Communities throughout western North Carolina invite locals and visitors alike to celebrate their unique local cultures through seasonal festivals. Featuring regional live music and arts, craft brews, and creative foods, these events draw people together and help visitors explore the region. And the fun experiences help build the relationships that keep visitors coming back.
GROW NC spoke with community leaders about the value festivals bring to western North Carolina communities and the important roles creative artists play in driving attendance. Learn about what to expect at Brevard’s Mountain Song Festival and Banner Elk’s Woolly Worm Festival. And keep reading to find a list of fall festivals so you can start planning your visit to western North Carolina!
Mountain Song Festival
Brevard’s Mountain Song Festival is celebrating its 20th year, with music legends and emerging artists gathering at the Brevard Music Center on September 11-12, 2026. The festival was started by longtime friends Woody Platt (guitarist for the Steep Canyon Rangers) and John Felty, who also helped to kick-start the popular White Squirrel Festival. The two joined together to launch Mountain Song Festival as a way of giving back to the community where they grew up. Funds raised support the Cindy Platt Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County.
The Mountain Song Festival celebrates acoustic music, including bluegrass, newgrass, old time, folk, jazz, and traditional mountain music and the many branches that stem from it. The festival aims to bring the community together and to encourage music in everyday life, promoting cultural tourism and environmental awareness.
“Brevard is a special place. The mountains, the rivers, the arts, and the culture are really unique for a town of this size,” said Felty. “We wanted to showcase the best of what we have here within the context of the Mountain Song Festival.”
Performer Sam Bush returns for the September 11-12 lineup, alongside the host band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, which will play both days of the festival along with Woody Platt and Shannon Whitworth. Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, the John Cowan Trio, and local musician Cody Hale will also perform. Organizers expect a big crowd.
Felty said the festival will bring 5,000 people into town over the course of the weekend, which translates to meaningful support for the local Boys and Girls Club and a boost for the local economy, too.
“It started out as a celebration of bluegrass music and an opportunity to do good in the community, but in many ways, Mountain Song has become a reunion,” said Felty. “We are now two decades in, celebrating 20 years of growth, and it's a wonderful event for our community. We invite everyone to come out and celebrate with us!”
Other area events will include Downtown Brevard’s Plein Air Festival held October 14-19 and the nearby Mountain Monarch Festival held on October 3 at Gorges State Park Visitor Center.
Keep scrolling to find a listing of other fall festivals happening across the region.
Woolly Worm Festival
In the High Country, Banner Elk is home to the 49th Annual Woolly Worm Festival, which takes place on October 17-18 at the historic Banner Elk Elementary School. Hosted by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk, the event offers woolly worm races, craft and food vendors, live entertainment, children’s activities, and all kinds of family fun.
The Woolly Worm Festival welcomes more than 20,000 people each year to connect with each other, enjoy local food and fun, and learn about the community. Attendees can also take a chance at predicting the High Country winter weather, with a top prize of $1,000. Festival proceeds are given back to the community to support education, children’s programs, business and tourism.
“The Wolly Worm Festival is all about joy and community and creating a space where it’s okay to have fun and be silly,” said Victoria Bowman, Festival Chairwoman and Executive Director of the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. “Locals and visitors alike join together in huge numbers to lean into laughter and believe in a little magic. It’s what we all need more of.”
The woolly worm (also spelled “wooly worm”) is a caterpillar of the Isabella tiger moth, showing off its bright colors of scarlet, yellow, orange, and white. The furry creature can be seen inching along the ground in great numbers during the fall months. The woolly worm can also be spotted in June and July, its second life cycle.
Locals say the 13 bands on the woolly worm represent the 13 weeks of winter, with brown bands indicative of a mild week and black bands tied to colder temperatures and precipitation. Since woolly worms are found in so many colors, the races held during the Woolly Worm Festival are a fun way to determine which worm’s pattern determines the forecast. Learn more by visiting the Woolly Worm Festival’s FAQ page.
Support from the Grandfather Mountain Foundation made it possible for every local elementary and middle school student to receive a free festival ticket along with an additional adult ticket. Changes were also made to enhance in-school races, with a Sunday finale for the main stage race. Another local partner, Lees McRae College, offered off-site parking for the first time in 2025, which drastically cut down on traffic coming in and out of the festival.
“Making sure that the Woolly Worm Festival stays accessible by the surrounding community is important,” said Bowman. “This event brings the fun and we’re so excited to welcome back visitors alongside local families, celebrating and having fun together!”
More WNC Fall Festivals
Many more mountain community festivals will be held in the weeks and months ahead. Scroll through the list below and search Visit NC for more western North Carolina destinations and activities.
September 4 – Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL, Asheville
September 5 - Hellbender Festival, Spruce Pine
September 4-7 -– NC Apple Festival and Street Fair, Hendersonvile
September 5-6 – Maggie Valley Arts and Crafts Festival, Maggie Valley
September 6 – 118th Canton Labor Day Festival with Clay Walker, Canton
September 11-12 – Mountain Song Festival, Brevard
September 11-12 – Historic Morganton Festival, Morganton
September 11-20 – NC Mountain State Fair, Fletcher
September 14-19 – Plein Air Festival, Brevard
September 15-19 – Plein Air Festival, Blowing Rock
September 19 – Blue Ridge Mountain Heritage Festival, Sparta
September 19 – Art in Autumn, Weaverville
September 19-20 – Heritage Weekend at the Folk Art Center, Asheville
September 21-26 – Mountain Heritage Days, Cullowhee
September 25-26 – Old Timey Fall Festival, Burnsville
September 25-27 – FOODEESFEST, Asheville
September 26-27 – Old Time String Band Workshop, Swannanoa
September 26 – Rise Fish Fest, Asheville
September 12 – Art in the Park, Blowing Rock
October 3 – Art in the Park, Blowing Rock
October 3 – Mountain Monarch Festival, Gorges State Park Visitor Center
October 3 – Madison Heritage Arts Festival, Mars Hill
October 3 – Oktoberfest, Asheville
October 10-11 – Lovely Asheville Fall Festival, Asheville
October 15-18 – Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, Asheville
October 17-18 – Woolly Worm Festival, Banner Elk
October 17-18 – Maggie Valley Arts and Crafts Festival, Maggie Valley
October 24 – Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival, Maggie Valley
October 31 – Trick or Treat Main Street, Burnsville
November 7 – WNC Pottery Festival, Sylva
November 7-8 – Weaverville Art Safari, Weaverville
November 21-22 – Marshall Handmade Market, Marshall
Visit our WNC Recovery Stories page to find more stories about the people and organizations making a difference in western North Carolina recovery.