Asheville Celebrates Pride in Pack Square
Ryleigh Johnson & Emma Taylor McCallum | Sept. 29, 2026
Small rainbow watercolor painting at a table during Blue Ridge Pride on Sep. 26, 2026. Asheville, N.C. (Echo/Emma Taylor McCallum)
On Saturday, Sept. 26, downtown Asheville celebrated its “Holler Loud, Love Proud” themed Pride festival in Pack Square. The family-friendly event hosted over 200 vendors, with representatives from organizations like the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Western North Carolina Aids Project. On the main stage, attendees could view performances from groups like The Asheville Gay Men's Chorus and Steppin Out AVL, a volunteer-run collective offering free inclusive line dancing and two-stepping.
Asheville’s first Pride event took place in 1989 at a local lesbian bar called Hairspray. The current iteration of the festival began in 2009, when 2,000 attendees gathered in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Since then, Blue Ridge Pride, a non-profit organization dedicated to building “a vibrant, inclusive community where all LGBTQIA2S+ individuals in WNC experience belonging and live with dignity, equity, hope and joy” has hosted Pride in Asheville every year. The festival is supported by a variety of sponsors, including Ginger’s Revenge, Explore Asheville and New Belgium Brewing.
