Asheville's Bele Chere Festival is Bigger and Better than ever - and still FREE!

July 29-31   Bele Chere Festival  is the largest FREE street festival in the Southeast. Held in downtown Asheville each July., the Festival includes arts & crafts, food, entertainment, interactive events, and a children’s activity area. The event draws about 300,000 visitors each year.

This year the event includes more music with bands performing at Bele Chere playing extended 90 minute sets. Festival-goers will be able to catch multiple acts performing at the same time on different stages.  Friday night's performance is headlined by the up and coming Mark Broussard. Touted as the next "big thing" in the music biz, you can see him for free at Bele Chere! Be sure to check out some of the great local bands including, Balsam Range, Skinny Legs & All, Vertigo Jazz Project, Paper Tiger and the Secret B-Sides.

The Festival food offerings will be more diverse this year combining the Pritchard Park food court for traditional festival fair such as gyro's, funnel cakes, hot dogs and snowballs,  with local flavor from the Taste of Asheville section located at Pack Square Park. A number of renowned restaurants will be on hand including Mela, Corner Kitchen and Vincenzo's.

The Festival always provides fun for the youngsters and this year there will be a kid zone in the Asheville Civic Center for crafts, ticketed rides and exhibits, all in a secure (and air-conditioned) arena. Catch the hula hoop demonstration, sing-a-longs and cool wildlife demonstrations courtesy of the WNC Nature Center. Another fun activity for the family is Airdogs! Watch a variety of pooches try to capture the title of top dog in this dock jumping competition. This popular Bele Chere event offers audience members a chance to win prizes as well (no jumping required).

The Bele Chere mural returns this year encouraging creativity by all ages. Leave your mark on the multi-panel display. New for 2011 - a mobile art lab will be on hand complete with a photo booth. The photos will be projected onto the BB&T building throughout the festival.

If you've always wanted to learn a special dance step there will be interactive performances on Lexington Avenue: enjoy a zumba lesson, learn a new dance routine and perform it live at the festival or participate in the community drum circle. Ball room, Two step, and clogging are also planned.

Beat the heat with two mist tents located at Pritchard Park on College St. and outside of Blue Spiral Gallery on Broadway Ave. For more than mist head over to Pack Square Park and Splasheville, a "come-on-in" water feature that provides instant relief from July temps.

Late Night: Bele Chere winds down around 10 PM on both Friday and Saturday nights, but that doesn't mean the party has to end. Many restaurants surrounding the downtown area will be running Bele Chere specials. Enjoy a great late-night dinner or snack at popular eateries including Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro, Rosetta's Kitchen and MoDaddy's.