Asheville, NC Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

City Code Sec. 16-97 authorizes the city manager to permit community events or festivals on the city's public streets, sidewalks, squares, avenues or alleys, notwithstanding other provisions of Chapter 16. The sponsor must submit a written application at least seven days before the event opens, stating the time, date and location; the sponsoring group, firm or individual; the purpose of the event; and the activities included. In deciding whether to grant the permit, the city manager weighs how the event serves the community, its duration, whether the location would inhibit safe traffic flow, whether the planned activities comply with other laws, and the general health, safety and welfare of participants and citizens.

Commercial festivals that generate private-sector profit are permitted only if the applicant proves to the city manager's satisfaction that the event still constitutes a community service; purely nonprofit community-service events face no such extra hurdle. The sponsor must provide all cleaning services needed to clear debris and litter from the festival area once it ends. A permit authorizes only the named sponsor and the participants that sponsor specifically authorizes to take part free of Chapter 16's normal street-use restrictions; anyone else on-site remains subject to the chapter's general rules.

1, and was last amended by Ord. No. 4910, § 2, adopted 11-9-21, replacing the older funeral/procession/parade permit rule that had been repealed by Ord. No. 2299 in 1996.