This summer, the mountains hum with harmony. Music spills into our parks and patios. Stages burst with new voices and timeless tales.
Asheville invites you to be part of something deeper—where every ticket, every step, every standing ovation is a thread in the fabric of a community that cares. Here are the performances and gatherings shaping our summer season:
Downtown After 5
April 18, June 20, Aug. 15 | Downtown Asheville
Celebrate the joy of weekends the third Friday of every month from April through September. Performances are free, and feature local and regional jazz, classic soul, country rock, funk and blues musicians. Beers, ciders, and seltzers are on tap and food vendors are on hand. On April 18, groove into spring with soul and funk from Caitlin Krisko and the Broadcast, plus The Dirty French Broads, in partnership with Asheville GreenWorks. On June 20, celebrate Juneteenth with bluesy powerhouse Southern Avenue and DJ Phantom Pantone, honoring Black culture with the MLK Jr. Association and Black Wall Street. Then on August 15, it’s all about ‘90s country nostalgia with Mustache the Band and Take the Wheel, presented with Blue Ridge Pride.
Asheville Art in the Park
June 14, 21, 28 & October 4, 11, 18, 2025 | Downtown Asheville
Explore and purchase artwork from some of the region's finest artists working in glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry, metal, and more. Asheville Art in the Park takes place downtown in Asheville's Pack Square Park over three Saturdays in June and October.
Art in Bloom
June 2-18, June 19-22, June 27 - July 25, 2025 | Black Mountain Center for the Arts
This multifaceted event in Black Mountain, celebrating nature and art, combines two gallery exhibits, live floral arrangements, and a local garden tour featuring working artists. Visit Black Mountain Center for the Arts June 19-22 to experience the stunning creativity of local Ikebana and Western floral designers who have created arrangements inspired by the artworks in the show.
Asheville Honey Fest
June 8 | Highland Brewing
Celebrate the vital role of pollinators at Asheville's 4th Annual Honey Fest, hosted by the Center for Honeybee Research and Shanti Elixirs. This family-friendly event features live music, food trucks, local vendors, and a variety of honey tastings.
Music on Main
June 14, 2025 | Weaverville
This beloved family-friendly event in downtown Weaverville features live music, kids' activities, beer, food and more starting at 4 p.m. along Weaverville's quaint Main Street.
Remembering, Honoring, and Celebrating Juneteenth
June 16-20, 2025 | Multiple Venues
Join the Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County and the City of Asheville for a weeklong Juneteenth celebration honoring Black history, culture, and community. Events include film screenings, discussions, a gala and fashion show, and culminate with a Juneteenth-themed Downtown After 5 concert featuring Southern Avenue and DJ Phantom Pantone. All events are free and open to the public.
Swannanoa Gathering
June 29 - August 2, 2025 | Warren Wilson College
This five-week teaching program on the campus of Warren Wilson College is a celebration of the traditional music of Southern Appalachia. It offers workshops in fiddle and banjo, Celtic and old-time, as well as folk music and dance, taught by some of the world's finest folk artists and instructors. Participants register in advance and come from near and far.
Shindig on the Green
July 5, 12, 19, 26 & August 9, 16, 23, 2025 | Downtown Asheville
Shindig on the Green is a free, outdoor mountain bluegrass music and dance festival that takes place on Saturdays throughout July and August in the heart of downtown Asheville at Pack Square Park. The performances — including bluegrass and old-time string bands, clog dancers, ballad singers, and storytellers — begin at about 7 p.m., or “along about sundown,” as folks around here like to say, and generally end about 10 p.m.
The Big Crafty
July 12-13, 2025 | Downtown Asheville
Voted Western North Carolina's favorite art event, The Big Crafty brings hundreds of artists and vendors into Harrah's Cherokee Center for two days, allowing visitors to discover and support local wares. The event begins Saturday, July 12 from noon to 6 p.m. and costs $10 at the door. Sunday, July 13 has free admittance from noon to 6 p.m.
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
July 17-20 & October 16-19, 2025 | Downtown Asheville
Showcasing the finest artwork of nearly 200 craftspeople from around the region, this four-day festival at Harrah's Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville offers the opportunity to watch artists practice their craft in live demonstrations as you shop. Live music also helps set the stage for this event, which features work across every medium, including clay, glass, fiber, paper, wood, jewelry, leather and metal, all by members of the revered Southern Highland Craft Guild.
Mountain Dance and Folk Festival
July 31 - August 2, 2025 | Asheville High School
In its 98th year and hailed as the nation’s longest-running folk festival, this is the preeminent event for old-time and bluegrass music. Ballad singers, banjo players and cloggers converge to tell stories of a bygone era through music and dance, and by doing so they continue to preserve the cultural traditions of Southern Appalachia.
Asheville Comedy Festival
July 31-August 2 + August 7-9, 2025 | Downtown Asheville
The Asheville Comedy Festival is one of the longest-running comedy events in the country. Having featured nearly 700 comedians over 16 years, the event continues to grow and innovate. Roaring into its 17th year August 2025 there’s bigger and better still to come from the festival organizers including many surprise year-round special event performances.
Sourwood Festival
August 9-10, 2025 | Black Mountain
Black Mountain's annual Sourwood Festival celebrates the region’s prized Sourwood honey every August. With a line-up of local musicians, honey tastings, and a decadent food fest, this family-friendly event is a favorite of locals and visitors alike.
Come to Leicester Studio Tour
August 16 & 17, 2025 | Leiscester
This free, self-guided event is held annually the third weekend in August. Area artists in Leicester open their studios to the public, and visitors can choose their own tour stops along the scenic route. The tour comprises local and visiting artists working in a variety of media including clay, fiber, jewelry, metal, glass, wood, natural materials, painting and mixed media.
Live music, theater and comedy is back in Asheville! Check out some of these acts hitting the stage in Asheville this summer.
June 1, 2025: Larkin Poe at The Orange Peel
June 2, 2025: Sleigh Bells North American Tour 2025 at The Orange Peel
June 3, 2025: Peter Hook & The Light at The Orange Peel
June 6–28, 2025: The Merry Wives of Windsor at Hazel Robinson Amphitheater
June 8, 2025: Josh Gates Live! at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
June 8, 2025: You Can Call Me Paul – A Paul Simon Tribute at Diana Wortham Theatre
June 9, 2025: Vampire Weekend – ‘Only God Was Above Us’ Tour Part 2 at Asheville Yards
June 11, 2025: Ginger Root at Grey Eagle Music Hall
June 11, 2025: beabadoobee: The Space In Between Tour at Asheville Yards
June 13, 2025: Modest Mouse at Asheville Yards
June 13–14, 2025: Shiver in the Pines at Diana Wortham Theatre
June 13 – July 6, 2025: Disney’s The Little Mermaid at Asheville Community Theatre
June 16, 2025: The Antlers & Okkervil River at Grey Eagle Music Hall
June 19, 2025: THE MOTH Presents: Asheville StorySLAM – “HOSPITALITY” at Grey Eagle Music Hall
June 19, 2025: Fred Armisen: Comedy for Musicians But Everyone is Welcome at The Orange Peel (7pm + 9:15pm show)
June 19 – July 13, 2025: The Last Wide Open at NC Stage
June 20, 2025: Seth Walker (Album Release Show) at Grey Eagle Music Hall
June 21, 2025: The Black Angels with Earthless at Burial Beer Forestry Camp
June 22, 2025: Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Tour at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
June 24, 2025: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Asheville Yards
June 29, 2025: Band Of Horses at The Orange Peel
July 4 – August 2, 2025: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hazel Robinson Amphitheater
July 7, 2025: Gary Clark Jr. at Asheville Yards
July 12, 2025: Samantha Crain at Grey Eagle Music Hall
July 12, 2025: Iron & Wine / I’m With Her at Asheville Yards
July 16, 2025: The Gaslight Anthem at The Orange Peel
July 19, 2025: THE BUDOS BAND at Hatch Amphitheater
July 22, 2025: The Head and The Heart at Asheville Yards
July 24, 2025: Jonathan Scales Fourchestra at Grey Eagle Music Hall
July 24–26, 2025: Appalachian Phoenix at Diana Wortham Theatre
July 24-26, 2025: Widespread Panic at ExploreAsheville.com Arena
July 26, 2025: Washed Out at Burial Beer Forestry Camp
July 27, 2025: American Aquarium at The Orange Peel
July 29, 2025: Silversun Pickups at The Orange Peel
July 31 – August 2, 2025: The 17th Annual Asheville Comedy Festival at Diana Wortham Theatre
August 1, 2025: STS9 with Beats Antique at Asheville Yards
August 2, 2025: STS9 with Emancipator at Asheville Yards
August 3, 2025: Louis CK: Ridiculous at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
August 6, 2025: Todd Snider at The Orange Peel
August 6, 2025: The Glenn Miller Orchestra at Diana Wortham Theatre
August 9, 2025: Sal Vulcano at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
August 12, 2025: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at The Orange Peel
August 8–30, 2025: Cyrano de Bergerac at Hazel Robinson Amphitheater
August 20, 2025: Tyler Hilton: Celebrating the Music of “One Tree Hill” at Grey Eagle Music Hall
August 23-24, 2025: Leanne Morgan: Just Getting Started at ExploreAsheville.com Arena
August 30, 2025: Ethel Cain at Asheville Yards
