Summer Festivals and Music Abound in Asheville North Carolina

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Asheville, North Carolina (PRWEB) June 14, 2006

The sounds, sights and smells of a variety of festivals, concerts, and theatre will engulf Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains during the summer months. This “Top 15” list of events has been selected by RomanticAsheville.com, an online guide to the Asheville area.

All Summer: Flat Rock Playhouse, North Carolina's State Theatre, presents the best of Broadway musicals, comedy and drama with Kiss Me Kate, Don’t Dress for Dinner, Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Unexpected Guest near Hendersonville.

June 14-August 20: Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre (SART) at Mars Hill College presents a traditional summer-stock theatre's season with Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Driving Miss Daisy, Cinderella, Taking a Chance on Love and God’s Man in Texas.

June 16, July 21, August 18 & September 15: Downtown after Five brings a live major music performance, food and beer on the third Friday of every month from May through September.

June 16-August 1: The Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival spotlights 400 young musicians, an accomplished faculty and renowned guest artists with 80 concerts of great music.

July & August: Shindig on the Green is a genuine glimpse into the traditions of Appalachia with gatherings on Saturday nights of local bluegrass bands on a main stage, dozens of informal jam sessions and mountain dancing in downtown Asheville.

July 1–3, August 5–6, and September 2–3: Biltmore Estate Summerfest Holiday Weekends feature live music from local bands, complimentary wine seminars, wine tasting and cooking demonstrations.

July 17-30: Folkmoot, North Carolina's Official International Festival, is a two-week celebration of the world's cultural heritage through folk music and dance with performances, parades and workshops by more than 350 performers from a dozen or so countries.

July 20-23: The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, held in the Civic Center in downtown Asheville, has been an eagerly anticipated event in the mountains since 1948. The fair showcases work by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, with over 900 members throughout the mountain regions of nine states. Members' work must be juried and accepted by a committee of peers, based on quality, design and craftsmanship.

July 28-30: Bele Chere is the biggest street festival in the Southeast with six stages providing performances by 80 local and national musical acts. There’ll be lots of food, great art and crafts and many other activities. Some of the best local and regional artisans showcase their best handcrafted jewelry, pottery, and clothing, along with photography and painting.

August 3-5: Mountain Dance and Folk Festival showcases mountain fiddlers, banjo pickers, dulcimer sweepers, dancers, balladeers and others that join together in the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville.

August 4, 5, 11 & 12: The popular Summer Evening Concerts at Biltmore Estate will feature The Temptations, Tony Bennett, Bruce Hornsby and Three Dog Night. Concertgoers can sit back and relax from a seat outdoors on the South Terrace with the 250-room Biltmore House as a backdrop.

August 5-6: The Village Art & Craft Fair, held on the grounds of the Cathedral of all Souls in Biltmore Village near the entrance to the Biltmore Estate, hosts 125 artists from 20 states representing the full spectrum of craft media - jewelry, ceramic, wood, fiber, metals, two-dimensional art and more.

August 25-27: The Goombay Festival brings a variety of entertainment that delights every festival-goer. From steel drums, African-America dancers, local gospel groups, and contemporary rhythm bands, the activities are geared for families.

September 9: OrganicFest 2006 celebrates everything organic on Battery Park Avenue in downtown Asheville with live music, drawings for baskets of fabulous organic goodies and gift certificates, free organic samples and giveaways, food and refreshments, clothing, herbs, flowers and natural arts and crafts.

September 16 & 17: Heritage Weekend at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway celebrates heritage crafts of the Appalachian Mountains with craftspeople showing techniques with hand tools, native materials, and lots of ingenuity through demonstrations in the native arts. The highlight of this celebration of traditional craft, music and storytelling is the 26th Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition.

In addition to these events, every week of the summer features live music at many local clubs and many smaller festivals. Summertime is also the prime time for countless outdoors activities in the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, such as hiking, whitewater rafting and riding along the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information about visiting Asheville, North Carolina, go to RomanticAsheville.com.

Contact:

Mark File

336-430-4245

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