Bele Chere was an annual
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
and
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
street festival
A street fair celebrates the character of a neighborhood. As its name suggests, it is typically held on the main street of a neighborhood.
The principal component of street fairs are booths used to sell goods (particularly food) or convey informa ...
held in downtown
Asheville, North Carolina. The festival was previously held annually on the last weekend in July
[
] since 1979.
It was the largest free festival in the
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...
,
attracting over 350,000 people.
[ ] The festival consisted of six stages scattered on various street corners in Asheville. A designated area called Arts Park typically featured several dozen regional artists and their work.
Displayed art covered a variety of media types including painting, photography, pottery and jewelry.
A variety of music genres were represented at the festival, including country, blues, folk, mountain, rock and jazz with both local and nationally known musicians represented. In 2013, the 35th annual Bele Chere festival was announced as the final festival by the City of Asheville.
Gallery
File:JonathanScales.jpg, Jonathan Scales at Béle Chére on July 23, 2010
File:Stephanie Morgan.jpg, Stephanie Morgan at Bele Chere 2009
Economic impact
A 2007 survey of businesses in downtown Asheville indicated that for more than 80% of respondents, the festival was bad for business, resulting in significant revenue declines during the days on which it is held. Two factors contributing to this were the large number of non-local vendors arriving for the event and the rise in vandalism during the festival. Despite this result, more than half felt that if the festival were to continue after 2007, it should remain where it is currently located. In 1979, the festival began as a way to bring needed revenue to downtown Asheville, which contained many vacant buildings and spaces; however, since the late 1970s the area has recovered and now is financially hurt by the event. The event is revenue neutral for the local government.
The City Council on March 12, 2013, discussed ending the celebration to help close a $1.9 million deficit for the city, stating it would save the city $200,000 the following year. There was no opposition.
See also
*
List of festivals in the United States
*
List of historic rock festivals
A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular eve ...
*
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, lite ...
*
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities, for which often no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised c ...
References
External links
Bele Chere Festival homepage
1979 establishments in North Carolina
Culture of Asheville, North Carolina
Tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina
Free festivals
Music festivals in North Carolina
Festivals established in 1979
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