It’s officially Billy Strings week in Asheville, as the bluegrass guitarist preps for another annual run in the Western North Carolina music hub. This year will see Strings stage four sold-out shows at the downtown ExploreAsheville.com Arena Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday–Saturday, and venues, breweries, and bars across town have amassed a staggering schedule of shows and events before, after, and between the concerts.
Even for a city as inundated with live music as Asheville, the amount of extra-curricular shows surrounding the 2026 Billy Strings run is overwhelming. Below, we have tried to codify the schedule into as clear and concise a guide as possible, but this is by no means meant to serve as a comprehensive list. That Herculean task has instead been accomplished by the good people at LiveMusicAsheville.com.
Free, Downtown [Note: mostly pre-shows]
DSSOLVR — The brewery will host its second-annual Hollow Heart Festival, with free pre- and after-parties featuring live music, art market, special beer releases, and food. Musicians will perform before and after each night of Billy, including Alex Bazemore & Friends (2/10), Group Therapy w/ Neptune Spins (2/11), Mojo Mountain and Full Body Rhythm (2/13), and Coyote Road Bandits and V-Day House (2/14).
Jack Of The Wood — The Celtic pub will also host a weeklong festival-style series of Billy Strings pre- and after-shows. Each afternoon will feature free pre-show performances from Upstream Rebellion (2/10), Old-Time Jam (2/11), Shady Grove Stringband (2/13), and Nobody’s Darling (2/14), while after-show concerts will cost $10 at the door [Scroll down for more details under Not Free, Downtown]. The restaurant will extend its kitchen hours for post-show grub. Thursday night, former Billy Strings mandolinist Drew Matulich will host his regular Bluesgrass Jam. Stop in for bluegrass brunch on your way out of town on Sunday afternoon…