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.
Get the Early Registration Discount!
Learning with Lynda
Lynda.com is an online educational site that includes over 3,000 courses (and over 130,000 videos) in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production, and business. Normally, using lynda.com requires a paid subscription, but Buncombe County Public Library cardholders can access lynda.com content FREE with their library card number by following these instructions.
How to access lynda.com content with your library card:
Use the lynda.com button to go to the Buncombe County Library lynda.com login page (do not go directly to the Lynda.com homepage). If you are using a smartphone or tablet, use your device’s browser, not the lynda.com app.
At the login page, enter your library card number and PIN.
Once you are logged in, the next step is to create a personalized account by entering your name and e-mail address. This account can help manage your course history, playlists, bookmarks, and Certificates of Completion.
Be sure to write down your password. If you forget your password, you’ll have to contact lynda.com directly by phone at 1 (888) 335-9632.
Grab your friends, lace up your skates and shake up your weekly routine at The Well! Bon Secours Wellness Arena offers a friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy ice skating while listening to music and socializing with family and friends. Get a free skate rental when you donate! Bring 5 canned goods or a case of water to assist our STAGE partners, Loaves and Fishes and Habitat for Humanity.
Ice walkers are free and available first come, first served. Free parking is available in the VIP lot off of Church Street. Free ADA parking is available in the loading dock parking lot off of Academy Street.
Adults: $8 (age 7 and older)
Children: $6 (age 6 and under)
Skate Rental: $3
Group Rate (groups of 15 or more):
Adults and Children: $6
Skate Rental: $3
What begins as an innocent exploration of an old home, winds up taking siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter far beyond their wildest imaginations, as they step through a huge wardrobe, into a land where an evil witch has taken control and misery reigns. They soon realize they haven’t arrived in Narnia by chance, but have been brought here to play a very important part in restoring natural order and keeping the peace in this magical land.
By demonstrating love, keeping faith and showing courage, the children find they have the power triumph over evil and return Narnia to its rightful leader. Children and adults alike will be enthralled by this classic C.S. Lewis story.
From the story by C.S. Lewis; Dramatized by Joseph Robinette; Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois
Most enjoyed by children, ages 5 and up.
What begins as an innocent exploration of an old home, winds up taking siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter far beyond their wildest imaginations, as they step through a huge wardrobe, into a land where an evil witch has taken control and misery reigns. They soon realize they haven’t arrived in Narnia by chance, but have been brought here to play a very important part in restoring natural order and keeping the peace in this magical land.
By demonstrating love, keeping faith and showing courage, the children find they have the power triumph over evil and return Narnia to its rightful leader. Children and adults alike will be enthralled by this classic C.S. Lewis story.
From the story by C.S. Lewis; Dramatized by Joseph Robinette; Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois
Most enjoyed by children, ages 5 and up.
FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, & 24 (make-up, if needed: MARCH 2)—Mondays, 6–8 pm
Registration deadline: January 27
Soft pastel is the purest medium for painting vibrant colors. In this four-part class, explore color, texture, and design to create beautiful finished artworks. Practice blending, layering, and a variety of strokes and techniques, in addition to color theory, design, and individual expression.
Instructor Terrilynn Dubreuil has over 30 years’ experience encouraging people of all ages and abilities to realize they can be creative with helpful techniques and energy. With an undergraduate degree and graduate studies in fine art, she teaches most media through approaches that help newbies to more experienced artists, and everyone in between.
Adult Studio
The Museum’s studio program for adults offers a core curriculum in drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional media, and also explores the intersections between them. Local and visiting artists help students of all levels and abilities develop skills in media that reflect techniques and themes featured in the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions. Classes meet for 3–12 weeks, and are designed for anyone interested in exploring specific media in depth; daylong workshops introduce new media or processes. To add your name to our Adult Studio mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.
LEARN
Learn about how our cattle are raised from our farm director Asher Wright. He will discuss rotational grazing model, health benefits of grassfed beef and how various inputs on the production side impact the quality of the meat.
EAT
Enjoy a beautiful spread of our in-house made Charcuterie & a locally crafted adult beverage of your choice.
WATCH
Watch head butcher Brian Bermingham demonstrate how to break down each part of a quarter cow, explaining each step of the process along the way.
You’ll learn from our butcher about the differences between each cut, including how they differ in texture, flavor, and cooking requirements.
TAKE
Each participant will take home a portion of different cuts of beef from the class!
FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, & 24 (make-up, if needed: MARCH 2)—Mondays, 6–8 pm
Registration deadline: January 27
Soft pastel is the purest medium for painting vibrant colors. In this four-part class, explore color, texture, and design to create beautiful finished artworks. Practice blending, layering, and a variety of strokes and techniques, in addition to color theory, design, and individual expression.
Instructor Terrilynn Dubreuil has over 30 years’ experience encouraging people of all ages and abilities to realize they can be creative with helpful techniques and energy. With an undergraduate degree and graduate studies in fine art, she teaches most media through approaches that help newbies to more experienced artists, and everyone in between.
Adult Studio
The Museum’s studio program for adults offers a core curriculum in drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional media, and also explores the intersections between them. Local and visiting artists help students of all levels and abilities develop skills in media that reflect techniques and themes featured in the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions. Classes meet for 3–12 weeks, and are designed for anyone interested in exploring specific media in depth; daylong workshops introduce new media or processes. To add your name to our Adult Studio mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.
The Opportunity for Special Events to Help Build an Equitable and Inclusive Community
We know special events and festivals have long been employed as powerful tools in supporting business, motivating entrepreneurship, and promoting the arts. Additionally, the City of Asheville is focusing on special events and how they can help build an equitable and inclusive community. But government doesn’t just change on its own. What internal and external efforts are needed to maximize returns? Hear from the City’s Outdoor Special Events office about their collaborations with the City’s Office of Equity & Inclusion. Learn about the confines we’re all working within as community members, and why it takes an inside effort within government to push forward. Where are your opportunities to create and participate in special events that help build an equitable and inclusive community?
Speakers: City of Asheville Outdoor Event Manager Jon Fillman and Business Inclusion Manager Rosanna Mulcahy
The City of Asheville’s Community & Economic Development department is responsible for outdoor special event administration. This office develops and manages partnerships with organizations that produce events, coordinates support services, and oversees regulatory and permitting requirements for temporary uses of parks, streets, and undeveloped city-owned property.
Free for AAAC Members, $5 per talk for Non-Members. Registration is required.
See Kitty as you’ve never seen her before: EXERCISING (reluctantly) in the latest installment of the phenomenally successful New York Times–bestelling series. Kitty is terribly out of shape—she can barely torment Puppy without needing a break to huff and puff! When Kitty’s owner catches her wheezing, Kitty is told it’s time to EXERCISE. It takes some serious convincing, a high-stakes competition, and a little bit of trickery but eventually Kitty gets into the competitive spirit . . . albeit reluctantly. What did you expect? Will our favorite feline friend learn what it means to be a good sport? Find out in this hilarious addition to the Bad Kitty series.
Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series, including the CBC Children’s Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President.
Join us to kick of the tour for Nick Bruel’s newest book!
See Kitty as you’ve never seen her before: EXERCISING (reluctantly) in the latest installment of the phenomenally successful New York Times–bestelling series. Kitty is terribly out of shape—she can barely torment Puppy without needing a break to huff and puff! When Kitty’s owner catches her wheezing, Kitty is told it’s time to EXERCISE. It takes some serious convincing, a high-stakes competition, and a little bit of trickery but eventually Kitty gets into the competitive spirit . . . albeit reluctantly. What did you expect? Will our favorite feline friend learn what it means to be a good sport? Find out in this hilarious addition to the Bad Kitty series.
Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful Bad Kitty series, including the 2012 and 2013 CBC Children’s Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. Nick has also written and illustrated popular picture books, including A Wonderful Year. Nick lives with his wife and daughter in Westchester, New York. nickbruel.com
This event is free and open to the public. We ask that you purchase the books you want to be signed at our events from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are not only supporting the work it takes to run an events program, you are also telling the publishers that they should keep sending authors here. Can’t make it to the store for the event? Call us or order the book on our website in advance, and we’ll get it signed for you. Make sure you write your preferences in the comments if you purchase online.
Ready to go WILD? Join us for a trip “off the eaten path.” You’ll learn how to safely gather edible wild plants, mushrooms, and other “extreme cuisine.” Stay for a stunning view of the sunset and enjoy dinner at Vue 1913 featuring a free appetizer with the edibles you met on your tour. Suitable for all ages and abilities. To register or for more info, see here. Three-hour foraging tours also available, year-round, by arrangement.
Wild food is the ultimate natural food: ultra-local, fresher, more flavorful, 10 to 100 times more nutritious than its garden-variety descendants, AND it’s free! With over 300 wild edibles, Western North Carolina is the richest temperate ecosystem on Earth. For a taste of the wild life, forage ahead and experience the life of a modern hunter-gather firsthand. It’s a unique experience in self-catering, a memorable lesson in high-class survival.
Applications are due Feb. 21.
The Asheville Police Department (APD) is now inviting residents to apply for the spring semester of the Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA). Participants in this free course will learn about the daily work and operations of APD, while also giving the department an opportunity to obtain valuable feedback from the community.
The course will begin on March 5. Sessions are held each Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for 12 weeks. The course is held at the Municipal Building, 100 Court Plaza, in downtown Asheville. Dinner is provided.
The course consists of basic classroom instruction, presentations and demonstrations of topics such as criminal investigations, constitutional and criminal law, use of force, departmental structure and defensive tactics. Participants will also be given the opportunity to ride along with an officer.
Those wishing to participate must apply and be accepted. You can submit an application online at this link. Applications are due Feb. 21.
Environmental Education is crucial to what RiverLink does. We believe that in order for someone to protect their environment, they must first understand it. Our education programs focus on getting students out in the watershed for hands-on experiential learning. We help students foster a love and appreciation for their water resources by allowing them to see, hear and interact with their local waterways. As a result of engaging with our program we hope that students will be inspired to become the next generation of watershed stewards.
Forest Floor is offering sixteen different week-long camp options for ages ranging from K-10. Camps begin with the first week June 15-19 and end with the week of August 10-14. The program is structured to get kids out in the forest, exercising and playing, sharing stories and songs, solving challenges, and learning traditional crafts, wilderness skills, survival skills, and martial arts. Forest Floor programs are unique in the Asheville area because of the focus on Nature Connection Mentoring and helping children reach and exceed their potential.
Parents can drop their children off at Haw Creek Commons in Asheville between 8:30 – 9:00 AM daily, and then pick them up there between 3:00 – 3:30 PM. Camp staff will transport the children via passenger van to the forest location and back each day. An “After Camp” option with games and nature activities is available for parents who choose to pickup as late as 5:30 PM. After Camp can be reserved for specific days or the entire camp week.
The standard pricing for the camps is $295 per week including transportation. The Blacksmithing and Knife-making camps for Grades 6-10 only are priced at $384 per week. After Camp adds $15-30 per afternoon depending on the specific reservations. A payment plan and sibling discount are offered as well. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. Registrations are taken online in advance at the company website www.OnTheForestFloor.org.
About Forest Floor Wilderness Programs – Forest Floor Wilderness Programs (FFWP) is a unique Asheville provider of Nature-Connection Mentoring programs. FFWP was founded in 2011 by Executive Director Clint Corley to bring a nationally-proven youth mentoring model to the Asheville area. The group offers summer camps, and a wide variety of other programs including weekly programs for homeschool families, bi-weekly programs for teens & public school children, Saturday programs, family campouts, and workshops for adults.
Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center celebrated the opening of its newest traveling exhibit, “Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions” on Saturday, January 18, 2020. The exhibit will run through the July 4th weekend at MGM, located at 24 Water Street in Old Fort. Admission is free.
On Sat., Feb. 1, 10 to 11:30 am, John Bowen and Barb Harrison, Buncombe Master Gardener Volunteers, will hold workshops on Starting Seeds Indoors and How to Sharpen Pruning Tools.
John will discuss how to start your seeds indoors and their requirements. He will talk about supplies, when to start, soil, light, water, scarification, stratification, and more. We will provide you with free materials to get you started ~ seed starter soil, containers, and seeds to take home (limited quantities). Please bring your small pruning tools as Barb will demonstrate how to sharpen them. After the demo, we will have tables set-up for you to sharpen your tools to get them ready for your chores.
Workshops are held at the Black Mountain Library’s Education Room at 105 N. Dougherty Street. Our presentations are in partnership with Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library and Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.
What begins as an innocent exploration of an old home, winds up taking siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter far beyond their wildest imaginations, as they step through a huge wardrobe, into a land where an evil witch has taken control and misery reigns. They soon realize they haven’t arrived in Narnia by chance, but have been brought here to play a very important part in restoring natural order and keeping the peace in this magical land.
By demonstrating love, keeping faith and showing courage, the children find they have the power triumph over evil and return Narnia to its rightful leader. Children and adults alike will be enthralled by this classic C.S. Lewis story.
From the story by C.S. Lewis; Dramatized by Joseph Robinette; Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois
Most enjoyed by children, ages 5 and up.
Visit scchildrenstheatre.org for further details.
Winter Chautauqua kicks off the 2020 theme of “Reinventing America,” with Teddy Roosevelt. What better way to “Reinvent America” then with the Rough Rider, Nobel Prize winning President who stepped down at the height of his popularity to four years later bolt the Republican Party and challenge his hand picked successor? In ninety days, Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose” Party humbled a sitting president and decisively beat a party that had dominated national politics for forty years. American politics was never then same again.
Get ready to flat out be amazed as you meet – Teddy Roosevelt. You’ll laugh – you’ll be challenged – you’ll have lots of questions. And as always at Chautauqua, the audience is part of the show. Bring your stories. Share your experiences. Get inspired. Because it’s not just history – it’s personal.
For the past 15 years, Groundhog Day has been an annual tradition at Chimney Rock. On February 2 at 1pm, our furry little meteorologist, Greta, the Groundhog, will be making her yearly spring prediction as well as her Superbowl pick. This fun, family-friendly event also features a guided hike along the Great Woodland Adventure trail and animal encounters with other animal ambassadors. All festivities are included with Park admission. Mark your calendars as you will not want to miss this!
January 2 & 3
Asheville Art Museum
Join us for one or both afternoons of art-filled fun. Students in grades 1–4 spend their time creating art of all kinds. All supplies and a snack are provided. Students are encouraged to wear clothes that can get messy. Preregistration is required; register online now, or call 828.253.3227 x124 for more information or to register by phone.
What begins as an innocent exploration of an old home, winds up taking siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter far beyond their wildest imaginations, as they step through a huge wardrobe, into a land where an evil witch has taken control and misery reigns. They soon realize they haven’t arrived in Narnia by chance, but have been brought here to play a very important part in restoring natural order and keeping the peace in this magical land.
By demonstrating love, keeping faith and showing courage, the children find they have the power triumph over evil and return Narnia to its rightful leader. Children and adults alike will be enthralled by this classic C.S. Lewis story.
From the story by C.S. Lewis; Dramatized by Joseph Robinette; Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois
Most enjoyed by children, ages 5 and up.
Winter Chautauqua kicks off the 2020 theme of “Reinventing America,” with Teddy Roosevelt. What better way to “Reinvent America” then with the Rough Rider, Nobel Prize winning President who stepped down at the height of his popularity to four years later bolt the Republican Party and challenge his hand picked successor? In ninety days, Roosevelt’s “Bull Moose” Party humbled a sitting president and decisively beat a party that had dominated national politics for forty years. American politics was never then same again.
Get ready to flat out be amazed as you meet – Teddy Roosevelt. You’ll laugh – you’ll be challenged – you’ll have lots of questions. And as always at Chautauqua, the audience is part of the show. Bring your stories. Share your experiences. Get inspired. Because it’s not just history – it’s personal.
FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, & 24 (make-up, if needed: MARCH 2)—Mondays, 6–8 pm
Registration deadline: January 27
Soft pastel is the purest medium for painting vibrant colors. In this four-part class, explore color, texture, and design to create beautiful finished artworks. Practice blending, layering, and a variety of strokes and techniques, in addition to color theory, design, and individual expression.
Instructor Terrilynn Dubreuil has over 30 years’ experience encouraging people of all ages and abilities to realize they can be creative with helpful techniques and energy. With an undergraduate degree and graduate studies in fine art, she teaches most media through approaches that help newbies to more experienced artists, and everyone in between.
Adult Studio
The Museum’s studio program for adults offers a core curriculum in drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional media, and also explores the intersections between them. Local and visiting artists help students of all levels and abilities develop skills in media that reflect techniques and themes featured in the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions. Classes meet for 3–12 weeks, and are designed for anyone interested in exploring specific media in depth; daylong workshops introduce new media or processes. To add your name to our Adult Studio mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.
The Rhythmic Arts Project of Asheville will be hosting monthly classes at Pack Memorial Library for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. TRAP is dedicated to empowering and educating individuals with developmental disabilities through the power of percussion and music. Caretakers, parents, and family members are welcome to participate! This event is free, but you do need to register. Please visit the library web page and use the link on the calendar for this program or call 250-4718 to register for the class. Registration is required so we know how many participants to expect, there is no charge for this class.
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at