Who said a weekend can only be two days? Not us.

Facing an awareness ceiling, We led Asheville’s breakthrough by turning a tourism pitch into a movement: Friends of the Five-Day Weekend. We stopped selling amenities and started championing time—posters, street theater, TV/radio, and a petition to Congress that drew 10,000 signatures—inviting overworked Americans to reclaim leisure in a place that lives it. The idea sparked rallies (planned and spontaneous), organic Facebook groups, hundreds of blog posts, and national coverage from AP and Fox News —reframing Asheville as the authentic home of work–life balance and translating conversation into longer, more intentional trips. Even Donald Trump weighed in. He thought we were serious.