The Ingles Independence Day Celebration will return to downtown Asheville’s Pack Square Park Monday, July 4. The free event is produced by the Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) in partnership with the City of Asheville and features The Ultimate Air Dogs, live music, local food, craft beverages and a fireworks extravaganza.
“We so excited to bring back the Ingles Independence Day Celebration. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since we’ve been able to celebrate the 4th of July with our neighbors and community,” said ADA Executive Director Meghan Rogers.
The day kicks off with The Ultimate Air Dogs competitions at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Watch as the talented pups fly off the dock in a competition to see who can jump the furthest. No experience is necessary, and your dog can jump, too. Pre-registration is required. Find more information here. **
Kicking off the live music at 5 p.m. is Asheville’s own Hannah Kaminer. Kaminer fuses echoes of Appalachian traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting.
Country rock musician and Marshall native Ricky Gunter will take the stage at 6 p.m. Gunter won the Josie Music Awards competition for best vocalist in 2021.
Lyric, who got her start busking in the streets of Downtown Asheville, hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. She holds numerous Mountain Xpress “Best Of” awards and has shared the stage with legends such as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight, Booker T. Jones, Little Big Town, Dionne Warwick, Cedric Burnside, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, Fred Wesley & the Lee Boys, Count M’Butu and Warren Haynes. Lyric will also perform the National Anthem just before the fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
Food and beverage sales open at 5 p.m., and the Splashville Fountain will operate until 7 p.m. for visitors to cool off. No outside alcohol, pets or vending are permitted. Parking is available in City of Asheville parking decks, on the street or in private lots.
This event is sponsored by: Ingles Markets, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, Duke Energy, Go Minis Portable Storage, Empire Distributors, Renaissance Asheville Hotel, Kudzu Brands, 99.9 Kiss Country, Star 104.3, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas, Flat Rock, Noble Vines, Samuel Adams, French Broad and Foothills, Bears Smokehouse BBQ, Asheville Color & Imaging.
For more information about the Ingles Independence Day Celebration and the Asheville Downtown Association, visit ashevilledowntown.org.
**Pets are only allowed in the Air Dogs area and not throughout the rest of the event per City of Asheville ordinance.
