From Staff Reports 

With the goals of satisfying locals and achieving longevity —  as well as replacing Bele Chere — a new weekend music festival will debut Aug. 1-2 in downtown Asheville.

LEAF Community Arts, organizer of Lake Eden Arts Festival twice a year in Black Mountain, will organize the event. Features will include three stages, food trucks and more than 80 locally owned and artisan vendors and business partners.

The new festival, LEAF Downtown AVL, will take place in the area around Pack Square Park, from Biltmore Avenue to the Buncombe County Courthouse.

While the event will be much smaller than Bele Chere, the organizers said they hope it will draw foot traffic to surrounding businesses.

The festival organizers decided to keep the event relatively compact in its early days to set it up for long-term success.

LEAF Downtown will not be a one-time-only festival, according to Leigh Maher, the chief financial officer of LEAF Community Arts and husband of founder Jennifer Pickering. Indeed, he said, the festival is designed to return every summer for years to come.

“When we looked at doing the full downtown scenario,” Maher said, “you end up with a massive, sprawling thing, but how does that lead to success?” He noted that Bele Chere, although beloved in some circles, was a “monstrous beast,” logistically.

The main stage in front of the courthouse will feature big-name headlines, including funkmaster Bootsy Collins and local acts. 

A full list of bands will be announced May 21, but among those already confirmed are Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, The Main Squeeze, Empire Strikes Brass, and the London Souls.

In front of the firehouse, the Community Arts Stage will focus on family-friendly entertainment, such as circus arts and youth performances.

Near the Vance Monument, the Café Stage will feature acoustic acts adjacent to a dining area with food trucks.

Unlike Bele Chere, which was sponsored by the City of Asheville, LEAF Downtown has a single private organizer, so no public money is involved.

LEAF Downtown, which is a nonprofit, is still talking with the city to establish the exact parameters of their working relationship, Maher said. The festival is seeking — and already has signed — some sponsors, he noted.

An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people will attend daily, Maher said, noting that his projection is conservative. In contrast, the Downtown After 5 event reportedly averages about 7,500 people to its one stage.