Shindig on the Green

What began in 1928 as a folk song and dance program arranged by Bascom Lamar Lunsford for Asheville's Rhododendron Festival grew into two major cultural events in the region. By bringing music and dance out of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and onto a public stage, Lunsford established Asheville's Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the nation's first and oldest continuously running folk festival, and helped draw attention to Asheville and Buncombe County through the region's folk heritage. In 1967, Shindig on the Green grew from the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival as a way to encourage and present a wide variety of performers in an informal outdoor atmosphere. Founded by members of Asheville's all-volunteer Folk Heritage Committee, it presents authentic traditional music and dance on summer Saturday evenings while also providing a gathering place for musicians to jam around the park. With the completion of Pack Square Park in 2010, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage became a permanent location for its stage shows, as musicians and dancers from across the mountains fill the park with music and mountain camaraderie.

Asheville, North Carolina · United States