The Asheville Downtown Association is now accepting applications for the 80th Annual Asheville Holiday Parade, presented by Bojangles, taking place in Downtown Asheville on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at 11 a.m.

This year’s theme, “A Vintage Holiday,” celebrates 80 years of holiday tradition in Downtown Asheville and invites participants to bring the nostalgia, charm and cheer of holidays past to the parade route.

Businesses, nonprofits, schools, community groups, performance organizations and other local participants are encouraged to get creative with vintage-inspired entries. Ideas might include 1950s holiday storefronts, old-fashioned ornaments and tinsel, vintage cars, Victorian holiday scenes, mid-century décor, nostalgic holiday movies, classic winter wonderlands, or entries inspired by holiday traditions from decades past.

Whether drawing inspiration from the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s or another favorite era, participants are encouraged to put their own spin on what makes the holidays feel timeless.

The deadline to apply to participate in the 2026 Asheville Holiday Parade is Friday, October 9.

The Asheville Downtown Association is growing, and we’re looking for a Development Manager to join our team and help build the partnerships and resources that support a vibrant Downtown Asheville.

This season, we’ve talked a lot about the Fabric of Downtown — the businesses, artists, residents, employees, property owners, visitors, and advocates whose individual stories come together to make downtown Asheville what it is.

Clarity on sales tax funds and an update on the MSD property tax assessment.

Asheville is expanding mental health support Downtown and across the city. APD and Asheville Fire's REST team have launched a 60-day pilot with RHA Health Services, funded by a Vaya Health grant, placing certified mental health professionals alongside officers and firefighters on crisis calls. Separately, ART's new transit contract with RATP Dev adds a crisis counselor at the Transit Center on Coxe Ave to connect riders with community resources.

For Downtown, this means trained mental health support where Ambassadors and businesses have long had to fill the gap on their own. ADID will be watching how the pilot performs over its 60 days and whether it becomes a permanent part of Downtown's crisis response.

This year's Fourth of July downtown was hot, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s. A mid-day downpour rolled through, but the weather cleared just in time for the fireworks show and didn’t stop thousands from enjoying all that South Slope had to offer

The Wall Street Steps Mural is finished. Artist Dayna Walton spent two weeks in early to mid-June bringing the piece to life on Wall Street.

On May 27, dozens of Downtown stakeholders gathered at Revival Asheville to weigh in on the Downtown Business Resilience Strategy — a planning effort seven months in the making, grounded in over 600 survey responses and community conversations across the district. Public Sphere Projects presented draft recommendations spanning placemaking, programming, and public policy, and the room had a lot to say. Here's what came out of the conversation.

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Last week, ADID hosted the second event in our Downtown Public Safety Panel Series. We brought together law enforcement, architecture, and urban planning to talk honestly about how the design of our shared spaces shapes who feels safe and who feels welcome. Spoiler: those are not competing goals. Here's what we learned.

Asheville businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Helene may be eligible for recovery grant funding and technical assistance. Learn more about available resources and watch our informational webinar.

From the power of storytelling and “unreasonable hospitality” to creative partnerships, customer retention, and building community through small-scale events, the conversation offered practical takeaways for businesses of all sizes. A common thread throughout the evening: authenticity, consistency, and meaningful connection continue to outperform trends and quick wins.

On Earth Day, ADID Ambassadors cleared the courtyard at Pack Memorial Library, a space that had become inaccessible due to accumulated hazardous debris, sitting just steps from the library's children's section. It was the Ambassadors who flagged the problem in the first place.

We’re proud to share that ADID Ambassador Supervisor Chris S. has been nominated for a Hospitality Hero Award presented by Explore Asheville 💙

Chris’ journey to this work is one of resilience, recovery, and service — and today, he helps make Downtown Asheville cleaner, safer, and more welcoming for everyone.

Downtown Asheville showed up in a big way this week for our annual State of Downtown, presented by First Bank. With a sold-out room of business owners, community leaders, and partners, the energy was clear: downtown is moving forward—and we’re doing it together.