2022 Festival & Event Guide - July & August

JULY 

July 1–3 – Mountaineer Days take over Thomas, West Virginia.

July 1–4 – Fourth of July Celebration comes to Bluefield, Virginia.

July 2 – Bryce Fest comes to Bryce Resort in Virginia. Also in Virginia, look for an Independence Day celebration at Pocahontas. Blowing Rock 4th of July Festival comes to North Carolina.

July 2–3 – Dive into the Dillard July 4 celebration at Dillard, Georgia. Or you can climb high with Balloons Over Rockbridge Hot Air Balloon Festival at Lexington, Virginia.

July 3 – Celebration of the Arts at the Canaan Valley Ski Area comes to Tucker County, West Virginia. The 6th annual Hillbilly Day comes to Mountain Rest, South Carolina.

July 4 – You can find Fourth of July celebrations at towns all over the Blue Ridge Country region. Look in Virginia at Stuart, Luray, Bristol, Coeburn, Wytheville, Tazewell, Winchester, Hiawasse, Georgia, and in Tennessee at Pigeon Forge and Knoxville plus Pikeville, Kentucky; Spartanburg, South Carolina;   and Banner Elk, North Carolina – just to name a few.

July 7–9 – Pioneer Days comes to Marlinton, West Virginia.

July 7–10 – Grandfather Mountain Highland Games take place at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina.

 July 8–9 – Fiddlers Convention comes to the Historic Crab Orchard Museum and Pioneer Park at Tazewell, Virginia.

July 8–10 – In West Virginia, John Henry Days remembers the man who beat the steam drill long ago.

July 8–17 –  Gatlinburg Craftmen’s Fair unfolds in the Tennessee Mountains.

July 9 – Horse and Hound Festival in Bedford County, Virginia, features wine tastings, food and games.

July 9–10 – Festival on the Square takes place in downtown Hayesville, North Carolina.

July 15 – The South Carolina Peach Festival sends sweetness into Gaffney, South Carolina.

July 15–16 – Master Musicians Festival echoes through Somerset, Kentucky, with Grace Potter and Marty Stuart.

 July 15–17 – Hungry Mother Arts and Crafts Festival at Marion, Virginia, features bluegrass tunes, crafts and food at Hungry Mother State Park.

 July 15–23 – Contests and concerts combine at Fun Fest in Kingsport, Tennessee.

 July 16 – Art in the Park lands in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

July 16–17 – Butternut Creek Festival showcases dozens of artisans at Blairsville, Georgia.

July 21–24 – The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands comes to the Asheville, North Carolina.

July 22 – Sept.4 –  Shenandoah Valley Music Festival welcomes Marty Stuart and others to Orkney Springs, Virginia.

July 22–23 – Main Street Moments Festival lands in Tazewell, Virginia.

July 22–24 – Road to Old Town Revival on the Back of the Dragon, comes to Tazewell, Virginia.

July 22–31 – Virginia Highlands Festival returns to Abingdon, Virginia, with art and antiques.

July 26–Aug. 7 – Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show trots into North Carolina.

July 27–31 – FloydFest brings music to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia with Americana sounds.

July 28–31 – Enjoy a variety of cultural experiences at Folkmoot in Waynesville, North Carolina.

July 29–30 – Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs, Virginia, hosts an ABBA tribute and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.

July 30 – Rural Retreat Heritage Day Festival can be found at Rural Retreat, Virginia, near I–81’s Exit 60. Then spend the evening at Cooks and Books in St. Paul, Virginia, to find authors and food plus beer and wine.

AUGUST

Aug. 2–6 – Pickin’ In Parsons arrives at Tucker County, West Virginia.

Aug. 3–7 – The Appalachian String Band Music Festival echoes through Clifftop, West Virginia.

Aug. 5–6 – On the town square in Burnsville, North Carolina, the Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair brings together traditional crafts, contemporary art and mountain heritage. Reevestock, a music festival celebrating Americana, roots, bluegrass and the blues, takes place in the Hidden Amphitheater at Elkin, North Carolina. Blacksburg, Virginia, offers the Steppin’ Out Festival.

The Dillard Bluegrass & Barbeque Festival gets going in Georgia.

Aug. 5–7 – Big E Elvis Festival comes to the Rabun County Civic Center in Clayton, Georgia.

Aug. 6–7 – Big Lick Comic Con unfolds at Roanoke, Virginia.  Aug. 8–13 – Galax Old Fiddlers Convention fills up Felts Park in Virginia.

Aug. 12–13 – Go Tell It on Black Rock Mountain Storytelling Festival heads to Mountain City, Georgia.

Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs, Virginia, welcomes America and the Village People.

Aug. 12–21 – Come to Virginia for the Staunton Music Festival.

 Aug. 13 – The Route 11 Yard Crawl lines the road in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley from Middletown to New Market.  Also in Virginia, find the Wytheville Wine Festival. Or come to Winchester, Virginia, for a Peach Festival at Marker–Miller Orchards.

Also on this Saturday: Art in the Park blows into Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Aug. 16–20 – Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival comes to North Carolina.

Aug. 18–21 – Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival tunes up at Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Aug. 19–27 – Georgia Mountain Fall Festival offers week of fun at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee.

Aug. 20 – Great Smoky Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival lifts off at Townsend, Tennessee. Enjoy the outdoors at the Smith River Fest near Martinsville, Virginia. Heritage Day comes to Christiansburg, Virginia, at the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Art Center. BOCO BBQ and Country Fest cranks up in Daleville, Virginia

Aug. 25–28 – Lockn’ Festival features rock, country and roots music at Arrington, Virginia.

Aug. 27 – Look in Virginia for the Roanoke Wing Fest.

Aug. 27–Sept. 4 – Watch Coeburn folks party at Virginia’s Guest River Rally in Wise County.

Aug. 28 – Look in Tennessee for the Knoxville Asian Festival. 

Discover More Great 2022 Mountain Festivals & Events:

The story above first appeared in our May / June 2022 issue. For more like it subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!