Tony Kiss

ASH

Asheville’s summertime Bele Chere festival has made its last stand. But Highland Brewing aims to fill the void with a benefit beer and music festival on that same late July weekend.

Highland’s Ale Share festival will happen 1-6 p.m. July 26 on the outdoor stage at Highland Brewing, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, with a lineup of craft brews and bands to be announced. Some of the music will likely be by bands that once played Bele Chere, said Grant DaSantos, who books music for the Highland tasting room. In case of rain, the festival could move indoors, he said.

Tickets are $35, $50 VIP or $15 for designated drivers and go on sale June 12 at Highland. All the proceeds will go to the Asheville Parks and Greenway Foundation, said brewery vice president Leah Wong Ashburn.

“It’s hard to find a day when you are not competing with some other event, but we thought we’d go ahead and snatch that weekend before someone else did,” said DaSantos. He expects to hire three bands for the festival. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, he said.

Highland joins a busy lineup of upcoming summer festivals and concerts at local breweries. The Thirsty Monk’s Not So Big BIG Beer Fest is 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Millroom, 66 Ashland Ave. (www.monkpub.com). Wicked Weed’s Funk Asheville festival is Friday at the brewery’s new Funkitorium barrel aging facility, 147 Coxe Ave (www.wickedweedbrewing.com).

Tickets are still available for Saturday’s multi-brewery Beer City Festival at Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park (beercityfestival.com). Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain has a series of big concerts on its outdoor stage including Leftover Salmon with Bill Payne of Little Feat on Sunday, Toubab Krewe’s two-night Carnivalito fest June 13-14, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers June 27, Moe.July 11, Trampled by Turtles July 19 and Dark Star Orchestra Aug. 15-16. (www.pisgahbrewing.com).

Oskar Blues brewery in Brevard hosts its Burning Can festival on July 5 (brew.oskarblues.com/events/burning-can-brevard). And Sierra Nevada will have the region’s largest brew festival with its Beer Camp Across America gathering Aug. 3 (sierranevada.ticketleap.com/bcaa-southeast).