Memorial Day Arts Festival — Meet at Pack's Tavern (Indoor Rain Backup)

⛈️ VENUE UPDATE — Sunday's forecast turned. 80% chance of thunderstorms starting at 11 AM (right when we'd be at Pack Square). New plan: meet INDOORS at Pack's Tavern, which borders Pack Square Park, so we can still walk the festival between rain bands without anyone getting drenched.
Spend a Memorial Day Weekend afternoon at the Downtown Asheville Festival of the Arts — a juried, free outdoor art-and-craft show in Pack Square — with a comfortable indoor home base at Pack's Tavern.
This is the 5th Annual Downtown Asheville Memorial Day Weekend Festival of the Arts, which takes over the streets of North and South Pack Square (around the old Vance Memorial site) and Reuter Terrace. It's a juried show — local and national artists with work in glass, ceramics, jewelry, painting, photography, sculpture, wood, and mixed media, alongside a Crafters Market featuring handmade craft artisans.
The festival runs rain or shine, but with thunderstorms forecast through the afternoon, we'll use Pack's Tavern as our basecamp and venture out to browse the booths during any breaks in the weather.
The Plan:
• 11:00 AM — Meet inside Pack's Tavern (20 South Spruce St, right on Pack Square). Look for the Asheville Transplants sign at a long table or booth.
• 11:00 AM–1:30 PM — Coffee, brunch, bloody marys/mimosas, conversation. Anyone who wants to walk the festival in a dry stretch heads out together; everyone else holds the table.
• ~1:30 PM — Wrap up at Pack's, or stay and keep exploring downtown if the weather breaks.
What to Know:
• New venue: Pack's Tavern, 20 South Spruce St, Asheville, NC — directly on Pack Square Park, dog-friendly covered patio, large indoor seating
• Pack's Sunday menu: brunch + tavern food, 35+ local drafts, $10 mimosas, $10 house bloody marys
• Pay-your-own at Pack's
• The festival itself is still free and outdoors (Sat May 23 + Sun May 24, 10 AM–5 PM both days) — we'll dart out between storms
• Bring a rain jacket or compact umbrella if you plan to walk the festival
• Bring cash or a card for art purchases — most vendors take both, but cash is faster
• Parking: Rankin Ave parking garage is closest, or look for metered street spots nearby
Why This Event:
Memorial Day weekend in Asheville is at its best, even when the weather doesn't cooperate. This festival is one of the best ways to meet local artists and see the craftsmanship Western North Carolina is known for — and Pack's Tavern (in a restored 1907 building) is a great Asheville landmark to anchor the day. Solo attendees always welcome.