The Asheville Burlesque & Sideshow Festival is now in our 17th year! Over six thousand people have reveled in our weekend-long extravaganzas as we Keep Asheville Weird with epic stage shows, afterparties, workshops and free community lectures and panels.

Nominated for Best Show in the Mountain Xpress Readers Choice Awards, ABSFest has attracted renowned circus and burlesque artists from across the USA, as well as the UK, Germany, and Japan. In a world now brimming with Burlesque Festivals, from Vegas to Amsterdam, ABSFest is known for nurturing creativity, community, and empowerment.