Asheville Activities: Festivals

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• Lake Eden Arts Festival, www.theleaf.org. Twice each year, multicultural music and arts non-profit event held at scenic Camp Rockmont, in nearby Black Mountain.
• Asheville FringeArts Festival, www.ashevillefringe.org. Held annually at the end of January.
• Jazz After Five, 1 Page Ave (in the Atrium of Historic Grove Arcade), www.ashevilledowntown.org/eventcalendar.shtml. 5PM-8PM. Held in the third Friday of each month from January through April.
• Asheville Herb Festival, WNC Farmer's Market, www.wncherbfestival.com. The largest Herb Festival in Southeast, offering herb plants, herbs, books, soaps, herbal crafts, vinegars, medicinal herbs, lotions, tinctures, teas, dried flowers, herbal baked goods, and herbal gifts. Held each May. Free.
• Mountain Sports Festival, www.mountainsportsfestival.com. Pro and amateur athletes compete in mountain sports. Live music, food, and demos. Held each May.
• Downtown After Five, North Lexington Ave at I-240 and Hiawassee, www.ashevilledowntown.org/eventcalendar.shtml. 5PM-9PM. Held the third Friday of each month from May through September, featuring free outdoor local music and plenty of shopping and eating opportunities. Free.
• Shindig on the Green, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, www.folkheritage.org/shindigonthegreen.htm. 7PM-10PM. Music and dance traditions of Southern Appalachia. Held from the end of June through the beginning of September. Free.
• Bele Chere, Downtown Asheville, www.belecherefestival.com. Bele Chere is touted as the largest street festival in the Southeast. Hundreds of artists, artisans, musicians, and performers come from all over the region to take part in the festivities. Held annually on the last weekend of July. Free.
• Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, Diana Wortham Theatre, www.folkheritage.org. Mountain fiddlers, banjo pickers, dulcimer sweepers, and dancers. Held the first weekend in August. $20/night adults, $10/night children, 3-night package $54.
• Goombay! Festival, www.ymicc.org/goombay.html. An African-Caribbean style festival. Held each August.
• Organicfest, Battery Park Avenue and Otis Street (by the Grove Arcade), www.organicfest.org. 10AM-6PM. A festive day of live music, organic food and drink, organic and green goods, and fun activities for kids of all ages.
• Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, Lexington Avenue, www.arts2people.org/laaff.html. A unique all local music and arts event held each September.
• Great Smokies Craft Brewers Brewgrass Festival, Martin Luther King Jr ballfield, www.brewgrassfestival.com. 12PM-7PM. Over 30 American breweries showcase more than 100 different beers, along with music from national and regional bluegrass musicians. Held each September. $30.
• Fiesta Latina, www.ymicc.org/fiesta_latina.html. A celebration of Latin American culture.
• Asheville PrideFest, www.ashevillepride.com. A forum for building community and to honor the many facets of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered family.
• Asheville Film Festival, www.ashevillefilmfestival.com. Held annually each November.

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