LEAF Community Arts has released its 2017 spring lineup, and it certainly fits the festival's theme this season: Ignite & Inspire. This year, LEAF happens May 11-14 out at Lake Eden in Black Mountain, NC. This is the 44th edition of the beloved  organization's family-friendly festival, and this time it's bringing together even more voices, including headliners Macy Gray, Antibalas, and A Tribe Called Red. This season's festival also features the National Endowment for the Arts grant-funded "Legends of Africa," artists representing 13 African countries. According to LEAF Performing Arts Director Ehren Cruz, the theme this year is about inclusivity in diverse community:

Music and art have the power to enliven the mind, awaken the heart, and inspire the soul. At a time where so many feel disconnected and divided, the 44th LEAF festival declares itself Sanctuary - creating a welcoming space for all walks of life and all ways of perceiving our diverse world. This Spring, prepare for an experience that will ignite your imagination and inspire your spirit to take hold of your creative dreams and allow them to soar. Each artist featured over the weekend have been carefully selected for not only being masters of their craft, but for standing firm as way-makers of powerful messages of hope, freedom, and inspiration.  

Other lineup highlights include soulful Lee Fields and the Expressions, Santos GlocalSoul, Grandfather Mazatzin, psychedelic favorites The Screaming J's, Asheville's own Les Amis, Underhill Rose, Lyric, and more, and local electronic artists Nex Millen and DJ Kutzu. Plenty of other performances will both ignite and inspire—including Clan Destiny Circus, Unifire Theater, Trillium Dance Company, the 44th Annual Poetry Slam, and the 4th Annual NewSong Singer Songwriting Competition.  Tickets are on sale now for the 44th LEAF, and include weekend and day pass options. Will we see you at the LEAF?