“Creative expression, spiritual practice and astonishing music”

This year’s Wild Goose Festival, held at the Hot Springs Campground Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 8-11.

The festival theme, this time around, is “Remembering the Body.” Sessions include “A service of Holy Eucharist focused on the plight of the poor around the world, led by Ian Cron,” “A talk by Asher Kolieboi, co-founder of the Legalize Trans campaign, on creating trans-inclusive faith communities” and “Mystic Soul Movement: Explore the path to your inner divine through gentle yoga-based movement, relaxation techniques, and guided contemplative prayer, led by Theresa B Pasquale” among many others.

Music takes place each day on the Main Stage, The Space, The Performance Cafe and The Chapel. Speech of hip-hop group Arrested Development (pictured) and singer-songwriter duo Indigo Girls headline; other artists include Greensboro-based collective Dave Wimbish and the Collection, singer and sketch comic Stuart Davis (of the TV show Sex, God, Rock ‘n’ Roll), post-punk act The Violet Burning, local singer-songwriter and activist David LaMotte, local country/Americana artist Nikki Talley, “tantrum folk” trio Insomniac Folklore and many more.

Learn more about performances here and speakers here. A full day-by-day schedule is available here.

The inaugural Wild Goose Festival was held at Shakori Hills in Pittsboro, N.C. and the event draws inspiration from the likes of Burning Man, SXSW and TED. Rooted in Christianity (and catering to “theological liberals”), the festival “provides space for courageous, imaginative, and participative social justice work, creative expression, spiritual practice, and astonishing music.”

The family-friendly festival includes programs for kids up to age 17. Festival passes are $199 for the full event, $69 for Friday or Saturday only and $29 for Thursday or Sunday only. Children ages 5 and under get in free. Parking is $20 for the weekend or $10 per day, camping is $20 per tent.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.