Are you ready to be part of the 96th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival®? On August 3, 4, and 5, 2023, a different show will be presented live on stage each evening allowing you to appreciate the talent and dedication of the hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. These traditions involve not only the handclapping, toe-tapping rhythms of Bluegrass, the style and stories of century-old ballads, the high energy of clogging, the elegance of Big Circle Mountain Smooth Dance, the fun and entertainment of storytelling, but also include an awareness of the hardships and trials that have brought us to this place and time.
2023 Program and Performers (Tentative Line-Up)
Thursday August 3, 2023 – 7:00 PM
- Ed Herron…Welcome and Introduction of Carol Rifkin & John Roten
- Stoney Creek…Grey Eagle…Dancers:
- Hometown Dance Team
- Sourwood Ridge
- Donna Ray Norton
- Bearwallow Bluegrass Band
- Richard Hurley
- Sons of Ralph
- Don Pedi
- J Creek Cloggers
Intermission
- Buncombe Turnpike
- Connie Regan-Blake
- Dixie Darling Cloggers
- Roger Howell
- Green Valley Cloggers
- Whitewater Bluegrass Company
- Grand Finale
Friday August 4, 2023 – 7:00 PM
- Ed Herron..Welcome/Introduction of Emcees Laura Boosinger & John Roten
- Stoney Creek…Grey Eagle…Dancers:
- Cole Mountain Smooth Dancers
- Laura Boosinger
- Josh Goforth
- Cast Iron Bluegrass
- Sheila Kay Adams
Intermission
- Cole Mountain Cloggers
- Brandon Johnson and Friends
- Nobody’s Darling String Band
- Blue Ridge Heritage Cloggers
- Ted White and Bill Byerly (TBD)
- Bailee Brandon and Jerry Sutton
- JackTown Ramblers
- Grand Finale
Saturday – August 5, 2023, from 2:00-4:00 PM Members of the Folk Heritage Committee are excited to announce the Youth Talent Celebration, in conjunction with the 96th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. The event takes place in Lipinsky Hall on the campus of UNC Asheville, the same location for evening performances of the August 3-5 festival. The Saturday afternoon youth showcase is presented free of charge and will serve as great encouragement to the more than 50 youth performers scheduled for this year’s event.
Performers range in age from 5 – 18 and will share traditional Blue Ridge music and dance learned from teachers at a variety of programs including the Henderson County JAM (Junior Appalachian Musician) program, Madison County JAM, Transylvania County JAM, Academy for the Arts at First Baptist Asheville, and Durham’s Little River Cloggers. The event is directed by Josh Goforth, a highly accomplished storyteller and old-time, bluegrass, and swing musician. Goforth grew up attending events like this one and is now eager to see a new generation of talent take the stage.
Saturday August 5, 2023 – 7:00 PM
- Ed Herron..Welcome and Introduction of John Roten & Richard Hurley
- Stoney Creek, Grey Eagle Dancers
- Little River Smooth
- The Peg Twisters
- Smoky Mountain Songcatchers
- White Rock Revival
- Michael Reno Harrell
- Little River Cloggers
- The Waymasters
- Carol Rifkin
Intermission
- The Southern Highlanders
- Mountain Tradition Cloggers
- Appalachian Consort
- Honey Holler
- Southern Appalachian Cloggers
- Grand Finale
Tickets are available through Eventbrite at folkheritage.org and these are the ticket costs:
Advanced Purchase through Augu
Adults $20.00, Students $5.00, Children (Under 12) $5.00, 3-night package $50.00, Group (10 or more) $15.00/person.
At the Door:
Adults $25.00, Students $10.00, Children (Under 12) $5.00, 3-night package $50.00, Group (10 or more) $20.00/person
This 96th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival® has been made possible through the generosity of our music community volunteering their time and talent to preserve and promote the Southern Appalachian music, dance and storytelling heritage.