Welcome to Bele Chere
During the late 1970s — downtown Asheville’s ghost-town days — few area residents would have believed that a hastily planned street party could spark the city’s now-substantial reputation as a haven for tourism, live music and the arts.

And yet, 29 years and 30 Bele Cheres later,that’s exactly what happened.
“I think the city was primed and ready for an explosion in tourism in the late 1970s, and Bele Chere was a component of it,” says Melissa Porter, head festival coordinator for the city of Asheville’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department.
Continue...Basics
Festival history
Bele Chere basics
Entertainment schedule
ALL THE BANDS
Headliners
Cowboy Mouth |
The Original P Funk |
Travis Tritt |
The Lee Boys |
The Wailers |
The Grascals |
Edwin McCain |
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver |




