New Year’s Eve party starts at 7:30 pm with 3WB playing and will end after midnight with house music. 3WB is a multi piece band with a horn section. One of the NC’s most entertaining and unique bands. 3WB mixes a tight rhythm section, soulful horn arrangements, vocal harmonies, artistic solos to entertain you, playing a mix of Rock and Roll, Blues, Funk, and Soul.

🌟 Begin Your New Year in Sacred Intention + Self-Love 🌟

Step into 2025 by nourishing your spirit and opening your heart through the healing vibrations of a Serenity Sound Bath. Allow the frequencies to wash over you, realign your energy, and awaken the peaceful wisdom within. ✨💖🌙

Join your host Kristin Hillegas, for a one-hour sacred sound immersion, where crystal tones and soothing vibrations gently clear what no longer serves you and invite harmony, clarity, and divine connection. 🎶💜✨
Experience the stillness. Feel the light within. Return home to yourself.

🧺 What to Bring:
A yoga mat, pillow, and/or blanket for comfort as you rest on the floor. Come in warm, cozy, flexible clothing that supports deep relaxation. 🧘‍♀️💫

📍 Location:
Upstairs in the Education Building at the Center for Spiritual Living Asheville.
Arrive beginning at 12:45 PM to choose your space. Doors will close promptly at 1:00 PM to honor the sacred container we create together. 🔔✨

💰 Sliding Scale: $10–$20

Accessible parking is available in the upper parking lot off S. Bear Creek Rd. A boardwalk walkway leads directly to the entrance. 🚗💫

✨ Give your soul the gift of presence.
✨ Let the sound gently reset your energy.
✨ Step into the New Year aligned, open, and renewed.

Mara Johnson and the Carolina Tumbleweed Band deliver a rich blend of blues, soul, and heartfelt storytelling, wrapped in vibrant instrumentation. Mara’s vocals—warm, expressive, and finely honed—draw listeners into every lyric, while David “Tumbleweed” Robbins’ fiery saxophone brings an edge of raw energy and artistry. Together they create performances that are both intimate and electrifying, rooted in authenticity and groove.

In this new musical from Skysail Theatre, siren melodies mingle with an original electronic score to create a unique soundscape spanning folklore and science fiction. Audience members embark on a journey into uncharted galaxies with a young spacefarer seeking to answer an ancient call. Follow as she encounters a mythical oceanic planet with an ominous guardian, and discover what the fates have in store for two unlikely lovers connected by sea, space and song.

Two performances:
Jan 9 at 8pm
Jan 10 at 8pm

ASHEVILLE JUNIOR THEATER PRESENTS
The Lion King JR.

Saturday & Sunday, Jan 10 & 11 • 2 pm & 6 pm

From the company that brought you Frozen JR., Shrek JR., and The Wizard of Oz: Bluegrass Style! comes our most breathtaking production yet—The Lion King JR.!

Join us on an unforgettable journey to the PrideLands in this professional-caliber musical event that’s perfect for audiences of all ages. With soaring vocals, eye-popping costumes, and powerful performances, this show will wow audiences of all ages.

Follow Simba’s epic adventure as he discovers his courage, faces his destiny, and rises to become king—all set to the timeless songs you know and love, including “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” “He Lives in You,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Along the way, you’ll meet beloved characters like wise Rafiki, brave Nala, the hilarious Timon and Pumbaa, and the villainous Scar in a heartwarming and action-packed story about friendship, responsibility, identity, and the enduring power of the Circle of Life.

This is not just a junior theater production—it’s a full-scale theatrical experience.
Our shows are unparalleled in Asheville. With jaw-dropping costumes, professional staging, and the kind of heart you can only find at Asheville Junior Theater, The Lion King JR. is a must-see.

Tickets WILL sell out.
Don’t miss your chance to see why Asheville families return to our shows again and again.

The Circle of Life is calling—get your tickets today and experience the magic! Run time is approximately 75 minutes.

In this new musical from Skysail Theatre, siren melodies mingle with an original electronic score to create a unique soundscape spanning folklore and science fiction. Audience members embark on a journey into uncharted galaxies with a young spacefarer seeking to answer an ancient call. Follow as she encounters a mythical oceanic planet with an ominous guardian, and discover what the fates have in store for two unlikely lovers connected by sea, space and song.

Two performances:
Jan 9 at 8pm
Jan 10 at 8pm

Spirited Improv is a 5-week expressive arts and spiritual development experience that invites you to play, heal, and reconnect with your creative essence. Unlike traditional improv, this series isn’t about comedy or performance techniques, it’s about presence, expression, and connection.

Guided by creator Jessica Chilton, a seasoned performer, expressive arts therapist, and spiritual practitioner, you’ll step into a welcoming space where vulnerability is met with love, creativity is encouraged, and every emotion has room to breathe. You’ll explore spontaneous movement, sound, character work, song, storytelling, ritual, and group co-creation. Each session includes grounding meditation, heart-centered intention, and spacious improvisational activities that awaken joy, courage, and curiosity.

Throughout the series, you practice releasing control and trusting the unknown, an experience participants often call “both liberating and deeply healing.” As the group’s trust and connection deepen, a final performance is created. It’s not scripted or rehearsed; instead, it emerges from the collective heart and the spiritual aliveness of the moment.
The closing performance becomes a celebration of everything you’ve reclaimed: your voice, your playfulness, your presence, your courage, and your connection to community.

Slice Standup Comedy Pageant Winter Finale
Thursday January 15, 2026
7:30p-9:00p, doors at 6:30p
The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge, 103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $18 (available at door or website)
These shows sellout!

Hosted by Hilliary Begley from Netflix & Amazon Prime!

Cocktails available while you laugh the night away to some of the area’s best Stand Up Comics in a ridiculously fun adult environment!!

Free snacks while availability lasts! You may bring your own food in (no drinks)!

Participants are 4 WINNERS of Fall/Winter Contests 8/21 & 10/16
Pageant Winner gets title and $150 cash prize.

Audience votes thru ballot!

Contestants:
8/21 winner Ryan Gordon
8/21 winner Derek Boskovich
10/16 winner Min McWilliams
10/16 winner Zakiya Bell-Rogers
Plus a runners-up battle for the wild card featuring comics who had the most votes but didn’t win a spot:
10/16 1st runner up Josie Beers
10/16 2nd runner up Zach Stephens
8/21 2nd runner up Aaron Naylor

The final pageant is more than just great standup! Contestants must vie for the title through games & questions from our celebrity judges. Audience votes thru ballot.

More info contact Michele at [email protected]

Wortham Presents The Comedy Zone: Sid Davis

Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm

Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.

The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.

VIP table upgrades available.

Wortham Presents The Slocan Ramblers

Fri, Jan 16 • 8 pm

With raw emotion, tight harmonies, and impeccable musicianship, The Slocan Ramblers will light up the stage and lift your spirits. Their latest album Up the Hill and Through the Fog transforms hardship into hope with a powerful, joyful soundtrack. Say hello to your new favorite band.

“This fearless, fleet-fingered string band is adventurously advancing the high lonesome sound of bluegrass to great acclaim.” —The Bluegrass Situation

Spotlight on The Slocan Ramblers:

Made their acclaimed Grand Ole Opry debut in 2023
2020 International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Band of the Year
Based in Canada, they are a Juno Award nominee for Queen City Jubilee
Known for blistering live shows and genre-defying bluegrass innovation
Up the Hill and Through the Fog hailed as their strongest album yet

Wortham Presents The Comedy Zone: Sid Davis

Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm

Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.

The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.

VIP table upgrades available.

A Lecture Demonstration Series for the Curious, the New, and the Devotee

Sun, Jan 18 • 3 pm | 60 Minutes
In the 1940s, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk took jazz to thrilling new heights. The tempos got faster, the harmonies bolder, and the rhythms more complex. Dancers sat down and leaned in to listen. It’s challenging. It’s beautiful. It’s music that asks you to catch up—and rewards you when you do.

Jazz Is for Everyone is a series of five one-hour sessions exploring jazz music. Come to one or join them all—each session stands on its own and welcomes listeners at any level.

What You’ll Experience:

Guided listening
Live music demonstrations
Stories that connect the music to people, places, and intent
A space for questions, curiosity, and shared discovery

Jeremy Walker launched Jazz Is for Everyone in 2004 at his Brilliant Corners Jazz Club, with Wynton Marsalis serving as Artistic Advisor. The program was developed as an Educational Affiliate with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Since then, Walker’s been writing, composing, performing, producing, and speaking about why this music still matters.

The first 2026 concert from the Friends of Music & the Arts Series at the
Episcopal church of St. John in the Wilderness will be held at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 18 in the
historic church, 1895 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock.

Lucy Owen Hoyt, lyric soprano and Charles Frost, Organist and Conductor, will bring together their
love of music in a program celebrating African American composers and spirituals. The two knew
each other a few years back while attending Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey but
this is their first concert performance together.

Their shared artistry promises an inspiring afternoon of powerful music rooted in faith and tradition.
The music concert is free and open to the public, but donations are encouraged to fund the
ongoing series.  Reservations are not necessary.
Free parking and accessible parking are available. For more information call the church office at
828-693-9783 or visit www.stjohnflatrock.org.

AmiciMusic, the award-winning chamber music organization based in Asheville, returns to the Asheville Art Museum on Thursday, January 22 at 6:30pm with another thrilling chamber music program entitled “JEWISH JAZZ.”  This program features clarinetist Seth Kibel from Baltimore along with pianist and Artistic Director Daniel Weiser as they perform and tell the fascinating story about the interconnections between early American Jazz and Klezmer-style music.  Those two styles of music came into direct contact in New York City in the early part of the 20th century when the Great Migration of blacks from the South converged with the large influx of Jews escaping pogroms from Eastern Europe.  The program features some inspiring Klezmer-style music by Jacob Weinberg and Bela Kovacs as well as some toe-tapping Jazz by Benny Goodman and George Gershwin, including a fantastic arrangement of his “Rhapsody in Blue.”  For more info about the program, please visit:  https://www.amicimusic.org/concert/jewish-jazz-5-2-2-2/.

Wortham Center Student Series:

The Acting Company presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream

They’ve graded the papers, survived the staff meetings, and lost their last ounce of patience… and now they’re taking it out on stage! Bored Teachers is BACK with brand-new jokes, bigger laughs, and the most relatable teacher comedy you’ll ever hear. For nearly a decade, Bored Teachers has been the #1 voice of teacher humor—racking up over 1 billion views, amassing 10 million+ followers, and hosting the #1 teacher-comedy podcast on the planet.

Since 2022, they’ve performed for 200,000+ teachers worldwide, and sold out 200+ theaters across 49 states, 5 countries, and 3 continents. Their BRAND NEW “Is It Friday Yet?!”” Tour starting January 2026 is more than a comedy show—it’s the ultimate night of laughter and solidarity for anyone who’s ever worked in education, taught a lesson, or just survived parent-teacher conferences.

Get ready to laugh until you cry as the funniest teacher-comedians in the world share their side-splitting stories, savage truths, and hilarious classroom confessions. Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, or just someone who’s been in school, this show will have you nodding, clapping, and hollering, “That’s SO TRUE!”

Warning: May contain PG-13 language, teacher truths, and uncontrollable fits of laughter.

They’ve graded the papers, survived the staff meetings, and lost their last ounce of
patience… and now they’re taking it out on stage!

Wortham Presents The Acting Company presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Fri, Jan 23 • 8 pm

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Risa Brainin

In this rapturous, fresh take on one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, a mischievous fairy creates chaos for four young lovers and a troupe of amateur actors in an enchanted forest. Bursting with mirth, music, magic, and mayhem, this transformation comes to life with an electric cast of New York-based artists.

Connect with the artists in a preshow discussion.

Spotlight on A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

Artistic Director Kent Gash calls it “the most popular “ROM-COM” of all time!”
Audiences will hear Puck’s famous quote, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
The play centers around four rebellious teenage lovers who run away from home and end up in a wild and uproarious adventure
The Acting Company won the 2003 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater
Founded by Juilliard legends John Houseman and Margot Harley, the company launched careers of Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, and more

Trae Crowder first gained international attention (or notoriety depending on your politics) in 2016 for his hugely viral series of “Liberal Redneck” comedic “porch rant” videos. Since then, Trae has written a best-selling book, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta The Dark, toured the country thrice over playing sold out theatre shows under the WellRED Comedy Tour banner, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), Nightline (ABC), The View, Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC), NPR, WTF with Marc Maron, MTV, CNN, Huffington Post and in the Veronica Mars reboot, as “Chattanooga Charlie”, among many others. Initially from rural Celina, TN, Trae now lives in Los Angeles, CA and has developed and sold five scripted pilots for Warner Bros TV, ABC, and FOX and continues to work as a writer. Trae stars in and produces regular sketches for Comedy Central, Funny or Die, ATTN, Facebook Watch, New York Daily News which have garnered tens of millions of views online. 

Wortham Presents

The Acting Company presents Great Expectations

Sat, Jan 24 • 8 pm

By Nikki Massoud
From the novel by Charles Dickens
Directed by Devin Brain

Akin to a bingeable dramedy carved with the beautiful prose that made Dickens popular, this fast-paced adaptation is filled with unexpected hilarity, escaped prisoners, decaying mansions, and a stunning young heiress of ruthless intelligence. This gripping rise from hardship to high society will enthrall audiences of all ages.

Connect with the artists in a preshow discussion.

Spotlight on Great Expectations:

This touring production is the World Premiere of the adaptation by Nikki Massoud
Famous adaptations include the 1998 movie starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow and the 2023 BBC series starring Olivia Colman as the infamous Miss Havisham
Artistic Director Kent Gash notes the production boasts “the fast-paced excitement of melodrama, complete with surprises and plot twists”
The Acting Company won the 2003 Tony Award for Excellence in the Theater
Founded by Juilliard legends John Houseman and Margot Harley, the company launched careers of Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, and more