ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Local music venue Rabbit Rabbit has been rebranded by owners Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company to Asheville Yards Amphitheater in a move that cuts out co-owner The Orange Peel, a long-standing Asheville entertainment venue.
APBC took to social media yesterday to announce the change.
In a Facebook post made at 11:44 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 8, the brewery advertised “more concerts, more festivals, more family entertainment, and the debut of Asheville’s own downtown ice rink coming November 2025.”
The shift of Rabbit Rabbit to Asheville Yards, the post said, celebrates the 30th anniversary of APBC “in a BIG way.”
The Orange Peel is not sharing in the celebration.
In a court case filed with the Buncombe County Superior Court on Thursday, Jan. 2, Orange Peel alleged that APBC was in violation of their agreement of the joint ownership of Rabbit Rabbit.
According to the complaint filed by Orange Peel against APBC and sister company Ninja Brewing Inc., APBC was in a precarious financial situation and used Rabbit Rabbit funds to ease their burden without Orange Peel approval. The amounts allegedly withdrawn from the concert coffers were in excess of $100,000.
APBC had purportedly sought to cut out Orange Peel from running Rabbit Rabbit in favor of a third-party, which would deprive the Orange Peel of involvement with the joint Rabbit Rabbit venture and the profits from the 2025 season.
Orange Peel stated that they had lined up 19 shows for the 2025 season at Rabbit Rabbit with five more likely to be confirmed.
In the complaint, Orange Peel asked that the court confirm that APBC and Ninja are one and the same. They are seeking over $100,000 in damages from APBC.
The complaint also asked that any potential business ventures with the Rabbit Rabbit property be frozen while the case is in motion, making the announcement of Asheville Yards null and void if the trial goes in Orange Peel’s favor.
The case was assigned to the North Carolina Business Court on Monday, Jan. 6. It will be presided over by Adam Conrad, Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases.
Read the full complaint here – part one: orange-peel-vs-apbc-part-1
Read the full complaint here – part two: orange-peel-vs-apbc-part-2
Read the full complaint here – part three: orange-peel-vs-apbc-part-3
828newsNOW has reached out to Orange Peel management and APBC owner Mike Rangel for comment.
Read more about the case here.
CORRECTION: 10:24 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9 — a previous version of this article mistakenly identified the Buncombe County Superior Court. It’s “Superior,” not “Supreme.”