EXPLORE ASHEVILLE WELCOMES PATTIE GONIA DURING HISTORIC PRIDE WEEKEND TO AMPLIFY: ASHEVILLE IS OPEN & READY FOR VISITORS

Performance to support small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene through the Always Asheville Fund

Explore Asheville is bringing a nationally celebrated drag performer and environmental advocate to Asheville this September, further signaling that the region is open and ready for visitors to experience the fall travel season.

Pattie Gonia, the mustachioed, environmentalist drag queen, announced today that Asheville has been added to her “SAVE HER!” tour, which has sold out at venues across the country. The drag show, which centers on climate change and solutions, will take place at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Friday, Sept. 26. Her visit coincides with Blue Ridge Pride Festival and the one-year milestone of Hurricane Helene. That weekend, Pattie Gonia will also lead a community hike, honoring the regional outdoor scene’s reopening as a cornerstone of the region’s recovery.

“Welcoming Pattie Gonia to Asheville leading up to our fall season and during Blue Ridge Pride this year is a powerful acknowledgment of that strength, resilience, sustainability and inclusivity our region is known for. Her visit underscores Explore Asheville’s imperatives to encourage safe and responsible travel to our open spaces, as well as engaging and inviting diverse audiences,” Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, said.

This year’s Pride carries special significance. It marks one year since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, and it honors the queer community’s extraordinary leadership in the recovery. From queer chefs who launched food relief efforts to grassroots groups that mobilized aid to remote mountain towns, Asheville’s LGBTQ+ community was on the frontlines. Their resilience helped dismantle stereotypes of the South, showing the world that all Southerners are not only present but vital – here for each other, and for the region, come hell or high water.

“Blue Ridge Pride is honored to welcome Pattie Gonia to Asheville this September as both performer and advocate,” Josie Seay, Blue Ridge Pride interim executive director and president, said. “We thank Explore Asheville for their significant support. Pattie reminds us that Pride is more than celebration. It is a sacred gathering of spirit, strength and community, where we honor the earth, one another and the truth of belonging. Our existence is resistance, and queer people have always been in Appalachia!” 

Pattie Gonia’s visit embodies this spirit of resilience and belonging. Known for taking drag out of the clubs and onto the mountaintops, she has built a following of more than 1.5 million people by blending art, activism and environmental justice. Pattie was named Outside Magazine’s Person of the Year, National Geographic’s Traveler of the Year and a Next Gen Leader by Time Magazine in 2023. Her presence in Asheville underscores the city’s role as a beacon for queer creativity, courage and community in Appalachia.

Pattie Gonia’s “SAVE HER!” show will feature a lineup of local and national drag performers. Tickets for the performance at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium Friday, Sept. 26 are available for purchase here. Details about the lineup and the LGBTQ+ Pride march and hike will be announced at a later date.