40 Fall Festivals & Events, Sept & Oct

Downtown Hendersonville features more than 150 vendors lining eight blocks of the main event area. There is continuous entertainment from 10 AM-10 PM each day. The King Apple Parade, always held on Labor Day, culminates the Main Street activities.

See our special list of top events, festivals and things to do during Labor Day Weekend in Asheville and the surrounding towns and mountains.

Held at Emerald Village near Little Switzerland, enjoy many free events, including guided hikes, music, exhibits, talks and more. Also, pay for gem-mining, pan for gold and take a black light mine tour.

See works of 90 fine artisans from the Southeast on the Village Green in Cashiers, 10 AM- 5 PM. Find ironwork, woodcraft, textiles, cakes, jams, pottery and more. Free admission, but donations accepted.

A street festival downtown Asheville that showcases our creative personality with local art, music, beer, street performers and more on Lexington Avenue, 12-9 PM. Free.

Enjoy lots of rides, exhibits, animals, food and much more. Fun for all ages! We especially love the impressive exhibits in various buildings. See the many competitions from quilting, photography, extreme garden vegetables, flowers, crafts and more. Watch craftspeople at work.

There's no place like the Beech Mountain's Land of Oz. Stroll along the yellow brick road, experience a recreation of Dorothy's journey from her home in Kansas and meet many of the characters so central to "The Wizard of Oz." The event sells out fast!

Presented by the Organic Growers School in Asheville, experts teach you about harvesting, canning, growing, gardening, energy, cooking and more…all organically. Get down-to-earth advice on growing and sustainable living. Registration from $45/day.

Explore a living history 1780s militia encampment at the Museum of North Carolina Minerals on the Blue Ridge Parkway, telling the story of the Overmountain Men battling British forces. 

This free festival features traditional music, dancing and heritage craft demonstrations. A highlight is the World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition on Saturday.

Fun outdoor arts and crafts festival in Weaverville that includes 100 juried artists, food and live music. Free admission and parking. Just 7 miles north of downtown Asheville.

Sample beers from 55 breweries in the infield of Memorial Stadium near downtown Asheville, while listening to a bluegrass-infused live band. Buy food from local vendors. This 21 and older event is held 1-6 PM. $55/person. Buy tickets in advance!

Local outdoors retailers Diamond Brand Outdoors and Frugal Backpacker present a free public expo at The Salvage Station (468 Riverside Dr, Asheville), 12 Noon until 4 PM, with the latest trends, technologies and innovations in outdoor recreation with 75 vendors.

At this festival, hosted by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Asheville, you can sample some of the traditional foods and pastries (such as lamb shank, pastichio, spanakopita, gyro, souvlaki and baklava), watch traditional dancing and enjoy the authentic Greek music.

A fall fair of artisans, crafters and music on Blannahassett Island near downtown Marshall. 10 AM-5 PM. 

Watch horse competitions with the best riders in the country at the impressive Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring entertainment, food, kids' fun and Venetian carousel rides. Activities start at 6 PM. Arena action 8 PM. Free admission.

At the NC Arboretum, learn how you can help the monarchs, purchase milkweed, make and take butterfly crafts and witness monarch butterfly tagging. 10 AM-4 PM. Watch the butterfly release at 11:45 AM and 2:45 PM. Educational presentations at 11 AM and 2 PM. 

Enjoy fine arts and crafts along Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, 10 AM-5 PM.

The new hot sport of Gladiator Polo™ $120,000 "Battle for the Carolinas" Fall Series, the final two teams battle for the championship at Tryon Equestrian Center. Free admission. 6 PM activities, 8 PM match. 

More than 80 traditional craftsmen, exhibitors, forestry students and entertainers gather to celebrate our forests and our forest heritage. Some highlights include wood carvers, weavers, a blacksmith, fly fishing, archery, face painting, horse-drawn wagon rides and the John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen's Meet.

Two long-running festivals celebrate mountain craft, music and dance: the Heritage Festival and the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Music Festival. Both held downtown, adjoining Mars Hill University. Free. 10 AM-4 PM. Small fee for indoor evening concert. 

A great celebration of the local beer scene, mixing Bavarian traditions with Asheville's eclectic vibe. Downtown. Tickets required if you are tasting!

This annual festival in downtown Bryson City features vendors to display and demonstrate all types of fly fishing equipment - rods, fly tying, apparel and accessories, fishing kayaks and more. 9 AM-5 PM. At the event you are just a few blocks from the Delayed Harvest section of the Tuckasegee River, which is stocked by the NC State Wildlife Resources Commission.

From pottery to jewelry, sculpture to two-dimensional art, this art festival brings together a wide array of traditional and contemporary mountain art in Pack Square Park.

A gathering of 30+ top potters and clay artists with functional pottery, figurative sculpture, stoneware, earthenware and more. Indoors at Cross Street Center (31 Cross St) in downtown Spruce Pine. Free admission. 10 AM-5 PM.

Watch horse competitions with the best riders in the country at the impressive Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring entertainment, food, kids' fun and Venetian carousel rides. Activities start at 6 PM. Arena action 8 PM. Free admission.

The union of a wide variety of cultures - African, Latin, Appalachian, Cajun, Celtic, Blues, Bluegrass, French, Texan and more - that includes healing arts, poetry, music, dance, visual arts and an African drum circle. A fun, outdoor, ticketed festival near Black Mountain. Get tickets well in advance.

Experience quintessential traditional mountain life with Appalachian dance, music, food, arts and crafts in the beautiful Nantahala National Forest at Stecoah Valley, near Fontana Lake and Robbinsville.

Sample chili ranging from mild to wild in red, white and vegetarian recipes at the depot in downtown Bryson City. Also enjoy live music, handcrafted arts and desserts. $5 wristband for sampling. 11 AM-3 PM. 

Celebrate the coming of the snow season with woolly worm races, live entertainment, and lots of food and craft vendors in downtown Banner Elk during peak fall color.

Watch horse competitions with the best riders in the country at the impressive Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring entertainment, food, kids' fun and Venetian carousel rides. Activities start at 6 PM. Arena action 8 PM. Free admission.

This festival features a Flight of the Vampire 5K, 10K and Children’s Fun Run, along with a costume contest and parade, chili cook-off, pie bake-off, street vendors, a pumpkin-carving contest, haunted house, masquerade ball, Boo-T-Ful Me fashion show, Mountain Music Mash competition, ghost tours and more.

Watch horse competitions with the best riders in the country at the impressive Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring entertainment, food, kids' fun and Venetian carousel rides. Activities start at 6 PM. Arena action 8 PM. Free admission.