Dazzling Dahlia Festival- 2026

Each September, the six-acre Bascom campus fills with dahlias. They arrive by the stem for judging, in arrangements set against paintings on the gallery walls, formed from clay in the studio, and worked in paint and paper through weeks of workshops. Now in its 16th year, the Dazzling Dahlia Festival is The Bascom's annual celebration of horticulture in conversation with the visual arts on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

The 2026 festival runs Thursday, September 10 through Saturday, September 12. Admission and all programs are free. 

Dahlia Growers' Talk (Saturday, August 29)

In advance of the festival, The Bascom will present a free educational talk on The Terrace on Saturday, August 29, at 11:00 a.m., led by Festival Directors Peggy Boruchow Arnette, Libby Eustis, and Kim Daugherty. Designed for both new and experienced enthusiasts, the session will clarify what makes a bloom competition-ready and prepare participants to present their dahlias for judging in the Single Bloom Competition.

Fall Reception (Thursday, September 10)

The festival opens with The Bascom's complimentary Fall Reception on Thursday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. The evening gathers the community around the fall exhibitions and honors Michelle Radford, winner of the 2026 Dahlia Poster Contest. Guests are invited to view the exhibitions, enjoy light refreshments, and preview the weekend's floral-themed programs.

Petals and Perspectives

On view September 10 through 12, Petals and Perspectives is a floral design showcase throughout the festival weekend. Participating floral designers create arrangements in direct response to works of art on view in The Bascom's galleries, so a viewer moves between the work of art and its floral answer.

Single Bloom Competition

The festival's signature juried event invites dahlia growers and floral designers of all ages and experience levels to enter. Competition categories include an open single bloom division, a novice division, a youth division, and an arranged division for those who wish to submit a floral arrangement rather than a single stem. The novice division is new this year, open to anyone who has never exhibited in the Dazzling Dahlia Festival's floral competition, as well as those who have exhibited in two or fewer previous years. Participants who have exhibited for three years or more compete in the open division. Thanks to the generosity of festival sponsors, there is no entry fee this year.

The juried show will be on view Friday, September 11 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, September 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Juried Dahlia Photography Exhibition

New this year, the festival introduces a juried photography exhibition open to photographers of all ages and experience levels. Each entrant may submit one work, matted, framed, and ready to hang, and a juror will award ribbons to a selection of pieces. Entries are due by Saturday, August 8. Selected photographs will be on view in the Education Gallery from September 10 through October 3. Entry details are available here.

Studio Member Pottery Show

Running concurrently on September 11 and 12 in the Studio Barn, this sale features handcrafted wall pockets and vases created by Bascom Studio Members. Each work is adorned with fresh dahlias and available for purchase.

The Dahlia Dialogue with Sonya Carpenter

On Saturday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m., Highlands ecologist and garden designer Sonya Carpenter presents a talk on how dahlias are perceived by the other species we share our gardens with. Her presentation considers whether the bright, showy forms of the dahlia draw wildlife to the garden, and what it takes to keep butterflies, birds, and pollinators nourished and present throughout the season. Drawing on her background in ecology, Carpenter examines how color attracts pollinators and how gardeners on the Highlands Plateau can make intentional choices to create greater abundance, food, and shelter for the full community of species that inhabits our landscapes.

Carpenter studied ecology at the University of Florida and co-owns Co-Habitate, a Highlands-based landscape company she runs with her husband Canty Worley, dedicated to creating and maintaining gardens in balance with nature. She served nine years as Director of the Highlands Biological Foundation and currently assists HBF with their north campus improvement project at the Highlands Biological Station. She is also President of the Highlands Plateau Greenway and the local coordinator for Bee City USA. The talk is free and open to the public.

Workshops

Workshop programming begins ahead of the festival and continues through the weeks that follow, offering hands-on options for adults of all skill levels across ceramics, floral design, mixed media, and painting. Advance registration is required for all workshops.

Beginning Tuesday, September 1, Colette Clark leads Floral Application, a multi-session ceramics workshop running through Tuesday, September 9 in the Dave Drake Studio. Participants craft a variety of clay flowers to adorn both a hand-built and a wheel-thrown vase, with a glazing session on the final day. No experience necessary. $200.

On Saturday, September 5, Cath Connolly leads Saturday Sojourn with Paint: Big Bloom Energy, a full-day beginner painting workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Using abstraction and expressive mark-making, participants create a floral-inspired painting. No experience required. All materials included. $150.

On Thursday, September 10, floral stylist and artist Christy Curcuru leads Arranging with Showpiece Flowers: Locally Grown Mountain Dahlias, a morning workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Participants work with locally farmed flowers and foraged greens to create a large dahlia-focused arrangement in a ceramic footed compote, with hands-on guidance throughout. All materials included. $200.

On Saturday, September 12, Caryn Raming teaches Beginner Collage: Everything's Dahlias! from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Participants explore color, texture, and layering to build collages inspired by the forms of the dahlia. No experience required. All materials included. $75.

Fall Exhibitions on View

Three exhibitions will be on view across The Bascom's galleries during the festival weekend. Voices of Influence: Celebrating the Impact of Women in Art, a Community Call Exhibition, is on view in Thompson Gallery through November 28. Jo Sandman/TRACES with Black Mountain College is on view in Bunzl Gallery through January 9. Ceramic Artists of the Bascom Clay Symposium: Andrew Godfrey Shaw, Alexander Thierry, and Tiffany Thomas is on view in Joel Gallery through November 16. Admission to all exhibitions is free.

Emerging Designer Collaboration

This year's festival collateral was developed in collaboration with Elena Rizek, a graphic design student at Western Carolina University and a participant in The Bascom's Emerging Designer Program. Rizek created the visual identity for the 2026 Dahlia Festival, including posters, educational signage, and promotional materials distributed across print and digital channels.

Thank you!

The Dazzling Dahlia Festival is made possible with generous support from Bryson Grading & Paving, Visit Highlands and the North Carolina Arts Council.