Asheville Festivals
Asheville is known for a number of festivals throughout the year.
Most of the festivals that take place in and around the Asheville area do happen in the summer or late summer, but there are certainly things going on through the other seasons as well.
Bele Chere – is the largest street festival in the southeast and is the last full weekend of July in downtown Asheville. Music, games, some shops will move out onto the sidewalks to do business, food… all sorts of things for every member of the family. It was started in 1979 as a way to help bring people back into the downtown business district and is estimated to bring in around 300,000 people each year.
The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival – held for 82 years now! Showcases fiddlers, banjo pickers, dancers and other folk performers of the mountain folk traditions. It’s the countries longest running folk festival and it’s held the first weekend in August.
The Asheville Antiques Fair – running since 1946 is one of the longest running Antique fairs in the southeast. This year it’s scheduled for the first weekend in August.
The French Broad River Festival is held in the spring (*May 1-3 this last year) in Hot Springs (daytrip from Asheville).
Rockin’ River Fest – this year on August first – is a day long celebration at the river with raft competition, band competition, kids parade, live performances, food and more.
Canton (nearby to Asheville – another daytrip) hosts an Annual ‘Mater fest in their downtown in early August.