The South's Best Festivals 2018

Southerners are a celebratory lot. Give us an opportunity to gather for good food and drink, with live music or (dare we dream it) fireworks on the side, and we're all in. We'll salute anything from shellfish to Chardonnay, with room for ribs in between. That's why some of the biggest and best festivals in the country—let's throw down the gauntlet and say in the world—are right here in the South. Need proof? You can take home every barbecue prize from Lexington to Kansas City, but until you've won the World Championship during Memphis in May . . . well, as we say during football season, "You ain't played nobody." And music? Where else could the best jazz festival be if not in New Orleans? Shrimp festival? Gulf Coast, of course! Don't miss out. Spritz on some SPF 50 and put on your cool shades. We're heading to the South's best festivals.