Bele Chere, the largest free street festival in the Southeast, was reportedly a success. 300,000 visitors showed up over the three days of the festival. Normally, 300,000-350,000 show; and it usually rains more. The festival was scaled down for economic reasons. Usually, the City of Asheville is a huge sponsor. Other sponsors include Budweiser and US Cellular. The taxpayers pick up the performance fees for bands. This year, there were only four stages instead of five or six; and no gated events for big names were hosted.
The main questions asked of information folks were (1) Where are the free cigarettes? (2) Where can I buy beer? and (3) Where’s the Mellow Mushroom? One commentator referred to the festival as, “a lot of ugly people walking around drinking Bud.” Another mentioned people “urinating, vomiting, and passing out” on his street. Many merchants closed their doors because in past years people only came in their shops to use the restrooms. One of the highlights of the festival is going into the crowd to run into acquaintances; but all but one of the people I recognized Saturday were high-profile government figures.
This year, the budget for Bele Chere was scaled back to $500,000. It had run around $900,000 in previous years. Bele Chere makes up the bulk of the city’s festivals fund. The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department hoped only about a quarter of the cost of festivals this year would have to be subsidized. The last two years, the former Parks and Recreation Department director had to come before council to request budget amendments to cover Bele Chere overruns.
