Dear LEAF Community,
For 31 years, spanning 55 festivals and 5 retreats, the LEAF Festival has served as a sacred gathering place for our global family to celebrate culture and connection, and more than half a million of you have gathered by the lake and under the stars to celebrate with us. Today, we reach out with an important update that, while not easy to share, we share with transparency and care for the community we love.
We have made the difficult decision to postpone the October 2026 LEAF Festival.
For months we explored possible paths forward, carefully evaluating what would be required to responsibly produce a Festival that our community deserves. We ultimately concluded that postponing until Fall 2027 would be most sustainable for LEAF’s long-term health, ensuring the longevity of the organization and the community that surrounds it.
As many of you know, LEAF is currently navigating a significant period of rebuilding and financial stabilization. After the loss of our Fall 2024 festival to Hurricane Helene, reductions in arts education funding, and lasting impacts from the COVID years, we need to focus primarily on strengthening the organization’s foundation. Rather than overextend in ways that could further jeopardize our future, we are choosing to move forward thoughtfully and intentionally to preserve our mission and the magic it creates.
Though the Festival will take a pause, the heart of LEAF remains very much alive. We’re diving deep into our year-round programming, community gatherings, and cultural experiences at our Downtown Asheville venue at 19 Eagle St. However we can, we will continue to bring people together through arts, culture, creativity, and connection in the heart of our community.
What IS Still Happening
While LEAF’s October Festival will pause for 2026, the LEAF mission is very much alive and active, and we hope you’ll continue gathering with us throughout the year:
LEAF Deep Roots on May 30
Please join us for this intimate, community-rooted gathering at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, NC. Deep Roots tickets are available at theleaf.org/deep-roots.
LEAF Global Experience (Our Venue in Downtown Asheville)
Join us year-round for weekly classes, workshops, jams, live music, and community events at the LEAF Global Experience.
Summer Camps
LEAF’s summer camps are also continuing as planned at our Downtown Asheville venue, offering creative, arts-rich experiences for youth throughout the summer.
Looking Ahead
As we look toward the future, we’re continuing to explore what new formats and experiences may best support our community in a sustainable way this fall and beyond. We’d genuinely love to hear from you about what would most nourish your LEAF-y spirit.
How You Can Help Right Now
If LEAF has touched your life, there are many meaningful ways to help sustain this community and its future:
Make a donation at theleaf.org/give
Explore non-monetary ways to support LEAF HERE
Become a member at theleaf.org/membership
Visit us at the LEAF Global Experience in Downtown AVL
Share LEAF’s story with someone who has not yet found us
Reach out to us and share what you would like to see from LEAF: info@theleaf.org | @leafglobalarts |19 Eagle Street, Suite 120, Asheville, NC 28801
We are 31 years old. We have weathered storms before. With you beside us, we’ll weather this one, too.
LEAF Love & Gratitude,
The LEAF Global Arts Board of Directors & LEAF Staff
LEAF Global Arts | 19 Eagle Street, Suite 120, Asheville, NC 28801 | info@theLEAF.org | @leafglobalarts