Southwest Virginia Alternative Living (SwVAL) Expo 2026
Berglund Center
PURCHASE WEEKEND
The Southwest Virginia Alternative Living Expo is back May 30–31 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke. It’s a full weekend built around practical, real-world skills and the people who are actually using them every day.
Your ticket gets you access to everything: classes, demonstrations, tours, and conversations you can actually be part of.
You can sit in on foundational sessions like canning, hunting skills, medicinal plant foraging, herbal first aid, small-lot farming, mushroom identification, and navigating cottage food laws… or go deeper into topics like underground home design, hay bale construction, agroforestry, acupressure, freeze drying, zoning and codes, and hempcrete building.
Some sessions are hands-on. Some are more informational. All of them are grounded in real experience and designed to give you something you can actually use.
And just as important as the classes are the connections.
This isn’t a place where you walk through, grab a few flyers, and leave. You can sit down with builders, talk through a solar setup, ask questions about water systems, or connect with vendors offering real, turnkey solutions. We’ll have 50+ vendors and exhibitors covering renewable energy, water and sanitation, alternative building, preparedness tools, homesteading supplies, and holistic wellness.
Whether your goal is to be more self-reliant, save money, prepare for the unexpected, or just learn something new, SwVAL is designed to meet you where you are.
May 30–31
Berglund Center • Roanoke, VA
9AM – 5PM daily
Full weekend passes are $30
Kids 17 and under are free
Parking is FREE
All proceeds support Ferrum Park, a nonprofit working to expand access to community space, programming, and long-term infrastructure for our region.
SwVAL Expo Information Facebook
Featured Events
BERGLUND COLISEUM
ROANOKE! All Elite Wrestling is making its return this summer with AEW Collision at the Berglund Center on Saturday, July 11th. Be a part of the action and witness the best wrestling, LIVE!
Berglund Center Coliseum
SOLD OUT!
Ticket Prices: $74.50 / $74.50 / $69.50 / $59.50 / $49.50 / $39.50
Doors 6:30 PM / Show 7:30 PM
Raised in Michigan and now based in Nashville, Billy Strings is known as one of music’s most compelling artists. Acclaimed for his boundary-pushing musicianship and dynamic live performances, Strings’ latest studio album, Highway Prayers—produced with Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Mac Miller, Aimee Mann)—debuted at #1 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart, becoming the first bluegrass record in 22 years to achieve the feat. The album has been widely celebrated, with GQ calling Strings “the hottest roots-music phenomenon in decades” and Pitchfork praising him as “the bluegrass wunderkind [who] expands his palette, exploring new textures and emotional registers while staying true to his beloved genre.”
Following Highway Prayers, Strings released an exclusive Apple Music Nashville Sessions EP as well as Live at the Legion, a surprise collaborative album with renowned guitarist Bryan Sutton containing 20 traditional bluegrass and folk songs recorded live at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82. Since his 2017 debut, Strings has earned widespread recognition, including two Grammy Awards for Best Bluegrass Album, back-to-back Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Awards, Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards three years running, Best New Headliner at the 2022 Pollstar Awards and Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic at the 2021 Pollstar Awards. Known for his electric live shows, Strings has performed countless sold-out dates worldwide and will continue to tour through this winter, including headline dates across the U.S., U.K. and Europe.
Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
SHOWTIME: 7:30 PM
TICKET PRICES: (Plus Taxes and Fees) 62.75, 82.75, 102.75, 132.76
One of the most popular artists in modern country music, Vince Gill is famous for his top-notch songwriting, world-class guitar playing and warm, soaring tenor, all wrapped up in a quick and easy wit. Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won both the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single and Song of the Year awards as well as a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards, and 8 Academy of Country Music Awards and in 2025 was presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1991, Gill was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and in 2007 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A gifted songwriter, Gill’s compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2014. Throughout his career, he has released 21 albums, sold over 30 million albums, and charted 45 singles. In 2022, Gill was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame.
Always considering himself a musician above all else, Gill has over the years been a part of some iconic bands, including Pure Prairie League, The Notorious Cherry Bombs, and The Time Jumpers. In 2017, Gill was asked to join the Eagles on the road, and he continues to be a part of that historic band’s tour. 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Gill leaving home to pursue a career in music. To honor that milestone, he signed a lifetime recording contract with his longstanding label MCA and is releasing an EP series of brand-new music every month for a year, titled 50 Years from Home.