Annual Bluegrass Festival at The Stecoah Valley Center

May 17 - RAIN OR SHINE: Stecoah's Annual Bluegrass Festival.  Enjoy bluegrass music ALL DAY LONG outside, or inside if the weather turns bad. You'' also find arts, crafts and food vendors.  Artists performing include Tori and Katie Jones, Grandpa's Mountain Music, the Leftovers, Valley River Trio, and the Stecoah JAM kids.

The Schoolhouse Cafe will be open all day. 

Don't miss the Special Talent Competition, Heritage Alive Mountain Youth Talent Contest sponsored by 4-H and Catch the Spirit of Appalachia from 1 PM to 3 PM on the outdoor stage. 

Admission is $3 for adults and students (K-12) are free. Enjoy a full day of mountain music, great food and fun.  

The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center is located at 121 Schoolhouse Road in Robbinsville NC

Father's Day Weekend Event: Blue Ridge Barbeque and Music Festival in Tryon NC

June 14 - 15    19th Annual Blue Ridge Barbeque and Music Festival   The Blue Ridge Barbecue Festival is one of the area's biggest annual events with fantastic Barbecue, phenomenal music and incredible arts and crafts. Bring the kids, friends, family and more. No pets, no coolers. Held at at Harmon Field.

The Festival is FREE on Friday - come and stay all day. The 2013 Festival delivers phenomenal lineups on two stages in a gorgeous venue for a low $8 admission fee. The collection of entertainers will provide two full days of outstanding music.  More than 20 performers and groups will be on stage at the Festival.

Also enjoy the Foothills Arts and Crafts Festival, held simultaneously with the BBQ Festival. The Crafts Festival is a juried fine arts and crafts show that has enjoyed a reputation for the range and quality of items for sale. With nothing manufactured or imported, this show is proud to offer festival-goers a best of the best art and craft shopping experience

French Broad River Festival this Weekend in Hot Springs

May 3 - 5   16th Annual French Broad River Festival   The Festival is a benefit for American Whitewater, The Mountain Area Child and Family Center and Hot Springs Community Learning Center.  Located just 35 minutes north of Asheville at Hot Springs Campground and Spa, this family-friendly weekend includes great regional and national recording artists.

Enjoy shopping for new outdoor gear at the Live Auction or with one of the many art and craft vendors. Try participating in the "Paddle with the Pros", the 8th Annual FBRF Mountain Bike Race, or the 16th Annual French Broad River Raft Race. The River Festival is an entire weekend of fun, family, art, music and adventure.

Learn more about Hot Spings NC lodging, restaurants and attractions on the Hot Springs NC Visitor Guide.

  

This year's featured music line-up includes:
Langhorne Slim & The Law
Sol Driven Train
Yarn
Col. Bruce Hampton & the Realms of Ventilation
The Jeff Sipe Trio
The Mosier Brothers
Marley Carroll
Snake Oil Medicine Show
Brushfire Stankgrass
Chalwa
Hank West & The Smokin' Hots
The Hermit Kings
The Swayback Sisters
The Mad Tea
Hillstomp
The Fritz
The Evergreen Multi-Cultural Beat Ensemble
The Reckoning
The Paperhand Puppet Intervention
40 Fingers & A Missing Tooth

            

GoomBay! Festival in Asheville

August 24-26   31st Annual Goombay Festival  A three day African-Caribbean festival, located in downtown Asheville, that lives up to its West African name, meaning rhythm or drum, with rhythmic sounds and colorful sights.

photo from
www.RomanticAsheville.com

The Goombay dancers wear colorful costumes and high headdresses topped with feathers. Located on Eagle Street in downtown Asheville.

Get a link for the Goombay Festival and other Asheville events on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.

NC State Bluegrass Festival in Marion

August 16-18    38th Annual NC State Bluegrass Festival   Featuring Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, The Primitive Quartet, Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-press, Rye Holler Boys, The Troubadours and dozens more. 

Tickets are available at the gate or in advance by calling 706-864-7203. The event is held "rain or shine" with performances under covered pavilion. The cafe will be serving breakfast and lunch, with hot food and other concessions also available. Bring your lawn chairs - no alcohol, smoking or pets in the performance area.

Get a link for the NC State Bluegrass Festival and other local events on the Marion NC Visitor Guide

Bele Chere Festival - a Weekend of Arts, Music and Food in Asheville

July 27-29   Bele Chere Festival   This lively Asheville weekend event is the largest free outdoor street festival in the Southeast. The three-day festival on the streets of Downtown Asheville features live, original music all day and night for 200,000 festival-goers.

Bele Chere means "beautiful living" and comes from an ancient Scottish dialect. Bele Chere offers the unique opportunity to see, taste and hear some of the region's finest art, cuisine and music.

Visual arts at the festival are displayed at the Art Park as well as throughout the Festival grounds.  The Arts Park features some of the best artists of Bele Chere, exhibiting jewelry, photography, pottery, woodwork, paintings, and metalwork. All items sold in the Arts Park are handmade. Visit the selected artists in the Drhumor and Asheville Savings Bank lots on Patton Avenue between Church Street and Lexington Avenue.

This year's musical line-up includes Antique Firearms, an indie rock band;  ArtOfficial, eschewing the simple magic of beat machines and samples for the irreplaceable warmth of organic instrumentation, and a meticulous care for crafting music with soul;  Baby Rattlesnakes, equal parts soulful jazz, appalachian folk, and catchy pop;  Balsalm Range, a blend of jazz - bluegrass - country and gospel;  and dozens of other original and renowned musicians.

Food and Beverages at the Festival go WAY beyond the usual over-warmed wieners. Experience Foodtopia at the Taste of Asheville in Pack Square. The Taste of Asheville features local restaurants, showcasing a sampling of some of the best cuisine in Asheville, from The Corner Kitchen and the Lobster Trap to Ultimate Ice Cream and Glam Ham Pork Rinds. Pritchard Park Food Court Vendors offer both traditional festival fare along with taste treats from the Amish Baking Co., Party in a Pita, Sherri's Crab Cakes, Steak Boys Inc., Tropical Delights and dozens more.  Beverage booths are located throughout the festival for a pause to refresh with water, soft drinks, beer and wine as well as microbrews from most of Asheville's acclaimed craft brewers.

Additional Bele Chere Festival activities include: The Purina Air Dogs;  The Kids area with a a mix of crafts, rides, and performances;  Easel Rider - Asheville’s Mobile Art Lab;  Nonprofit Booths such as Hats for Humanity;  KISS Country Karaoke to sing your favorite country song; The 33rd Bele Chere 5K hosted by the Asheville Track Club;  Asheville's Urban Trail and Public Art.

Folkmoot USA North Carolina's International Festival

July 18 - 29   Folkmoot USA  - the International Festival of North Carolina, is a two-week celebration of the world's cultural heritage through folk music and dance. Held each summer in a variety of locations across the mountains of Western North Carolina, Folkmoot features performances, a parade and workshops by up to 350 performers from about ten countries.

Performers demonstrate cultural heritage through colorful, authentic and original reproduction costumes, lively dance and traditional music. During its 28-year history, over 200 folk groups from more than 100 countries have shared their heritage and culture at the Folkmoot Festival.

Highlights of this year's festival include:
 

• The Parade of Nations and Folkmoot at First Friday Street dance in downtown Waynesville on July 20
• The Grand Opening at the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley on July 20
• Haywood County Arts Council’s International Festival Day on  Main Street in Waynesille on July 21
• World Friendship Day held in the  Stuart Auditorium at  Lake Junaluska on July 22
• Performances in towns across Western North Carolina including: Canton, Burnsville, Bryson City, Asheville, Flat Rock, Cullowhee, Franklin, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Cherokee, Clyde and Lake Junaluska
• Extravaganza Matinee and evening performances at the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley on July 27
• Candlelight Closing at Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska on July 29.

Get a link for details and a
schedule of Folkmoot USA
on the NC Events Calendar

26th Annual Christmas in July Festival

July 6-7   26th Annual Christmas in July Festival Visit historic downtown West Jefferson in beautiful Ashe County for the 26th Annual Christmas in July Festival. Friday night, July 6, finds live music featuring the best in bluegrass, old time, gospel and country music from The Buck Haggard Band and Wolf Creek Band, street dance and food vendors from 6-10 PM.

Saturday brings the full festival to life with art and crafts, music acts featured all day long, civil war reenactments, food and fun, fun, fun from 9 AM - 7 PM. Christmas in July is a FREE event featuring the very best in traditional mountain music and handmade crafts from throughout the northwest mountains of North Carolina.

Get a link for the Annual Christmas in July Festival and other local events on The West Jefferson NC Visitor Guide.

4th of July Weekend Events: Cashiers Mountain Music Festival 2012

June 30 - July 1  Cashiers Mountain Music Festival 2012 The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Fourth Annual Cashiers Mountain Music Festival. Tickets are $25 per day or $40 for a two day pass, children 12 and under are free.

Bring a chair or blanket. No coolers, pets or firearms. Fireworks are planned at dark on Sunday, July 1. Arts, crafts, food, drinks and a children's zone. Musicians are encouraged to bring instruments for jamming in the park. There will be a local church barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, June 30.

New River Celtic Music Festival Today in Grassy Creek

May 27      New River Celtic Music Festival   features an afternoon of exceptional music at River House. Enjoy some of the region's best Celtic musicians as you sit back and take in the sights and sounds of the river and the mountains. There will be food and drink available. Bring your chair or blanket.

Get a link for the Celtic Music Festival and other NC mountain events HERE

Greening Up the Mountains this weekend in Sylva

Date: April 28   Greening up the Mountains   - This annual spring festival, named for the way the “spring green” creeps up the mountainsides, is a celebration of the local economy, sustainability, and traditional heritage crafts.

Three full music stages will feature local bands, children’s performances, and heritage dance, along with the annual Youth Talent Show and more. Storytelling, face painting, an inflatable slide, the recycled materials Superhero Costume Contest, volunteer projects and more.This year’s event also hosts the annual Greening Up the Mountains 5K Run, sponsored by the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department, and for the first time ever, a cornhole tournament which will raise funds for local charities.


Get a link for Greening up the Mountains and other local events on the Sylva NC Visitor Guide

MerleFest - One of the Southeast's Favorite Music Festivals

April 26-29  MerleFest 25 on the camous of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro NC.  Celebrate spring and help kick off the festival season at MerleFest 25, considered one of the premier music festivals in the country. The four-day festival features over 90 artists performing on 14 stages, including Doc & Richard Watson, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

In addition to the music performances, there are:The Shoppes of MerleFest - a centrally located shopping village of commercial vendors and official MerleFest memorabilia, plus services such as first aid, lost and found, overnight storage, and internet access. Festival guests can peruse vendor booths, check email and pick up an official MerleFest tee-shirt all in one location.

In the center of The Shoppes at MerleFest there will be  a large grass area for festival-goers to enjoy a snack, visit with friends, or just enjoy the festival atmosphere.

Heritage Crafts -  The Heritage Crafts Tent offers some of the region’s finest  artisans  selling their handicrafts and offering demonstrations to educate MerleFest fans about their craft.  The Craft Tent is located in the center of The Shoppes At MerleFest area.

Food Vendors -  During the four days of MerleFest 2012 Music, Moments, and Memories you'll  need a good meal, snacks and beverages. A variety of options will be offered throughout the festival. In the Watson Stage area there are two large food tents that can satisfy nearly any craving. There are also snack and food options located in The Shoppes at MerleFest and in other convenient locations across the festival grounds. Proceeds from  food and beverage sales benefit local non-profits and WCC Clubs.Get more local information on the Wilkesboro NC Visitor Guide.