Blue Ridge Battle - WNC's Premiere Kendama Event

Blue Ridge Battle is back! We're making our triumphant return to Asheville, NC on Saturday, October 10th, 2026 at Sly Grog Lounge. We wanted to extend you a warm invitation to participate.

In year one, we had over 100 combined participants and spectators show up and show out and we expect an even larger crowd in 2026. BRB will be a multi-day event with competition for all skill levels along with vending, live music, pre- and post-jams, charity raffles, and community activation in conjunction with Kendama Cares. We’re running it back at the Sly Grog Lounge, a large DIY indoor/outdoor music venue with two stages, professional lighting and sound, full bar, and all kinds of weirdness to explore. New for this year, we've secured a large group camp site with bathrooms and showers and all kinds of shenanigans planned for the afters.

In case you aren't familiar, Blue Ridge Battle is the brainchild of Tom Swafford and Dylan Hamilton (@tomfooldama and @dad.dama on IG). Tom runs the AVL Kendama Club in Asheville, and Dylan is an active member of the community in Tennessee. While we are relatively new to event promoting, we both have extensive backgrounds in marketing, sales, and Kendama community organization and participation. We are serious about growing Kendama, not just in the southeast, but all over the country.