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.
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Come and enjoy an evening under the stars while you watch the award winning 2023 adventure film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a long-lost relic, but their charming adventure goes dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Learn more about the movie here: tinyurl.com…. Refreshments will be available for sale. Please bring a blanket or camp chair. |
The 19th Annual Saluda Arts Festival will be held Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in historic downtown Saluda. The festival has issued a Call for Artists – application fee for the non-juried event is $110 and applications are due by March 1. Apply at https://form.jotform.com/233453926770159 or visit saluda.com.
Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.
It’s our 15th Year! Join us at our opening party & show, so come enjoy cocktails and live music with Drayton & the Dreamboats, along with juggling, bellydance and sideshow. Tickets $15 at the door!
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024
9AM-12PM TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY FARMERS MARKET
10AM-3PM WSW AUTO SHOW FEATURING THE TRANSYLVANIA CRUISERS
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-10PM FOOD COURT
11AM-1PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
12PM -10PM BEER GARDEN and WRISTBAND
2PM-4PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
2:30PM-3:30PM THE WILDER FLOWER
4PM -5PM PINK BEDS
5:30PM-6:30PM TRAY WELLINGTON
7PM-8PM J & THE CAUSEWAYS
8:30PM-10PM THE HIP ABDUCTION
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2024
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-9PM FOOD COURT
12PM-3PM BALLOON ARTISTS
1PM-9PM BEER GARDEN
2:30PM CAROLINA DANCE COLLECTIVE
3:30PM-4:30PM THE BREVARD ALL-STAR PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
5PM-6PM GRITTY FLYRIGHT
6:30PM-7:30PM BIG DADDY BLUEGRASS
8PM-9:30PM. SENSATIONAL BARNES BROS.
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024
9AM-12PM TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY FARMERS MARKET
10AM-3PM WSW AUTO SHOW FEATURING THE TRANSYLVANIA CRUISERS
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-10PM FOOD COURT
11AM-1PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
12PM -10PM BEER GARDEN and WRISTBAND
2PM-4PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
2:30PM-3:30PM THE WILDER FLOWER
4PM -5PM PINK BEDS
5:30PM-6:30PM TRAY WELLINGTON
7PM-8PM J & THE CAUSEWAYS
8:30PM-10PM THE HIP ABDUCTION
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2024
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-9PM FOOD COURT
12PM-3PM BALLOON ARTISTS
1PM-9PM BEER GARDEN
2:30PM CAROLINA DANCE COLLECTIVE
3:30PM-4:30PM THE BREVARD ALL-STAR PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
5PM-6PM GRITTY FLYRIGHT
6:30PM-7:30PM BIG DADDY BLUEGRASS
8PM-9:30PM. SENSATIONAL BARNES BROS.
Are YOU READY for NERD PRIDE FEST 2024!!
Saturday, June 1st 2024 : 10am – 4pm
Asheville’s local artist convention every first Saturday in June in honor of Pride month! This is a fun, free way to celebrate pride month by supporting local artists and nonprofits who do incredible things for the queer LGBT+ community in western North Carolina.
Nerd Pride Fest was our first ever event in our current location. So it had to be to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reopening with food, games, live music, and more.
As a shop owned and operated by queer-identifying folks, The Nerd Dungeon is committed to being a safe and welcoming environment for people of all ages to express themselves any time of year, not just during Pride Month. We will always be a 3rd Place.
It is nice to have an excuse to go all-out and party, though! Pride Cosplay encouraged!
Pack Library’s Pollination Film Festival features films, talks, and activities about pollination during the month of June.
Narrated by Meryl Streep, this intimate and unprecedented look at butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats and flowers is a celebration of life, as a third of the world’s food supply depends on these incredible–and increasingly threatened–creatures. Our Pollination Celebration! keynote speaker on June 22, Dr. Stephen Buchmann, served as Chief Scientist for the film.
We’re excited to bring a SpringFest to Asheville in 2024 and hope you’ll support our FREE festival by donating to our fundraiser.
We’re bringing a very FUN Family Fun Zone, shopping, DJ and Emcee, and lots of incredible vegan food, and more to Pack Square Park for our Spring Edition!!
You don’t want to miss this fun event. Mark your calendars and get your tickets, swag bags, VIP, VIP PLUS, and/or merch ahead of the festival.
$5 Suggested donation ahead of the event or at the festival is requested.
$15 Swag Bag option will be available! Compostable bag filled with $50+ worth of samples and coupons.
$25 – VIP tickets – enter the event 30 minutes early. Get a cool upgraded goody bag that is reusable with items different from the swag bags. Limited to 100. Get entered into our raffle and get 25 entries for each VIP Entry you purchase. $100+ worth of samples and coupons.
$35 – VIP PLUS – Not interested in a bag filled with items you don’t want or need? Our VIP PLUS will be a cool reusable bag (different from the VIP bag) and also comes with a vegan shirt design different from any you can purchase at our booth. Enter the event 30 minutes early to shop before the crowds. Make sure to let us know your shirt size!
Winners will be picked randomly after the festival and winners will be notified via email. Prize Packs TBD.
Vendors can send an inquiry by going to vegfestexpos.com. Volunteers can sign up on that site as well.
*Food Trucks
*DJ and Emcee
*Family Fun Zone
*Free Face Painting
*Vegan Food
*Shopping
*Fun Contests with prizes
Come out and support our vendors and plan on enjoying the music too. Our Family Fun Zone is perfect for children of all ages and includes life sized games, coloring, and more!
On Sunday, June 2, 2024 from 1pm-4pm, The Adventure Center of Asheville will host its inaugural AVL Family Adventure Festival at 85 Expo Drive. Formerly Zipping For Autism, this family event will have live music, food, cold beer, scads of kids activities, bike, kayak and climbing demos, face painting, crafts, hay rides, games and MUCH MUCH MORE. Come and enjoy the festival or buy a combo pass and add a trip through Asheville Treetops Adventure Park on the sampler trail (9 challenge obstacles, 12’ in the trees, 1 continuous aerial trail). This event is being hosted by The Adventure Center of Asheville and produced by Asheville Plays! with 100% of proceeds benefiting Camp Lakey Gap. The proceeds directly impact the lives of autistic people and their families by providing scholarships for a one-of-a-kind, week-long residential summer camp experience for autistic children and adults.
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Pack Library’s Pollination Film Festival features films, talks, and activities about pollination during the month of June.
A story of surprise and revelation. A wildlife filmmaker spends his time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown filming the bees in his urban garden and discovers the many diverse species and personalities that exist in this insect family.
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With special co-host Stephen Goldman, MTYE goes to 11 for a celebration of one of the loudest bands of all time. Discussion, live music, listening, and sing-along. Dress code: none more black!
ABOUT THE DISCUSSION SERIES
Music to Your Ears is Bill Kopp’s monthly discussion series hosted by Asheville Guitar Bar and sponsored by AshevilleFM. On the first Wednesday of each month, music enthusiasts gather to discuss an important album, artist or musical movement. An interactive evening, Music to Your Ears isn’t a lecture; it’s a discussion led by experts and designed to enrich the listening experience. The character of each session is defined by the participants (that’s you). The conversation goes where the attendees take it: the person seated next to you might have attended Woodstock or seen The Beatles in concert. The insights of everyone in the room are what make each and every Music to Your Ears a unique experience.
ABOUT BILL KOPP
With over 500 bylines in Western North Carolina publications (Mountain Xpress, Bold Life, WNC Magazine and more), Asheville-based author and music journalist is an acknowledged expert on popular music. Author of two books – Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon and Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave – Bill Kopp writes for publications across the country and abroad. A contributing editor at Goldmine Magazine and contributing writer at GRAMMY.com, he has authored more than 30 album liner note essays and conducted more than 1100 interviews. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance, and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts.
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Join us for a FREE film screening of the Sundance Award-winning documentary, Step, and a Q&A with cast member, HBCU advocate & national speaker Paula Dofat and hosted by Slay The Mic’s Elizabeth Lashay Garland. Even though this event is free, registration is required. Head to our tickets link to save your seats! STEP is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college
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Entertainment will include: Jennifer Armstrong, Mountain Square Dance Circle with Walt Pickett, dulicimer players Steve and Jean Smith, local Folk musician Laura Boosinger, and headlining Blues Legend Mac Arnold!
Amphitheatre
10a.m: Jennifer Armstrong kicks off festivities with storytelling for kids of all ages, to honor Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, which were tales written for his daughters. Jennifer has spent her life writing, singing, and making music with fiddle, bagpipe, banjo, and words. She was a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and has been heard on NPR.
12p.m: Laura Boosinger celebrates the music of Appalachia through old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, and fingerstyle Autoharp. Laura attended Warren Wilson College in the 1970’s, where she learned clawhammer banjo, called Southern Mountain Square dances, and attended Shaped Note Singing School with North Carolina Folk Heritage Award winner Quay Smathers. Laura is a Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina consultant and the voice of their podcast, “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails.” In 2017, Laura was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.
2p.m: Mac Arnold plays the Blues with Austin Brashier and Max Hightower. At age 24, Arnold joined the Muddy Waters Band, shaping the electric Blues sound of the 1960’s and 70’s. Mac has shared stages with Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and Big Mama Thornton. In 2012, Mac was nominated for the Blues Foundation’s Traditional Blues Male Artist Award and also received a Blues Blast Music Award Nomination for “Traditional Blues Recording of the Year,” with Plate Full O’Blues. In 2014, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from USC Columbia. In 2017, Mac was inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame. In 2023, he received the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame Award.
Austin Brashier is a guitar slinger and vocalist. He grew up listening to Blues, and eventually took his band on the road. He has had the privilege to open for Blues players such as B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Tinsley Ellis, Derek Trucks, and Nappy Brown.
Max Hightower started his music career at age 12 when he bought his first Blues cassette tape, “Muddy Mississippi Live by Muddy Waters.” He plays keyboard, guitar, bass, and sings. Harmonica is his instrument of choice. Max is a founding member of Plate Full O’Blues and has shared stages with Hubert Sumlin, Willie Smith, and Leon Everette.
Barn Garage
10:45am to 12pm: Walter Puckett calls Mountain Circle Square Dances. A festival first, to celebrate the Sandburgs’ love of square dancing! Come dance! When he was just nine years old, Walter called his first dance at a PTA event with his third-grade class. Walt has traveled with the Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers, winning many awards. Walt also had the ultimate privilege to dance at the Grand Ole Opry. 2024 marks his 80th birthday!
Barnyard
12pm to 2pm: Henderson County natives Steve and Jean Smith play mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer. They perform regularly at Carl Sandburg Home. They have taught dulcimer at festivals and workshops nationwide. In 1984, Steve won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championships at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He returned to win the 1985 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships at Winfield, only the second person to win both Championships.
Parking, Shuttles, and Accessibility
Parking is limited. Please carpool or take a ride share or taxi. Three parking lots will have shuttle service. Approximate shuttle times will be posted in all parking lots with shuttle service. Visitors with mobility concerns are strongly urged to take a shuttle.
- Wheelchair-Accessible Shuttle: The park’s main parking lot has the only wheelchair-accessible shuttle. This lot is located on Little River Road, across from Flat Rock Playhouse.
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Playhouse (enter via Little River Road).
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Village Hall, 110 Village Center Drive.
Parking lot without a shuttle: The hikers’ lot (located ½ mile drive from the main lot). Park and then walk .4 to .7 mile through the park to festivities.
Free Sandburg Home Tours
As part of Music Fest, free Sandburg Home tours will be offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are first come, first serve in the Visitor Center/Park Store (on the Sandburg Home ground floor) beginning at 9:30 a.m. (To reserve tickets on non-festival days visit www.recreation.gov).
Music Festival is supported by:
Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc.
America’s National Parks, the non-profit partner that operates the park store
The music festival began in 1987, to celebrate Carl Sandburg’s efforts to document the history of American music in his American Songbag. Carl Sandburg published the American Songbag in 1927 after spending years documenting and researching early American songs. As Sandburg said, “The American Songbag is a ragbag of strips, stripes, and streaks of color from nearly all ends of the earth. The melodies and verses presented here are from diverse regions, from varied human characters and communities, and each is sung differently in different places.” His publication does not focus on one genre of music, but rather on the human experience. “It is an All-American affair, marshalling the genius of thousands of original singing Americans.”
Sandburg enjoyed all American musical genres. He spent years interviewing musicians and singers, documenting their songs, including folk, gospel, jazz and blues. Carl Sandburg said, “the American Songbag comes from the hearts and voices of thousands of men and women.”
Compiling and publishing the American Songbag was one of the most difficult writing projects Sandburg took on during his life. Today, the Carl Sandburg Music Festival celebrates his work and the work of modern singers and songwriters to share diverse and original American music.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8 – THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Recycled Art Workshop
Lonnie Holley
DeWayne Barton
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Empower Hour
Edivan Guajajara
Chelsea Greene
Rob Grobman
Jared Wheatley
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch Break
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Rebalanced: Solutions Journalism for Turbulent Times
Rebecca Worby
Julia Hotz
Ezekiel Walker
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Meet & Greet + Book Signing with Julia Hotz
Julia Hotz
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Music & Words: An Evening With Lonnie Holley
Lonnie Holley
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Dinner Break
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
WE ARE GUARDIANS: Award-Winning Film Screening & Filmmaker Q+A
Edivan Guajajara
Chelsea Greene
Rob Grobman
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Environmental documentary featuring Dr. Doug Tallamy focused on why native plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems with a goal to inspire people to plant native plants, providing a call to action to change our garden choices to include native plants. This film screening is part of a community-wide Pollination Celebration! that will be taking place throughout June 2024. For information about other events, go to: beecityasheville.org/pollination-celebration |
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Join us for our June open studio & pop up shop
Sunday, June 9th
11am – 4pm
115 Elk Mountain Rd, Woodfin, NC
Shop home goods, wooden kitchenware, art, jewelry, accessories + vintage clothing with:
@loomimports @kerrwoodworking @gennypopshop @townesandbirdie @maadilicollective @prideandarchive
Additional parking across street at Woodfin Elementary
Connect Beyond Festival returns to downtown Asheville, N.C. on June 7-9, 2024 for a weekend of performances, panels, film screenings and workshops with award-winning artists and thought leaders, exploring how the intersection of music, art, film and storytelling can inspire positive change. This year’s festival, dubbed by Ashvegas as “Asheville’s version of SXSW,” is themed around Connection To Deepen Resilience and Keep Moving Forward. Connect Beyond will be partnering with Slay The Mic Media to co-curate programs centered around youth empowerment. Tickets for the Connect Beyond Festival are slated to go on sale by May 13th. To optimize community accessibility, options include individual event tickets or a full weekend pass.
June 6-9
La Vie en Rose Art & Music Festival, 6-9pm, (At 1pm or 3pm on June 8th) (4-8pm on June 9) Experience the Elegance and join for
this exclusive ticketed preview.
Be the first to witness this remarkable exhibition. The evening also includes a special performance by
the popular Jason DeCristofaro and his jazz ensemble.
Enjoy a sampling of Marked Tree’s charcuterie and a complimentary glass of
their award-winning wine.
This is your chance to revel in the beauty of La Vie en Rose’ – reserve your tickets now for an
unforgettable evening of fine art and exquisite entertainment.
Another great comedy show at Asheville Pizza in Theatre 2, get your dinner , drinks & laughs with a comedy open mic! Professional featured performers in a fun environment. Hosted by Cody Hughes! Featuring Zandra Johnson, Johnathan Pruett & Jason Reel
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Music Movie Monday Special Screening –
Asheville-based author and music journalist Bill Kopp will be introducing the film and leading a moderated, interactive discussion following the movie.
All tickets are $15 and include General Admission Ticket plus Introduction and Moderated Discussion with Bill Kopp
Sponsored by Asheville FM
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself. Throughout his life, Richard careened like a shiny cracked pinball between God, sex and rock n’ roll. The world tried to put him in a box, but Richard was an omni being who contained multitudes – he was unabashedly everything.
Join Story Medicine Worldwide for a screening of Steven Spielberg’s The Post, followed by a post-viewing conversation facilitated by local author, Meta Commerse.
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