Black Mountain Blues is a collaboration between two major non-profit arts organizations that collectively have been making a huge impact on the communities they serve for over 45 years. These are White Horse Black Mountain and LEAF Global Arts. White Horse Black Mountain is a non-profit community arts center, striving to create and support community through live performance and LEAF Global Arts (LEAF) is a non-profit community organization founded in Black Mountain in 1995.  LEAF connects cultures and creates community through music, arts education and experiences, to cultivate curiosity, promote global understanding and preserve cultures including the Blues.

This is our first year but the Blues are certainly no stranger to the musical landscape of Western North Carolina. We believe this event will fill a gap in our community’s musical offerings and cater to the numerous Blues fans here in Buncombe County and the surrounding regions. Not only will we make our patrons happy but we’ll also give our many local Blues artists the opportunity to showcase their talents and passion for the Blues. Our objective with this event is for it to become an annual festival that supports our local town through increased commerce and seasonal job opportunities, one that our community looks forward to each year and that draws Blues fans from all over the country.

As long as we can see your ticket’s QR CODE on your phone, you do not have to print them out.

All guests, including VIP Pass holders, will check in at one of two locations – either on the middle of Cherry Street at our Welcome Tent OR in Vendor Village near the Railyard. We will also be hosting a pre-event Kick-Off Party at White Horse on Thursday evening where you can pick-up your wristbands, grab a cold drink and listen to the Asheville All-Star band.

The weekend or VIP pass should be used by the person it was originally purchased for all three days of the event. We totally get the interest in sharing the Blues love but ideally everyone who comes would either buy their own day pass or their own weekend pass.

Similar answer to the previous question, passes should not be shared but used by the original guest for whom it was purchased for the duration of the event.

VIP Preferred parking is located at the old Bi-Lo parking lot behind Starbucks. The address is: 205 NC-9, Black Mountain, NC 28711.

There are numerous public parking lots in Black Mountain that offer free parking. We will say up front that it is going to be a BUSY weekend so please carpool, carpool, CARPOOL and arrive early to ensure you get a parking space in one of these available lots. We plan to publish a map with public parking areas closer to the event.

Not all of them. Several of our stages will be located indoors or under cover including White Horse Black Mountain, The Town Pump Tavern, The Monte Vista Hotel, the VIP Lounge at Goldfinch and the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Our outdoor stages will be: The Railyard, The Bush Farmhouse and Foothills Grange.

All of the stages have seating available but if you have a favorite folding chair you are welcome to bring it!

The beauty of this event is that all of the stages are within a reasonable walking distance of each other. The Monte Vista Hotel and The Bush Farmhouse are on opposite ends of the festival site and just .5 miles apart. All of the other stages are in between! If you or one of your guests have any issues with mobility, we will have a service van available to assist. Simply ask any of our staff with a radio and we will be happy to help.

We are ALL dog lovers here on the Black Mountain Blues team and the Town of Black Mountain is also a very dog-friendly community including many of our venue partners. However, given the expected number of people attending and the July heat, we highly recommend leaving your doggo at home in some air conditioning with their favorite toy. If you do opt to bring your pooch and they become aggressive or disruptive at any venue, you and your dog will be kindly asked to leave the venue for the safety and consideration of other guests.

Yes, you can! Click here to find out more about the perks of being a volunteer at Black Mountain Blues

The venues are located throughout downtown Black Mountain at the White Horse, the Railyard, Bush Farmhouse, Foothills Grange, The Town Pump, the Monte Vista Hotel, the VIP Lounge at Goldfinch plus amazing classes at Black Mountain Center for the Arts. All of the locations are walking distance from one another. We will be publishing a site map on our website soon!