Summer Events & Festivals: 50 Best

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

Musicians and dancers from across Western North Carolina gather to share the region's stirring Southern Appalachian mountain culture and traditions outdoors in downtown Asheville. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stake out a spot on the "green."

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

Musicians and dancers from across Western North Carolina gather to share the region's stirring Southern Appalachian mountain culture and traditions outdoors in downtown Asheville. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stake out a spot on the "green."

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

One of the largest car shows in the South lines Main Street in Forest City, with a big variety of 400 vehicles including hot rods, motorcycles, model T's and classic Mustangs. Food and live music. Free admission. 9 AM-8 PM. 

Enjoy live music, food and beer at this outdoor concert in downtown Asheville. Free admission.

Musicians and dancers from across Western North Carolina gather to share the region's stirring Southern Appalachian mountain culture and traditions outdoors in downtown Asheville. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stake out a spot on the "green."

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

The largest stand-up comedy event in the southeast returns to downtown Asheville.

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

International music festival at Pack Square Park downtown with three stages of music, food trucks and 90 local and artisan vendors on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday until 10 PM. Free.

Go to Spruce Pine to shop, swap and discover beautiful jewelry, gemstones, minerals, fossils and more in Spruce Pine (12121 Hwy 226 S). $3/person. Also, go to Grassy Creek Gem Show at Parkway Fire Department (136 Majestic View) with 60 vendors and free admission.

Enjoy music under the stars, Broadway to classical, by the Blue Ridge Orchestra with a synchronized projected light show on the woodland forest backdrop in the NC Arboretum Amphitheatre.

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

Features 30 presenters and 70+ offerings downtown, including yoga, music, outdoor activities, and unique health & wellness experts (fees). Vendor Village at Pack Square Park on Friday-Sunday is free with slackline park, music, art, body care and organic food. 

Musicians and dancers from across Western North Carolina gather to share the region's stirring Southern Appalachian mountain culture and traditions in downtown Asheville in Pack Square Park. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stake out a spot on the "green."

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

Enjoy live music, food and beer in downtown Asheville, starting at 5 PM. Free admission.

150+ local indie artists, crafters, makers with food, drink and music in Pack Square Park downtown, 12-6 PM.

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

Ride the train down the Yellow Brick Road to meet the Wizard of Oz! The 2.5-hour journey retells the story on board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Begin with Dorothy in Munchkinland and take her to Emerald City. Help them defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. Friday-Sunday. 

Musicians and dancers from across Western North Carolina gather to share the region's stirring Southern Appalachian mountain culture and traditions in downtown Asheville in Pack Square Park. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and stake out a spot on the "green."

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

Experience an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration and street festival in Bryson City with a 5K, crafts, food, contests, live music and the best fireworks show in the Smokies.

Much is happening on Independence Day and weekend. See our list of July 4th Celebrations

Go to one of the top bluegrass music festivals in the South, with 20+ bands including some national headliners. Camping, food, crafts and more in a beautiful park in Morganton. Fireworks on the 4th. Daily admission starts at $25/advance and $30/gate. Four day pass is $60/advance and $75/gate.

See 100+ regional, local and national artists and craft artisans with fine jewelry, a big variety of of art and hand-crafted apparel and decor. Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. Free admission. 10 AM-5 PM. 

Neighboring towns of Banner Elk and Beech Mountain join for events all weekend: Art on the Greene, summer theatre, roasting of the pig with fireworks (July 1), outdoor concerts daily, Fourth Parade & Party in the Park.

Hundreds of daylilies will be on display and for sale at the North Carolina Arboretum, hosted by the WNC Daylily Society. Society members provide information on care and cultivation of daylilies.

Visit farms in the Asheville area that are not normally open to the public and see what happens behind the scenes. Presented by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), farms are located in many counties across Western North Carolina.

450th anniversary of the first European inland settlement in the USA at Fort San Juan (predates Jamestown by 40 years). Open for excavation tours, demos of primitive skills and Cherokee craft. Located at 1700 Henderson Mill Road, Morganton, 10 AM-2 PM, parking $5, admission free.

Four hundred of the most talented students in the world join Brevard's artist faculty to present more than 80 concerts in a beautiful setting.

See and buy fine arts and crafts from dozens of local artists at Pack Square Park in downtown.

Stroll down the main street in artsy Dillsboro and see works 40 of the best regional artisans, along with family entertainment and festival food. Many galleries, too. 10 AM-4 PM. 

From traditional bluegrass to funk and soul, rock, jazz and hip-hop, enjoy five stages of musical diversity in West Asheville - both outdoors and indoors. Local vendors Shows start each day at noon and continue through 2 AM Saturday and 10 PM on Sunday. Free. 743 Haywood Road. 

Enjoy free live music, food and beer in downtown Asheville, starting at 5 PM on Lexington Avenue.

A full day celebration of traditional mountain craft, food and entertainment in downtown Waynesville. Demonstrations of Appalachian life skills & crafts, storytelling, mountain music & clogging, home-style food vendors. 10 AM –5 PM, Free admission.

See and buy fine arts and crafts from dozens of local artists at Pack Square Park in downtown.

A new outdoor festival in the South Slope near downtown Asheville to showcase the creative arts as a tool for positive change in our world. 11 AM-9 PM. Free admission.

Experience the 11,000-year old Cherokee culture through dance, music, storytelling, arts and crafts. Held at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 10 AM-5 PM, with a blowgun contest at 11 AM. Traditional food available for purchase. Free admission. 

Get a free livermush sandwich with live music, best dressed pig contest, cooking contest and more in downtown Marion.

More than 100 fine artists and crafts people in every medium open their studios for a free, self-guided cultural adventure in the Penland, Spruce Pine and Burnsville area.

Unwind on Fridays with this free outside live music summer series in downtown Sylva. Shows are 7-9 PM at the Bridge Park, two blocks from Main Street with shops, restaurants and breweries (so come early!). Family friendly with a big variety of music. Bring a chair or blanket.