Ahhhh, summer in Asheville. Is there anything like it? Where Tubing, climbing and swimming is king, and weāve written about all three (click on the links to see our guides).
As you piece together your weekend plans for the summer, make sure you stay in town for these 15 must-do events in Asheville.
June
1ļøā£ All Go West Music Festival | June 16-17 | West Asheville | Free | Ashevilleās favorite five-stage summer festival, All Go West, returns for another year of music, arts + beer. Featured music includes AVL faves Made of Oak (one half of Sylvan Esso), Shaken Nature, Kitty Tsunami, Nest Egg, AXXA/ABRAXAS, Indigo DeSouza + more. See the full lineup here. Note: All Go West is cash only and dogs will not be allowed.
2ļøā£ Weirdo Con 2018 | June 19 | 9 p.m.ā2 a.m. | Sly Grog Lounge | 271 Haywood St. | $10 at door | Have one of those ākeep Asheville weirdā bumper stickers on your car? Put your money where your mouth is with this aptly named event. Featuring drag, sideshows, puppetry, clowning, performance art + more. The Brain Washing Machin3 from New Orleans will join as a special installation/performance artist guest. We watched their promotional videos and still canāt figure out whatās going on, so itās definitely worth checking out.
3ļøā£ Puppet Paradise: Puppeteers of America Southeast Regional Festival | June 28āJuly 1 | $5/$10+ | Warren Wilson College campus | 701 Warren Wilson Rd. | Puppet shows of all kinds, puppet-making workshops and the Wham, Bam! Puppet Slam descend on Warren Wilson as performers from all over the country bring their talents to the 828. Every ticketed event is open to the public.
July
1ļøā£ 4th of July in Downtown Asheville | July 4 | 2ā10 p.m. | Pack Square Park | Free | A fireworks extravaganza will cap off the evening at 9:30 p.m. See live music from the Larry Keel Experience and other performances and cool off in the Splashville Fountain. Protip: Catch the Ultimate Air Dogs (and enter your own dog), who will be competing in jumping + swimming for prizes. Competitions are at 2, 4 + 6 p.m. with the finalist round at 7:30 p.m.
2ļøā£ The Big Crafty Birthday Party Edition | July 15 | 11 a.m.ā7 p.m. | Pack Square Park | Free | The Big Crafty turns 10! Celebrate a decade of handmade arts, crafts + more creative work.
3ļøā£ Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands | July 20ā22 | 10 a.m. ā5 p.m. | U.S. Cellular Center | $8, children 12 and under free | Now in its 71st year, the fair features two floors of handcrafted objects from the region in all different mediums, along with demonstrations so you can see the artists in action.
4ļøā£ Asheville Yoga Festival | July 26ā29 | Downtown Asheville | $130+ | The Yoga Festival returns for a weekend of classes, workshops, panels + music featuring national and international stars of the yoga world, including MC Yogi + Amanda Giacomini, Chelsea Jackson Roberts, Jean Jacques Gabriel + DJ Sol Rising.
5ļøā£ Folkmoot Festival | July 27 | 2 p.m. + 7 p.m. | Diana Wortham Auditorium | $31 for adults, $15 for students, children 12 and under free | Performers demonstrate cultural heritage through colorful, authentic and original reproduction costumes, lively dance and traditional music. Catch more performances from Folkmoot between July 19ā29 across the region; see the full schedule here.
6ļøā£ Battle of the Burger at Salvage Station | July 29 | 2ā6 p.m. | The Salvage Station | $55 | Up to 15 of Western North Carolinaās greatest chefs fire up their grills on the banks of the beautiful French Broad River in hopes of winning the title of WNCās Best Burger.
August
1ļøā£ LEAF Downtown Asheville | August 3ā4 | Pack Square Park | Free | āGet Downā (their summer fest theme) with the LEAF Festival + LEAF Community Arts over two days of music, arts + culture featuring headliners Maceo Parker + Grandmaster Flash, plus tons of other special guests. See the full lineup here.
2ļøā£ Asheville Comedy Festival presented by Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival | August 9ā11 | Various locations | See comedy showcases from local + national acts, including Ken Miller, Gabe Pacheco + Chloe Stillwell, at Diana Wortham Theatre, Highland Brewing Co. + late-night venues around town. Ticket information coming soon.
3ļøā£ Lake Lure Olympiad Opening Celebration | August 10 | The Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort | 112 Mountain Blvd. | Prices vary according to event | Lake Lure, N.C. | Register now for foot + bicycle races, triathlons, pickleball + more to get you sweating for a good cause at this celebration, where all proceeds go to area charities and service organizations.
4ļøā£ Sourwood Festival | August 11ā12 | 9 a.m.ā5 p.m. | Downtown Black Mountain | Free | āBeeā sure to put this fun small-town festival on your list. The Sourwood Festival in downtown Black Mountain celebrates our bees and local sourwood honey. Stroll down several streets with 200 vendors, eat festival food and listen to big variety of live music.
5ļøā£ Riverfest + Anything That Floats Parade | noonā8 p.m. | August 18 | New Belgium Brewing | 21 Craven St. | RiverFest, a music festival and fundraiser for RiverLink, runs JuneāSeptember, but the August installment, which will feature LYRIC, Northside Gentleman + Kill the Clique, is also the day of the Anything That Floats Parade, which means itās your chance to see some of the wildest + most creative floats in Asheville. Registration for the parade opens soon.
6ļøā£ OrganicFest | 10 a.m.ā6 p.m. | August 26 | Pack Square Park | Free | Sample organic food + drink, buy organic + sustainably-sourced crafts, participate in a āBee Organic!ā Parade, and dance to live music from artists like Sherri Lynn and Mountain Friends, Bryan Divisions, Ben Phan + more.