This Weekend in Asheville

Pritchard Park Drum Circle

The 2026 Asheville Film Festival

Friday - Sunday, August 21-23, various times
Asheville Masonic Temple

Catch original films and emerging filmmakers during three days of screenings at the Asheville Film Festival. The weekend features themed film blocks, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, and a Saturday night awards gala. Here is a small sampling of the film screenings you can attend:

• Strictly Appalachia Film Block, Fri. 2 - 3:30 p.m.
• Mountain Resilience Film Block, Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• New World, New Me Film Block, Sun. 12:45 - 2 p.m.

The Hazy Hideaway Music + Arts Festival

Friday - Saturday, August 21-22, various times
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Get lost in the haze during this two-day music and arts festival at Sierra Nevada’s Mills River brewery. Headliners Phantogram and Toro y Moi join a lineup of live music, DJs, interactive art, local vendors, food, and Sierra Nevada brews for a weekend built around discovery.

The Brew Ridge Jam Featuring Leftover Salmon

Friday, August 21, 4 - 11 p.m.
French Broad River Brewery

Catch jamgrass pioneers Leftover Salmon at Brew Ridge Jam, part of the French Broad River Brewery Outdoor Concert Series. The festivities include live music and a free beer tasting.

Downtown After 5

Friday, August 21, 5 - 9 p.m.
Pack Square Park

Downtown After 5 returns with a New Orleans Night bringing the sounds and energy of the Big Easy to Pack Square Park. Headliner J & The Causeways joins Bayou Diesel and the Asheville Second Line for an evening of live music and dancing in the heart of downtown Asheville. 

Official DTA5 After Party: Smashing Mouths & Connor Hunt at Fitz and the Wolfe, 8 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Backyard Plants: A Special Guided Tour at Vance Birthplace

Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Vance Birthplace Historic Site

Explore the grounds of Vance Birthplace on a guided walk highlighting the plants that shaped everyday life in 19th-century Western North Carolina. Learn how native and naturalized species were used for food, household tasks, work, and traditional remedies.

Picklefest

Saturday, August 22, 1 - 5 p.m.
The Whale

Get your fill of all things pickle at PickleFest in West Asheville, where The Whale brings together creative pickle flavors, craft beer, local vendors, and quirky games. Pickle-themed costumes are encouraged.

The Tomato Jam

Sunday, August 23, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
The Mule

Tomatoes take center stage at The Tomato Jam, a free summer gathering dedicated to one of Western North Carolina’s favorite crops. Sample tomato-inspired food and drinks, shop from local farmers and makers, and enjoy live music and art at The Mule.

Recurring Events

Luminere

Friday - Sunday, August 21-23, 4:30 p.m. - Nightfall
Biltmore

Experience Biltmore after dark as light, sound, and storytelling transform the estate into an immersive nighttime spectacle. Wander through illuminated gardens, glowing landscapes, and atmospheric installations that reveal a completely different side of America’s Largest Home.

Shindig on the Green

Saturday, August 22, 7 - 10 p.m.
Pack Square Park

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and settle in for one of Asheville's longest-running summer traditions. Shindig on the Green fills Pack Square Park with Southern Appalachian music, dance, storytelling, and informal jam sessions, inviting visitors to experience the region's heritage on a mountain summer evening.

Live Music, Comedy, Dance and Theatre

Pack Square Park

Friday, August 21:

• Raining on Sunny Street at Asheville High School, 6 p.m.
• Sit a Spell |Traditional Music Jam at Ginger's Revenge, 6 p.m.
• Asheville Drum Circle at Pritchard Park, 6 p.m.
• Sunset Series - Live Music at Hemingway's Cuba, 6 p.m.
• Film Screening - Look Homeward, Angel from CBS Playhouse 90 at Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 6 p.m.
• Live Music - Reggie Headen & Danny Iannucci at Wine & Roses, 6 p.m.
• The Wood Brothers (Night 1) at The Orange Peel, 7 p.m.
• Live Music - Ty and the Crew at The Radical, 7 p.m.
• Ethnically Ambiguous at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m.
• The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m.
• Rebecca Folsom and Marilyn Walker at White Horse Black Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
• Carson Peters and Iron Mountain at The Grey Eagle, 8 p.m.

Saturday, August 22:

• Blue Country Line Dance’s Giddy Up Brunch at The Grey Eagle, 11 a.m.
• Afternoon Barn Dance with Laughing Lizards at Hickory Nut Gap, 11 a.m.
• Hot Fudge Fun Day Improv Show at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe, 2 p.m.
• Naomi Hope Live at Turgua Brewing, 5 p.m.
• The Tool Shed | An All Kings Drag Show at Ginger's Revenge, 6 p.m.
• Devil’s Fecht w/Warriors of Ash at The Mule, 6 p.m.
• The Wood Brothers (Night 2) at The Orange Peel, 7 p.m.
• Andy Ferrill at Bear's Back Alley Bar, 7 p.m.
• Soumya Chakraverty & Mallar Goswami with Blake Hornsby at AyurPrana Listening Room, 7 p.m.
• Michael Reno Harrell & Joshua Goforth at White Horse Black Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
• Misfit Improv Comedy Show at NC Stage Company, 7:30 p.m.
• Miami Nights - Latin Dance at Hemingway's Cuba, 8 p.m.
• Don't Tell Comedy at French Broad River Brewery, 8 p.m.
• 54 Bicycles: Widespread Panic Preservation at The Grey Eagle, 8 p.m.
• Crushing It! Beer and Comedy at RAD Brewing, 9:45 p.m.

Sunday, August 23: 

• Jazz Brunch at French Broad River Brewery, 11:30 a.m.
• Rob Satori Live in Concert at Center for Spiritual Living, 1 p.m.
• Suns of Stars at One World Brewing West, 2 p.m.
• Jazz Jam Sundays at Ginger's Revenge, 2:30 p.m.
• Reggae Sunday with Chalwa Roots at French Broad River Brewery, 3 p.m.
• Afternoon Tunes at Oak and Grist Distilling, 3 p.m.
• Oliver Sayani at The Grey Eagle, 5:30 p.m.
• Nathan Stanley – Tribute to Dr. Ralph Stanley at White Horse Black Mountain, 7:30 p.m.

Tailgate & Specialty Pop-Up Markets

Shop local at the Asheville area's numerous farmers, tailgate, and craft markets. Here's a look at some of the places you can shop this weekend:

• Asheville City Market at 52 North Market St., Sat. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Ooh La La Curiosity Market at Pritchard Park, Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Swannanoa Market at The Hub, Sat. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Harvest Records 22nd Anniversary Sale! Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Hominy Gatherin' Market at Ruby Ranch, Sun. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Market on The Roof at The Roof, Sun. 3 - 5 p.m.
• WNC Farmers Market at 570 Brevard Road, open 7 days a week, year-round, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.    

Visit an art studio or art exhibition 

Museum of Costume Jewelry

Asheville is home to hundreds of artists, galleries and studios making creative expression a way of life here in the mountains. Here is a look at some of the current art exhibitions in the city:

• Tema Stauffer: Wonderlands at RAMP Studios, through Aug. 22
• Peter Olson & Issac Payne at Blue Spiral 1, through Aug. 26
• Reflections: A Glass Exhibition at Blue Spiral 1, through Aug. 26 
• Michael Fitts at Blue Spiral 1, through Aug. 26
• Lonestar Sate of Mind at American Folk Art & Framing, through Aug. 26
• Black Mountain COLL(A)GE at Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, through Sep. 5
• Interplay: Exploring the space between structure & movement at UpMarket Gallery, through Sep. 6
• Electric Garden: An All-Ages Interactive Art Installation at Third Room, through Sept. 20
• Common Ground Rising Group Exhibition at Pink Dog Creative, through Sept. 20
• Luminere at Biltmore, through Oct. 18
• Drift, In and Out: Fine Art Exhibition by Linsey Gray at Table Asheville, through Oct. 28
• Artist Open Studio at Artbeat Gallery & Lounge, through Dec. 31

Packages and Deals

Save some money this weekend with these special offers from area attractions and accommodations.

• Hot Tubs, Roses & Romantic Sunsets - Summer Offer at Asheville Cabins of Willow Winds
• Free Toy with Purchase! at Dancing Bear Toys
• 10% off private customized group yoga class at Namaste in Nature