Thousands flock to Midtown for the return of the Cooper Young Festival – FOX13 News Memphis

Memphis, Tenn. – A Memphis tradition has returned after being canceled for the first time in 33 years last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands of people flooded the popular Midtown intersection on Saturday for the Cooper-Young Festival.

SEE MORE: Cooper-Young Festival Returns With COVID-19 Safety Precautions

“Memphis needs this. We’re excited to have this today, ”said Stephanie Sanderlin of Memphis. “We feel united in Memphis right now.”

From food and dog collars to handmade jewelry, festival-goers shopped from 350 vendors across the country.

The crowd was a welcome sight for new business owners like BluffCakes owner Chloe Sexton.

“We developed a really big social network after last year, and it was really crazy to meet these people in person and show them our products and talk to them, it’s a different feeling,” he said. she declared.

Sexton said they are doing what they can to keep their clients safe.

“We have hand sanitizer on the table and we do our best to make sure we’re as far away from them as possible,” Sexton said.

SEE MORE: CY Festival returns to Midtown as pandemic continues

Tamara Cook, executive director of the Cooper-Young Business Association, said people could also get vaccinated in one of the tents.

“We gave our masks all day. We have a free clinic where we give injections, disinfectants everywhere, ”she said.

Cook said the planning was worth it.

“There is nothing quite as great as Cooper-Young, nowhere in Memphis,” Cook said.

Cook said the festival typically attracts around 130,000 guests each year.

The organizers are already planning an even bigger turnout next year.

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