It’s road trip time. 👌
Asheville’s OG weekend-long music + street festival, Bele Chere, came to an end after 35 years in 2013. But lucky for us, there’s a bunch of others nearby (within a 5-hour drive).
We rounded up 14 festivals we’re excited about as we head into the 2018 season, broken down by category so you can choose your own adventure.
And with so many choices, we want to know: What music fest do you catch yourself daydreaming about? Tell us about it by replying to our e-mail or writing us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Right in our backyard
Xpand Fest | 📆 June 9 | 📍South Slope | 💸 Free | 🎤 | Past: The Broadcast, The Fritz, LYRIC, SIYAH + more. Look for the lineup around April 1.
All Go West | 📆 June 16 – 17 |📍West Asheville |💸 Free | 🎤 Past: Marcus King, The Difference Machine, Floating Action, RBTS WIN, Xero God, + more. Look for the line-up mid March. Protip: This fest *takes over* Haywood St. in West Asheville. We recommend you stop by the Brew Pump Stage, where concerts happen between the (turned off) gas pumps.
LEAF Downtown | 📆 August 3 – 4 | 📍Downtown Asheville | 💸 Free | 🎤 Past: The Family Stone, Easy Star All-Stars, Hustle Souls, Nex Millen, + more. Look the line-up in early summer.
The hidden secrets…
Big Ears | 📆 March 22 – 25 | 📍Knoxville, TN | 💸 $54.50+ | 🚗 ⏱ 2 hr 15 min | 🎤 Bèla Fleck, Four Tet, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tal National, Gas, Wu Fei + more
Moogfest | May 17 – 20 | 📍Durham | 💸 $99+ | 🚗 ⏱ 3 hr 30 min | 🎤 Armen Ra, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Chelsea Manning, Midori Takada, Maliibu Miitch + more. FYI: Moogfest feels like a smaller SXSW, with panels on subjects ranging from technology to the arts.
Sleeping bag required
Spring LEAF Festival | 📆 May 10 – 13 | 📍Black Mountain | 💸 $41+ day passes; $138+ weeknd; $108 for Buncombe County residents (kids under 10 free) | 🚗 ⏱15 min | 🎤 Rising Appalachia, Snarky Puppy, Ani DiFranco, Bokante, + more. Trailblazing is this year’s theme, featuring artists who has forged their own path and been musical pioneers. 📆 Mark your calendar for fall LEAF, in mid-October.
Barnaroo | 📆 September 28 – 30 | 📍Franny’s Farm | 💸 $25+ (kids under 12 free) | 🚗 ⏱30 min | 🎤 Past: Southern Culture on the Skids, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Laura Blackley & the Wildflowers, + more. Look for lineup in April. Bonus: Sunday afternoon will be dedicated to youth music, featuring the rising stars of Asheville Music School.
Albino Skunk Festival | 📆 April 12 – 14 | 📍 Greer, S.C. | 🚗 ⏱1 hr | 🎤 Susto, D.B Rielly, Front Country, The Goodbye girls + more.
For the urban explorer
Spoleto Festival | 📆 May 25 – June 10 | 📍Charleston, SC | 💸 $50+ | 🚗 ⏱ 4 hrs | 🎤 Jon Batiste, Westminster Choir, Fred Hirsch Trio, Jazzmeia Horn, + more. Protip: This is a full 2+ weeks of music, performance + art, so go down for the weekend or stay a while and soak it all in.
Shaky Knees | 📆 May 4 – 6 | 📍Atlanta, GA | 💸 $99+ | 🚗 ⏱ 3 hr 30 min | 🎤 Queens of the Stone Age, The National, Amasa Hines, The War on Drugs + more
For the country music lover
CMA Music Festival | 📆 June 8-11 | 📍Nashville, Tenn. | 💸 220+ | 🎤 Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton + more | 🚙 ⏱ 4 hrs 40 min
For the mountaineer
Merlefest | 📆 April 26 – 29 | 📍Wilkesboro | 💸 $45+ | 🚗 ⏱ 2 hr | 🎤 Steep Canyon Rangers w/ Steve Martin, Elephant Revival, Hubby Jenkins, Wayne Henderson + more
Are you packing your bags for festival season? Tell us where you’re going + who you’re most looking forward to seeing while you’re there. And tag us in your pictures so we can live vicariously, will ya?
And while we’re at it, here are the festivals I can’t wait for: All Go West (the most eclectic lineup in my fave part of town), Big Ears (because of that time I got to have a cocktail with experimental flutist Claire Chase), Moogfest (where else can I hear a talk on Technoshamanism + see Grimes on the same day??) and spring LEAF (that view gets me every time).
