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Virginia Highlands Festival Incorporated

The Virginia Highlands Festival celebrates the arts and culture of the Appalachian region through diverse events, including art exhibitions and performances, fostering community engagement and appreciation for local heritage.

Be part of the story that keeps Appalachian arts and culture thriving! Your donation helps preserve local traditions while welcoming new voices to the Virginia Highlands Festival. JOIN US to celebrate our region&rsquo;s makers, musicians, artists, historians, and more! Let&rsquo;s make memories that will power the future. 🎉

Power Your Community with Arts, Culture, & Memories!

Live Music 2026 brings together musicians, neighbors, and visitors to celebrate the sounds of Appalachia 🎶. From traditional tunes to new voices, this event highlights artists who honor the region&rsquo;s stories and creative spirit.

Live Music 2026

Culinary Arts &amp; Traditions 2026 brings together local chefs, farmers, restauranteurs, and food lovers to share the flavors and stories of our region 🍲.&nbsp; Whether you forage, farm, bake, or brew, your table helps preserve the foodways that shape our community. 🎉.

Culinary Arts & Traditions 2026

Step into the mountains for Outdoor Adventures 2026 ⛰️&mdash;a hands-on way to experience the landscapes that inspire Appalachian art, music, and stories. Use this form to register for guided hikes, outings, and nature-based workshops that reflect our mission to celebrate and preserve regional culture. Your spot on the trail starts here&mdash;share your details, choose your activities, and get ready for fresh air, local history, and creative energy outdoors 🌿. IMPORTANT GUIDELINES:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: inherit;">You may reserve no more than 4 spaces for any paid activity (ticket prices are low/free to remain accessible to all). If you cannot attend, please call 276-623-5266 so someone else may take your place, although we cannot give refunds if applicable.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">If a waiver is needed for this event: &nbsp;print, fill out, and bring to event.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Unless a rain date is given, outdoor adventures are sometimes cancelled for inclement weather. Participants are notified. Fees $5 and under are NOT returned. Amounts over this will be refunded OR can be counted as a donation.</li></ul>

Outdoor Adventures 2026

Step into the 2026 Antiques &amp; Vintage Show 🕰️ where Appalachian stories live on through well-loved furniture, collectibles, textiles, and curiosities from every era. Open daily from July 24 through August 2, 10am-5pm (closing at 4pm on August 2). By registering below, you help Virginia Highlands Festival preserve and share the region&rsquo;s cultural heritage through hands-on events, local artisans, and year-round programming. Join fellow collectors, historians, and curious visitors for a day of discovery and conversation. 🧺 PLEASE NOTE: &nbsp;If purchasing a three day OR full season pass, pick any date offered within the calendar. Your pass will be honored regardless of date selected.

2026 Antiques & Vintage Show, July 24 - August 2

Step inside the stories of Abingdon&rsquo;s past on the 2026 Historic Homes &amp; Buildings Tour 🏡.&nbsp; Abingdon prides itself on its well-preserved downtown historic district and its commitment to historic preservation. Tour the interiors of a variety of the best-preserved Federal, Victorian, and early 20th-century houses and buildings in Virginia, all within walking distance downtown except for &ldquo;Retirement&rdquo; at the Abingdon Muster Grounds. Guided tours of the Martha Washington Inn and Spa will be every half hour.

2026 Historic Homes & Buildings Tour

UPDATE: &nbsp;ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSED. ONSITE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE FRIDAY, JULY 31. Writers &amp; Readers 2026 brings authors from all genres, storytellers, poets, and book lovers together to celebrate diverse creative voices 📚.&nbsp; The Virginia Highlands Festival&rsquo;s tradition of celebrating Appalachian literature focuses on established and emerging writers, poets, and authors who share our diverse culture with the world. Literature is a circle of communication, and readers are the integral completion of that circle. To honor the full embrace of Appalachian Literature from inspiration to page to insight, we celebrate writers and readers with this event.

Writers & Readers 2026

UPDATE: &nbsp;Online Ticket Sales for Monday, July 27 are closed. Please contact the WCVA Historical Society for this admission date. Step into history with us as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington share stories, debates, and decisions that shaped the early nation 🇺🇸. This live conversation invites you to explore how their ideas still echo in the Appalachian region we celebrate today. Many visitors don&#39;t realize that Abingdon&#39;s roots predate the Declaration of Independence, so they may be surprised to find Thomas Jefferson and Georgia Washington greeting people at this year&#39;s Festival. For the past five years the Historical Society of Washington County has brought Bill Barker, an internationally recognized historical interpreter of Thomas Jefferson now based at Monticello, to Abingdon.&nbsp; By registering, you help the Virginia Highlands Festival and the WCVA Historical Society continue its mission to honor regional heritage through arts, culture, and thoughtful dialogue 🎭. Reserve your seat and bring your questions for an engaging evening of insight and curiosity.

A Conversation with Thomas Jefferson & George Washington

Step into the hustle and color of an 18th‑century Colonial Market &amp; Faire at &ldquo;Threads of Time.&rdquo; 🧵&nbsp; Enjoy artisans at work, period music, and everyday skills that once shaped the lives of those that founded our Great Nation during its 250th Anniversary.🎪 FREE ADMISSION!

Threads of Time:  18th Century Market & Fair

Share your work at the heart of Appalachian arts 🎨 Use this form to pay for entry to the 2026 Juried Fine Art exhibit at the Virginia Highlands Festival. Artists working in all fine art media are invited to submit original pieces that reflect your vision, craft, and connection to place. Don&rsquo;t forget -- ART INTAKE is at The Arts Depot:Saturday, July 18, 2-5pmSunday, July 19, 2-5pmMonday, July 20, 4-7pm By registering, you join a long tradition of artists who help us celebrate and preserve Appalachian culture through thoughtful, skillfully made work. Please review the guidelines, prepare your images and details, and complete each section to be considered.

2026 Juried Fine Art Registration:  Online payment closes 7/20 at 7:00pm

Share your vision of the Appalachian Highlands 📸 by registering for the 2026 Photography event. This form collects your details and online payment, helping us plan a smooth, well-curated experience. Don&rsquo;t forget -- ALL intake is to be submitted at The Arts Depot:Saturday, July 18, 2-5pmSunday, July 19, 2-5pmMonday, July 20, 4-7pm BUT -- The exhibition is at The Abingdon Train Station! Your work helps the Virginia Highlands Festival honor regional culture, landscapes, and everyday moments. Please complete registration and payment by 7/20 at 7pm to reserve your spot and ensure your images can be included in this year&rsquo;s celebration 🎨.

2026 Photography Registration:  Online payment closes 7/20 at 7pm

Join us at the VHCC Treadwell-Jones Greenhouse for a hands-on gardening experience that will help you grow herbs for a continuous harvest! This event brings together plant lovers and home gardeners of all levels to learn practical tips and techniques for raising your own herbs.

Plant. Nurture. Share.

Join us at Stormbrew Farm in Abingdon (StormBrew Farm 25161 Watauga Rd, Abingdon VA 24211) for a hands-on Vegetable Literacy Workshop with Tastings that celebrates the beautiful, sometimes mysterious vegetables you see at farmers markets, but may not know how to use.

Mystery. Market. Morsels

🎉 Excitement is in the air! Join artists from across the nation capturing Appalachian charm! Be ready to be part of something extraordinary at the 10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon. It&#39;s an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉

🎉 Excitement is in the air! Join artists from across the nation capturing Appalachian charm! Be ready to be part of something extraordinary at the 10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon. It's an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉

10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon (artist registration): October 7-10, 2026

Your gift keeps Appalachian stories, songs, and craft traditions alive. Each contribution helps bring artists to our stages 🎶, makers to our tents 🎨, and neighbors together to share the region&rsquo;s heritage. By donating today, you support:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Workshops that pass down traditional Appalachian skills</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Festivals that showcase local art, music, and food</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Educational programs that connect youth and community with regional culture</li></ul>

Your gift keeps Appalachian stories, songs, and craft traditions alive. Each contribution helps bring artists to our stages 🎶, makers to our tents 🎨, and neighbors together to share the region’s heritage.By donating today, you support:Workshops that pass down traditional Appalachian skillsFestivals that showcase local art, music, and foodEducational programs that connect youth and community with regional culture

Power Your Community....be a Sustainer with the Virginia Highlands Festival!

Your sponsorship opens doors&nbsp;and helps local youth explore Appalachian stories through paint, music, craft, and workshops led by festival artists. By supporting youth programs at the Virginia Highlands Festival, you help preserve regional traditions while giving kids space to create, ask questions, and see their work celebrated in our community. Choose a level that fits you and sponsor the next generation of Appalachian creators today. 🎻

Your sponsorship opens doors and helps local youth explore Appalachian stories through paint, music, craft, and workshops led by festival artists.By supporting youth programs at the Virginia Highlands Festival, you help preserve regional traditions while giving kids space to create, ask questions, and see their work celebrated in our community.Choose a level that fits you and sponsor the next generation of Appalachian creators today. 🎻

Sponsor Youth & Spark Futures!

Featuring locally grown, gathered, raised &amp; hunted fare, old school field games, creek dipping, trail rambling, live music, apothecary shopping, &amp; more!&nbsp;Part of a once larger tract, Phoenix Springs Farm is the original location of the Green Springs Meeting House (now Green Springs Presbyterian Church) and cemetery which were established in 1785. Green Spring, for which the community is named, and two other mountain springs, which feed into Wolf Creek meet at the back of the property. The original cottage- built in 1894 on a limestone slab with native hemlock beams -is in process of restoration. &nbsp; We invite you to: relax and breathe, wander the trails, dip in the creek, visit the historic site of the Green Springs Meeting House, shop and learn in the Appalachian Apothecary, home of award-winning Appalachian Teas &amp; Botanicals or find a spot to pause and revel in nature.&nbsp; Only 5 miles from historic downtown Abingdon at 21269 Concord Lane, Abingdon, VA, the farmstead is a gateway to an authentic experience of the magic and medicine of Appalachia.&nbsp; 🍂&nbsp;villagers welcome! 🍂

Virginia Highlands Festival Incorporated

Events

Events

Fall Fete at Phoenix Springs Farm, Sept. 6: 4pm

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More ways to support us

10th Annual Plein Air Abingdon (artist registration): October 7-10, 2026

Get your tickets

Power Your Community....be a Sustainer with the Virginia Highlands Festival!

Donate today

Sponsor Youth & Spark Futures!

Donate today

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