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.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Blues, Ballads, & Mantras—The Greenblues in Concert at Flood Gallery
Jul 9 @ 7:00 pm – Jul 10 @ 9:00 pm
Flood Gallery Fine Art Center

Join us for an intimate evening of eclectic music by this local, powerful duo!
Greenblues brings a message of world thought, and is often seasoned with eastern and African musical stylings. Many traditions are blended into a unique eclectic style, creating a very original kaleidoscope of sound, while maintaining the intimacy of a duet. The group consists of: Ashley Rae – vocals & percussion and Mike Gilmore – guitars, bouzouki & hand drums. Concert is free or $5-10 suggested donation.

Friday, July 12, 2019
Eyes Up Here Comedy (early show)
Jul 12 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Fleetwood's

Eyes Up Here Comedy is back!!! The amazing Erin Terry is back in Asheville with another group of incredible femme comics from all over the South East!
Featuring Allie Steinhoff, Morgan Bost, Chloë Marie Stillwell and more!

Sponsored by Hi-Wire Brewing & BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair

Don’t forget to bring items to donate to the Homeless Period Project for chances to win great prizes from BRÖÖ and Hi-Wire Brewing!

All VIP tickets will receive a gift bag from BRÖÖ and VIP seating at the shows, but limited number of VIP seats available!

Tickets:
Early Show: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eyes-up-here-comedy-early-show-tickets-64587077688
Early VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eyes-up-here-comedy-early-show-vip-ticket-tickets-64587138871

Late Show: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eyes-up-here-comedy-late-show-tickets-64587169964
Late VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eyes-up-here-comedy-late-show-vip-ticket-tickets-64587264246

Saturday, July 13, 2019
Jelly Ellington Live
Jul 13 @ 8:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Isis Music Hall

Jonathan “Jelly” Ellington is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter based in Austin, TX by way of the mountains of Asheville, NC. His vocals are smooth and soulful with an edgy guitar style, chiming in elements of raw and expressive blues-based rock n’ roll. Jelly has developed a reputation for exciting and untamed live performances, and has shared the stage and recorded with Grammy Award-winning artists. He has been making his mark on the Austin scene, voted Top 10 “Best Guitarist” in 2018 and 2019 Austin Chronicle Austin Music Awards.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Comedy at Fleetwood’s: Ryan Singer
Jul 16 @ 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Fleetwood's

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

Thursday, July 18, 2019
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic
Jul 18 @ 9:00 pm
Pulp Lounge

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!

Friday, July 19, 2019
AshevilleFairyHair.com at Asheville Dispensary
Jul 19 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Asheville Dispensary

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!

Summer Concert Series: Jesse Barry and The Jam
Jul 19 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Nut Gap Farm

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!

LaZoom Comedy: Casey Balsham
Jul 19 @ 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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

Saturday, July 20, 2019
Friends of the Smokies Stomp
Jul 20 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
HIckory Nut Gap Farm

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!

Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Anything Goes Karaoke
Jul 31 @ 9:00 pm
Alley Cat Social Club

Every Wednesday Epic Karaoke at Alley Cat Social Club.
Anything Goes 9pm until 2am

Wednesday, August 28, 2019
WNC Declassified: Local History Discoveries in Secret Documents
Aug 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

WNC Declassified:Local History Discoveries in Secret Documents

Join WNC Magazine senior editor and Friends of the North Carolina Room board member Jon Elliston as he recaps his yearlong written series with a multimedia presentation in the Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library.

Learn more about:

**Asheville’s Fascist: William Dudley Pelley’s obscure but infamous Silver Shirt movement lives on in his paper trail

**Swannanoa’s Superspy: Carl Duckett’s unlikely journey from small-town roots to top CIA official

**Rosman’s Spy Base: When the National Security Agency set up a mountain espionage station, it was a hard secret to keep

**Senator Sam Ervin’s Secret Wars: He stuck to the Constitution through clashes with McCarthy, the Army, CIA, and Nixon

**School Under Scrutiny: The FBI’s files on Black Mountain College tell a little-known story of art, politics, and surveillance

Local Author Launches Debut Novel at Malaprops Pop-Up
Aug 28 @ 7:00 pm
Malaprop’s Pop-Up in downtown Hendersonville

My name is Meagan Lucas and I am a Hendersonville-based writer. I’m having a book launch for my debut novel, Songbirds and Stray Dogs, at the new Malaprop’s Pop-Up in downtown Hendersonville.

In Songbirds and Stray Dogs, 21 year old Beaufort waitress, Jolene, has spent the majority of her life living in the shadow of the pain her mother caused, and trying to prove herself worthy of her Aunt’s stingy love. Unintentionally pregnant and abandoned again, Jolene tries to outrun her shame in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Penniless, alone, and chased by demons from her past, she is forced to confront her mother’s legacy, and her own fear. Song Birds and Stray Dogs is a Southern story, born of sweet tea and the Bible Belt, chow-chow and cornbread, shot guns and porch rocking. But it is also a universal story of escaping the burden of your past and finding yourself at home in a strange land.

Thursday, August 29, 2019
Kathy Izard: The Hundred Story Home
Aug 29 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Kathy Izard: Reading & Signing "The Hundred Story Home" w AHOPE

Teen – (grades 6-12), Adult

Join us at Pack Memorial Library to welcome Kathy Izard, author of “The Hundred Story Home” and children’s book, “A Good Night for Mr. Coleman.” She will be conducting a reading followed by a Q&A with guests from AHOPE Day Center- Homeward Bound of WNC.

Kathy Izard is an award-winning author and speaker who helped bring transformation to Charlotte in homelessness, housing and mental health. Her memoir “The Hundred Story Home” has been featured on NPR and the TODAY Show and inspires people to be changemakers in their communities. kathyizard.com

Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe will be here for book sales and help with the book signing.

Program is free and everyone is welcome. Doors open at 5:30.

Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Speakeasy!
Aug 29 @ 7:00 pm
The Orange Peel

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

Friday, August 30, 2019
Arms and The Man Readers Theatre ACT
Aug 30 @ 2:30 pm
ACT: 35below

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

LaZoom Comedy: Mia Jackson (Friday Night)
Aug 30 @ 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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

Saturday, August 31, 2019
Arms and The Man Readers Theatre ACT
Aug 31 @ 2:30 pm
ACT: 35below

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

LaZoom Comedy: Mia Jackson (Saturday Night)
Aug 31 @ 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
LaZoom Room

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

Sunday, September 1, 2019
Arms and The Man Readers Theatre ACT
Sep 1 @ 2:30 pm
Reuter Center on UNCA’s campus

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.

Saturday, September 7, 2019
Renaissance Faire at the Farm
Sep 7 @ 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Nut Gap Farm

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!

Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Ninth Street Women: Five Painters and the Movement that Changed Modern Art
Sep 10 @ 12:00 pm
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café

Set amid the most turbulent social and political period of modern times, Ninth Street Women is the impassioned, wild, sometimes tragic, always exhilarating chronicle of five women who dared to enter the male-dominated world of 20th-century abstract painting—not as muses but as artists. These women changed American art and society, tearing up the prevailing social code and replacing it with a doctrine of liberation. In Ninth Street Women, acclaimed author Mary Gabriel tells a remarkable and inspiring story of the power of art and artists in shaping not just postwar America but the future.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Dale Neal presents Appalachian Book of the Dead
Sep 11 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe

| A mystery novel set in Yonah, N.C.

Thursday, September 12, 2019
Ramble Ladies Evening Book Club
Sep 12 @ 7:00 pm
contact organizer

Second Thursday each Month
If you are interested in joining the Ramble Ladies Evening Book Club held the second Thursday of each month at 7pm, please, contact Judy Deutsch at [email protected].
LaZoom Comedy: Ran Barnaclo
Sep 12 @ 8:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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, September 13, 2019
Mark Nepo, Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression
Sep 13 @ 6:30 pm – Sep 14 @ 5:30 pm
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville, Reuter Center

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.

Saturday, September 14, 2019
LaZoom Comedy: Jake Head
Sep 14 @ 9:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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

Friday, September 20, 2019
Summer Concert Series: Deep River
Sep 20 all-day
Hickory Nut Gap Farm

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…

LaZoom Comedy: Valerie Tosi (Friday Night)
Sep 20 @ 9:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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

Saturday, September 21, 2019
Late Summer Stargazing at the Farm
Sep 21 @ 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Hickory Nut Gap Farm

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.

LaZoom Comedy: Valerie Tosi (Saturday Night)
Sep 21 @ 9:00 pm
LaZoom Room

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