In Asheville, every day offers a reason to gather around our table and celebrate. Asheville’s food festivals and food-filled street fairs are year-round and celebrate everything from ramps to hand-crafted beers. Most of our food festivals also incorporate other Southern Appalachian traditions such as bluegrass music, mountain craft and farm life demonstrations. So put on your sneakers, grab your forks, and join the feast.
- Ramps and Rainbow Trout
Ramps are pungent, one-of-a-kind mountain onions that come into season each spring. A traditional food at the Appalachian table, area chefs are elevating the lowly ramp to a place of honor around Asheville’s finer restaurants. The ramp is royalty at the Ramp It Up! Festival near Cherokee where ramps and rainbow trout are the focus. The festival is timed to coordinate with the start of trout season on the Qualla Boundary. Horseshoes, traditional Cherokee music and dance and barbecue are added treats. More...
- Sourwood Honey Festival
Held in Black Mountain for over 32 years, this downtown food festival honors the honey gathered from bees who favor the indigenous sourwood trees. Sourwood honey captures the pure essence of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The food festival features music, over 200 vendors and an array of culinary offerings. More...
- Bele Chere Festival
The largest free outdoor music and arts street festival in the Southeast, this downtown Asheville event has been a tradition for over 30 years. The music, crafts and entertainment are tremendous, but the locals know it’s an incredible way to eat the best of Asheville cuisine. Think yummy smorgasbord along every street. More...
- Asheville Herb Festival
Another long-running celebration for over 20 years, the Asheville Herb Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the Southeast. Not only can you find every type of garden and cooking herb imaginable; you can also see how herbs are transformed into medicines, salves, balms, soaps and teas. The festival takes place at the WNC Farmers Market. More...
- Asheville Artisan Bread Bakers’ Festival
Who can resist the smell of freshly baked bread? This annual food event showcases the artisanal breads produced by Asheville’s 15 bakeries. Meet the bakers and see the creativity that emerges from their prolific ovens. More...
- Brewgrass Festival
One of the hottest tickets in town, Asheville’s annual Brewgrass Festival combines two of Western North Carolina’s favorites – hand-crafted beers and foot-stomping bluegrass. The festival features over 30 American breweries and over 100 different beers. National and regional bluegrass musicians pick while you graze the beer tasting areas and various food vendors. More...
- North Carolina Apple Festival
The North Carolina mountains are known for their apple orchards. We love our apples and hold them up with pride during the North Carolina Apple Festival held each Labor Day weekend in nearby Hendersonville, NC. You’ve never seen or tasted so many amazing things you can do with an apple. Music, a King Apple Parade and arts and crafts fill city. More...
- WNC BBQ Festival
Held annually in nearby Tryon, NC, this food festival showcases local barbecue. Sample the best from the barbecue cook-off (and, since it’s competitive, prepare to be dazzled by the offerings). Music, the Foothills Craft Fair, fireworks, and children’s activities round out the festival. More...
- Fungifest
Held at the North Carolina Arboretum, Fungifest is a day of celebration offered by the Asheville Mushroom Club. The event highlights basic identification techniques and medicinal uses, as well as growing and cooking programs. There’s even a didactic in the use of mushrooms for artistic purposes. More...
- Livermush Festival
The Livermush Festival in neighboring Marion, North Carolina, is nothing if not unique. It celebrates the omnipresent North Carolina food staple livermush. If you have to ask what livermush is, you should definitely attend. The event includes a Little Miss Livermush Contest and the popular Livermush Toss.
- Winter Warmer
Held in January, this winter beer festival is put on by the folks at Brews Cruise, an Asheville business offering mobile tours of the area’s many micro-breweries. This event is a day of food and music and beers from all around the Southeast. Tickets sell out in a matter of hours, so plan ahead. More...
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