August 10, 2024 9am-7pm
August 11, 2024 9am-5pm
Experience 250+ Regional Vendors, Local Restaurants & Kid-Friendly Activities in bee-utiful Downtown Black Mountain
About Sourwood Festival
Since 1977, historic Black Mountain has drawn in more than 30,000 annual attendees for the Sourwood Festival. This annual summer community celebration marks the beginning of the sourwood honey-selling season. This unique honey is gathered from the sourwood tree, a native tree in the Southern Appalachian region.
Explore the allure of Black Mountain and find out why we proudly hold a ranking as one of the most picturesque towns in America. Downtown Black Mountain’s Sourwood Festival is a vibrant celebration of our bees and locally-produced sourwood honey, proudly presented by the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce.
2024 Sourwood Schedule
The 2024 Sourwood Festival takes place from 9am to 7pm on Saturday, August 10, and from 9am to 5pm on Sunday, August 11.
Below is a schedule of events. All activities are subject to change.
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Time | Activity | Location |
9AM – 7PM | Official festival hours, vendor booths, and information booths, selling t-shirts and 50/50 cash raffle tickets will be open | Downtown Black Mountain including: Cherry St. Sutton Ave Black Mountain Ave Broadway Ave Vance Ave Town Square |
9AM – 7PM | Official Sourwood Honey beekeeper demonstrations | Town Square parking lot |
9AM – 7PM | Chainsaw artist demonstrations | Town Square parking lot |
9AM – 7PM | Sling shot demonstrations hosted by Trail Life | Town Square |
9AM – 5PM | Petting zoo, cost is $5 per person | Black Mountain Ave |
11AM – 12PM | Potato Sack & Egg Races hosted by the Girl Scouts | Town Square |
2PM – 5PM | BBQ Cook-Off and free live music | The Monte Vista Hotel |
6PM | Free live music featuring Kelle Jolly | The RailYard |
8PM | Live music featuring Polly O’Keary & the Rhythm Method Tickets $20 in advance / $22 day of | White Horse |
Sunday, August 11, 2024
Time | Activity | Location |
9AM – 5PM | Official festival hours, vendor booths, and information booths selling t-shirts and 50/50 cash raffle tickets will be open | Downtown Black Mountain including: Cherry St. Sutton Ave Black Mountain Ave Broadway Ave Vance Ave Town Square |
9AM – 5PM | Official Sourwood Honey beekeeper demonstrations | Town Square parking lot |
9AM – 5PM | Chainsaw artist demonstrations | Town Square parking lot |
1PM – 3PM | Free live music featuring DJ5 | The RailYard |
5PM | 50/50 Cash Raffle Drawing | Town Square parking lot |
7:30PM | Live music featuring Dulci Tickets $18 in advance / $20 day of | White Horse |
Things to Know
Here’s everything you need to know about attending the 2024 Sourwood Festival.
Festival Hours
The 2024 Sourwood Festival takes place from 9AM to 7PM on Saturday, August 10, and from 9AM to 5PM on Sunday, August 11.
Festival Entry
The Sourwood Festival is free and open to the public.
Pet Policy
Furry friends are welcome to attend the Sourwood Festival! All pets must be on a leash at all times. Please clean up after your pet.
Festival Location
The Sourwood Festival takes place in historic downtown Black Mountain. Vendors and festival events will be hosted on Cherry St., Sutton Ave, Black Mountain Ave, Broadway Ave, Vance Ave and Town Square.
Food
The Sourwood Festival will feature snack vendors. We highly encourage attendees to visit one of the over 50 local restaurants Black Mountain and Swannanoa have to offer! Additionally, these restaurants are featuring these special menu items:
- Miel Café con Leche (Honey Cafe con Leche) hot or iced available at Cousins Cuban Cafe
- Scratch-made Honey Buttermilk Pie and Sourwood Honey Bee’s Knees Cocktail featured at The Bush Farmhouse
- Bees Knees Ice Cream available at The Hop Black Mountain
- Easy to-go items: Bratwurst on Roll with Sauerkraut $10 + Pretzel with Mustard $5 and an in-house dining special of Schnitzel Platter topped with homemade honey mustard sauce and choice of two sides for $20.95 available at Berliner Kindl German Restaurant & Deli
Road Closures
During the Sourwood Festival, these streets will be closed to traffic, creating a pedestrian-friendly experience – Cherry St, Sutton Ave, Black Mountain Ave, and a small portion of Vance Ave.
Parking & Shuttle
Free public parking is available at the old Bi-Lo, and additional parking is at the Black Mountain Ingles near the Garden Center. A free shuttle will pick up at this location every 15 minutes and drop festival goers off on Vance Ave.
Bathrooms
Public restrooms are available on Cherry Street and in Town Square, and there will be regular and handicap porta-jons throughout the festival area.
Official Sourwood Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors who made this community event possible! Interested in 2025 Sourwood sponsorship opportunities? Email SourwoodFestival@gmail.com.