Photo courtesy of the Asheville Downtown Association
Arts AVL Announces Awardees of City of Asheville’s Event Support Grant
$77,546 Awarded to Eight Organizations Offering Free, Public Events this Year
March 4, 2025 | On behalf of the City of Asheville, ArtsAVL is pleased to announce the eight nonprofit recipients of the 2024-25 Event Support Grant. Each organization will host free, public events within Asheville’s streets, parks, or outdoor public spaces. The City of Asheville Event Support Grant is facilitated by ArtsAVL, the City’s contracted administrator of the grant program.
The Event Support Grant provides a competitive process for non-profit organizations to receive financial support for events in the $3,000-$10,000 range, with a total of $77,546 awarded this round. The Event Support Grant’s overall goal is to preserve public arts and cultural programming within Asheville’s outdoor public spaces through the financial assistance for community events that promote cultural heritage, diversity, and the creative arts.
“ArtsAVL is deeply grateful to the City of Asheville for their continued support of these important anchor events,” said executive director Katie Cornell. “It is our hope that these events provide some much needed moments of celebration for our community and help drive more foot traffic into downtown Asheville.”
This year’s grant-funded events include arts festivals, arts and culture series, concerts, and parades:
Arts 2 People’s funding will support the Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival, an annual, free all-day fair with music, art activities, local vendors, and a one night only theater performance. “This Event Support Grant will help Arts 2 People tremendously as we expand the Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival to incorporate all of Pack Square Park this year for the first time,” said Board Member Jim Genaro. “Thanks to the support of ArtsAVL, this year we will be able to host multiple music stages, a storytelling tent, and more local art vendors than ever before. We are very grateful for all the support ArtsAVL has shown through the years.
The Asheville Downtown Association will use their grant to support Downtown After 5, including the Community Concert series, and the Pritchard Park Summer Arts and Culture Series. “We are incredibly grateful to ArtsAVL and the City of Asheville for the Event Support Grant, which will help us continue to bring free outdoor public events to the heart of Downtown Asheville,” said Hayden Plemmons, Executive Director of Asheville’s Downtown Association. “This support is crucial for creating accessible experiences that engage and inspire our community. After such a challenging year, these events are an opportunity to reconnect, support local businesses, and showcase the creativity and resilience that defines Asheville. We look forward to welcoming both locals and visitors to experience the vibrancy of our city once again.”
Asheville Mardi Gras’ event grant will support the annual Mardi Gras parade – a zany, exuberant, family friendly outdoor downtown event in the dead of winter.
The Asheville Symphony’s funding will help produce Symphony in the Park, the annual, family-friendly community engagement concert held in downtown Asheville at Pack Square Park.
Blue Ridge Pride will use funding for their Annual Blue Ridge Pride Festival, an event of celebration and advocacy for the LGBTQIA2S+ community of WNC.
The Folk Heritage Committee will host Shindig on the Green®, an admission-free outdoor concert featuring traditional music, dance and storytelling of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
LEAF Global Arts’ grant will support the Boomtown ReLEAF FestAVL to celebrate the history & heritage of Asheville via pioneer leaders, innovators, architects, and engineers.
The YMI Cultural Center will fund the 43rd Goombay Festival, a three-day cultural event in Asheville, celebrating the richness of the African diaspora. Executive Director Sean Palmer said, “We are deeply grateful for the critical support that ArtsAVL has provided in helping us to relaunch our mission and programming. This funding is critical to shining the light on Afro-diasporic culture in our region. Get ready for a great time.”
Find more information about the Event Support Grant – including full eligibility guidelines – at artsavl.org/esg. ArtsAVL is proud to administer the Event Support Grant on behalf of the City of Asheville.