ASHEVILLE - The Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC is excited to announce that the 8th Annual Get in Gear Fest will be on May 6th, 2023. The event will return to the river at the Asheville Adventure Company Outpost at 521 Amboy Road.

Get in Gear Fest will feature outdoor gear demos and gear sales and activities for the whole family, as well as food, beer, and live music. Sponsor opportunities and vendor registration are open now. Applications and information can be found here.

This year’s Get in Gear Fest was awarded a grant through the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority Festivals & Cultural Events Support Fund. This exciting support signals the positive impact that outdoor recreation and our local outdoor companies have on both Asheville’s tourism industry and the community at large.

According to freshly released 2021 economic data from the The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation retains a powerful and positive economic impact on the U.S. economy, generating $862 billion in economic output, comprising 3% of U.S. employees and creating 4.5 million jobs nationwide. North Carolina’s outdoor recreation economy represented $11.8 billion in value added and over 130,000 jobs in 2021.