performance at the Historic Ruffin Theater on June 27. Local launch night.
Community crawfish boil at 13529 Hwy 19 W, Ripley. A local summer kickoff tradition.
Fort Pillow has a full early-June schedule. Events include a National Trails Day guided hike from the museum, a Youth Fishing Rodeo at the park lake (prizes, ages 12 and under), and a Junior Ranger Camp, a three-day daytime camp for kids covering nature and park history. The park sits on the Chickasaw Bluffs above the Mississippi River in Henning, and the views in June, when the river runs wide and the trees are full, are worth the drive by themselves. Contact the park at (731) 738-5581 or visit tnstateparks.com for the confirmed June schedule and Junior Ranger Camp registration.
While you are in Henning, the Alex Haley Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM. The museum covers Haley’s boyhood home, his literary career, his Coast Guard service, and includes a gallery with a life-size replica of a slave ship and genealogical resources. Admission required; details at alexhaleymuseum.org.
On June 21, the Town of Halls hosts a show featuring The Hudson Family with Moe Hayslett. Hayslett is a Halls native who spent four seasons on Ozark and has since built a following that extends well beyond West Tennessee. Coming home to play in his hometown is exactly the kind of thing the backroads are built to deliver.
The event is part of the Walk the Block to End Alzheimer’s, which means the day also includes a car show, a petting zoo, food trucks, and local vendors. June 21. Halls, Tennessee.
The annual Halls Street Festival takes place in June in downtown Halls, with entertainment, food, arts, crafts, and community atmosphere. Confirm the exact date at townofhallstn.us or by calling (731) 836-9653.
DeSoto County is having a full June.
The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall is on display at the George M. Harrison Municipal Soccer Complex (8700 Church Road, Olive Branch) from June 4 through 8, open 24 hours a day. A powerful tribute worth visiting if you have family connections to Vietnam-era service or simply want to mark the occasion with intention.
See Shelby County section above.
Old Towne Olive Branch runs a month-long summer series in June called the June Bug Jamboree, featuring live music and local entertainment throughout the month. A good reason to spend time in one of DeSoto County’s most walkable historic areas.
The International Festival at Historic Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center, Olive Branch, is on June 6. A global cultures celebration worth the trip if you are already heading to Olive Branch for the farmers market grand opening.
The Olive Branch Farmers Market opens its 2026 season on June 6 at the front lawn of City Hall at 9200 Pigeon Roost Road, Olive Branch. Every Saturday, June through September, 8 AM to noon.
The Hernando Farmers Market on the Historic Town Square (2535 Highway 51 S, Hernando) runs every Saturday through October. Live music in the mix: the Steven Pittman Band plays June 6 and Brian Blake plays June 20. Children’s Day is June 27, where the first 100 kids receive a free book and a $5 produce voucher. Senior Day is the second Saturday of each month. The Children’s Power of Produce program runs the last Saturday of each month. The Town Square in Hernando on a Saturday morning is one of the more genuinely pleasant ways to start a day anywhere in this region.
Hernando’s Sunset on the Square returns to the DeSoto County Courthouse lawn every Thursday in June. Free admission, different band each week. This year’s lineup: Amber McCain Band (June 4), KC Johns (June 11), Truck Patch Revival (June 18), and Twin Soul Band (June 25). Food trucks and vendors on site. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. One of the best free ongoing series in the six-county area.
Crittenden County, Arkansas
The second annual Broadway Food Truck Fest takes over the Broadway Food Park at 306 E. Broadway, West Memphis. Twenty-five-plus vendors, $5 food specials all afternoon, and live blues by Albert King Jr. Cross the bridge and spend a Saturday afternoon in downtown West Memphis. It is worth it every time.
Freedom Fest comes to Tilden Rodgers Sports Complex at the end of the month, with what bills itself as eastern Arkansas’s largest fireworks show. Good food, a big cross-river crowd, and the Mississippi sky for your backdrop. Check the City of West Memphis on Facebook for confirmed timing.
Every Saturday in June, there is a farmers market running somewhere in the six-county area. Here is the current lineup:
June gives you a lot of options and almost no good excuses. Free outdoor concerts every Thursday in Hernando and Collierville. Twelve named acts at Overton Park Shell through June 27, all free. Big ticketed shows in Southaven on June 5 and June 7. A horse show in Germantown that is older than most of us. A Halls native coming home. Fort Pillow in peak summer form. Depot Day in Covington. Brighton filling its streets with music. Farmers markets in every county every weekend.
Pick a Thursday. Pick a Saturday. Pick a county you have not been to yet this season. The backroads are ready when you are.
Blues Backroads is a tourism campaign of the MidSouth Development District, celebrating the music, food, history, and communities of the Mid-South region. Follow Blues Backroads on Facebook and Instagram for event updates all summer long.
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