Fire on the Mountain - April 26, 2025
Fire on the Mountain is an annual celebration of the art of the blacksmith that is always held on the last Saturday in April in Downtown Spruce Pine, NC. The event is a partnership between Spruce Pine Main Street, Penland School of Craft, and the Toe River Arts. Each year, the festival contains blacksmith demonstrations, blacksmith vendor booths, youth and adult forge-off, hands-on tents, kids’ activities, food, and more Originating in 2007 as a local festival, the festival was originally called “Hammerin’ on the Toe.” Over time it has grown into one of the largest blacksmith festivals on the East Coast. Thousands gather each year to watch world-renowned blacksmiths forging amazing pieces, using techniques that have been utilized for centuries. Admission to Fire on the Mountain Festival is free to the public.
We would like to remind everyone of some important festival information that will help us keep our event safe, fun and family friendly. NO vendors or independent business of any kind are allowed at the festival unless they have filed paperwork with Spruce Pine Main Street in advance. Thank you for assisting us in providing free, family friendly events for our community. We look forward to seeing you soon!
2025 Schedule of Events
Throughout the Day
Youth Forge-On Challenge Demonstration
Adult Forge-Off Competition
Hands-On Tent
Vendor Booths
Great Food
Toe River Arts Exhibition
NEW! Embers Exhibition (apply)
Forging Demonstrations
10 am - Erica Moody
11:30 am - Abe Pardee
1 pm - Liam Hoffman
2:30 pm - Paul Spainhour
Close Up Demonstrations
10:30 am - Anton Yakushev
12:15 pm - TBD
2 pm - Anton Yakushev
3:30 pm - Awards Will Be Announced
5:30 pm - Toe River Arts Closing Reception, artist talk begins at 7:00 pm
Thank you to our corporate sponsors:
EMBERS
EMBERS
Embers is a group exhibition dedicated to giving young or early career blacksmiths and metal artists the opportunity to showcase their work during and after the annual Fire on the Mountain festival in Downtown Spruce Pine.
The goal of this exhibition is to make Fire on the Mountain even more open to the next generation of blacksmiths and metalsmiths, as well as artists who are otherwise unable to exhibit their work in traditional structures. We are honored to show this group of craftspeople as they continue to grow and support the future of blacksmithing in our community.
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Folks coming to the festival that are not exhibiting their work in another capacity during the festival (i.e. at the Toe River Arts exhibition) that are early career.
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Yes. Sales will be direct-to-artist through venmo, paypal, cashapp, zelle, or another digital payment method. No cash sales. 100% of the sale goes directly to the artist
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No! We want to make it as easy as possible to apply for this show.
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Yes. Work must be under 40 pounds and able to be handled by an average person.
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MARCH 21 - 11:59PM