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.
Dig into Bullington Gardens’ Fall Plant Sale! Grab trees, shrubs, perennials, natives, and seasonal plants to spruce up your yard. Don’t let your garden be the only one on the block still growing last year’s weeds—join us this fall September 12-13, 9am-4pm.
Forest Bathing: A Harvest Season Retreat
with Asheville Wellness Tours
Saturday, September 13 | 10 – 1pm
Celebrate abundance, balance and equilibrium during this immersive morning nature connection retreat. During this seasonal transition, we’ll mark the threshold between summer and fall, honoring the Earth’s bountiful harvest while slowing our pace, awakening our senses, and practicing embodied acts of gratitude. Honoring this liminal fifth season, connecting with ourselves, each other, and the more-than-human-world, nourishing the relationships that sustain and connect us.
Your guide, Christa Hebal, will lead you on a gentle journey through the forest, weaving mindfulness, breathwork, forest bathing and nature therapy together for a restorative morning on some of the trails less traveled at the North Carolina Arboretum. We’ll celebrate the experience with a community Earth offering, followed by a wild-foraged tea ceremony and snacks. Bring an open mind and an open heart. All are welcome. Presented through Adult & Continuing Education Programs in collaboration with Asheville Wellness Tours.
Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Join us for a FREE WORKSHOP designed to help seniors and their families navigate the often-complex process of downsizing, relocating, and preparing for what’s next.
This event, held at the East Asheville Public Library, will provide guidance from professionals on a variety of topics to help make your next transition smooth and stress-free.
Refreshments will be provided!
Workshop Highlights
Financial Guidance from a Lender: Learn how lenders utilize a combination of your retirement income and assets to qualify you for a mortgage.
Legal Planning with an Estate Attorney: Get expert advice on key legal issues, including how to organize assets, taxes, and your beneficiary structure, as well as ensure the instructions for your death or medical circumstance are followed.
Practical Moving Tips from a Realtor: You are not alone! See how a Realtor can act as your personal “project manager” to make the transition stress-free.
Don’t miss this opportunity to get your questions answered by experts in the field. There will be a time for Q & A at the end! If you have questions that you would like addressed, include them in the appropriate area as your register.
This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Register to secure your spot.
Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! ArborEvenings runs Wednesdays and Thursdays through September 18, 2025 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
**Please note: Outside alcohol is prohibited on the campus of The North Carolina Arboretum.**
There is no additional cost to attend ArborEvenings beyond our standard parking fee. As always, Arboretum Society members and their accompanying guests can enter for FREE (guests must be in member vehicles to receive free entry). Proceeds from ArborEvenings help support the The North Carolina Arboretum Society and further advance the Arboretum’s mission.
Retreat leader, educator and Jungian psychotherapist Diana McKendree leads a discussion exploring the world of dreamwork and how we might better understand our dreams. Part of Kanuga’s Lunch & Learn series. The Thursday, September 18 event begins with a forest bathing nature walk (weather permitting) at 10 a.m. McKendree’s “What Did You Dream Last Night?” discussion begins at 11 a.m., followed by a buffet lunch in Kanuga’s dining hall. Bring a recent dream, notebook and pen. Registration and more info at kanuga.org/events.
Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! ArborEvenings runs Wednesdays and Thursdays through September 18, 2025 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
**Please note: Outside alcohol is prohibited on the campus of The North Carolina Arboretum.**
There is no additional cost to attend ArborEvenings beyond our standard parking fee. As always, Arboretum Society members and their accompanying guests can enter for FREE (guests must be in member vehicles to receive free entry). Proceeds from ArborEvenings help support the The North Carolina Arboretum Society and further advance the Arboretum’s mission.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we saw the heart of the mountains. Neighbors became lifelines, and communities across the region rose together.
One year later, journalists from across the state are coming together to honor that resilience through the power of story.
Join us for an evening of stories and conversations about how we’ve helped one another, what we’ve lost, and what we’ve learned as our region continues to recover.
NC Local, in partnership with UNC Asheville and newsrooms across the state, is hosting this evening of connection and storytelling as part of UNC Asheville’s Post-Helene Symposium: “Remembering, Rebuilding and Reimagining.”
This free event is open to the public, but we ask you to register.
Carolina Memorial Sanctuary leads a conversation about death preparation, home funerals, and the cathartic act of participating in a loved one’s burial, Thurs. October 16 at Kanuga. Part of Kanuga’s Lunch & Learn series, the event begins with a forest bathing nature walk (weather permitting) at 10 a.m. followed by the Carolina Memorial Sanctuary presentation at 11 a.m. Enjoy a buffet lunch in Kanuga’s dining hall after the presentation. Cost: $20 (plus tax and fees). 471 Kanuga Chapel Dr. in Hendersonville. Registration and more info at kanuga.org/events.
Vote for your favorite comic of the night!!
The Slice of Life Comedy Asheville Fall/Winter Standup Contest – round 2
Thursday October 16, 7:30p-9:30p, doors at 6:30p
The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge
103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $17 (available at door or The Orange Peel 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)!
How it Works:
Audience votes thru ballot. Comics on the show will do 4 minutes of comedy. This show’s 3 top comics will be brought back with winners from round one to compete in our pageant finale, date TBA.
Want to compete? These limited spots go fast. Free to signup if room is still available. Contact Michele at [email protected]!
Pumpkin Fest is a fun, family friendly and fantastic artistic event or great date night with 18 beautiful artist-designed lighted carved pumpkin displays on a newly-paved short walking trail. The event includes talented local musicians, food trucks and coffee house, games, storytelling, face painting, white squirrel scavenger hunt, games, dress ups, and the Silvermont historic mansion and second floor museum open for tours.
Admission $7 per person (ages 13 and over), $5 ages 3-12, and 2 and under free. We accept cards, cash or check with ID.
Onsite parking cost is $5 per car (cash preferred). Free parking is available offsite on nearby streets and Comporium and church parking lots 1 block away. Handicap sticker- free parking onsite.
Join AVL Clay for a day of creativity, connection, and clay!
AVL Clay, Asheville’s new membership-based pottery studio, invites the community to its Grand Opening Open House on Sunday, October 26, 10 AM–1 PM at 4 Mulvaney St, Asheville.
Explore the beautifully restored 1920s studio along the Swannanoa River, meet founder Arleen Ferrara, and enjoy live pottery demos, guided tours, raffles, one-day-only class specials, and refreshments.
AVL Clay was founded to rebuild creative space lost after Hurricane Helene and to foster meaningful community through clay.
Free and open to all! Family-friendly, drop in anytime, and pets are welcome.
Asheville Vaudeville and special guest, Danbert Nobacon of the legendary anarcho-punk band, Chumbawamba, will collaborate in the upcoming installment of Asheville Vaudeville’s seasonal brunch time entertainment. The performance will feature Danbert Nobacon’s original acoustic music whilst a ragtag group of clowns and freaks come together to create an amusing array of mayhem and maybe even rescue democracy from the threat of a nefarious fascist regime by using their superpowers of comedy, comradery, common sense, sensuality, and an earnest exercising of their collective free-speech muscles. This is an 18+ show.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Join naturalist and educator, Jessie Wilder, for a thoughtful conversation on the benefits of living a place-based life, Thurs. November 20 at Kanuga. Part of Kanuga’s Lunch & Learn series, the event begins with a forest bathing nature walk (weather permitting) at 10 a.m. followed by the conversation with Jessie Wilder at 11 a.m. Enjoy a buffet lunch in Kanuga’s dining hall after the presentation. Cost: $20 (plus tax and fees=$24.74). KANUGA, 471 Kanuga Chapel Dr. in Hendersonville. Registration and more info at kanuga.org/events.
Event registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunch-and-learn-discovering-a-sense-of-place-with-jessie-wilder-tickets-1849253971409
Details:
10–11AM, Forest Bathing with Aimee Bostwick: Join Aimee for a time to ground ourselves by engaging our senses and tuning into our relationship with Nature. Dress comfortably for the weather and be sure to wear comfortable shoes. We will end this time with a cup of tea and sharing.
11AM–12PM, Jessie Wilder on Sense of Place: Join us for a conversation with naturalist Jessie Wilder as she shares with us about our deep connection to place and how it forms us. Consider where you currently live and ask yourself this: I live here, but how much do I really know, love, and inhabit this place as home?
12–1:30PM, Lunch and Discussion in the Dining Hall
Standup Comedy Picture Show with headliner Petey Smith McDowell
Comics on the show do standup with slide show pictures to illustrate their sets. This is sure to keep you in your seats figuring out what you just looked at!
Thursday November 20, 7:30-9p in The Orange Peel’s comedy basement. PULP is a bourbon speakeasy (400+ varieties) located under the iconic stage. No food is served but we do have free snacks while they last and outside food is permitted (no drinks of any kind).
$17 tickets available at door or The Orange Peel’s website
Host is Hilliary Begley voted repeatedly Asheville’s Favorite comic in the Mountain Xpress. Film debut in the Netflix original Dumplin’ as Aunt Lucy, or “Jennifer Anniston’s fat sister,” and Austin Film Festival winning movie When We Last Spoke with Cloris Leachman, now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Feature Cloud Hudson is a comedian, lighting designer, and weather forecaster (licensed meteorologist) with a knack for finding the silver lining around every storm cloud. Their comedy blurs the lines between science and magic in a quest for collective understanding. But don’t let this intellectual spirituality fool you- Cloud uses only the most unhinged examples of the disgustingly divine to draw clouds of laughter from crowds that matter.
Plus comedians Derek Boskovich & Aaron Naylor!
For more info contact Michele at [email protected]
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.
Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.
Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.
Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.