What better way to get acquainted with your new life here in Beer City than to experience their…read more20th Annual Brewgrass Festival? That is correct- none better!!! Boyfriend and I both entered in a Yelp Instagram contest to score two free tickets (since moving has definitely wiped out a lot of our dough) and we were lucky enough to actually win! Yaaaaay thanks Yelp! Got to the stadium just a smidge after one and there was already a wrap around line! But I gotta hand it to the crew they had- that line was moving and we only waited maybe 10 minutes before we were checked in with our beer sampling glass in hand! ;) A friend of ours from Greenville (who we had the pleasure of meeting in Hawaii before we left) ended up coming out to the event with her friend so we set off as the Fantastic Drinking Four! There was such a variety of breweries there and each one had a few different beers to choose from so everyone is happy! Special shout out to Beer for Boobs and their award winning lanyard contraption that held our little beer cups for us! Adjustable so boyfriend can walk around at home with a pint readily available while his hands are free, haha! Overall it was a great day of drinking, eating (I got to try Alligator for the first time!!), meeting new friends (looking at you, Sarah Jane and the Richard Crew), enjoying great music and just overall having a spectacular time. I will be back next year, and this time armed with a pretzel necklace! ;)

Pretty let down with this year's festival. Beer selections were nothing special... I want limited…read morereleases and beers you can't get from the grocery store when paying $60+ for a beer festival. Several breweries were missing. Where was Burial, Wicked Weed, Fonta Flora, anyone from Charlotte (besides Unknown, who are gross)?? On top of that, they sold WAY too many tickets. And, last but not least, the AstroTurf on the fest field was gross, coating everything -- our feet, legs, blanket, chairs -- within minutes of being there. This was likely our last Brewgrass. I'm going to stick with Burial's awesome pay as you go ($4 for a glass, $2 for tasting tickets) festivals from here on out. Way better value and the beer is so much better than the run of the mill offerings Brewgrass had. A few other annoyances I forgot to note... Dump buckets were not emptied throughout the day and overflowing an hour into the day. The line to get in at 1:45pm was way too long considering gates had been open for almost an hour. Plastic "glasses" this year? Really, you guys? You couldn't spring for real glass?!? Tacky.

This festival celebrates the arts and culture of Lexington Ave as well as the diversity of…read moreAsheville. Many local vendors selling their hand crafted wares as well as local restaurants selling their incredible food. You will encounter many that attend festival expressing themselves through costume. There is music and very talented street performers that grace the festival as well. You have to attend this annual festival (usually held on Labor Day weekend) at least once. Park yourself on a curb and enjoy watching & listening.

Great times in Asheville! I went on on Saturday and Sunday of labor day weekend. Saturday was like…read morea big party in the streets. Lots of good music and dancing on both days. There were lots of booths with people selling jewelry and art. Some of it was very unique and worth looking at. One of my favorite parts was that you could drink on the streets within the wide perimeter of the festival. Some bars let you take your drinks outside as well. Lots of people were wearing very colorful and costumey clothes, I don't know if it's a festival thing or an Asheville thing, but it was entertaining. Totally a fun labor day weekend find! I wish the Triangle had a festival as lively and supported as this one.

I never thought I was "really into magic," but recently I started noticing that I was way, way more…read moreinto magic than anyone else I knew. Some people are repulsed by magicians, the same way some people are repulsed by clowns. My reaction is the opposite. My reaction is "Hell yes, by all means, amaze me!" So we should probably get that bit out of the way up front. If you hate magic, you won't much enjoy a festival full of dozens of professional and amateur magicians. In my own case, I was thrilled. These are not a bunch of Vegas headliners here. There are no Copperfields, no Blaines, no Penns, no Tellers. There were big names, but not necessarily big names you've heard of. Asheville's own Ricky Boone, performed. Ricky is generally considered to be one of the nation's great close-up magicians, in addition to having a very compelling personal story (he has a very noticeable physical disability, which only seems to add to the level of amazement he can stir up in his audiences). The other big name was Kendrick McDonald (Ice), a flamboyant chest-thumper of a showman in a purple denim steampunk duster. Ice made news last year when he was elected the first African American president of Society of American Magicians, one of the oldest and most prestigious magical societies in the world. Kendrick pulled an army of doves, seemingly out of nowhere (I think they came out of his sleeves), and they flew around the auditorium and acted....dovelike. Arianne Black, a woman magician from Las Vegas, had an audience member handcuff her and seal her up in a giant canvas mail pouch, while panting "I love my job..." into the microphone. She looked a bit like a blonder version of Sarah Palin, in cheaper clothes. She escaped from the mail pouch pretty quickly, it should be noted. My favorite act of the day, personally, was a Charlotte former street magician named Christopher Hannibal. Hannibal (he goes by his last name) is an imposing figure. Giant, scruffy, pale, neck-bearded, in a threadbare dark suit and a bowler hat 1/2 size too small. He sweated under the stage lights and made off-color jokes. And yet...His patter and flourishes were the smoothest and most elegant I've seen, live. I noticed on his website he claims to perform "inspirational magic". I guess I'd have to agree. Not in a touchy feely Tony Robbins motivational way. But in the way that it's always truly awe inspiring to see someone so simultaneously in control of what complicated things he's doing with his hands and saying with his mouth, always aware of whom he's tricking, and how. I honestly have no clue how he performed any of his tricks. He was 6 steps ahead the whole time. Amazing act. I would pay real American money to see it again. Then there were the young kids performing magic. They held their own remarkably well. Got laughs from the audience, and won over a few skeptics along the way. It is interesting to think of magicianship as kind of a lifecycle skill where young people are so amazed by a particular trick that the next year you see them they're standing on stage with their own deck of marked cards, amazing the audience. Look at the kids in the audience, mouths agape. Then look at people like Hannibal and Ricky, subtle and unflappable closeup masters. You realize that these world-class magicians must have, themselves, sat in an audience at 8 years of age, been amazed, and then practiced in the garage until their fingers went numb for the next 20-40 years. Ricky did it to make his wheelchair "vanish." Hannibal did it to make enough money to put his kids through college. No small feat for a street performer. I guess what I'm getting at here is, wow, that was really a diverse group. The magicians were diverse. The audience was diverse. The acts were diverse. The only unifying thing was really cool magic. Everything else was up to creative interpretation. When I was growing up as a kid, I used to think of magic as something that able-bodied white adult men did with rabbits, while wearing tuxedos and top hats. Asheville Magic Festival kind of turned that silly notion on its ear, and I think the world of magic is better for it. Leave Penn and Teller in Vegas. Gimme Ricky Boone any day!

This was so much fun. Most Ashvillians know about the large…read moremusic festival LEAF puts on in Black Mountain, but I bet you don't know about this little place a street off of Downtown. Over the summer, as I toured downtown with my out of town family, we wandered into LEAF on a Saturday. Saturdays are open to the public so make a point to head over there. They had so much fun banging on the African drums, playing in the touch-an-instrument room and creating art at the craft table - I instantly thought this would be perfect for a homeschool co-op. 7 families headed to LEAF for a 2 hour cultural arts morning. We split into 2 groups and we went downstairs and learned a beat on the drums - he was so patient with us haha. Then we switched and we got to learn a Bollywood dance and man I loved that. We also got a little snack, which was a nice surprise! Co-ops welcome - book your time at LEAF. If not, head there on a Saturday after walking Downtown and have a great time!

I had a issue with the Kid Vendors Section…read more this is a thing setup so your kids can sell home made stuff like a regular vendor. It cost $8 to set up a table. This is kinda steep if you ask me. all the money goes to Leaf Education or something like that. My Kid setup a table with 2 other friends and each had to pay $8. that is getting insane. well, sunday rolls around and they made the kids pay again. Well i ask for a refund for the sunday due from the main Volunteer Kids Coordinator named Morgan i believe. We he gave me the money back. Still high, but they wanted to make the people happy. so a very positive customer service experience.

I LOVE music festivals! Lets start with that fact first…read more.. This was my first time at this festival and all I can say is that is was a GREAT day of drinking local beet, music listening and booth shopping with my family! I loved going from booth to booth looking a the great items and art that people made. There was so many things that I wanted to buy but did not want to carry stuff around with me all day! I did buy this amazing leather bracelet that is so unique. I wear it all the time and always get complements are it. I love telling people where I got it from! Now on to the music.....there was so many talented bands that played at the festival. I fell in love with this band called The Birchtree Band. They are so good that I bought one of their cd's and have listened to it over and over. Found a new local beer "Rocket Girl" and kept them coming all afternoon. I wish I could get this beer in Memphis but have not been able to find it anywhere.....sad. I will absolutely go back to this festival next year! I saw so many crazy people...some scary and some hilarious. I loved the diversity! Can't wait till next year!!

Having attended numerous festival throughout the country. I worked as a Policeman for many years in…read moreSan Francisco. I was entertained, but not overly impressed by this event.

A very large art district with lots of galleries, a building with artist studios, the North…read moreCarolina Glass Center who offers classes, and a few restaurants and a coffee shop. The Gray Line Trolley has two stops for the River Arts District - North and South. The North stop is at the north side of Haywood Rd at Roberts St just before traffic circle, directly across the street from city bus shelter. There was a low concrete wall where I sat and waited to be picked up. The North Carolina Glass Center was located down the street to the left with the bigger multi-artist studio was up the street to the right.

The River Arts District, aka RAD, is full of creativity and local charm. It feels like paint spills…read morethrough the streets, bringing every corner to life especially to old industrial buildings. You can watch artists creating beautiful pieces right in their studios -- so look for the yellow signs in front of various studios.The mix of murals, galleries, and old warehouses gives RAD a unique character. It's nice to stroll to watch, shop, and support local artists.

Kipper is the best. Thank you so much for the sunglasses. :) so happy to have red shades on this…read morebeautiful day

I have been to many beer festivals over the years and this was not only my first beer fest in…read moreAsheville, but my first of any kind of major event in Asheville. Let me start off by saying the town did not let me down; Ashevillians are a wonderful bunch that are extremely heart-warming and long to have afternoons like Saturday.....just fun-fueled good 'ol time. Ok, to the beer fest itself....the space was fantastic and the perfect size and layout so there was ample room for everyone to have space yet we were all still close to one another. It was extremely easy lay out as you picked one side and worked your way around the square, but you could stop to take a breather, slug some water, and listen to some good tunes in the grass in the middle until it was time for more beer! The beer itself was exactly what I have come to expect from beer makers around these parts.....fantastic! So many great breweries from the immediate Asheville area, but also so many new breweries that you don't see a lot of out here unless you are digging around a place like the Vintaner....it's too hard to name and/or remember them all. All in all, the event was fantastic and it couldn't have fallen on a more beautiful day....if this is what an Asheville beer fest is like I can't wait for the next one!

Yessss!!! This Food and Wine festival is not to be missed. Three floors of incredible samples of…read morefood and wine from the Asheville area. I spent about 2.5 hours at the fest and was completely, happily stuffed to capacity yet hadn't even hit up every food vendor. Oh wine and spirits too, there is so much to try! I was really blown away by the beautiful dishes that were being served, carefully plated, good sized. Also the people who were working at the booths were very friendly and helpful! My favorites of the day were the curried Gazpacho at Table and the Smoked Gouda Pimento at East Village Grill! Yum. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Well this was a disappointment. For the 70 pp we spent not a good deal. Of the 14 places there 7…read morewere food 7 alcohol. If you are going to have an alcohol event you have to have food. I have been to wine and food events at the Civic center and the venue both great. Two of the food venues ran out of food -- pretty much leaving Tin Can Pizzeria to carry the weight-- the one plus of the event. Of course the drink people did their part. If you're going to do this event again- do better please !

The Asheville Belly Dance Festival was held April 19 through 21. The first event was a hafla,…read morewhich is a belly dance party. It was held at The Grove House. A hafla typically consists of featured performers and then allows open dancing by everyone. It began at 7:30, but, because of travel, my friend and I arrived after 8:00 and saw the remainder of the performers. After they finished, we had anticipated the open dancing, but this did not happen. We wonder if the open dancing occurred first. Space would have been an issue because only a small stage was present. The rest of the area was occupied by chairs. The next day, we took a veil class taught by Sara Beaman. This was held at Loretta's Cafe. The space was a little small for a good number of participants with veils. However, Ms. Beamon did an excellent job of teaching. She displayed a down to earth, humorous personality, even laughing at herself when she made an error. Ms. Beamon's teaching style was well organized, with something for all levels of experience. I will return next year and sign up for more classes.

This parade is just so heartwarming and fun. I mean, yeah, we all have had a heck of a year, but…read moreeven so, the days are getting shorter and chillier--this parade is a terrific way to begin the holiday season on silly, happy foot. Way to go, Asheville! You're amazing.

My wife and I have an annual tradition of heading downtown on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to…read moreenjoy and cheer on the Asheville Holiday Parade. We invite our friends, and bring hot cider in thermoses, and truly it's one of my favorite traditions. The Asheville Holiday parade marks the beginning of the Holiday season for me. If you plan on attending, I highly recommend dressing with layers. It can be quite cold and chilly, and worst of all, windy. A scarf is a must, and some chapstick will help keep your lips from drying out terribly. The parade itself lasts about an hour and a half, to two hours. Enjoy performances from the regional high school marching bands and drill teams, floats from organizations, and puppies! Also, you'll be treated to a variety of coupons from local chain restaurants like Waffle House and Bojangles. I've always wanted to have a float in the parade, but I would be saddened to not have the ability to cheer on all of the people who take part in the parade. Maybe next year I'll build a stationary float, so I can have the fun of cheering everyone all, while still chasing my dream.