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.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Join us Saturday March 23rd for our next amazing festival…MARCH OF THE BLADES! Hosted by the Warriors Of Ash and Fae Nectar Meadery, our fighting arena will be ringing with the sounds of Sword and Axe fighting all afternoon, accompanied by both blood-pumping battle music and the merry sound of a medieval village upon our festival lawn.
As you wander our festive fantasy wonderland you’ll find working blacksmiths, artisan vendors selling enchanted garb and hand-crafted goods, armorers and jewelers, and even fortune tellers offering their services. And don’t forget to try your hand at Axe Throwing, or to visit our adorable Hobbit horse, Thistle!
And inside our comfortable and cozy Tavern you’ll find our Fae bartenders, happy to serve you our fine Mead, Cider, Wine, and local Craft Beer options, and we’ll be serving hot tasty comfort food to keep your bellies warm and full as you enjoy the festival.
This event is FREE! And open to all friends, families, Fae creatures, and friendly dogs on leash.
Artisan Market – 11am to 5pm
Sword Fighting & Battle Music – 1:00 to 2:30pm and 3:30 to 5pm
Thistle the Hobbit Horse – 12pm to 4pm
Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Led by a certified Inward & Artward Creative Facilitator, Tikva Kingrea (RYT-200 ), this workshop will explore how spring is showing up in our lives—specifically deliberating on *delight.* Think ripe strawberries. Purple phlox spreading across a moss-rich garden wall. Your favorite sneakers, worn in and warm, piled by the front door, waiting for a neighborhood stroll. The spring season offers each of us a chance to step into our artistic practice with verve, sweetness, and a shaking off of winter hibernation. This workshop is designed to do just that.
We will deep-dive into understanding various poetic techniques, personal themes and voice, as well as have guided group and individual support. This is a “YES, I’LL TAKE TEN BOUQUETS OF TULIPS TO GO WITH MY WRITING” class. We will move gently while playing with creative ways to buoy confidence and craft.
This is a beginner friendly class for writers and yogis alike. Students taking the yoga portion are asked to bring their own mats and props.
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Free. Space limited. Registration required. Call 828-250-4738 or stop by the library to register. April 5: Session 1 – Memoir Basics & Beginnings April 12: Session 2 – Memoir Structure and Outline April 19: Session 3 – Memoir Writing Marathon First Miles |
Celebrate Spring and The Fairies at Horse Shoe Gap Village with Free Face Painting by The Sea Mither,
Fairy Hair, Scavenger Hunt, Games, music and more!
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
This National Poetry Month, turn your sparks of inspiration into beautiful poetry in an all-new poetry workshop led by Greenville Poet Laureate Glenis Redmond. Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the world of poetry or you’ve been penning verses for a while, this workshop is tailor-made for you. From brainstorming ideas to crafting captivating lines, Glenis will guide you every step of the way. Unleash your inner wordsmith and explore the magic of poetry with a true master.
The $125 registration fee is for admission to the three-part workshop taking place at 6:00 PM on April 11, 18 and 25. Please bring paper and your preferred writing tool with you. The workshop culminates in a reading during the final session where participants can invite a guest to enjoy their poetry progress.
Join us April 12-13, 2024, for two days of family-friendly fun! We’ll have storytelling, workshops, a quilt display, and more. If you can’t attend the festival in person but don’t want to miss the fun, you can sign up for an “online viewing” ticket. Festival tickets are free for students and teachers, individuals with disabilities, and those with low income and are low-cost for all others. Discounts are available.
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
On Saturday, April 13, Warren Wilson College will host Fiddles and Folklife, an annual Appalachian festival and old-time music and dance competition, with cash prizes for old-time fiddle, banjo, folksong, flatfooting, and string band. There will be a separate contest for youth in fiddle and banjo. Other activities include old-time music jams, food and craft vendors, folklife demonstrators, and a cake raffle. This event is free and open to the public.
Fiddles and Folklore takes place from 12 noon – 5 p.m., on the Warren Wilson College campus, in the historic Bryson Gym, 102 Upper College Road. Registration for contestants opens at 11:30 a.m. There is no entry fee for the contests. For more info, visit Warren Wilson College Music on Facebook, and click on the “Events” tab.
Democrats need to be more actively messaging and to overcome the makers of fake news with the truth! Join this ongoing group of writers working together on Letters to the Editor and Opinion Editorials. We’ll discuss the issues we care about most deeply and craft a plan to respond to events as they occur in real time.
The group meets the first and third Monday of each month for writing, responding to one another’s work, scheduling submissions, and exploring media outlets across the state.
“Rant with purpose. Support with facts. Propel action.” – Myra Schoen
Wednesdays, starting March 20 | Offered through the Great Smokies Writing Program, this five-week class will investigate the ways in which paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculpture inspire, collaborate with, and complement our writing process.
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar is hosting the 2nd Annual Back Alley Hempfest on Sunday 04/21/2024 from 2-7pm. Join us for this free event at 28 Oak St. and at the Depot Plaza right across Trade St. There will be live music, local vendors, live glass-blowing, fire-spinning, stilt-walking, and more! About 30 Local Vendors will be offering a wide variety of arts, crafts, gifts, & goodies! There will be a scavenger hunt to enter for door prizes scattered among the vendors with hourly prizes! There will also be a rolling competition & 420 special smoke session in the back Bud Bar & Lounge area of Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar. Come check out all the festivities!
Music Schedule:
28 Oak St.
King Chewie 2-3:30pm
Nina Gi 3:45-5:15pm
Acklen Walker 5:30-7pm
Depot Plaza
Moonshine State 2-4pm
The Ribald Riffers 4:20-7pm
Thank You to our growing list of Sponsors!:
Tettra Hydra Glass, Astria Farm, Kaleidoscope Studios Art, Hypnotic Massage Sleep Boutique, Yetees Design Screenprinting, Carrie Bass Photography, eARThly Minds Gallery, Social Shay Photography, The Moth Queen, and Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar.
The Trail Running Film Festival presented by Tera Pruett of Unstoppable Strength, Endurance & Adventure Coaching is back for 2024, and is making its way to Asheville, the southeast’s hub for trail running, hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, and outdoor adventure.
This event promises an inspiring night filled with films, community, and a celebration of the trail and ultra community. Independent filmmakers from around the world will showcase their work by bringing stories of adventure, inclusivity, wilderness, art, and diversity to the forefront.
The festival aims to capture the spirit of the trail running community, showcasing narratives from various perspectives. From those at the back of the pack to the party pacers, from individuals defying odds to those overcoming obstacles, and from record-breakers to those aiming for the fastest known time — the festival covers a spectrum of stories that resonate with the EVERYDAY ATHLETE.
Attendees can expect a diverse range of films that highlight the unique and inspiring journeys of individuals from all walks of life. Whether you’re a seasoned trail runner or someone just beginning their outdoor adventure, this festival provides a platform for everyone to connect, be inspired, and celebrate the incredible stories within the trail running community.
So, get ready for an unforgettable evening of adventure, inspiration, and a sense of community at The Trail Running Film Festival in Asheville. Lace up your trail shoes, bring your enthusiasm, and immerse yourself in the world of trail running and outdoor exploration.
Fiesta Hendersonville is a unique opportunity to experience the best of Latin American countries in downtown Hendersonville, Enjoy live music and dance, Feast on Latin American delicacies, such as pupusas from El Salvador, empanadas from Argentina, and chicharrones, esquites, and elotes from Mexico, and Browse both local art and the Latin marketplace of vendors, Free, Organized by Hola Carolina, Hendersonville Visitor Center Stage and South Main Street, Hendersonville, HolaCarolina.org
Congratulations to our Youth Spoken Word Contest winners:
Eva S. — 11th grade at Carolina Day
Tesslyn H. — 8th grade at IC Imagine Public Charter School
Gabriella B. — 11th grade at School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA)
Lily A. — 9th grade at Madison Early College High School
Come experience these talented students perform with artist Dasan Ahanu, Tuesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Atelier Maison’s showroom. Admission is free; RSVP required. Drinks and light appetizers will be provided.
RSVP to [email protected].
Event location:
Atelier Maison Showroom
121 Sweeten Creek Road, Ste. 50
Asheville, NC 28803
About Dasan Ahanu: Christopher Massenburg, better known as Dasan Ahanu, is a public speaker, organizer, curator, educator, poet, spoken word artist, songwriter, emcee, and loyal hip-hop head born and raised in Raleigh, NC.
Sponsored by Atelier Maison.
Join the Dark City Poets Society for a free publishing workshop from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Black Mountain Library,105 N. Dougherty Street, Black Mountain, NC 28711. This workshop will be led by John Himmelheber, editor of Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, along with Ivy Rosen, editor of Black Mountain Press. Learn tips and tricks on how to get published and what the best practices are for submitting your work for consideration. This workshop is open to all ages, and no registration is required.
oin the Dark City Poets Society for a free publishing workshop at the Black Mountain Library!
This workshop will be led by John Himmelheber, editor of Smoky Blue Literary And Arts Magazine, along with Ivy Rosen, editor of Black Mountain Press. Learn tips and tricks on how to get published.
The Asheville Museum of History (Formerly the Western North Carolina Historical Association) announces David Joy’s Those We Thought We Knew as the winner of the 2023 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award
The Asheville Museum of History announces the selection of the winner David Joy for Those We Thought We Knew for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Finalists Erica Abrams Locklear, Elizabeth Giddens, Jennifer McGaha and Terry Roberts will also be honored at an awards ceremony Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium (19 Tech Drive). A reception will follow at the Asheville Museum of History at the Smith-McDowell House, 283 Victoria Road, Asheville, NC.
Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family, the Award has been presented annually by the organization since 1955 for printed works that focus special attention on Western North Carolina. To be considered, an entry must be a published work of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry and meet the following criteria:
- It must be a first edition work; revised editions of published works will not be considered.
- The publication date must have been no later than August 1, 2023.
- The author must be a native of Western North Carolina or a resident of Western North Carolina for at least twelve months prior to the closing date for the Award.
- An author may also qualify if the work submitted has a focus on or setting in Western North Carolina.
The Western North Carolina Historical Association presented the first Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award to Wilma Dykeman in 1955 for The French Broad. Brent Martin won the 2022 award for George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina. Other authors who have received the award include Robert Brunk, Wayne Caldwell, Wiley Cash, Charles Frazier, John Ehle, Gail Godwin, Michael McFee, Doug Orr, Ron Rash, Fiona Ritchie, Terry Roberts, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Lee Smith.
A prize of $1,000 accompanies the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and will be awarded to David Joy, winner of this year’s award, at a ceremony at AB Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium (Fernihurst Drive, Asheville) on Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m. Each of the finalists will read a short passage from their work. There will be a reception at 7 p.m. at the Asheville Museum of History at the Smith-McDowell House.
This year’s finalists were chosen from an original group of more than 35 nominations. The finalists, listed below in alphabetical order, encompass a broad range of genres and forms.
- Erica Abrams Locklear Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People
- Elizabeth Giddens Oconaluftee: The History of a Smoky Mountain Valley
- David Joy Those We Thought We Knew (Winner of the 2023 Thomas Wolfe Literary Award)
- Jennifer McGaha Bushwhacking: How to Get Lost in the Woods and Writer Your Way Out
- Terry Roberts The Sky Club
The Award Panel this year consists of: Catherine Frank, Chair, Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville; Wayne Caldwell, author and former Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award winner; Dee James, professor emeritus, UNC-Asheville; and Jim Stokely, President, Wilma Dykeman Legacy.
For more information visit https://www.ashevillehistory.org/literaryaward/ and https://www.simpletix.com/e/thomas-wolfe-literary-award-tickets-167349#location
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM