Connect Beyond Festival 2024

Connect Beyond Festival 2024

A festival unlike any other in Asheville, Connect Beyond brings people together with a full day celebrating music, film, art and culture.

By Connect Beyond Festival

Date and time

June 7 · 6pm - June 9 · 6pm EDT

Location

Multiple Downtown Asheville Locations

28801

Refund Policy

No Refunds

Agenda

FRIDAY, JUNE 7 - WORTHAM CENTER

6:00 PM

Doors open

6:30 PM

Festival Welcome & Dance Performance

Elizabeth Lashay Garland

Jessica Tomasin

Join us as we officially kick off the 2024 festival with director Jessica Tomasin and Slay The Mic's Elizabeth Lashay Garland. Hip hop dance performance by Carolina Diamond Divas.

7:00 PM

Financial Literacy 101 and Q&A with Paula Dofat

Paula Dofat

For ages 16+, join HBCU advocate, national speaker and college-funding expert Paula Dofat for a special financial literacy session. Paula will be discussing how to get a "debt-free degree," and how t...

7:30 PM - 10:00 PM

STEP: Award-Winning Film Screening & Q+A with National Speaker Paula Dofat

Paula Dofat

Elizabeth Lashay Garland

Join us for a FREE film screening of the Sundance Award-winning documentary, Step, and a Q&A with cast member, HBCU advocate & national speaker Paula Dofat and hosted by Slay The Mic's Elizabeth Lash...

SATURDAY, JUNE 8 - THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM

10:00 AM

Doors open

Welcome to Thomas Wolfe Auditorium! Coffee, tea and water available.

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Recycled Art Workshop

Lonnie Holley

DeWayne Barton

Time to get hands-on! Guided by acclaimed artists DeWayne Barton and Lonnie Holley, attendees will be able to unplug and release their creativity using discarded materials to make works of art. Conne...

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Empower Hour

Chelsea Greene

Rob Grobman

Jared Wheatley

DeWayne Barton

As we grapple with big-picture global problems, how can we make a positive impact without feeling overwhelmed? Join us for a 60-minute hyper focused discussion with the filmmakers behind We Are Guard...

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Lunch Break

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Rebalanced: Solutions Journalism for Turbulent Times

Rebecca Worby

Julia Hotz

Ezekiel Walker

We’re living in an era of rapid change and challenge for media: shifting platforms, shrinking newsrooms, power imbalances, and divisive storytelling. But emerging among these changes is a journalism ...

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Meet & Greet + Book Signing with Julia Hotz

Julia Hotz

Join us in the lobby for a book signing and meet-and-greet with Julia Hotz, whose new book The Connection Cure (Simon & Schuster) launches this weekend. Presented by Malaprop’s.

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Music & Words: An Evening With Lonnie Holley

Lonnie Holley

Marie Cochrane

Bring on the evening with critically acclaimed musician and artist Lonnie Holley and moderator, artist & curator Marie Cochrane. Lonnie will perform songs threaded around an insightful conversation. ...

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Dinner Break

7:30 PM - 10:00 PM

WE ARE GUARDIANS: Award-Winning Film Screening & Filmmaker Q+A

Edivan Guajajara

Chelsea Greene

Rob Grobman

We Are Guardians follows Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and activist Puyr Tembé as they fight to protect their territories from deforestation, an illegal logger who has no choice but to ...

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 - LOCATION TBA

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Connect Community

Join us for a volunteer community day of action with an Asheville organization. Details TBA.

About this event

Connect Beyond Festival returns to downtown Asheville, N.C. on June 7-9, 2024 for a weekend of performances, panels, film screenings and workshops exploring how the intersection of music, art, film and storytelling can inspire positive change. This year’s festival, dubbed by Ashvegas as “Asheville’s version of SXSW,” is themed around Connection To Deepen Resilience and Keep Moving Forward. We are also partnering with Slay The Mic Media to co-curate programs centered around youth empowerment.

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  • Friday - Opening Event - FREE
  • Saturday - Main Festival 10am-10pm Downtown - TICKETED
  • Sunday - Closing Event - FREE

Select the following options when adding tickets to your cart.


FRIDAY NIGHT OPENING EVENT
"STEP" FILM SCREENING & Q+A PASS | FREE - Must Register For Event

  • Film Screening Pass Include: Entry to Friday's film screening with cast & crew Q+A afterward
  • Location - Wortham Center
  • Opening event doors open at 6pm with several exciting moments happening before the film screening! Join us for the official festival Welcome at 6:30pm, followed by a hip hop dance performance by Carolina Diamond Divas, a youth-exclusive Q&A with Paula Dofat, and a special Financial Literacy 101 + Q&A with Paula.
  • Co-presented by Slay The Mic
  • Friday's programming is open to ages 16+


SATURDAY MAIN FESTIVAL
1-DAY PASS | $50

Saturday Passes Include: Entry to the full day of programming, see schedule for details. Come and go as you please! Festival takes place at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, with breaks for lunch and dinner.

  • Location - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
  • Saturday's programming is open to ages 16+

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More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop community and create positive change, inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice.

FEATURED EVENTS

  • We Are Guardians - award-winning documentary film screening with cast & crew Q+A to follow
  • Rebalanced: Solutions Journalism For Tumultuous Times - Fireside chat featuring Rebecca Worby (Reasons to Be Cheerful, founded by David Byrne), Julia Hotz (Author & Journalist), Ezekiel Walker (award-winning Author & Editor) and special guest TBA, with Q+A and Julia Hotz book signing to follow
  • Step - Sundance award-winning documentary followed with cast & crew Q+A to follow
  • Music + Words: an evening musical performance with critically acclaimed artist and musician Lonnie Holley

FEATURED PANELISTS & PERFORMERS

PARTICIPATING ASHEVILLE, NC LOCATIONS

  • Wortham Center (Friday)
  • Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (Saturday)
  • TBA (Sunday)


Frequently asked questions

Does the festival last all weekend?

We are celebrating Connect Beyond all weekend long (Friday-Sunday) in different ways. The MAIN festival event takes place Saturday, June 8. We also have events on Friday that will be free and open to the public. On Sunday, we will have a Connect volunteer day of action with a community partner.

I can no longer attend (illness, emergency). Can I give my ticket to someone else?

If for some reason you can no longer attend, you can transfer your ticket to another person. They must present the original ticket or receipt when entering the festival or event.

Where can I park?

Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is located inside the Harrah's Cherokee Center, with two parking decks nearby: one directly below the Center, and one located next to it on Rankin Avenue. Metered, on-street parking is available first come, first serve. All parking details are provided in your order receipt.

Do I have to attend all the events on Friday?

Your Friday free pass includes access to all of Friday's programming 6-10pm, and you can come and go as you please. Hold onto your tickets for re-entry to Wortham Center!

Do I have to attend all the events on Saturday?

Your Saturday day pass ($50) includes access to all of Saturday's programming 10am-10pm, and you can come and go as you please. Hold onto your tickets for re-entry to Thomas Wolfe Auditorium! We designed the schedule to include plenty of breaks so you can experience all the events.

Tags

Organized by

Connect Beyond Festival

Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience - one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be. Learn more at ConnectBeyondFestival.com.

$0 – $50