Spring Events & Festivals: Top 40

Held on the Roger McGuire Green Stage of Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville starting at 2:30 PM with the Army National Guard's Army Band performing a half hour before and after the ceremony. Free

Featuring handmade creations from more than 60 artisans from across the region, including painting, photography, jewelry, leather, metal, soaps and more on Memorial Day Weekend. Admission is free. Across from the beach, 2771 Memorial Highway.

This Downtown Hendersonville Festival is the ideal event for passionate gardeners searching for the perfect plants and unique lawn & garden accessories and arts & crafts, on Memorial Day Weekend.

Sample brews from 30+ local breweries downtown in Pack Square Park on Memorial Day Weekend, with live music and local food. Hosted by Asheville Brewers Alliance, it's the kickoff to Beer Week. Buy tickets in advance (often sells out).

Watch horse jumping and riding with the best jockeys in the country at the impressive, new Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring music, food, kids' activities and Venetian carousel rides. Events vary each week. Free admission.

Whether you’re a hardcore athlete or a newbie trying an event for the first time, the annual Mountain Sports Festival in Asheville offers something for you. Memorial Day Weekend

Find many events, festivals and our top things to do to kick off summer during the holiday weekend in Asheville and the NC mountains.  

One of the largest one day free music and arts festivals in Asheville, held on Montford and Soco near downtown, with over 100 vendors of art, crafts and food. Two stages of entertainment. 10 AM-7 PM.

Buy from 160 juried artists, including paintings, sculpture, clay, glass, fiber, wood, photography, jewelry and more. All work is original and handmade by artist in the show. Indoors at US Cellular Center downtown. Admission

Watch horse jumping and riding with the best jockeys in the country at the impressive, new Tryon International Equestrian Center with an exciting atmosphere featuring music, food, kids' activities and Venetian carousel rides. Events vary each week. Free admission.

Enjoy great music, food and beer in downtown Asheville at this popular outdoor concert.

See a big variety of dahlia tubers and chrysanthemum rooted cuttings featuring cultivated varieties available for sale. Learn from Dahlia Society experts about how to produce plants with show quality blooms.

Lots of fun in Chimney Rock Village with a pancake breakfast, Cow Pie Bingo, recycled garden art contest, llamas strutting their stuff in a Main Street parade, and a grilled dinner and a special outdoor performance by the Rutherford County Orchestra at the Gathering Place.

Sample wines from 8 wineries on the grounds of the grand Inn at Glen Alpine near Morganton. Live music, festival food, and arts and crafts. Bring your own blanket or chair! No pets. 12-5 PM. Tickets $20 in advance or $25 at the gate (cash only). Info: 828-584-9264

Huge, sustainable living event with more than 200 hands-on workshops and demonstrations at the WNC Ag Center.

Explore this former NASA campus hidden in Pisgah National Forest that is now a research and educational center for space and science. Tours, star gazing, minerals, meteorites, on hands exhibits, and more for all ages. Free

This grassroots festival in Hot Springs on the banks of the French Broad features some of the best music in the area, camping and outdoor events in celebration of this beautiful river.

Check out the season's hottest gear (with free test paddling) at the NOC's Outfitter's Store on the Nantahala River. Top it off with free live music and local brews.

Drive scenic country roads to visit 35 artists in their studios and galleries about 10 minutes north of Asheville. Buy direct from them - find some great deals. Free.

Presented by the American Rhododendron Society, SE Chapter, this judged event features hundreds of Rhododendron and Azalea blooms at The North Carolina Arboretum. Also see the National Native Azalea Repository.

This festival at Highland Brewing Company includes hands-on fun, grilled cheese cook off, milking demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, vendors and 19 cheese makers from across the south. Advance tickets $14 for ages 12+. Tickets at the door $20. 12-4 PM

Join Chimney Rock State Park rangers, biologists and other environmental educators to learn about the great work being done to protect our beautiful landscape. Booths will be located in Chimney Rock Village behind the Old Rock Café. Free.

Celebrate Easter by watching the sun rise over Hickory Nut Gorge during the annual service atop Chimney Rock. Free admission.

Usher in spring with picnics, sundresses, elegant hats, tailgating, and the sounds & sights of thoroughbreds thundering past in Tryon, at the longest running steeplechase in North Carolina. The National Steeplechase Association sanctions four of the races.

Nantahala Outdoor Center's (NOC) jamboree to celebrate the Appalachian Trail, with outdoor adventure-themed film screenings, a vendor village, gear repair, and tournaments to support the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Also enjoy product giveaways, door prizes and live music.

Take a time warp at the Cradle of Forestry to the days of the Biltmore Forest School. Meet homesteaders David and Diane and their Percheron draft horses. Observe the horses plow the heritage garden and even take a turn at it yourself. Visit with living history volunteers as they bring traditional Blue Ridge culture to life. $5/person, children under 16 free