Festivals

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. One of the largest crafts events in the Southeast, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is held for three days twice a year, in mid-July and mid-October. More than 200 of the 700 members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, who qualify after a stringent jurying process, take over both the concourse and arena of the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville to display and sell their clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, leather, jewelry, and other crafts. The fair, which has been in operation for more than 70 years, also features live mountain music. U.S. Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St., Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina. 828/298–7928; www.southernhighlandguild.org. $8. Fri.–Sat. 10–6, Sun. 10–5.

Shindig on the Green. Pack a picnic and bring a folding chair or blanket for this free mountain-music concert. Shindig on the Green has been held for more than 50 years most Saturdays from late June through August. The shows, held in Pack Square Park in the heart of Asheville, run from around 7 to 10 pm. The same sponsoring organization, the Folk Heritage Committee, also puts on the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the oldest music festival of its type in the United States, dating to 1928. It is held "along about sundown" on three nights the first weekend in August. Pack Square Park, 121 College St., Roger McGuire Green, Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801. 828/258–6101; www.folkheritage.org. Free.