Downtown After Five, 2025—A Local’s Perspective
- Ian Wasserman
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Summer’s well on its way here in Asheville, and that means another season of sunshine, river-rafting, and open air concerts. Music’s a fundamental part of the Asheville soul, and as the nights warm up, downtown becomes the perfect venue. A light breeze, the starry sky overhead. What’s not to love?
Enter Downtown After Five, downtown Asheville’s free summer concert lineup, hosted every year out on Pack Square Park, on the third Friday of every other month, starting at 5pm.
Food trucks and beverage vendors line the streets, locals and tourists alike mingle out in the fresh mountain air. It’s an all-around good time, and to best enjoy this year’s Downtown After Five lineup, here I’ve compiled not only your general information, but some hot tips on equally extraordinary events to fill out the off-months, making for a fully-filled summer of fun.
Although not technically a part of Downtown After Five, on the last Thursday of this May the Asheville Downtown Association is hosting another free concert, starring bluegrass sensation the Steep Canyon Rangers. General admission is open to one and all, but primo spots are available from fifty dollars.
The opening acts start at 6pm, giving you enough time to line on up at a food truck, grab a drink, and scout out some territory on the park. But if you’re more in the mood for a sitdown meal, I recommend grabbing an early dinner at one of downtown’s many top-rate barbecue joints (keeping in the bluegrass spirit). My top picks: Bear’s Smokehouse on the South Slope or Huli Sue’s for a Hawaiian twist.
On to our first official After Five summer concert, featuring Southern Avenue, a much-acclaimed Memphis act bringing soul music to the mountains as part of downtown’s Juneteenth-week celebrations.
Just like the Steep Canyon Rangers, general admission is free, with premium seating available on their website; one ticket for all three of the year’s remaining shows. That’s a three-for-one deal.
With the music kicking off at 5pm, throwing dinner into the mix doesn’t quite line-up. What I would suggest is turning this great summer event into a day of exploring downtown. Kick it off with a bona-fide southern brunch via Tupelo Honey or Early Girl, then hit the Grove Arcade, Wall Street, shopping on North Lexington Avenue, and maybe some local museums for good measure.
Downtown Asheville’s annual Independence Day celebration isn’t so much as a concert, per-se, but goshdarnit, it’s one of my favorite events of the summer, and I’ve yet to find a suitable article to slip it into.
Every Independence Day, downtown Asheville kicks it off right at high noon, inviting Ashevilleans and travelers alike to come on down to the South Slope for an afternoon of good food, good cheer, family-friendly activities, and refreshments from of our famous mountain breweries.
The fireworks typically start flying around 9pm. Be sure to stake out your spot early for best results.
And now, the grand finale of downtown Asheville's community concerts. This After Five event is a powerhouse of good ol-fashioned country fun, with Shakey’s Live Band Karaoke opening for Mustache, the self-styled “World’s most powerful 90s country party band.”
But music’s not the only star of this show. There’ll be line-dancing, a “best boots” competition, and even a Dolly Parton look-alike contest. It’s country living with a capital “C,” and in my estimation, the perfect conclusion to this year’s Downtown After Five lineup.
So lace on those boots, throw on a cowboy hat, and prepare yourself for an evening of music and two-stepping at Pack Square Park, under that wide open sky.
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