Mountain Dance and Folk Festival
2018 Ticket Prices
- 3 Night Package: $50 Advanced Sale: $45
- Adult Single: $25 Advanced Sale: $20
- Student: $10 Advanced Sale: $5
- Children (6-12): $5
- Groups of 10 or more: $20/person
Tickets can be purchased at Shindig on the Green, at the door, and are available online.
The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as a means for people to share and understand the beauty and dignity of the Southern Appalachian music and dance traditions that have been handed down through generations in western North Carolina. He saw the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival grow to be the oldest gathering of its kind in the nation and it continues in this way, a platform for the talented of the high country lying between the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has served a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of the vitality and importance of Southern Appalachian culture throughout the region, nation and world. Bascom Lunsford’s mission was to present the finest of the Appalachian ballad singers, string bands and square dance teams for education and entertainment. The songs and dances shared at this event echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lunsford’s was the first dubbed a folk festival, and he later consulted with many communities across the country interested in organizing similar festivals.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.
Click here for more history of the Festival.
Click here if you are interested in performing.
Click here if you are interested in becoming a Corporate Sponsor.
Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Road, Asheville, NC 28801,
Free parking in the adjoining garage.
2017 Program and Performers (2018 TBA)
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Masters of Ceremonies: Carol Rifkin and Jerry Sutton
Welcome: Ed Herron
Intro: Stoney Creek Boys… Grey Eagle… Buck Dancers
- Betty Smith
- Folk Heritage Smooth & Cole Mountain Smooth
- Carol Rifkin, Jeanette Queen & Mark Queen
- BearWallow
- Dixie Darlin’ Cloggers
- David Holt & Josh Goforth
- Cole Mountain Cloggers
- Phil Jamison
Intermission
- The Peg Twisters
- The Buckner Family
- Garnet Ridge Ramblers
- Zoe & Cloyd
- Blue Ridge Heritage Cloggers
- Leonard Hollifield & Friends
- Sons of Ralph
- Whitewater Bluegrass Company
Grand Finale
Friday, August 4, 2017
Masters of Ceremonies: Laura Boosinger and John Roten
Welcome: Ed Herron
Intro: Stoney Creek Boys… Grey Eagle… Buck Dancers
- Bailey Mountain Smooth
- Joe Penland
- Joe Bly Tribute
- Lillian Chase & Friends
- Appalachian Mountaineers Cloggers
- Richard Hurley
- The Griggs
- Dance Team TBA
- Laura Boosinger & The Midnight Plowboys
- Don Pedi
Intermission
- Honey Holler
- Clearwater Connection
- Southern Appalachian Cloggers
- The New Broad River Band
- Donna Ray Norton
- Arvil Freeman & Emma McDowell
- Bailey Mountain Cloggers
- Mark Kuykendall, Bobby Hicks & Asheville Bluegrass
- Maggie Lauterer & Zack Allen
Grand Finale
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Masters of Ceremonies: Richard Hurley and Glenn Bannerman
Welcome: Ed Herron
Intro: Stoney Creek Boys… Grey Eagle… Buck Dancers
- Mountain Tradition Cloggers
- Roger Howell
- Folk Heritage Smooth Dancers
- The Southern Highlanders
- The Waymasters
- Bannerman Family & Friends
- Buncombe Turnpike
- Glenn Bannerman & the Sit Down Square Dance
- Bryan Sutton
- The Cockman Family
Intermission
- Rhiannon & the Relics
- J Creek Cloggers
- Spirit Fiddle
- The Ross Brothers
- Southern Mountain Fire Cloggers
Grand Finale
*Performers and schedule are subject to change at any time.
