Popular Street Performers Get a New Gig as Tourism Dries Up

Beale Street Flippers stay afloat through temporary jobs at Memphis outdoor restaurant and bar

Beale Street Flippers have been performing for more than 30 years.

Photographer: Teresa Krug

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(Editor’s note: This is the seventh in our “Stories of Summer.” For more, see this link on the Bloomberg terminal, visit @QuickTake on Twitter or see the YouTube playlist.)

For more than 30 years, street performers on Memphis, Tennessee’s Beale Street enthralled tourists with their back and front flips, twists and aerials. Covid-19 brought those shows — and their main source of income — to a standstill.