AVL Sounds Fest To Return To Asheville

AVL Sounds Fest, the music festival will return to Asheville Thursday, Aug. 6 through Sunday, Aug. 9, and will bring a sprawling, genre-spanning lineup of more than 200 artists to indoor and outdoor performance venues throughout town.

This year, the festival presented by Worthwhile Sounds and Wicked Weed Brewing is shining the spotlight on the recurring programming, small businesses, and local services that support the Asheville music ecosystem.

“AVL Sounds Fest is a community-driven event committed to showcasing the residency-style experiential events that help make Western North Carolina a live music destination, from the Thursday Night Funk Jam to the Madison County ballad swap,” said Jeff Whitworth, president, Worthwhile Sounds. “Our goal has always been to bring everyone — venue owners, artists, promoters, and small businesses to the same table — to celebrate everything that makes this place special.”

“We're proud to partner with AVL Sounds Fest because live music is one of the defining pieces of Asheville's identity,” said Alex Fraga, president of FIRC Group. “The artists, venues, and festivals that make up this community create an energy that's unlike anywhere else, and it's important to us to help support that. It's incredibly rewarding to be part of a festival that celebrates the talent, creativity, and culture that make Asheville such a special place.”

That communal and collaborative spirit runs through several festival experiences.

Saturday’s lineup at The Mule (131 Sweeten Creek Rd.) features a pair of staples on the Asheville entertainment calendar. From 5-6:30 p.m., fans looking for a quieter counterpoint to the festival’s bigger stages will find it at Golden Folk Sessions. The acoustic listening series hosted by Clay White and Luke Mitchell features six handpicked artists performing three-song sets for an intimate, attentive audience.

Comedy takes over the Mule stage for the remainder of the evening with a 7-8:30 p.m. performance by Asheville’s award-winning improv troupe, Reasonably Priced Babies, followed the AVL Sounds of Laughter stand-up showcase produced by Modelface Comedy from 9-10:30 p.m.

Earlier that afternoon, the Asheville Sessions Reimagined will feature local singer/songwriter interpretations of the historic 1925 recordings originally captured on top of the Vanderbilt Hotel. Jackson Grimm will curate the program, which continues work that began last fall through a partnership between AVL Sounds Fest, the Blue Ridge Music Center, and Explore Asheville to mark 100 years of Americana and Appalachian music rooted in the region.

The festival closes Sunday, Aug. 9, with Family Day at Highland Brewing, one of the festival’s largest stages and an Asheville institution. The all-ages capstone will feature performances from kid-friendly acts including Asheville Rock Academy, Carbon Harry, Billy Jonas, and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo in the brewery’s scenic meadow (weather permitting).

Festival organizers have intentionally integrated Asheville’s existing transportation infrastructure and local partners to help festivalgoers safely and seamlessly catch as many sets as possible during the weekend. Asheville on Bikes has launched the AVL Sounds Fest Ride Guide, making it easier to navigate the city on two wheels. The guide connects venues across downtown, the River Arts District, and West Asheville using thoughtfully designed routes that combine existing bike facilities, greenways, and lower-traffic streets to create more comfortable and intuitive connections between shows. Built on Ride With GPS, the guide offers turn-by-turn navigation, route collections based on starting locations, and estimated travel times to give riders a sense of how long it will take to move between venues and make it easier to glide from one show to the next.

AVL Sounds passholders also will receive a discount code for AVL Ride, Asheville’s locally owned, on-demand taxi service. Those looking to utilize public transportation can access the Asheville Rides Transit (ART) Bus Guide for a full schedule. 

Between sets, fans can find savings around town through AVL Sounds Fest’s Local Partner Directory, a growing list of local restaurants, shops, and businesses offering wristband discounts. The directory is live now at avlsoundsfest.com.

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