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Garden Jubilee, White Squirrel Festival kick off summer fun

Garden Jubilee Saturday and Sunday turns downtown Hendersonville into a blocks-long super sale of flowers, vegetable sets, hanging baskets and more.

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 22, 2026

It's kickoff weekend for the summer as Hendersonville, Brevard, Asheville and surrounding communities celebrate with festivals, music, live theater and more.

Two big events this weekend are Garden Jubilee, one of the biggest plant and garden accessory sales in Western North Carolina Saturday and Sunday and Brevard's White Squirrel Festival today through Sunday.

Here's the details:

Garden Jubilee

When: May 23–24, 2026, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Where: Main Street, Downtown Hendersonville

Cost: Free admission

One of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina, Garden Jubilee transforms seven blocks of downtown Hendersonville into a blooming marketplace. Nearly 200 plant and craft vendors line Main Street with annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, rare finds, handmade pottery, garden art, tools, and more. A Speaker Showcase on stage in the Welcome Center parking lot brings in regional and national horticulture experts all weekend.

White Squirrel Festival

When: Memorial Day weekend, May 22-24

Where: Downtown Brevard

Cost: Free

In its 22nd year, the beloved street festival celebrating Brevard’s famously rare white squirrels features three days of live music on the main stage, a craft beer garden (featuring Oskar Blues and Brevard Brewing), 80-plus vendors, as well as more than a hundred shops, pubs and restaurants downtown. family-friendly activities including a Kids Zone. Other highlights include Sammy the Squirrel, official downtown mascot at the Heart of Brevard tent for photos, and a Kids Zone with balloon tying, a hula hoop jam and a ten-minute pirate ship escape room. The kickoff is Friday at 5 p.m.; Saturday runs all day until 10 p.m. Sunday hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m.