Pictured above: pendant by Erica Stankwytch Bailey
Summer: July 20-23
Fall: October 19-22
Shop opens 10am Thursday and ends at 5pm on Sunday.
Show hours: 10am-5pm
Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville
87 Haywood Street Asheville, NC
828-298-7928
Hosted in downtown Asheville at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, artisans will fill both the concourse and arena levels of the venue, exhibiting a variety of craft ranging from contemporary to traditional in works of clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media, and jewelry. Join us for this unique shopping experience and enjoy live music and craft demonstrations during your visit. $10 tickets are available for individual days, online or at the door. Children under 12 are free.
Parking
The streets of Asheville will be bustling and parking can sometimes be problematic. In addition to Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville’s parking garage below the building, the Asheville Chamber of Commerce parking lot is available (an 8-minute walk to the Craft Fair). For street parking, please utilize Asheville’s parking app for a real-time display of open parking spaces downtown. Asheville Parking App
On Saturday & Sunday, the following school parking lots will be empty for you to use:
Asheville Middle, Isaac Dickson, Montford North Star
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 92 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.
