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.
“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Written in just 10 days as a tribute to his sister Susan by playwright Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously acerbic verbal lacerations, the play deepens when the spunky Shelby (who is diabetic) contradicts her doctor’s advice and risks pregnancy. Steel Magnolias exemplifies the universal and unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love.
By Lauren Gunderson
Produced by Immediate Theatre Project
Four badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.
From the people who brought you Silent Sky comes this grand and dream-tweaked comedy about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.
Discretionary Content: Adult themes and badass ladies
Possibly Shakespeare’s wackiest play, CYMBELINE features a panoply of Shakespeare’s greatest hits: orphaned royalty, mistaken identities, a cross-dressing heroine, a beheading, a war against Rome, poison that doesn’t really kill you, and more! Modern-day added characters Actor 1 and Actor 2 provide much-needed plot recaps and commentary on the action, and a rewritten ending provides some necessary catharsis. This whirlwind performance is one you won’t want to miss!
With: Molly Graves, Zak Hamrick, Christine Hellman, Erin McCarson, Alex McDonald, Jon Stockdale, Eric Vik, and Paul Vonasek.
Written (mostly) by: William Shakespeare.
Directed by: Melon Wedick.
Written and directed by Jimmy Ferraro
Approximate Run Time: 2 hour
Rating: PG — some material may not be suitable for children.
The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to invite You to the Palace Garden Tea…
Each summer Her Majesty hosts the Palace Garden Tea. This year an UNinvited guest has eluded Palace Security, and the arrival is causing panic! As the mystery unravels, we find the Royals worried about the intruder and the staff with something much more important on their minds! MURDER!!! The suspects are lined up…WHO DONE IT? Could it have been our beloved Queen? Her American nephew? The Queen’s Escort? The Cook? The Maid? The Housekeeper? or perhaps The Inspector, himself? YOU identify the culprit and YOU solve the crime!
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
Spring at Biltmore, one of the estate’s most glorious seasons, invites you to experience a spring break mountain escape with all the charm of a European retreat. Immerse yourself in thousands of colorful tulips as Biltmore Blooms transforms our gardens and grounds. Explore Italian Renaissance Alive and Ciao! From Italy. Savor our Winery’s award-winning vintages and, of course, the timeless elegance of Biltmore House.
- Daytime access to 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds, including:
- 75+ Acres of formal and informal gardens
- 20+ Miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails
- Antler Hill Village & Winery
- Complimentary Wine Tasting
- Complimentary Parking
Gardens & Grounds admission does NOT include Biltmore House entry.
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Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Included with admission
Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:
- An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
- A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
- Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels
Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
Spring at Biltmore, one of the estate’s most glorious seasons, invites you to experience a spring break mountain escape with all the charm of a European retreat. Immerse yourself in thousands of colorful tulips as Biltmore Blooms transforms our gardens and grounds. Explore Italian Renaissance Alive and Ciao! From Italy. Savor our Winery’s award-winning vintages and, of course, the timeless elegance of Biltmore House.
- Daytime access to 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds, including:
- 75+ Acres of formal and informal gardens
- 20+ Miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails
- Antler Hill Village & Winery
- Complimentary Wine Tasting
- Complimentary Parking
Gardens & Grounds admission does NOT include Biltmore House entry.
Come to the Moogseum on Tuesday, May 23 as the downtown Asheville museum celebrates what would have been the late Bob Moog’s 89th birthday.
Space is extremely limited.
“Bob’s Electric Birthday”⚡includes afternoon Moogseum tours guided by our executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa, and in the evening only, a live demo of the Moog modular heard on the soundtrack to “Apocalypse Now,” from legendary synthesizer pioneer, composer, producer, and Herbie Hancock collaborator Patrick Gleeson — a lifelong friend of Bob Moog. This is followed by an interview with Michelle Moog-Koussa about Gleeson’s storied career and lifelong friendship with Bob, followed by a Q&A with the audience, and a short DJ set.
An electronic music icon, Gleeson has worked with and was personally invited by Herbie Hancock to join Hancock’s band, served as the master synthesist for the soundtrack to “Apocalypse Now,” and co-engineered “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,” David Byrne and Brian Eno‘s influential 1981 album.
Gleeson resigned from a job as a university professor in the mid-’60s to experiment with electronic music, eventually founding San Francisco’s Different Fur Studios, and by the ‘70s, touring with Herbie Hancock. Now 88 years old, he returns to live performance as a DJ, solo artist, and as part of a trio.
This event offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Dr. Patrick Gleeson demonstrating the Moog modular he used as master synthesist for the “Apocalypse Now” soundtrack.
⚡⚡11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.: Take a special tour of the Moogseum guided by Bob Moog’s daughter
“Bob’s Electric Birthday” includes tours of the Moogseum, the museum dedicated to sharing exhibits that bring Bob Moog’s legacy to life, guided by the Moogseum’s executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa — Bob’s daughter.
Moog-Koussa has not guided a public Moogseum tour since 2019. This event marks a rare opportunity to gain special insight into the Moogseum’s exhibits, the Moog Family Archives, and Bob Moog himself.
Moogseum tours with Michelle Moog-Koussa start at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. These tours include birthday cake, coffee, champagne, and a gift bag from the Moogseum store.
During the tours, Moog-Koussa will share historical photos from the Moog Family Archives, a private archive of materials unavailable to the public, and read from the new Bob Moog biography from Oxford University Press, “Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution.”
A Q&A with Moog-Koussa follows the reading, followed by time to continue exploring the museum and enjoy birthday refreshments in honor of Bob’s birth in 1934.
Tour tickets are $20 per person. Get tickets here: https://bit.ly/BobsBirthday2023
Space is extremely limited, and only 30 tickets are available per tour.
⚡⚡ 7 p.m.: An Evening With Synthesist Patrick Gleeson
Patrick Gleeson’s Moog modular heard in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now,” now on permanent exhibition at the Moogseum.
At 7 p.m., Patrick Gleeson demonstrates the Moog modular heard on “Apocalypse Now.” Afterward, Moog-Koussa interviews him about his storied career and his lifelong friendship with Bob, followed by a Q&A with the audience and a short DJ set.
Dr. Gleeson has a deep connection to the instrument: he’s its original owner.
Later owners included Don Preston of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, who used it on recordings and on tour; and Walter Holland of Holland Synthesizers, a founding member of Amber Route.
An Evening With Patrick Gleeson includes a gift bag of Moogseum swag, admission to the Moogseum, and birthday cake and beverages.
Tickets for An Evening with Patrick Gleeson: Live Moog modular demonstration, Michelle’s interview with Dr. Gleeson, and short DJ set are $30 | https://bit.ly/BobsBirthday2023
Space is extremely limited, and only 30 tickets are available per tour.
⚡⚡ VIP lunch with Dr. Patrick Gleeson
Want to spend time with an electronic music icon who’s worked with and was personally invited by Herbie Hancock to join Hancock’s band, Mwandishi, served as the master synthesist for “Apocalypse Now,” and co-engineered “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”?
VIP tickets for lunch with Patrick Gleeson are available here: https://bit.ly/BobsBirthday2023
Lunch tickets are $150 and include admission to An Evening with Patrick Gleeson.
Space is extremely limited, and only 4 (four) tickets are available for the VIP lunch.
“Electric Birthday” tickets
Purchase your tickets for the guided Moogseum tours, An Evening With Patrick Gleeson, and the VIP lunch with Dr. Gleeson here: https://bit.ly/BobsBirthday2023
Discounts are available for those who wish to attend multiple Electric Birthday events.
The deadline to purchase tickets is May 22.
The Moogseum is located at 56 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.
We are excited to bring this special package to you and your loved ones. It’s super easy!
- Pick your show date – June 14, 17, 21, 24 (Evening only)
- Choose 2 Adult Seats and 2 Student Seats
- At Checkout, discount will be applied
Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!
Your wish is granted!
If you have any problems, our Box Office is happy to help!
828.693.0731
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Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Included with admission
Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:
- An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
- A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
- Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels
Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL.
Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music.
Directed by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, upcoming 1776) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, JAGGED LITTLE PILL stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway” (The New York Times).
You live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human… at JAGGED LITTLE PILL.
Please note there is no Sunday evening performance of Jagged Little Pill.Beginning mid-July, Sunday evening subscribers will be placed into the best available seats in alternate performances of Jagged Little Pill based on preference.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a tribe of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest.
The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in early summer, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County.
You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Cradle of Forestry team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30pm.
Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event!
In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants.
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Included with admission
Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:
- An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
- A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
- Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels
Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.
“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Written in just 10 days as a tribute to his sister Susan by playwright Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously acerbic verbal lacerations, the play deepens when the spunky Shelby (who is diabetic) contradicts her doctor’s advice and risks pregnancy. Steel Magnolias exemplifies the universal and unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love.
Broadway Peace Talks give audiences a deeper dive into the history, inspiration and people who bring our shows to life on stage. Join Dr. Kristin Pressley (Dr. Broadway) and other Broadway lovers every month at the Peace Center for these presentations.
Enrollment is now open for two adult improvisation acting classes offered by Hendersonville Theatre (HT). Classes will be taught by professional improvisation actor and comedian Emily Swindal. Both classes are open to anyone over the age of 18, regardless of experience level.
Improv Level One: Communicate. Collaborate. Play. meets on Wednesdays from April 5 to May 24. Tuition is $180. In the class, students will work at getting comfortable on stage while having fun doing it. Students will learn to have compassion for themselves and their classmates as performers as they learn the fundamentals of improvisation and develop support and spontaneity. Together, they will learn the importance of “yes-and-ing,” heightening the absurdity and raising the stakes. They will also cover the differences between short form and long form improv. This is a short form class similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway?
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL.
Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE—everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music.
Directed by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, upcoming 1776) with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, JAGGED LITTLE PILL stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway” (The New York Times).
You live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human… at JAGGED LITTLE PILL.
Please note there is no Sunday evening performance of Jagged Little Pill.Beginning mid-July, Sunday evening subscribers will be placed into the best available seats in alternate performances of Jagged Little Pill based on preference.
“Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.” Written in just 10 days as a tribute to his sister Susan by playwright Robert Harling, Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorously acerbic verbal lacerations, the play deepens when the spunky Shelby (who is diabetic) contradicts her doctor’s advice and risks pregnancy. Steel Magnolias exemplifies the universal and unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love.
By Lauren Gunderson
Produced by Immediate Theatre Project
Four badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.
From the people who brought you Silent Sky comes this grand and dream-tweaked comedy about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.
Discretionary Content: Adult themes and badass ladies
7:45 PM – 8:30 PM
DOORS OPEN 7:30 PM
A show brought to you by our Hendersonville Theatre Level One Improv Class! Come check out this student show and see what our educational program is all about! This is a free event open to the public! Donations will be accepted to benefit educational programs at Hendersonville Theatre.
Improv photo courtesy of Jules Buckman: www.julsbuckmanphotography.com
Improv Level One: Communicate. Collaborate. Play.
Teacher: Emily Swindal
Featuring:
Laura Altomare
Michele Belknat
Julia Cohen
Stan Coss
Jerry Fitzgerald
Renae Gregoire
Craig Gregoire
Andrew Mundhenk
Adam Safer
Margo Santoro
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a tribe of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest.
The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in early summer, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County.
You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Cradle of Forestry team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30pm.
Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event!
In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants.