As the warmer temperatures bring beautiful blooms to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville’s calendar of festivals and celebrations also blossoms. Experience these colorful events that are sure to help you leave winter behind and put that spring back in your step.
Here is a look at the spring events in Asheville in 2024.
Spring Flowers and the Outdoors Reign
These Asheville happenings embody the bright spirit of spring.
*This list will continue to be updated. Last updated: 3/7/24. Stay tuned for 2025 updates!
- Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, March 17-24, 2024: Asheville Fringe continues to ask artists to explore the edges of their work, to collaborate across genres and to bring new and innovative performances to culturally adventurous audiences. We strongly suggest that you see more than one Fringe show because of the incredible variety of artists and types of work.
- Biltmore Blooms, March 25 - May 23, 2024: Nothing says spring quite like the tens of thousands of blooms bursting on the grounds of Biltmore, America’s Largest Home. The two-month spring flower celebration kicks off with orchids in the conservatory and 50,000 tulips of all shades and hues. April brings irises, roses and azaleas. Pink and white mountain laurel and rhododendrons close the show. Biltmore will be introducing a new exhibit, Italian Renaissance Alive, beginning March 3 and will be the perfect complement to the Blooms fest.
- Asheville Orchid Festival, April 12-14, 2024: Hundreds of orchids will fill The North Carolina Arboretum this spring at the Asheville Orchid Festival. Hosted by the Western North Carolina Orchid Society, guests can purchase orchid plants, view dazzling orchid displays and attend classes and lectures.
- WNC Farmers Market Spring Festival, April 19-21, 2024: Enjoy this free, three-day event at the region's largest farmers' market. This festival will feature locally sourced food and produce, music, kids crafts and a special food truck ramp cook-off. Market shops will be open to connect with local growers and farmers, and participants can grow their plant collection at the Growing in the Mountains Plant Sale.
- Asheville Herb Festival, April 26 - April 28, 2024: The largest herb festival in the United States and Canada is now in its fourth decade. Learn from herb growers, herbalists and related businesses while also seeing demonstrations from experts on natural gardening and landscaping.
- Get in Gear Fest, May 4, 2024: Connect with some of Western North Carolina's top gear makers and brands with a full day of outdoor recreation and experiences at the 2023 Get in Gear Fest. This family-friendly event features activities for all ages and outdoor experience levels, including live music, food trucks, local craft beer and non-alcoholic beverages. New this year, the event will be held at The Outpost, and attendees can demo or purchase e-bikes, mountain bikes, tents, hammocks and other locally-made outdoor gear.
Music in the Mountains
Get into a rhythm this season with these toe-tapping music celebrations.
- Asheville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks 2024: Experience the music of this full orchestra thanks to a series of Masterworks concerts. Check out the Violin Virtuosi program on March 16 headlined by husband and wife duo Noah Bendix-Balgley and Shanshan Yao or music from Vienna to old Hollywood on April 20. The season finale on May 18 features two powerful titans of Western repertoire in Tchaikovsky and Mahler.
- Downtown After 5, April through September 2024: On every third Friday of the month, head down to Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville for free concerts by top local, regional and national bands. This street festival also includes local beer on tap and a variety of food vendors.
- LEAF Retreat (Black Mountain), May 9 - 12, 2024: Join together with music lovers gathered at beautiful Lake Eden in the nearby town of Black Mountain to experience powerful music, art and culture. This beloved local tradition takes place on the site of the historic Black Mountain College. This year’s spring retreat will uplift and honor First Nations, Indigenous & Latinx peoples as a precursor to LEAF's fall festival, “Legends of The Americas!”
Live music, theater and comedy is back in Asheville! Check out some of these acts that are hitting the stage in Asheville this spring.
- Stay tuned for 2025 music, theater & comedy event dates!
Art on Display
Asheville is known for its creative spirit. See hundreds of artists in action as you experience their creativity first-hand.
- American Art in the Atomic Age at the Asheville Art Museum, through April 29, 2024: American Art in the Atomic Age features works created during the 1940s–1960s. Much of the art during this time expressed the uncertainty of the era, often relying on the automatism and biomorphic forms that had originated with Surrealism.
- {Re}HAPPENING, April 20, 2024: This one-day festival and fundraiser during which artists celebrate the legacy of the historic Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933, Black Mountain College was one of the leading experimental liberal art schools in America until its closure in 1957.
- River Arts District Second Saturdays: On the second Saturday of each month, more than 200 artists of the River Arts District extend a special welcome to you. Many galleries host special events, demonstrations and sales as part of the celebration. Asheville Makers Faire, April 13, 2024: Bring the family to this showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness.
- The Asheville Makers Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Makers Faire is a venue for these "makers" to show hobbies, experiments, projects.
- Weaverville Art Safari Studio Tour, April 27-28, 2024: The Weaverville Art Safari is one of the original studio tours in the Asheville area. It is a self guided free event that offers a unique look at the artists' work in their working environment, featuring those who specialize in handmade pottery, glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, painting, drawing, fiber art, wood art and more.
Experience Asheville's Vibrant Cultural Scene
Explore cultural traditions through dance, song, food and crafts
- GRINDFest, May 24 - 26, 2024: GrindFest is a free, three-day festival that celebrates Black freedom, as well as the success of Black entrepreneurs + business owners in Asheville. Held in the River Arts District, the celebration includes a weekend full of music, live performances, food, local vendors + learning opportunities.
- Asheville Beer Week, May 16-26, 2024: Cheers to the happenings, faces, and places that make the Asheville area's beer scene so special. You'll enjoy tastings, dinners and discussions along with some new and creative programming that leans into the Western North Carolina lifestyle of good beer, the outdoors, good food, and good people.
Watch and Participate in Major Sporting Events
- Southern Conference Basketball Championships, March 8-11 at Harrah's Cherokee -- Asheville: Cheer on your favorite team from the Southern Conference this season in Asheville. From March 8 through March 11, 10 teams will compete for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
