The Guidebook

A rare bill of American roots royalty at the new Hellbender venue, with Grammy winner and Greensboro native Rhiannon Giddens joined by Mavis Staples, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Hurray for the Riff Raff.

Three nights of stand-up, sketch, and improv spread across downtown venues, mixing touring headliners with the region's fast-growing comedy scene.

Historic downtown Black Mountain fills with a free street festival marking sourwood honey season, with craft and food vendors, live music, and new-for-2026 fireworks and a barbecue competition.

The acclaimed roots-and-blues trio returns to the Orange Peel for a soulful, groove-heavy night of the folk-Americana that has made them festival favorites.

A wonderfully quirky free street festival in downtown Marion, a short drive east past Old Fort, with Sasquatch lore, vendors, live music, and food trucks the whole family will remember.

A free Labor Day weekend showcase of Asheville arts, music, and mountain heritage in Pack Square Park, closing out with a performance by the Asheville Symphony.

Downtown Hendersonville celebrates apple-harvest season with the King Apple Parade, hundreds of vendors, live music, and every apple treat imaginable, all a half-hour drive south.

A joyful three-day celebration of Pan-African and Black Appalachian culture in Pack Square Park, with Caribbean rhythms, drumming, and soul food anchored by the newly reopened YMI Cultural Center.

Ten days of blue-ribbon agriculture, midway rides, funnel cakes, and livestock shows at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher.

Highland Brewing's biggest party of the year in East Asheville, with Bavarian dress encouraged, a pretzel-eating contest, live music, and the return of their seasonal Oktoberfest lager.

Just up Sugar Hollow Road in Fairview, the farm opens for hayrides, pony rides, fresh-pressed cider, and a hillside of pumpkins, an easy afternoon between sauna sessions.

The blues society reimagines its festival as an intimate three-day run inside White Horse Black Mountain, with award-winning artists and roughly 200 seats per set, so tickets go fast.

Downtown's free celebration of local beer, live music, and Bavarian games in Pack Square Park, gathering regional brewers and food vendors for an afternoon of fall fun.

A free two-day music and arts festival in Pack Square Park spanning genres from bluegrass to funk, a downtown fall staple returning for another year.

Artisan cheesemakers gather at Oak & Grist Distilling in Black Mountain for tastings and demos benefiting the WNC Cheese Trail.

More than 100 juried Appalachian artisans fill Harrah's Cherokee Center downtown with fine wood, clay, and fiber work, plus live demos and mountain music.

The beloved world-music and arts festival returns at its new home, Deerfields in Mills River, with global performers, dance, and family workshops right as peak fall color arrives.

Juried artisans, mountain music, and food line the shore of Lake Lure in the Hickory Nut Gorge, a scenic fall drive paired easily with Chimney Rock.