Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
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.
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Volunteers from the Asheville Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force, Asheville on Bikes, the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and more have worked with representatives of the City of Asheville for 10 years to find out how many people are walking and bicycling in various locations around the city. You can help!
This year, in coordination with the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, we will count non-motorized users of our streets at a number of specific sites from 5-7 p.m. on one of the following dates:
*Tuesday, September 15th, OR
*Wednesday, September 16th, OR
*Thursday, September 17th.
There are also a few sites available from 7-9 a.m. on those days, and a few sites that are counted on Saturday, September 19th from 9-11 a.m. Volunteer hours are extremely valuable in this effort. No special skills are required, but we will make sure you know how to do the count before we send you out there. Sign up at Bike/Ped Site Registration or if you have questions, email [email protected].
If you are interested in what we have learned, you can see the 2019 report here.
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Volunteers from the Asheville Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force, Asheville on Bikes, the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club, and more have worked with representatives of the City of Asheville for 10 years to find out how many people are walking and bicycling in various locations around the city. You can help!
This year, in coordination with the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project, we will count non-motorized users of our streets at a number of specific sites from 5-7 p.m. on one of the following dates:
*Tuesday, September 15th, OR
*Wednesday, September 16th, OR
*Thursday, September 17th.
There are also a few sites available from 7-9 a.m. on those days, and a few sites that are counted on Saturday, September 19th from 9-11 a.m. Volunteer hours are extremely valuable in this effort. No special skills are required, but we will make sure you know how to do the count before we send you out there. Sign up at Bike/Ped Site Registration or if you have questions, email [email protected].
If you are interested in what we have learned, you can see the 2019 report here.
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor
The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.
Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.
Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor
The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

If you’re able to volunteer, all of us at MANNA, as well as recipients of food boxes across WNC, would be incredibly grateful for your support. If you’re unable to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate you spreading the word and letting friends, family members and neighbors know of the need for food assistance that exists right now and how they can help by volunteering with us here at MANNA.Those interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift on MANNA’s website. Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, and 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
MANNA NEEDS VOLUNTEERSWithout Key Groups of Volunteers, MANNA is Straining to Meet the Food Needs for 100,000 People Each Month

| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
|
|
|
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
***Tickets go on sale September 1***
Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.
Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor
The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

If you’re able to volunteer, all of us at MANNA, as well as recipients of food boxes across WNC, would be incredibly grateful for your support. If you’re unable to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate you spreading the word and letting friends, family members and neighbors know of the need for food assistance that exists right now and how they can help by volunteering with us here at MANNA.Those interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift on MANNA’s website. Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, and 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
MANNA NEEDS VOLUNTEERSWithout Key Groups of Volunteers, MANNA is Straining to Meet the Food Needs for 100,000 People Each Month

| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
|
|
|
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
***Tickets go on sale September 1***
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!

Volunteer at Estes Elementary School Community Garden and learn about Bountiful Cities, an outstanding organization devoted to sustainable urban agriculture and food sovereignty in Asheville!
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Volunteer OpportunitiesVolunteer roles range from:
- Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
- Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
- Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons!
- Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!
*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.Volunteer Perks
- Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
- You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
- FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!
Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.
Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor
The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

If you’re able to volunteer, all of us at MANNA, as well as recipients of food boxes across WNC, would be incredibly grateful for your support. If you’re unable to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate you spreading the word and letting friends, family members and neighbors know of the need for food assistance that exists right now and how they can help by volunteering with us here at MANNA.Those interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift on MANNA’s website. Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, and 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
MANNA NEEDS VOLUNTEERSWithout Key Groups of Volunteers, MANNA is Straining to Meet the Food Needs for 100,000 People Each Month

| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
|
|
|
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
***Tickets go on sale September 1***
Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.
Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor
The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

If you’re able to volunteer, all of us at MANNA, as well as recipients of food boxes across WNC, would be incredibly grateful for your support. If you’re unable to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate you spreading the word and letting friends, family members and neighbors know of the need for food assistance that exists right now and how they can help by volunteering with us here at MANNA.Those interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift on MANNA’s website. Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, and 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
MANNA NEEDS VOLUNTEERSWithout Key Groups of Volunteers, MANNA is Straining to Meet the Food Needs for 100,000 People Each Month

| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
|
|
|
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
***Tickets go on sale September 1***




