I WILL FOLLOW
U2 Fan Meetup in Memphis 2026
In The Name of Love
A U2 Conference #U2fan50 Gathering
May 15-17, 2026
Join fans for a weekend of getting back together and celebrating 50 years of being the luckiest fans in the world. Here’s a look at the general schedule. We’ll add more enhancements along the way. Join us for what you please and what works for you.
Location details and suggestions for hotels are on our Google Event map.
There is no registration fee for the weekend. You will pay for your meals, entrance fees, and lodging.
Please RSVP here to help us plan for group sizes at restaurants and museums.
Plans are subject to change and we’ll send out a notice if the schedule is updated.
We recommend before the weekend in the U2 Conference Discord channel #memphis-meetup-2026. There, you can connect in advance with fans, make your plans, and get excited for the weekend. It’s also the best place to ask a question about the weekend and get an answer promptly.
(The month-long Memphis in May International Festival is also going on and the honored country this year is Ireland.)
Hope you can make it! It’ll be better together.
Friday, May 15
5pm – 7pm: Gather together to meet, greet, and eat at Central BBQ-Midtown (meat-free options are on the menu!).
6:30pm – 7pm: Welcome and Introduction to Memphis & U2 by Verlinda Henning at Central BBQ-Midtown.
7pm – 9pm: Join in a multi-dimensional, spirit-forward discussion about U2’s new EPs “Days of Ash” and “Easter Lily,” facilitated by the Rev. Canon Rob Courtney – and including you! – at Central BBQ-Midtown.
9:30pm – ??: Continue gathering together for those interested at Board to Beers (a board game venue) for games, conversation, U2 fandom show and tell (bring your collectables), and story sharing (we’ll have topics!).
Saturday, May 16
8am – 10am: Gather together for breakfast at The Arcade.
10am – 8pm: Time for visiting the National Civil Rights Museum, SUN Studios, and Beale Street. If you want to see these sites with the group of U2 fans, join us for these starting times:
10am: Visit the National Civil Rights Museum. Buy your ticket in advance or at the door. (The NCRM is next door to the The Arcade (where we’ll gather for breakfast) and Beale Street is a short walk away. Bono received the NCRM’s Freedom Award in 2004 along with US Congressman John Lewis.
2pm: Visit SUN Studios. Buy your voucher for a ticket in advance or buy a ticket at the door. SUN Studios is a smaller space. Please note their policy about tickets from their website: “Tour Tickets Available First Come, First Served. Due to limited availability, all tour tickets will be available only upon arrival. Vouchers will be honored but they do not reserve a specific time or date. Due to limited capacity, please do expect a bit of a wait time. If you are able, we highly suggest stopping by early in the day to purchase tickets for a later time that same day. Please keep in mind that tickets for a specific time can only be purchased in person and day of.”
5pm: Gather together for an early dinner for those who want to at The Four Way Grill. The Four Way is an African-American and female-owned business with a rich history of connections to US Civil Rights efforts. MLK, Jesse Jackson, and other leaders regularly ate here.
8pm – ?? Gather together a for food, drinks at The Brass Door Irish Pub, and for a U2 Fandom Showcase! Share “how you fan”: bring your instrument and play a song, share a short story, read a poem, celebrate an organization you’re involved with, show and tell your fandom with a special item from your collection, … etc.
Sunday, May 17
9am – 11am: Join a casual walk-’n’-talk about civic engagement (in the name of love) through historic Tom Lee Park, Mississippi riverside, featured in the “Graceland” version of “Heartland” in the film Rattle and Hum. We’ll have discussion-starting topics!
11am – 1pm: Gather together for brunch and goodbyes (for those who need to leave) at the local, African-American owned Kitchen Laurel.
2pm – 6pm: Continued time for enjoying the National Civil Rights Museum, SUN Studios, and Beale Street.
3pm – 6pm: Gather together for a service project with More Than A Meal at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
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