This is western North Carolina's largest outdoor festival, featuring more than 100 national and regional entertainment acts. At least five different stages grace various key parts of downtown, and canopied booths line the main streets. Funnel cakes and shaved ice are sold every few steps. Local restaurants join in, often hosting booths in the central Pack Square. The musical entertainment, as well as poetry and dance, is excellent, ranging from Andean pan flute music to throw-down gospel to reggae, rock and roll, Brazilian samba, Zydeco, Bluegrass, swing and much, much more.
Street dances continue throughout the day and evening.
Vendors offer colorful batiks, jewelry, leather, pottery, and sundry handcrafted items. Special events like face-painting, puppet shows, kiddie concerts and numerous other activities are geared toward children, making this a terrific family outing. Bele Chere is always held the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month. Many sophisticated shopping booths mingle with the more carnival-fare type, presenting had wrought furniture, clothing, hand made jewelry, and the popular Indian henna temporary tattoo art mhendi. On Saturday afternoons throughout July, Brevard's musicians and others from the area perform in the downtown shopping district.