Spring Events & Festivals: Top 40

Kenilworth neighborhood, just five minutes from downtown Asheville, annual Open Studio Tour features 20+ jewelers, painters, glass-workers, fabric artists, potters, woodworkers, photographers and more!

Go nuts at the White Squirrel Festival in downtown Brevard that features a parade, plenty of live music, food, arts and much on Memorial Day Weekend.

Exhibition at the North Carolina Arboretum by Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society with award-winning roses of every color and size. Experts on hand to answer questions and provide information about the selection, care and history of roses.

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.  

Outstanding festival with 100% hand-picked regional artists along Saluda's historic Main Street. See a big diversity of art media and enjoy music representing Americana, blues, folk and contemporary. Watch artist demonstrations. Free. 10 AM-4 PM.

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 free popular outdoor concert. 5-9 PM

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. See their full bonsai collection with morning guided tours.

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, a grilled dinner and a special outdoor performance by the Rutherford County Orchestra at the Gathering Place.

This outdoor music festival celebrates and supports the farmers of Polk County with music by Asheville's Town Mountain, Aaron Burdett Band and others, plus food, beer and wine. At Harmon Dairy Farm with mountain views, near Columbus. 4-10 PM. $30/person 

Home to over 200 artists, the River Arts District (near downtown Asheville & Biltmore) is extra festive on each second Saturday in 2018. Find show openings, hands-on classes, demos, music and more in 23 repurposed industrial buildings along the French Broad River.

Join the fun and help with work projects in Pisgah National Forest in the Looking Glass area - including trail maintenance, repairs, plantings and more (sign up in advance), coordinated by The Pisgah Conservancy. 9 AM-2 PM.

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.

Sample spirits from 19 NC distillers along North Trade Street in downtown Tryon. Also includes arts, crafts, a dozen food trucks and live music. 12-5 PM. Free admission.

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.

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

Celebrate the arrival of spring at this big downtown Sylva street festival, about an hour's drive west of Asheville. Three stages of music, crafts, music, more. Free admission.

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.

Two events in Old Fort: See traditional Appalachian crafts, food, games and storytelling (10-5) at the Mountain Gateway Museum. Then stroll by a big variety of classic cars and trucks on Commerce Street (9-2). Free admission.

Western NC's sweetest festival includes thousands of delicious donuts, food trucks, donut-eating contest, pageant, crafts, 5K, half-marathon and a variety of vendors on Main Street in Marion, 10 AM-3 PM.

3-day conference in Asheville bridges creative disciplines, bringing together musicians, writers, filmmakers, media personalities and activists. Includes an eclectic lineup of panels, speakers and performances: Bob Boilen, host of NPR’s All Songs Considered; playwright Lydia Diamond; cellist Ben Sollee; and many more.

Meet 20+ of the finest potters from Madison County and beyond at Marshall High Studios. This historic high school turned artist studios is on a small island in the French Broad River in downtown Marshall, 25 miles north of Asheville. 9 AM-4 PM. Free admission.

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

Take a time-warp at the Cradle of Forestry to the days of the Biltmore Forest School. Meet homesteaders and watch their draft horses plow the heritage garden. Then take a turn at it yourself. Living history guides bring traditional Blue Ridge culture to life. 9 AM-5 PM. $6/person, children under 16 are free. 

Attend these "practice" rounds at the Tryon International Equestrian Center for free and get a sneak peek at the Eventing and Vaulting competitions coming at the FEI World Equestion Games in September. Free admission.

Easter Weekend brings blooms, bunnies, egg hunts, Sunday brunch, sunrise services and more in Asheville and the North Carolina mountains.