Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
You are cordially invited to the Foothills Humane Society’s 37th Make Believe Ball!
This event ends on December 31, 2018 and all that’s needed for your participation is a kind donation. But hurry, donations received before December 30th will be entered in a drawing for a very nice “non-door prize”, a large flat screen TV.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2212127799108604/
Wild Awake: a collection of small spells by Abacus Corvus is Flow Gallery’s last art exhibit for 2018. Opening reception is Friday, December 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 during Jingle Mingle on Main event in Downtown Marshall (14 S Main Street). Show runs until January 12th. 649-1686.
Jocelyn Mosser and sister Corina Dross – the dynamic duo behind Abacus Corvus – began creating limited calendars in 2012. Beginning in 2017, they began to pair images and words (small spells) to serve as focal points for people to use to amplify their own healing and magic in the world. The 2019 calendar, Wild Awake, is the third calendar of small spells. The sisters both have a lifelong commitment to healing, and draw on the same sensitivities and attunement they use in their healing practices when they make their art.
This show will feature giclee prints of the twelve works used in the making of the calendar. Each print will be hand embellished with embroidery and/or hand painting. When these two sisters collaborate, it’s sure to delight the eye and touch the heart.
The 3rd annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl is here and we want the city of Asheville to join in on the fun. Get that Goodwill sweater, find those tacky holiday pants, and get ready to jingle bell ROCK!
Ticket Includes:
* Ugly Sweater T-shirt handed out at our after party. (photo shown below)
* Signature Ugly Sweater Crawl Koozie at registration
* Registration party to kick off the crawl
* Professional photographer on site to capture the fun
* DJ’s playing holiday music at multiple stops
* Themed Discounted Drink specials at participating bars
* Ugly Sweater Crawl Map to help guide you bar to bar
* Hundreds of crawlers dressed in the ugliest holiday gear staying together
* Voted one of the most fun & organized holiday crawls by Yelp 2017
All new! In 2017, we broke box office records with A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas. In 2018, come join us for a brand new version of this holiday tradition.
Matinees: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM
Evenings: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM
Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage
2661 Greenville Highway Flat Rock, NC 28731
Junie B. Jones, First-Grader, is super-excited about the upcoming Holiday Sing-Along and Secret Santa gift exchange at her school. Too bad tattletale May keeps ruining all of Junie B.’s fun. So when Junie B. draws May’s name for Secret Santa, she comes up with the perfect plan to teach her nemesis a lesson! But will the Christmas spirit of peace and goodwill interfere before she can give you-know-who what she deserves? A hilarious and endearing tale based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park.
Showtimes are Thursdays at 3:00PM, Fridays at 1:00PM and 4:00PM, Saturdays at 1:00PM and 4:00PM, and Sundays at 3:00PM.
125 S. Main St. Hendersonville, NC 28792
All Aboard THE POLAR EXPRESS! This memorable journey will take you on an incredible journey! Believe the magic this Holiday season!
Over 88,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2017 and we hope to see you in 2018! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.
THE POLAR EXPRESS begins November 9, 2018, and operates through December 31, 2018.
The holiday season makes it difficult to find time for self-care. Take time for yourself and gift your body with relaxation. Take 10 restorative classes throughout the month of December and receive a free eye pillow! The word “restorative” must be in the class title for it to count. Register no later than December 7.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2169069386742347/
RACES
Finish off your year the right way, the best way, with a great run. Beautiful trails on the scenic and historic Lookout Mountain make the Lookout Mountain 50 miler, 20 miler & 10K a great event for all. To register: http://bit.ly/RACEWILDTRAILS
WILD TRAILS MEMBER DISCOUNTS
http://bit.ly/WILDTRAILS_MEMBERSHIP
+ Receive 10% off any race as a member of Wild Trails
+ Receive free entry into any 3 races** as a “Trail Steward”
COURSE
With a start and finish at Covenant College on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and a beautifully challenging course that will take you through the Chattanooga Nature Center, Arboretum, and Lula Lake Land Trust, this is clearly one of the best races in the Southeast each year. The 10K is fun for everyone, especially younger runners just coming off of their cross country seasons!
**Member discounts excludes the Chattanooga Trail Relay and Upchuck 50K.
https://www.facebook.com/events/590056258000457/
Reclaimed Creations is a unique sculpture exhibit created by renowned artist Sayaka Ganz. Utilizing reclaimed plastic objects, such as discarded utensils, Ganz creates amazing sculptures that visually appear unified at a distance, but are in fact separated when examined up close. Described as using a “3D impressionistic” style, Ganz’s exhibit includes installations of animals in motion, which are in rich in color and energy, to create an illusion of form.
About the Artist
Born in Yokohama, Japan, Sayaka Ganz grew up living in Japan, Brazil and Hong Kong. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. A lecturer and teacher, Ganz’s work has been displayed at various institutions around the globe, including the Hermann Geiger Foundation in Cecina, Italy, the Isle Gallery in Isle of Man, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
My work is about perceiving harmony, even in situations that appear chaotic from the inside. When observing my sculptures up close, one might see gaps, holes and items being held on only by small points; step away, however, and the sculptures reveal the harmony created when the objects are aligned to the same general (but not identical) direction. Similarly, it is important to gain perspective by stepping back from current problems and look at the larger picture. Then one can perceive the beauty and patterns that exist.”
Annual Holiday Open House, children free.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1463516633793292/
Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration*
Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Sunday, January 6, 2019 (daily)
*Included with estate admission.
*Does not include “Candlelight Christmas Evenings”
Experience the holidays wreathed with the wonder of Biltmore. Our celebration presents Christmas on a grand scale with more than 55 trees decorated by our talented staff, accented with miles of ribbon, garlands, and lights. Festive menus in our restaurants and holiday wine tastings make for a memorable visit.
Learn more about #ChristmasAtBiltmore or plan your visit: biltmore.com/Christmas
https://www.facebook.com/events/104655743803303/?event_time_id=104655823803295
Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration*
Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Sunday, January 6, 2019 (daily)
*Included with estate admission.
*Does not include “Candlelight Christmas Evenings”
Experience the holidays wreathed with the wonder of Biltmore. Our celebration presents Christmas on a grand scale with more than 55 trees decorated by our talented staff, accented with miles of ribbon, garlands, and lights. Festive menus in our restaurants and holiday wine tastings make for a memorable visit.
Learn more about #ChristmasAtBiltmore or plan your visit: biltmore.com/Christmas
https://www.facebook.com/events/104655743803303/
Join SAHC and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) on a hike to explore some beautiful stands of Carolina hemlocks in the Fairview Farming Community, where SAHC has helped protect over 1,300 acres of forest and historic farmland. We will learn about Carolina hemlock ecosystems, the hemlock woolly adelgid, and current options and efforts to control the adelgid.
We will hike up Conserving Carolina’s Trombatore Trail and visit several SAHC protected properties, giving hikers a chance to learn about our land protection work in the area. We will complete the hike at a large stand of hemlocks near our Strawberry Gap conservation easement, where we will discuss the hemlock woolly adelgid and mitigation options. We will be rewarded with scenic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Mount Mitchell from Blue Ridge Pastures!
Register online at: https://appalachian.org/event/trombatore-hemlock-hike/
https://www.facebook.com/events/311946326198957/
Our countdown to open has started and we are kicking-it-off with a weekend of free yoga. Come try a class, or two or three, and meet our team of experienced and diverse teachers. See the full schedule at https://everybodyyoganc.com/class-schedule. Sign-up online to reserve your space or just drop-in.
https://www.facebook.com/events/550974951994314/
Our countdown to open has started and we are kicking-it-off with a weekend of free yoga. Come try a class, or two or three, and meet our team of experienced and diverse teachers. See the full schedule at https://everybodyyoganc.com/class-schedule. Sign-up online to reserve your space or just drop-in.
https://www.facebook.com/events/550974951994314/?event_time_id=550974955327647
Come find delightful pottery gifts for yourself and everyone on your list right in the studio where they were made! My pottery studio will be open Saturday, December 15th, from 9:00-5:00, at 118 Beech Street, Black Mountain, NC. I have dinnerware, mugs, sponge holders, soap pumps, teapots, bacon cookers, serving bowls, and so much more! Come check it out! You can see more online at www.sarahsunshinepottery.com.
The studio is also open anytime by appointment until December 17th (at which point it will be closed for a few weeks). To make an appointment, message me, or call / text 828-333-1884.
Directions: Drive on I-40 to Black Mountain and take exit 64. Head north toward downtown on Rt. 9 toward Montreat and stay on this road seven more blocks past downtown. Beech Street is on the left, and the studio is at the top of the hill.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1589348177831287/
Holiday Season + Tattoos + WMR!
Get tattooed by @jeery and help homeless pets in the process! For the month of December you can come get a sweet tat off of this flash and all proceeds will go directly towards helping the pets in our care!
Appointment required
Limited Availability
Email [email protected] today to reserve your spot! Hurry, these appointments will go FAST!
https://www.facebook.com/events/287542735215900/
An all-day event with happenings in many of the downtown businesses and galleries taking the place of the December Art after Dark this year and a new partner in the Winter ART Smokies Style series.
The day begins with breakfast with Santa at Firefly Taps & Grill from 9-11am. $5 gets you pancakes, bacon, juice, hot chocolate. Specialty adult hot chocolate and coffee with added liqueurs available. Visit by Santa and a storytelling corner.
Ornament making station at Haywood Co Arts Council.
Christmas Cookie decorating at ReMax.
The Strand Theater showing “Elf” at 11:00am. Free admission (limited seating)
Wall Street Books: 10:00am Christmas Story Hour
4-6pm Harry Potter Christmas with the Sorting Ceremony
Street Musicians ~ Blue Ridge Brass 1:00-3:00 Haywood Community Chorus Shady Grove United Methodist Church carolers 3:00 Christmas Carol Sing-a-long with Steve Whiddon
https://www.facebook.com/events/2279471412085570/
Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
We would like to express our appreciation to clients by offering special gifts from Dec,3rd to December 31, 2018.
Enjoy your holiday!
https://www.facebook.com/events/513049235869566/
**LISA JONES WILL HAVE FRESH CUT AND LIVE TREES – WREATHS AND GARLAND – FARM ALFRESCO FOOD TRUCK WILL HAVE MEXICAN AND SOUTHERN FOOD AVAILABLE AS WELL AS HOT CHOCOLATE – COFFEE AND ATOLE**
** CRAZY CHICKEN LADY CREATIONS (KIM SHELDON) WILL HAVE HANDMADE SEWN FABRIC AND QUILTED ITEMS **
** LOVINGDYI (CHRISTINA RIDEOUT) WILL HAVE CHALK COUTOR – THERE WILL BE A “MAKE & TAKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS FOR $5 EACH – CHOOSE FROM 6 DIFFERENT STENCILS **
**AUNT BEE’S SOAPS & CANDLES (MARTI GARREN) BEES WAX CANDLES – HONEY SOAPS & GOATS MILK SOAPS **
**RURAL WREATHS (BRITTANY ALEXANDER) WILL HAVE BURLAP WREATHS – HOLIDAY, WINTER AND EVERYDAY DÉCOR **
**SASSY SHOTS (CRYSTAL BRACKEN) WILL HAVE A HOLIDAY THEMED PHOTO BOOTH – 1 FREE PHOTO YOU CAN DIGITALLY UPLOAD – COME DRESSED FOR YOUR HOLIDAY PHOTO**
** ROB LYTLE WILL HAVE HANDCRATED WOOD ITEMS **
**RANDY GOODWIN WILL HAVE SOUTHERN HATS AND JEWERLY**
https://www.facebook.com/events/657335761327509/
*UPDATE! We are bumping this to Dec. 15 & 16 due to the impending snow storm!*
We can’t wait to host local artists and crafters for our second annual holiday market! Stop on by, support local art, and get on your holiday shopping.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2205486579666297/
When reflecting on the current state of the environment, it seems that we have entered into times of seismic sorrows. Carbon emissions, water pollution, fracking, and changing climate patterns all point to a troubling reality with serious consequences for human and non-human populations. Through weavings, installations, sculpture, and print, artists Rena Detrixhe and Tali Weinberg (Tulsa, OK) explore the complex relationship between humans and the planet, offering insights, expressing grief, and creating space for resilience and change.
In Time of Seismic Sorrows is curated by Marilyn Zapf and organized by the Center for Craft. The Center for Craft is supported in part by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The South has always been home to a blend of cultures — from Native Americans here by 14,000 years ago to Europeans 500 years ago, followed by Africans forced to migrate. By 1500, cultures in the South included Creek, Cherokee, Catawba, Choctaw, Chitimacha, and Coushatta, from Europe English, Scottish, Irish, and German, and Africans from Senegal to Congo. Baskets were integral in daily life, as agricultural equipment for gathering, sifting, storing, and serving the finished product or as receptacles for tools, clothes, sacred objects, and even infants.
Initially each culture had its own preferred basket material and method of manufacture — twilled rivercane for Native Americans, plaited oak for Europeans, and coiled grasses for Africans. Interaction between groups spurred adaptations to changing circumstances, such as the use of white oak by the Cherokee in the 1800s, as rivercane stands were decimated by European settlements. Native Americans also adopted the European picnic, flower, egg, and market baskets to sell in the 20th-century art market. Native and European Americans wove honeysuckle into baskets after 1854, when introduced from Japan. By the 17th century African Americans discovered bulrush along the coasts, coiling it into large, round “fanners” to winnow rice. Later bulrush was one medium among sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto, giving rise to the name “sweetgrass baskets” along the coast.
Baskets were woven not only for use in the fields and homes or for sale in art galleries but also as a connection to ancestors and spirits, as designs were said to come from inside one’s head, from memories of one’s mother’s motifs, or from the Creator. Indeed, working with one’s hands in nature to gather materials and to form them into a basket was considered spiritually and physically healthy, becoming a part of the practice of occupational therapy around World War I.
Today, basketweavers in the South from all three traditions are teaching the next generation to continue this art. Artists from across the region work with old and new materials in old and new forms, innovating for their legacy, for art’s sake, and for political causes, as embodied in the varied vessels in this gallery and epitomized in the virtuosic miniature examples in the case at right.
Thanks to a special arrangement with the North Pole, Santa Claus will be visiting the Aquarium every day (except for Wednesdays and Thursdays) from November 24 to December 23 during the hours of 10:00am to 4:00pm! Stop by to let him know what you want for Christmas!
Photos with Santa are available
*General Admission Required
https://www.facebook.com/events/311043353071258/
During the month of December, local artist Scott Mills will be featured in the FW Gallery at Woolworth Walk.
Scott Mills was born in Detroit, MI in 1977. He works predominately in the mediums of oil and acrylic paints. Scott is completely self-taught in his artistic career and credits his study of music as a young child for opening his imagination and leading to his love for the visual arts. His work is derived from a deep love of nature and a desire to turn the feelings of awe, mystery, gratitude and love into visual depictions that can inspire the same feelings in the viewer. Scott has his artwork included in private collections across North America and Europe. He regularly takes part in group exhibitions and solo shows across the United States. He resides in the mountains of Asheville, NC with his wife and two children.
Come meet Scott and enjoy the opening reception on First Friday, December 7th from 5-7 pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/333772250534934/
We’re back this holiday season popping up at the Asheville Masonic Temple!
Shop our festive 20-day pop up shop featuring some of the area’s best in handmade and vintage. We’ve curated goods featuring over 125 local & indie makers, designers, and vintage wares including clothing, jewelry, decor, greeting cards, and more. You’re sure to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list!
HOLIDAY POP UP SHOP
Open November 30 – December 19
10am-8pm everyday
The Asheville Masonic Temple
80 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
OPENING PARTY
Saturday, December 1 | 6-9pm
Join us Saturday evening for our Opening Party, December 1st from 6-9pm and enjoy complimentary Bhramari Brewing Co beer, sweet bites, live music, and fairy hair.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Saturday, December 1 | 12-7pm
Take a timeless portrait with Revelry Tintype
Sundays, December 2, 9, and 16 | 1-3pm
Take some time for your self during this busy season with a relaxing chair massage with LMBT Massage by Amy Gallagher Massey
For more details and a full list of vendors visit: https://www.showandtellpopupshop.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/2336118139996988/?event_time_id=2336118153330320
We’re back this holiday season popping up at the Asheville Masonic Temple!
Shop our festive 20-day pop up shop featuring some of the area’s best in handmade and vintage. We’ve curated goods featuring over 125 local & indie makers, designers, and vintage wares including clothing, jewelry, decor, greeting cards, and more. You’re sure to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list!
HOLIDAY POP UP SHOP
Open November 30 – December 19
10am-8pm everyday
The Asheville Masonic Temple
80 Broadway St, Asheville, NC 28801
OPENING PARTY
Saturday, December 1 | 6-9pm
Join us Saturday evening for our Opening Party, December 1st from 6-9pm and enjoy complimentary Bhramari Brewing Co beer, sweet bites, live music, and fairy hair.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Saturday, December 1 | 12-7pm
Take a timeless portrait with Revelry Tintype
Sundays, December 2, 9, and 16 | 1-3pm
Take some time for your self during this busy season with a relaxing chair massage with LMBT Massage by Amy Gallagher Massey
For more details and a full list of vendors visit: https://www.showandtellpopupshop.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/2336118139996988/
Enjoy a visit to Christmas pasts from the 1840s to the 1890s. Each room contains antique and reproduction decorations and traditions. Four live trees, one of which will be decorated with traditional Appalachian decorations, hand made by our SMH over History club.
Admission at the door $9 adults, $5 children/students, free for WNC Historical Association members and A-B Tech students.
Group tours may be requested at 828-253-9231
Special 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt for children.
https://www.facebook.com/events/316661532481360/?event_time_id=316661589148021
FREE Santa Photos will be available at the center through December 24 at the The North Carolina Arboretum sponsored Santa Set. Every family who visits Santa at Asheville Outlets will receive two FREE 4” x 6” Santa photo prints and a digital download of a single image. Free Santa Photos is hosted by Great Beginnings Lead To Great Smiles.
(Additional photos and Christmas merchandise are available for purchase. One giveaway per family, per Christmas season. Some restrictions may apply. Valid only through December 24, 2018.)
https://www.facebook.com/events/337462147058287/?event_time_id=337462203724948
FREE Santa Photos will be available at the center through December 24 at the The North Carolina Arboretum sponsored Santa Set. Every family who visits Santa at Asheville Outlets will receive two FREE 4” x 6” Santa photo prints and a digital download of a single image. Free Santa Photos is hosted by Great Beginnings Lead To Great Smiles.
(Additional photos and Christmas merchandise are available for purchase. One giveaway per family, per Christmas season. Some restrictions may apply. Valid only through December 24, 2018.)
https://www.facebook.com/events/337462147058287/