Bele Chere - The Southeast's Largest Street Festival

Bele Chere is an annual street festival held in Downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The event always runs during the last weekend of July, and has done so for the last 29 years. The 2008 festival marks the 30^th celebration. This year's dates are July 25^th, 26^th, and 27^th. The official website for the festival can be found at http://belecherefestival.com. If you are interested in offering services for the festival, they are accepting applications through the site right now, and the deadline is fast approaching.

Bele Chere is the southeast's largest free street festival in the nation. Streets are barricaded from traffic, and people can gather to eat, drink, and listen to great music. Many people come from near and far to experience "Beautiful Living" (Bele Chere), as the festival continues to grow each year.

Many well known artists have performed at Bele Chere over the years--ranging from Edwin McCain, Eve 6, and even the Grassroots. Every year, the music line up offers something for every taste, and though the entire premise of Bele Chere is free, some artists do charge for their shows, like Train, who charged $20/ticket for their performance in the 2007 festival. Many food vendors line up to provide free food samples, while many local restaurants provide specials to draw in the tourist crowd, and even the locals who wish to avoid the hustle and bustle of the influx of people.

People who are of legal drinking age must wear a wristband if they wish to drink, and Sunday is alcohol free, as state laws strictly govern the sale of alcohol on Sundays, and it serves as a Family Day.

Just because Bele Chere is free, does not mean that everything in it is. In fact, it can be pretty expensive by the time you eat and play games, though just walking around and seeing things and listening to music is enough for most people.

If you do not want to worry about finding a place to park, the City buses do offer shuttle services from a few different locations so you can park your car in a safe place and take a shuttle to the main activities. If you have small children, be sure to bring a stroller, because there is a lot of walking. And, as most locals know, it always seems to rain every Bele Chere (perhaps that is just our luck around here) so be sure to bring an umbrella.

As a local who only goes if the music is worth it because I hate large crowds of people, I still advise that everyone check it out at least once!