Celebrating 70 years: Remembering Asheville’s Iconic Downtown Festival, Bele Chere

As part of the 70th-anniversary celebration, we take a nostalgic look back at Asheville’s famed downtown festival, Bele Chere. From 1979 to 2013, this iconic summer festival transformed downtown Asheville into a vibrant cultural hub with its vivid display of food, music, and street vendors.

About Bele Chere

Stemming from an ancient Scottish dialect, Bele Chere translates to “beautiful living”. For wistful former attendees, it was more than just a festival; it was an embodiment of the Asheville spirit. It quickly grew to become one of the largest downtown festivals in the Southeast.

Roles and Memories

Previous organizers, festival attendees, and city administrators all have fond memories associated with Bele Chere. Longtime anchor Tammy Watford reflects on how her channel was a significant part of Bele Chere for many years, with live broadcasts and reports every year from the festival, often under the rain that became an elliptical constant of the festival.

Behind the Scenes

Robin Daniel, the inaugural organizer of the festival, directed the first ten Bele Chere festivals. All events aimed at inviting people to Downtown’s three-day street party, as depicted in vintage posters featuring street dancing and musicians. Daniel shared that most contributions in the initial year came as services. Musicians were the only ones paid in the first edition; everything else was contributed by the community.

Revitalizing Downtown Asheville

Picture archives show street musicians performing against a backdrop of vacant stores, visual harbingers of economic shifts and the development of shopping centers that lured businesses away from downtown. Bele Chere arrived as a timely savior, bolstering efforts to keep the city’s center alive. People were drawn from various counties and states, and some musicians and attendees became permanent residents of Asheville, charmed by the festival.

Steve Metcalf, Asheville’s former city planner, harps on the drastic changes brought by the businesses being pulled away from downtown. Dotted with boarded-up buildings and resembling a ghost town, Downtown Asheville was in dire need of revitalization. He associates Bele Chere with encouraging people to come downtown, live, and work there.

The Legacy of Bele Chere

Metcalf emphasized the festival’s power to draw people downtown and enjoy the city’s architectural marvels and urban living. His words encapsulate the essence of Bele Chere: “If you could get people downtown, enjoy the architecture, enjoy the feel of the streets, enjoy some urban living, people would back, and I think they clearly have.”

As the 70th year milestone arrives, the memories of Bele Chere remind us of its role in rejuvenating downtown Asheville, highlighting the transformative power of cultural festivals in revitalizing urban spaces and shaping community identities.