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.
Brian got his start in DC before moving to New York City, performing on New Faces at Montreal Just For Laughs, and going on to win an Emmy for his writing on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He performs standup in NYC and on the road, hosts one of the hottest monthly comedy shows in Brooklyn, and has been selected to perform at a number of other festivals including Laughing Skull, Laughing Devil, Skankfest, Asheville Comedy Festival, Cinderblock, and the Boston Comedy Festival.
Featuring Erin Terry and Ben Daniels
Hosted by Becca Steinhoff
Doors at 9pm, show at 9:45
ages 18+
Tickets $8 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-brian-parise-tickets-64180743331
Ryan Singer is the epitome of a comic’s comic, all the while remaining accessible to mainstream audiences. He is unlike any other comedian working today – through stories of experiences in his own life, he dares to venture into the world of the esoteric, paranormal, and the mystical seeking ways to make us laugh at ourselves and understand our connectedness. At his core he operates from the viewpoint that, “It is more fun to believe,” and that shines through in his humble and head-on approach of confronting hefty topics and taking counter-culture stances. He beautifully takes the audience on a journey of the mind and through imagination to find the inspiringly funny. With an overall positive message in his material, Singer reminds us to re-embrace our intuition and go with our gut, all the while he’s trying to bust it.
Ryan has released 4 full-length albums FREE LOVE, IMMORTAL FOR NOW, COMEDY WONDER TOWN & HOW TO GET HIGH WITHOUT DRUGS, was a recurring character as himself on IFC’s MARON, been seen on Seeso and is the creator and host of one of the top Science & Medicine podcasts on iTunes, ME & PARANORMAL YOU, conducting in-depth interviews with people who possess paranormal abilities or have had extraordinary experiences. His most recent album FREE LOVE was selected as on of the Top 10 Comedy Albums of 2018 by Vulture.com. He was selected by LA Weekly as one of “10 LA Comics to Watch” for 2014, was mentioned in NY Magazine as a “Comic to Watch,” was one of 4 finalists in the original CMT’s Next Big Comic Contest, is a frequent guest on the WTF Podcast w/Marc Maron and the Bob & Tom Show, and his joke “United Snacks of America” has over 9 million listens on Pandora.
ages 18+
Tickets $8 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-ryan-singer-tickets-64204121255
Thursdays at Pulp Lounge, part of The Orange Peel in Downtown Asheville, Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic is a mix of professional local comedians, first-timers and everything in between!
Only $5, drink specials and FREE cookies are always part of the show!
Come have some fun with us, while you Sip & Sparkle!
Delicious libations (CBD can be added), and Finklepott’s Original Fairy Hair!
It’s going to be a Fairy-Good Time!
Jesse Barry, known for her soulful blues pipes and contagious enthusiasm on stage, began her music career at the tender age of eight years old. Influenced by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Carole King, Etta James, and Susan Tedeschi, Jesse has created her own, unique blues sound. She is often described as an “old soul” and audiences are stunned by the huge voice that comes out of her small body. Popularly known as “Skinny Legs” from Skinny Legs and All, a band she created as a teenager, Jesse has placed in the Mountain Xpress “Best Of” blues band category three years in a row, and has performed at B.B. King’s Club for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, and at the Springing the Blues Festival in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Jesse competed on the popular TV show “American Idol” in season 9 and has made a lasting impact on her hometown, Asheville, North Carolina. She has recorded 3 albums with Skinny Legs and All and is currently working with her blues, funk, and soul group Jesse Barry and The Jam, special events band A Social Function, and her new Steely Dan tribute band Dirty Logic.
Join us at Hickory Nut Gap to see Jesse Barry and The Jam perform, eat farm-to-fork food, and prepare to dance!
Casey Balsham is a comedian and cheese lover out of New York City. She has been seen on Gotham Comedy Live, Tidal’s No Small Talk series and can be heard as one of the co-hosts of the popular Not Another True Crime Podcast by Betches. Casey was also the lead in the Off Broadway musical HA! and wrote and starred in her own one woman show called “Casey Balsham Does A Thing”. She has an album coming out this summer and would really like you to follow her on Instagram @casefaceb.
Featuring Robby Slowik
Hosted by TBA
ages 18+
Tickets $8 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-casey-balsham-tickets-64181881736
Put on your dancing boots and join Friends of the Smokies for the 2nd annual “Smokies Stomp” Barn Party just outside of Asheville, NC. The Smokies Stomp supports projects and programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park like Parks As Classrooms, which brings thousands of schoolchildren into the Smokies every year. Folks will be treated to a gourmet farm-to-table dinner, live music, drinks, square dancing, and the opportunity to visit with rangers from the National Park Service. So come on out for fun and fundraising at the Smokies Stomp Barn Party!
Robby Slowik has been called “a national treasure and comedy’s most talented talent” by an anonymous reddit account that is definitely not controlled by Robby Slowik. Stop implying that it is.
And while those claims are true, it took time to get there. After starting comedy in Tampa, Fl (The cultural capital of the world) Robby moved to L.A. (The Tampa of California) before settling in New York City where he does stand-up most nights.
Aside from clubs and venues nationwide, Robby has done stand-up on Conan (TV!) and numerous festivals such as The Great American Comedy Festival and Laughing Skull.
He has also written for TV including working with Jon Stewart on his HBO project, as well as shows for IFC, MTV, and Comedy Central.
You can see where Robby is performing if he remembered to update the “shows” tab of his website this month.
Featuring Davidson Boswell and Casey Balsham
Hosted by TBA
ages 18+
Tickets $8 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-robby-slowik-tickets-64190083267
Asheville Joy Seekers!
Come get Sparkled with REAL F~A~I~R~Y H~A~I~R!
You can wash it,
brush it,
comb it,
curl it,
flat iron, (up to 450°!)
color it,
straighten it,
perm it,
blow it dry, get your haircut, etc.
Do whatever you normally do to your hair -but most of all; ENJOY IT!
Sign up here to reserve your spot and for more information:
http://bit.ly/Soma07232019
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.
Every Wednesday Epic Karaoke at Alley Cat Social Club.
Anything Goes 9pm until 2am
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.
An all star evening of secrets and truths. This immersive cabaret event will initiate you into a society of mysteries by our talented performers. High in the air or down on the earth, this show will amaze and enlist you to a wondrous otherworld.
Featured performers:
Carmel Clavin – Your Host
Luke Schares – Your Musician
Dana Beaufait Stevens – Your Bellydancer
Boo Velvet – Your Pole Artist
Satya Jvala – Your Aerialist
with Ella Minnope rounding out the cast
Encounter the Very Serious & Not At All Silly Disorder of the Key at this sumptuous display of variety talent!
Speakeasy, your loose lips could sink ships…
Produced by Spectacle & Mirth
$20 – General Admission – STANDING room only!
$28 – General Seating
$40 – VIP with preferred seating and swag
Mia Jackson is a bonafide Georgia peach (that’s Georgian for “native”) and self proclaimed know-it-all. After graduating from the University of Georgia she hit the local comedy scene and has thrilled audiences since day one. To her credit she has appeared on NickMom’s Night Out, Viceland and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and the movie Mother’s Day. In 2017, she was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Atlanta’s Creative Loafing named her the city’s Best Stand-Up. Smart, funny, and versatile, Mia entertains all types of crowds. She just filmed her Comedy Central special at the end of January.
Featuring Petey Smith McDowell
Hosted by Morgan Bost
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-friday-night-tickets-64202408131
SATURDAY: Doors at 9pm, show at 9:45pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-saturday-night-tickets-64203472314
Mia Jackson is a bonafide Georgia peach (that’s Georgian for “native”) and self proclaimed know-it-all. After graduating from the University of Georgia she hit the local comedy scene and has thrilled audiences since day one. To her credit she has appeared on NickMom’s Night Out, Viceland and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and the movie Mother’s Day. In 2017, she was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Atlanta’s Creative Loafing named her the city’s Best Stand-Up. Smart, funny, and versatile, Mia entertains all types of crowds. She just filmed her Comedy Central special at the end of January.
Featuring Petey Smith McDowell
Hosted by Morgan Bost
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-friday-night-tickets-64202408131
SATURDAY: Doors at 9pm, show at 9:45pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-saturday-night-tickets-64203472314
On Friday, September 6th, Asheville Investment Club (AIC) will host Big Scary Fish Tank, a fundraiser for local nonprofit, OnTrack WNC, as the capstone event of Asheville Entrepreneurship Week. The soirée will be held at the historic Asheville Masonic Temple where its exquisite, century-old theatre will serve as backdrop for the main attraction: a live pitch event wherein four local companies compete for $500,000 from local investors. The judge’s panel, made up of three core members from AIC and one guest from the community, will champion, challenge, and critique the contestants before proposing a deal. Audience members will also have an opportunity to vote for their favorite pitch, with the winner receiving a $5,000 investment.
Preceding the event will be an additional networking, cocktail, and hors d’ouervs hour. Noble Cider’s newest venture, The Greenhouse, will provide a premier selection of locally brewed craft beer, interesting wines, superb cider, and two specialty themed cocktails. 67 Biltmore, known for elevated catered options, will be supplying the canapés. Through the hallway and into the theatre, guests will have an opportunity to step into an alternate world with an immersive virtual reality experience brought to you by Better Than Unicorns.
All proceeds will benefit local nonprofit, OnTrack WNC, who’s mission is to educate, counsel and support people in reaching their money and housing goals so they can overcome crises, afford basic needs, improve money management skills and make sound financial choices rooted in their values.
Tickets now on sale for Big Scary Fish Tank, to take place Friday, September 6, 2019, from 6-9pm. The evening will be an ideal networking opportunity for entrepreneurs, community leaders, and all-around movers and shakers of Asheville. Expected attendees include founders, CEOs, investors, politicians, bloggers, media, and members of the local community.
For more information please visit www.bigscaryfishtank.com. Follow Big Scary Fish Tank on Instagram at @bigscaryfishtank.
Rob Christensen is a stand up comedian, writer, and actor who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY – when it was still dangerous. He now lives in Los Angeles, CA where he’s all about that salad life. Rob’s unique humor is smart, self-reflective, spirited, and informed by his experiences back in Brooklyn as an illegal graffiti artist, freestyle rap battler, raver, hooligan and eventual U.S. Air Force Sergeant. Overall, Rob is generally known as a bad-ass ruffian, which does not preclude him from regularly cuddling with baby animals.
Rob had one of the best sets of his life taping THIS IS NOT HAPPENING for Comedy Central and one of the best weekends of his life taping ADAM DEVINE’S HOUSE PARTY for Comedy Central. He had one of the worst sets of his life taping LAST COMIC STANDING for NBC where Roseanne Barr told him, “I didn’t like you from the moment I saw you.”
Follow him @RobLovesBagels on Twitter and Instagram or get more info at BrooklynRob.com
Featuring Jess Cooley
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-rob-christensen-friday-tickets-67283704371
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-rob-christensen-saturday-tickets-67287882869
?Saturday, September 7th 11am-6:30pm
✨ASHEVILLE✨
Hickory Nut Gap Farm Renaissance Faire
57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview, North Carolina 28730
***PLEASE NOTE THERE IS AN ENTRANCE FEE***
Sign up here to reserve your spot and for more information:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044BA5AB2FA1FA7-hickory3
Attention all knights, pages, jesters, jousters, kings, queens, princesses and princes! Get your costumes ready, and come out and have some fun on September 7th! Boys, girls, moms, dads, come one, come all to the First Annual Renaissance Fair at the Farm. We have all sorts of fun demonstrations planned, such as fencing, sword fighting, and juggling. Other activities to be announced, including a costume contest!
Rob Christensen is a stand up comedian, writer, and actor who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY – when it was still dangerous. He now lives in Los Angeles, CA where he’s all about that salad life. Rob’s unique humor is smart, self-reflective, spirited, and informed by his experiences back in Brooklyn as an illegal graffiti artist, freestyle rap battler, raver, hooligan and eventual U.S. Air Force Sergeant. Overall, Rob is generally known as a bad-ass ruffian, which does not preclude him from regularly cuddling with baby animals.
Rob had one of the best sets of his life taping THIS IS NOT HAPPENING for Comedy Central and one of the best weekends of his life taping ADAM DEVINE’S HOUSE PARTY for Comedy Central. He had one of the worst sets of his life taping LAST COMIC STANDING for NBC where Roseanne Barr told him, “I didn’t like you from the moment I saw you.”
Follow him @RobLovesBagels on Twitter and Instagram or get more info at BrooklynRob.com
Featuring Jess Cooley
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-rob-christensen-friday-tickets-67283704371
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-rob-christensen-saturday-tickets-67287882869
✨ASHEVILLE✨ Come out for some fun with Finklepott’s Original Fairy Hair!
You can wash it,
brush it,
comb it,
curl it,
flat iron, (up to 450°!)
color it,
straighten it,
perm it,
blow it dry, get your haircut, etc.
Do whatever you normally do to your hair -but most of all; ENJOY IT!
Sign up here to reserve your spot and for more information:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b044ba5ab2fa1fa7-whole7
?Thursday, September 12th 5:00pm-7:00pm
✨HENDERSONVILLE✨
Elite, Luxury Consignment & Boutique
178 Four Seasons Mall , Hendersonville, NC 28792
Sign up here to reserve your spot and for more information:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B044BA5AB2FA1FA7-elite1
A born & raised Cincinnati comedian, Ran Barnaclo has proven himself a front runner in the local scene after winning the title of 2017’s Funniest Person in Cincinnati. Ran has also been nominated as ‘Best Comedian’ in Best of Cincinnati’s 2018 locally voted contest.
Ran’s comedy is full of calculated descriptions that have audiences laughing for days. His story telling abilities are so aggressively masterful they can take the crowd out of their seats and into the mind of a tattooed wizard.
Ran has been able to build a fan base at his home club, Go Banana’s Comedy Club; located right outside of Cincinnati. He has shared the stage with national headliners such as Cy Admundson, Sean Patton, Kyle Kinane, and has done CYSK in NYC and The Brew Ha-Ha comedy Festival.
-Anna Mazza
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-ran-barnaclo-tickets-67290350249
Friday Night- 6:30-8:30pm, Full Retreat (9/13 and 9/14)- 9:30am-5:30pm
Based his new book, Drinking from the River of Light, this Mark Nepo workshop will center on the lifelong process of listening, reflecting, and expressing, and on how bearing witness to the truth of living reveals the mysteries of life.
As no one can live without inhaling and exhaling, no one can live without feeling and expressing. The life of expression is how the heart breathes and how our spirit grows in the life that carries it. The life of feeling, dialogue, and writing, whatever form they take—poetry, story, memoir, or reflection—open us to a personal form of expression, a necessary conversation with the Universe that helps us move through obstacles and transitions. As meditation is an ancient art that deepens our relationship to how we breathe, writing and storytelling are ancient arts that deepen our relationship to all that matters. And just as the reward for practicing meditation is not that we’ll become great breathers but that we’ll become clear vessels of life-force, the reward for practicing a personal form of expression is not that we’ll become great writers or great storytellers but that such practice will help us be more resilient and wake closer to life.
In this Mark Nepo workshop, Mark will open a heart space through which participants can discover their own rhythms of expression. Through poetry, stories, and metaphors, Through reflection, journaling, and dialogue, each participant will have the chance to practice listening and expressing. We are constantly being shaped by life into finer instruments of care and expression. The deeper we go, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. This workshop will help you to inhabit a personal form of expression, by which you can strengthen your connections and find your way.
Topics in this Mark Nepo workshop include “The Chord in Our Heart,” “What It Means to See,” “Bearing Witness,” “Unraveling the Self,” “Giving and Getting Attention,” “Breaking Surface,” “Understanding Practice,” and “Fitting Things Together.”
Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for forty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published fourteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes: Reduced to Joy (2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen which won the 2012 Books for a Better Life Award, Staying Awake (2012), Holding Nothing Back (2012), As Far As the Heart Can See (2011), Finding Inner Courage (2011),and Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (2007), as well as audio books of The Book of Awakening, Finding Inner Courage, and As Far As the Heart Can See (2011). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.
Jake Marshall Head is a southern stand-up comedian living in New York City. Jake made his television debut on Fox’s “Laughs.” He has been a regular guest on SiriusXM, and he’s appeared at numerous festivals around the country, including Comedy Central’s South Beach Festival, Laughing Skull Fest, & Seattle International Comedy Competition.
Featuring Mimi J Benfield
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-jake-head-tickets-67294889827
?Wednesday, September 18th 3:00pm-5:00pm
✨ASHEVILLE✨
The Garage On 25
3461 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, NC 28732
Sign up here to reserve your spot and for more information:
https://www.signupgenius.com/…/60B044BA5AB2FA1FA7-thegarage1
Live music, food, and family fun! Deep River will be performing. The name ‘Deep River’ conjures up thoughts about the natural circle of life, and that’s exactly how one might describe their music—stories of love and loss told in the context of family-style harmonies and danceable rhythms. The Deep River just keeps rolling…
Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign.
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967
We’ll gather under the last evening skies of summer to observe the night sky and its wonders. Local astronomer Stephan Martin will give a tour of the stars and constellations of the summer sky while discussing some of their myths and the astronomical phenomena happening at this time. We may even see a few Taurid meteors cross our skies! All ages are welcome and no background in astronomy or science is required.
Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign.
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967