Highland Brewing Hosts Dine With Divas Drag Fundraiser for Beloved Asheville

Highland Brewing will host an evening of drag-celebrity impersonation and catered dinner to raise funds for Beloved Asheville, drawing local performers and community members to the Highland Brewing Event Center. The event aims to blend entertainment with philanthropy while spotlighting Asheville’s vibrant queer performance scene.

The event, titled "Dine With Divas Celebrity Impersonators," is scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2026, from 7:00–9:30 p.m. Tickets are sold through a ticketing page and the event is restricted to patrons 21 and older. Bearded Lady Productions, a local nonprofit producer, is organizing the fundraiser with DeVida serving as host and Celine and Company providing a catered dinner. Performers will impersonate major music icons including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Elvis, Beyoncé, and Judy Garland, among others.

For Buncombe County residents, the fundraiser serves both cultural and civic purposes. It creates paid performance opportunities for Asheville drag artists and funnels proceeds to Beloved Asheville, the evening’s beneficiary. Community fundraisers like this one also act as informal safety nets for local services that often fill gaps left by underfunded public programs. In a region where nonprofit budgets are frequently stretched, direct community support can sustain outreach, emergency assistance, and programs targeting housing stability and mental health.

Public health considerations are relevant to indoor gatherings of this size. The event’s 21+ policy clarifies audience expectations, but patrons and organizers alike face questions about ventilation, crowd density, and illness prevention at indoor nightlife events. Attendees can reduce risk and protect vulnerable neighbors by staying home if symptomatic, practicing hand hygiene, and following any guidance Highland Brewing posts for the evening. For people who cannot attend in person, fundraisers that combine performance with online giving provide alternative ways to support nonprofits while minimizing exposure risk.

Beyond immediate health and safety, the fundraiser has implications for social equity in Asheville. Drag shows and queer cultural events contribute to visibility and community cohesion for LGBTQ+ residents, while also generating resources for organizations serving underserved populations. When local businesses such as Highland Brewing partner with arts producers and nonprofits like Bearded Lady Productions and Beloved Asheville, the collaboration models how commercial, cultural, and civic actors can pool resources to address local needs.

Tickets remain available through the event’s ticketing page for those who want to attend. For readers, the event offers an opportunity to support local performers and a local nonprofit while enjoying a night out in Asheville’s entertainment scene. The larger takeaway is that community-led fundraisers continue to play a key role in sustaining services and fostering inclusion across Buncombe County.