Alley Parties Are Coming Back!

According to the Feb. 20 edition of The Memphis Business Journal, downtown alley parties are on their way back. When I first moved back to memphis in 1997, there was an alley party at least once a month from April through October. The alley parties were a blast. The alley in question is the one that runs between Monroe and Union and sits between Front and Main. If you remember Sleep Out Louie's, it's the alley that came out right next to it. I think the actual name of the alley is Center Alley.

Alley parties were fun because a band would set up, there would be kegs or bars set up and the young professionals of downtown would come out and party on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and then go out in downtown after that. The party being located in the alley kind of seemed to fit. As a city, we've always had a sort of gritty appeal. Our favorite food, BBQ is messy but it sure tastes good and it has a smoky soul to it. Alley parties were like that.

At present it looks like there are two alley parties planned: April 24 and October 2 each time from 5 to 6:30 p.m. If you're in town those dates, be sure to catch the alley parties downtown.