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
You’re invited to our April Open Studio & Pop Up Shop
April 7, 2024 | 11am – 4pm | 115 Elk Mountain Road, Asheville, NC
Shop LOOM Imports home goods, along with Asheville favorites
Garden Party // Lifestyle & Accessories
Playdate // Kids
Genny Pop Vintage // Clothing
Townes & Birdie //Curated clothing & furnishing
*additional parking is available across the street at Woodfin Elementary School
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.
Asheville Glass Market, a seasonal open air market hosted at Level 42 Gallery & Studio, focusing exclusively on regional glass artists! The AGM will be hosted once a season in the Spring, Summer, and Fall, with the first one being hosted on Saturday, April 13th, from 10am-5pm, and will feature over 40 local glass artists. These markets will coincide with “Second Saturdays” in the River Arts District which is by far our busiest foot traffic days of the year. While the market is hosted around the exterior of our building, inside we will be serving drinks in the gallery, and we will host an open studio with free studio time for local artists who want to collaborate, and for the public to watch.
Join AVL Clothing Swap for our biggest event yet! Now located at the Regeneration Station, the swap works the same as always: purchase your ticket (now a tax-deductible donation!) drop off clothing (clean and in good condition) at Regeneration Station before the event date. On the day of the event, show up to shop the swap!
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
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.

Veggie Stars, Herbs, Flowers
ELIDA helping children succeed
Uniting Communities: Inaugural She Slays 5K and One-Mile Fun Run Empowers Women
In a celebration of solidarity and empowerment, the inaugural She Slays 5K and One Mile Fun Run is set to kick off on April 20th, bringing together individuals from all walks of life to support the Women Helping Women program at UNC Health Pardee.
This exciting event aims to foster a sense of community while raising crucial funds for a program dedicated to uplifting and supporting women in need.
Participants of all ages and fitness levels are invited to lace up their running shoes and join in the festivities. Whether racing to beat personal records or strolling leisurely, everyone’s participation contributes to the greater cause of empowering women in our community.
Registration for this event is now open – Register for She Slays Now.
Looking for a new second-hand treasure? Love a good deal? Want to support a local non-profit? Come check out the Blue Ridge Roller Derby Yard Sale! Shop for a variety of items from clothes to furniture and more, or just come say hi to your favorite skaters. All proceeds from the sale benefit Blue Ridge Roller Derby.
Sale is in convenient West Asheville at 133 Dorchester Ave. from 8am to noon. See you there!

Veggie Stars, Herbs, Flowers
ELIDA helping children succeed
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Join Asheville GreenWorks, the West Asheville Business Association, Wrong Way Campground, and OnHaywood for a cleanup of the Haywood Road corridor in West Asheville. Breakfast and post clean up rewards will be provided to volunteers. This event is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, Sunny Point Cafe, Biscuit Head, West Village Market, The West End, The Hop Handcrafted Ice Cream. What is a Haywood Road Clean Up Day? A day where volunteers work to pick up trash and recycling along the Haywood Road corridor. We will also have an plant sale after the event! How do you participate? RSVP by “joining” this project Meet and sign in at New Belgium Brewing, 10am Grab some breakfast, receive instructions and gear, and head out as a group to pick up of trash along Haywood Road and side streets Return gear to New Belgium and enjoy volunteer rewards! Is this a family-friendly event? Yes, although please consider that Haywood Road is a busy street and it is important that you and your children stay alert and safe throughout the clean up. Should you bring anything? Asheville GreenWorks will supply gloves, safety vests, trash grabbers, and trash bags for everyone. Please bring water and any personal items that you need. Need to knowDress in comfortable walking shoes and clothes. Meet at New Belgium Brewing, 21 Craven Street, at 10am. Walk, carpool, or find additional parking along Craven St and at the Emma Rd/ Craven St public lot. After signing in, volunteers will receive a free breakfast and their cleanup gear. We’ll go over safety and instructions before heading out to cover the Haywood Road corridor. Return your gear to New Belgium and enjoy volunteer rewards! We rely on financial support from our community in order to inspire, equip and mobilize volunteers who make an impact. Please consider making a gift in support of this event. Cleanup 10am – noon Plant Sale noon-3pm
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Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Get revved up for best weekend of the year! Join us for the Tail Chaser 250, where you will experience an epic “ride at your own pace” dual sport adventure ride on the best scenic paved, gravel, and back roads in the Southeast. This in-person event is an absolute must for anyone who loves being on the motorcycle, hanging out with good people, and enjoying the beauty of the open road.
We’ll be returning to Deerwoode Reserve, situated along the French Broad River, just outside Brevard, NC, where we’ll gather for meals together in their new event pavilion, enjoy the property’s beauty, and stay both Friday and Saturday nights. We’ll be able to spread out in wide open fields for camping and cabins available for rent, and enjoy the view beyond.
Join Eurosport Asheville and the entire adventure motorcycle community to help raise essential funds for Muddy Sneakers and the Veterans Healing Farm. It’s an honor to donate 100% of the proceeds of Tail Chaser 250 to these organizations doing important work in our communities. We really appreciate your support!
So mark your calendars, gather your friends, and get ready to immerse yourself in a weekend of adventure and being a part of the motorcycle community. The Tail Chaser 250 is waiting for you – suit up and prepare for the best weekend of the year!
Shop from over 45,000 high quality items: infant and young children’s pre-loved clothes, toys, shoes, furniture and more from over 450 local families at once at up to 90% off retail prices!
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.
Join us every Tuesday in April for Taco Tuesdays at Highland Brewing! Indulge in delicious tacos from Dirty Gertie’s while enjoying our $5 Cerveza special in the Taproom. Bring your friends and family for a flavorful evening with tasty food and great drinks. Don’t miss out on this weekly fiesta! See you there!
A portion of Cerveza sales will be donated to SAHC all month long. To see all the amazing things they are a part of click here!
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.
Participating Asheville Restaurants |
The Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP) will host its annual Dining Out For Life event on Thursday, April 25. Now in its 22nd year, Dining Out For Life 2024 encourages residents of Asheville and Western North Carolina to dine out at participating restaurants. This celebration supports both the local restaurants that host the events while raising money for WNCAP’s life-saving services. The money raised by Dining Out for Life helps provide care, rental assistance, and education in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
2024 Participating Restaurants (List Updated Daily)
* Member of Asheville Independent Restaurant Association
*Farm Burger Downtown
*Farm Burger South AVL
*Gan Shan West
*Jettie Rae’s Oyster House
*Laughing Seed
*Posana
*Salt Face Mule
The Noodle shop
*Twisted Laurel Downtown AVL
*Vinnie’s Italian
*Vinnie’s South
Vivian Asheville
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
A wide variety of functional and decorative pottery, prints, and other artwork created by UNC Asheville students will be on sale in the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery of Owen Hall on April 26 and 27.
The sale will be open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 26 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 27.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Department of Art and Art History.
A wide variety of functional and decorative pottery, prints, and other artwork created by UNC Asheville students will be on sale in the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery of Owen Hall on April 26 and 27.
The sale will be open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 26 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 27.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Department of Art
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
47 Bryant St, Asheville, NC, United States, North Carolina 28806
See Facebook Event HERE
Join us in our yearly celebration of spring, the arts, the environment, sustainability, community & so much more.
Event Highlights:
Dozens of local vendors offering unique hand-crafted goods
Local Food Trucks & The Hop Ice Cream to keep you fueled for the fun
Live Music performed in the gardens
Take home seedlings that are chemical-free and naturally grown
Date: Saturday, April 27th
Time: 11 AM till dusk
Location: Peace Gardens & Market
We’ll kick the day off with a puppet performance from Asheville Creative Arts for the kiddos of all ages!
The goal of this event is to build bridges and celebrate the common ground we all share in our beautiful county and community.
Live music and poetry performances.
Appearances by state party chair Anderson Clayton and several North Carolina candidates.
Fun for the whole family!
$20 admission.
$10 for students.
Kids 16 and under free.
All funds raised will help get voters to the polls in November 2024!
Join us every Tuesday in April for Taco Tuesdays at Highland Brewing! Indulge in delicious tacos from Dirty Gertie’s while enjoying our $5 Cerveza special in the Taproom. Bring your friends and family for a flavorful evening with tasty food and great drinks. Don’t miss out on this weekly fiesta! See you there!
A portion of Cerveza sales will be donated to SAHC all month long. To see all the amazing things they are a part of click here!
