Name: RADFest Sunday: Studios, Markets and Art
Start: 2026-11-15T10:00:00.000-05:00
End: 2026-11-15T17:00:00.000-05:00
Location: River Arts District Artists

RADFest continues Sunday, November 15, from 10 AM to 5 PM across Asheville's River Arts District. Admission is free.

Explore open studios, gallery exhibitions and outdoor artist markets, meet local makers and watch artists at work. Music and food trucks are part of the district-wide weekend, with tented markets at the Morning Sky Power and Wyre lots.

Make a day of visiting different studios and buying directly from artists. Individual locations have their own activities, so check the organizer's schedule before heading out.

River Arts District Artists, or RADA, is the nonprofit artists' association for Asheville's River Arts District, the old industrial buildings along the French Broad River just west of downtown. Founded in 2013, it speaks up for the working artists in the district and puts out the studio guide and map.

More than 500 artists are back in studios and galleries since Helene, making paintings, ceramics, glass, jewelry, fiber, prints, sculpture and photography, and a lot of them teach classes in pottery, glass and printmaking. The main stretches are Roberts Street, Depot Street, Lyman Street, Artful Way, River Arts Place and Clingman Avenue Extension. In 2026, USA Today 10Best readers voted it the best arts district in the country, and RADfest brings two days of art and music to the whole district every November.

Locals will tell you Second Saturday is the day to go, when the most artists are in and demos are happening all over the district. It's easy to stretch a studio crawl into a whole afternoon, too, with Wedge Brewing, PennyCup Coffee and The Grey Eagle all right there.

River Arts District Artists

Asheville farmers markets, tailgate markets, craft fairs and festivals, from the [WNC Farmers Market](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1570-wnc-farmers-market) and [River Arts District market](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1909-river-arts-district-farmers-market) to the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. Find dates, seasons and directions below.

Festivals and Markets in Asheville, NC

Asheville's art scene runs from Pack Square museums to River Arts District studios. Downtown, the [Asheville Art Museum](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2071-asheville-art-museum) focuses on American art with deep Western North Carolina roots, [Blue Spiral 1](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1479-blue-spiral-1) fills three floors on Biltmore Avenue with work from more than 100 artists, and [Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/5185-black-mountain-college-museum-arts-center) on College Street is free. In the River Arts District, [Pink Dog Creative](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1054-pink-dog-creative) has about 35 artist studios in a former textile building on Depot Street. The [Southern Highland Craft Guild](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/656-southern-highland-craft-guild) has shown Appalachian handcraft since 1930, at its Tunnel Road shop and the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. To make something yourself, [Claying Around](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1106-claying-around) in South Asheville has drop-in pottery painting for all ages. For the stage, [Asheville Community Theatre](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/997-asheville-community-theatre) has put on shows since 1946, [North Carolina Stage Company](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/780-north-carolina-stage-company) does professional theatre on Stage Lane, and the [Wortham Center](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1402-wortham-center-for-performing-arts) hosts dance, theatre and music. The [Blue Ridge Orchestra](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/603-blue-ridge-orchestra) is the city's all-volunteer community orchestra, [AyurPrana Listening Room](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4533-ayurprana-listening-room) books acoustic and world music in a West Asheville church, and [IamAVL](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/924-independent-arts-and-music-of-asheville-iamavl) records and streams local bands. For concerts and clubs, see [live music in Asheville](/asheville-nc/categories/4-entertainment), and for art, gifts and boutiques, see [Asheville shops](/asheville-nc/categories/3-shop). Every spot below has hours, photos and directions.

RADFest Sunday: Studios, Markets and Art

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