Downtown Visitor Trends - September 2026
Downtown Asheville recorded approximately 1 million non-resident visits in September, up 7.4% from September 2025 and 2.3% above September 2023. Hurricane Helene hit in late September 2024, so the 2023 comparison gives the clearest pre-Helene benchmark, and Downtown is now slightly ahead of it.
The two busiest days of the month were both Saturdays, September 5 and September 26, each with roughly 55,000 non-resident visits. September 5 fell on Labor Day weekend, when Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL took place in Pack Square Park. September 26 was the full-day Blue Ridge Pride Festival, also in Pack Square Park. Each day had a variety of events and activities happening throughout Downtown. Both days ran well above the month’s other Saturdays, which landed closer to 43,000 to 45,000 visits.
Saturday was the busiest day of the week on average, followed by Friday. Monday through Wednesday held fairly steady, and Thursday and Sunday landed at a similar level.
The hourly pattern was just as steady. Downtown stayed close to its busiest from noon through about 7 PM, with the peak around 3 PM. The afternoon carried nearly as much activity as the evening.
September showed a Downtown that stays busy through the afternoon and builds to a strong Saturday every week.
