Questions? Call the Folk Art Center 828-298-7928 or email us [email protected].
Contact Harrah's Cherokee Center (828) 259-5736
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
July 17–20, 2025 (Summer)
October 16-19 (Fall)
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville
Downtown Asheville, NC
🗓️ Event Dates & Hours
- Thursday, July 17: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Friday, July 18: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, July 19: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday, July 20: 10 AM – 5 PM
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Thursday, October 16: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Friday, October 17: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Saturday, October 18: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Sunday, October 19: 10 AM – 5 PM
🎟️ Admission
- $12 per person
- Free for children under 12
- Tickets available at the door (no advance purchase required)
📍 Location
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville
87 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, surrounded by local restaurants, shops, and galleries.
🚗 Parking
Several public parking garages are located within walking distance of the venue:
- Civic Center Garage: 68 Rankin Ave (closest to venue)
- Rankin Avenue Garage: 82 Rankin Ave
- Wall Street Garage: 45 Wall St
- College Street Garage: 164 College St
- Biltmore Avenue Garage: 60 Biltmore Ave
All garages are city-operated and accept cards or mobile payments.
✨ What to Expect
- Over 100 juried artists representing the Southern Highland region
- A wide range of fine craft across 12 media: clay, fiber, wood, metal, glass, paper, leather, jewelry, natural materials, and more
- Live demonstrations and hands-on craft education
- The opportunity to shop handmade and meet the makers behind the work
- A celebration of Appalachian tradition, creativity, and community
Presented by the Southern Highland Craft Guild
With a mission to cultivate and honor the rich legacy of Appalachian craft, the Guild proudly hosts this long-running event—now in its 78th year.
Peter Werner's booth, 2022
Audrey Lane Sawyer's booth, 2022
Rodney Leftwich demonstration, 2023
JAM Ambassadors performing at the Craft Fair, 2023
Jude Stuecker's booth, 2023
Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands - booth display Heidi Bleacher, fiber artist
Sawing Competition at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands - July 17-20 & October 16-19, 2025
Erica Bailey's booth, 2023
JAM Ambassador's performance, 2023
Local Cloth spinning demonstration, 2023
Visitor trying on Liz Spear's coat, 2023
Valerie Berlage demonstration, 2023
Magruder Glass booth, 2023
Jason Janow Booth
Julie Calhoun-Roepnack's booth, 2023
Visitor in Sarah Tremaine's booth, 2022
Musicians, 2022
Musician, 2023
Odyssey Clayworks demonstration, 2023
Jewelry demonstration, 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? Call us at the Folk Art Center 828-298-7928 or email [email protected].
History
The Guild’s Craft Fair tradition started in 1948 in Gatlinburg, TN on the grounds of Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. At this inaugural fair, the Guild connected visitors with the most talented craftsmen and showed the importance of handicrafts in the life of southern Appalachia.
Today
Today, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is held twice every year (July & October) in downtown Asheville, North Carolina at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. It brings together hundreds of makers in what has become a key event for craft. These events are unique in that they offer attendees the opportunity to connect with the artists by purchasing directly from them. In an age of mass production and global imports, the connection to fine American craft and the individual maker is often lost but more significant than ever.
More than two hundred craftspeople fill two floors of the Civic Center twice each year. Local musicians play live on the arena stage; craft educators share their knowledge with adults and children alike through demonstrations and hands-on projects. Eleven thousand visitors from all over the country participate in festivities during the four days of the show. Over the course of the event, nearly a million dollars are invested in the purchase of crafts.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
ABOUT THE GUILD
For 93 years, the Southern Highland Craft Guild has curated a group of juried artisans for the purpose of marketing, education, shared resources, and conservation of Appalachian Craft. Our four retail locations in Western North Carolina sell the work of over 800 of our juried members.
History
Read a brief history about the Southern Highland Craft Guild and how it has elevated craft in the Apalachians since 1930. Written by the Guild's Director of Education, Janet Wiseman.