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.
During this year’s holiday break, forget all the craziness and bring the whole (drinking age) family & friends out to hear tales of triumph (but mostly hilarious tragedy) while drinking heavily. Starting its roots in Chicago, and hosted by the hilarius Alex Joyce, The Blackout Diaries is an interactive comedy show were standup comedians, plus ‘regular’ people (cops, firefighters, teachers, etc) tell true drinking stories with photos from the events. Then you, the audience, can ask questions.
The Blackout Diaries has been selected as ‘Critics’ Choice in The Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times and more. Segments from the show have appeared on Comedy Central, NPR, Sirius Radio and more. A review once described the show as “a reverse AA meeting”. We still don’t know if that was a positive review or not, but we feel it sums the show up well.
Alex Joyce has been performing stand up comedy for 13 years. After graduating from The University of Alabama he moved to Chicago where he studied at the Second City Training Center for Sketch Writing. He is co producer and performer in The Blackout Diaries, a weekly show at The Lincoln Lodge Theater where comedians tell wild drinking stories and the audience gets to ask questions. Joyce returns to Asheville regularly to visit family and perform. Joyce lives in Chicago.
Featuring Hilliary Begley. Patey Smith McDowell & Roman Fraden
During this year’s holiday break, forget all the craziness and bring the whole (drinking age) family & friends out to hear tales of triumph (but mostly hilarious tragedy) while drinking heavily. Starting its roots in Chicago, and hosted by the hilarius Alex Joyce, The Blackout Diaries is an interactive comedy show were standup comedians, plus ‘regular’ people (cops, firefighters, teachers, etc) tell true drinking stories with photos from the events. Then you, the audience, can ask questions.
The Blackout Diaries has been selected as ‘Critics’ Choice in The Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times and more. Segments from the show have appeared on Comedy Central, NPR, Sirius Radio and more. A review once described the show as “a reverse AA meeting”. We still don’t know if that was a positive review or not, but we feel it sums the show up well.
Alex Joyce has been performing stand up comedy for 13 years. After graduating from The University of Alabama he moved to Chicago where he studied at the Second City Training Center for Sketch Writing. He is co producer and performer in The Blackout Diaries, a weekly show at The Lincoln Lodge Theater where comedians tell wild drinking stories and the audience gets to ask questions. Joyce returns to Asheville regularly to visit family and perform. Joyce lives in Chicago.
Featuring Hilliary Begley. Petey Smith McDowell & Roman Fraden
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)
Comedian Jim Gaffigan announced new dates for his 2023/2024 BARELY ALIVE TOUR, with additional dates to be announced soon. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 6 at 10am (local time) with presale beginning Wednesday, October 4 th at 10am (local time/code: ALIVE) at JimGaffigan.com.
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)
The last Thursday every month is the Ashevillians Comedy Showcase!!!
Modelface Comedy brings you a villainous night of comedy so good it’s bad! Ashevillians Comedy Showcase is a celebration of some of the best comedians in the Mountains! Hosted each month by Ryan Gordon.
Featuring Ryan Cox and more!
ages 18+
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)
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This week we have Mandee McKelvey from Kentucky!
Mandee McKelvey was recently named one of the 50 best undiscovered comics in the country by Thrillist, and it’s not hard to see why. As one of the midwest’s most acclaimed stand-up comedians, Mandee is revered for her ability to spin tragedy into comedy, from growing up poor in South Carolina to becoming a widow in her 20’s. Wait, it gets funnier!
Mandee was named a breakout performer at Limestone Comedy Festival and the Memphis Comedy Festival, and has recently featured for Whitney Cummings, Michelle Wolf, Laurie Kilmartin, Tig Notaro, Todd Barry, and Anthony Jeselnik. Her one-woman show, My Left Boob, received the Underdog Award for it’s sold-out debut at the 2019 IndyFringe and Kansas City’s Best of Fringe award in 2022.
Mandee produces the celebrated roast show Character Assassination and the storytelling show We Still Like You.
ages 18+
Doors at 6:30pm, show at 7pm
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)
TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.
– SEATED SHOW
Asheville Vaudeville – Asheville’s LARGEST vaudeville show featuring WNC’s best comedy, juggling, magic, burlesque, acrobatics, aerial arts, short plays, puppetry, sideshow, music, and more! This show will be hosted by April Queen!
What’s This? A Spooky Christmas Comedy Show!
It’s almost Christmas and that is terrifying. Join Jack Skellington and crew at DSSOLVR on Christmas Eve Eve for a hilarious comedy showcase. Laugh it up and cheers to everyone you forgot to get gifts for. Or maybe just buy them tickets to the show, can’t think of a more perfect gift.
featuring: Christian Lee, Ryan Gordon, Petey Smith McDowell and more!!!
ages 21+
Doors at 10pm, show at 10:30pm
Local legend and famous Christmas enthusiast Cody Hughes is hosting a showcase of his favorite local and regional comics at Catawba Brewing this Christmas Eve.
Cody Hughes is a comedian from Asheville NC. He’s lived in a few different big cities and a lot of comedians like him and a lot of other comedians have heard good things about him from the comedians who like him. A few comedians don’t like him and he can’t do anything about that. Oh well. He has opened for Lewis Black, John Oliver, Maria Bamford, and many others. Cody’s first comedy special “Hello Fellow Human” is out now on the Four By Three Comedy YouTube channel.
ages 18+
doors at 6pm, show at 6:30pm
Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.
– FULLY SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE
Corey’s love for comedy started when he was a toddler watching Carson (and then Leno) from a blanket on the floor next to his daddy, Dale. By the second grade, Corey had already informed his teachers that he would be a comedian and didn’t ever consider another profession. At 16, he worked up the nerve to do his first open mic (lying about his age to be admitted into the club).
Corey spent the next decade hawking jokes in dingy bars and comedy clubs at night, then waking up to do random jobs to supplement his income. He was a house painter, retail associate, motorcycle salesman, urine sample collector, flower delivery boy, hotel maid, college textbook reseller, and hay bailer… at one point, he ran a family bakery with his mother and sister where he was considered the “Head Quiche Chef.”
In 2015 Corey traded in his chef’s hat for a full-time trucker hat. Under Corey’s trucker hat is a giant head, and under that are surprisingly thought-provoking rants on society, culture, and politics. His stand-up blends humor and common sense into a high-energy act full of silly physical comedy, recounting wild stories and emotionally-driven tangents.
Corey dreams of being in the small club of EGOT winners. His creative output is nearly insatiable and propelled by his passion for writing, performance, and silliness. Choosing to live in his hometown of Chickamauga, when Corey isn’t on the road touring internationally as part of the wellRED Comedy Tour, he takes hours-long walks through the woods, talks on the phone with his momma, and makes live videos to destigmatize mental health.
You can find daily videos and writing across Corey’s platforms. He makes viral character videos and political satire sketches, writes daily for his Substack subscribers, works on his upcoming second book, and produces more podcasts than you can count. Corey’s undeniable charm has garnered fans like Whoopi Goldberg, Chelsea Clinton, Leslie Jones, and Dave Bautista. His greatest honor has been connecting with people of all kinds, meeting fans on the road, and making his family proud, even if they cringe a little.
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This weekend we have former Asheville residents and current NYC comedians Tom Peters and Taylor Rodgers!!!
Tom Peters
Tom Peters is an NYC-based comedian. He has appeared in the New York Comedy Festival and is a contributor for The Onion, Reductress, and The Hard Times.
Taylor Rodgers
WNC native and currently based in NYC, many critics are calling Taylor Rodgers “the white Matt Rife”
Featuring Annie Russell
ages 18+
doors at 6:30pm, show at 7pm
Free Write to a Free Life
This online group is open to everyone, regardless of whether or not you consider yourself a writer. The writing technique we will be practicing sparks great creativity, and it can help you discover new things about yourself and create exciting possibilities for your writing and your life outside the group. It’s also a fantastic way to connect with other creatives and build community.
Here’s how the group is structured: I will give the group writing prompts, and we will all spend 7 to 10 minutes writing as fast as possible without editing. After that, you can share what you wrote or not; it’s entirely up to you. The group will then have a chance to comment on your work — if anyone so chooses. The only rule is that the comments should all be positive — this is not a writing critique group and negative comments erode the sense of safety we’re all aiming for. After doing this type of writing for close to 30 years, I can say with certainty that what you learn from the group’s feedback can be priceless — you will feel heard and supported in ways you would have never imagined, and often what you thought was terrible writing actually inspires someone.
Trigger warning: I do not believe in censoring people’s self-expression. We are using stream of consciousness where anything can pop up to the surface. Sometimes people write about their experiences with sexuality, substances abuse, etc. Sometimes we write about very mundane things, like the best coffee you ever had. You just never know. If you feel this type of sharing will be too triggering, you might think twice about joining the group.
Why join this group?
· You want to connect with others in a safe way. First, you never have to read your work aloud; you can share parts of your piece, give a general summary, or say nothing. Be aware that while reading your unedited work out loud can feel terrifying to some, I pride myself on creating an environment where it’s safe to share literally anything.
I promise you, in this group, we will not judge you. Neither on your writing nor on anything else. It’s in the sharing that magical and enduring connections are born. As people share their work, you can learn what makes them tick and what inspires and challenges them, so it’s easy to form authentic relationships.
· Your inner demons are getting unruly. This type of writing provides access to your subconscious mind, where you can find fresh insights on issues you’ve found vexing. I’ve been doing free writing for almost 30 years now, mostly because I find it very therapeutic, and at the risk of sounding melodramatic, I believe it has actually saved my life. You don’t always have access to a therapist right when you need one, but you always have access to your inner healer, and I find my way to this underappreciated-but-wise source through free writing. I’m not alone in this either. The NIH says that journaling is good for those suffering from PTSD (and I would say many other sources of angst as well). I have a psychology background and have worked in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I’ve worked in hospice too, and I am a trained life coach who often uses therapeutic writing with my clients.
**In my current work I have found that it is often writing, not talking, that leads to the most significant breakthroughs.**
· You want to slay your inner critic. Stream-of-consciousness writing allows you to bypass the inner critic, that dastardly bastard that blocks your creativity, stymies your healing-and often stops you from writing or doing much of anything.
Please note that due to the nature of the group, the doors close promptly at 7:10. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would rather have a private writing and/or coaching session with me than do this work in a group setting, I give a substantial discount to Meetup members, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at: [email protected].
TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.
The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.
No RSVP needed, just drop by!
Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.
Every Saturday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. PreGame Comedy features the best local comics and our favorites from all over.
Hosted by Clay Jones
Featuring TBA
ages 18+
doors at 6:30, show at 7pm
Every Sunday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This week we have Caleb Synan from Los Angeles for an early NYE show!
Caleb Synan is one of the hottest young comics in the country. (Funny AND good looking!) His unique background as a preacher’s kid from a small southern town gives him the ability to relate to any and every crowd — even though he’s a big old millennial who lives in LA. Want proof? He’s performed on CONAN (twice!), Last Comic Standing (once!), and his first Comedy Central special “30” in 2022 (You can watch it on YouTube!)
He’s also entertained our troops in South Korea and Japan. What a guy! It’s no wonder he won the title of “Wittiest” in Franklin County High School’s 2009 Yearbook. He even wrote this bio himself. And he’ll have a margarita with you if you play your cards right.
Featuring Jenny Jennings
ages 18+
Doors at 6pm, show at 6:30pm
Tickets
$20 advance, $25 day of
$25 premium seating (guaranteed table seating in the front three rows)
Food: No food sold at Catawba Brewing but outside food is allowed
Parkings options: Street parking around brewery and variety of pay lots around the building
Refund Policy: no refunds within 24 hours of the start of show or after
Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.
Jeff Allen’s rapid-fire humor, which centers on marriage and family, is a hit with all ages. A live comedy favorite, Jeff has appeared on Dry Bar Comedy, America’s Got Talent, Netflix, Amazon, Huckabee, Pure Flix, Showtime, Comedy Central, VH1, and more. He starred in the critically acclaimed film, Apostles of Comedy, the syndicated comedy series, Bananas, his own one-hour comedy special, Happy Wife, Happy Life, and the Warner Bros. comedy film, Thou Shalt Laugh. Jeff has been featured at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival and HBO’s Comedy Arts Festival. His Dry Bar Comedy videos have amassed over 400 million views on social media and other platforms, introducing him to tens of millions of new fans worldwide. At times both gut-wrenching and hilarious, Jeff’s new tour offers a unique glimpse into his crazy world.
About The Tour: Are We There Yet?
Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Join Lauren Harr, co-founder of Gold Leaf Literary Services, to ask burning questions about the book world, author events, and the business of writing.
This event is scheduled to occur monthly at the dates and times listed above.
To join, email [email protected] with the subject “I have a question!” and you’ll receive the Zoom link for the upcoming event.
Founded by two long-time booksellers in 2016, Gold Leaf Literary Services is dedicated to educating and assisting authors in various stages of their careers. For more, visit www.goldleafliterary.com.
Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.
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Join local writing coach, Cornelia Dolian at the Weaverville Library for this three part Memoir Writing Mini Series. Space is limited. Call 828-250-6482 to reserve a spot today! Session One: Memoir Basics & Beginnings Session Two: Memoir Structure and Outline Session Three: Memoir Writing Marathon First Miles Huge thanks to the Friends of the Weaverville Library for sponsoring this series! |
Join local writing coach, Cornelia Dolian at the Weaverville Library for this three part Memoir Writing Mini Series. Space is limited. Call 828-250-6482 to reserve a spot today!
Session One: Memoir Basics & Beginnings
Thursday, January 11th 2:00-3:30
Session Two: Memoir Structure and Outline
Thursday, January 18th 2:00-3:30
Session Three: Memoir Writing Marathon First Miles
Thursday, January 25th 2:00-3:30
Huge thanks to the Friends of the Weaverville Library for sponsoring this series!
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This week we bring you Winston Hodges and Matilda Epstein from Washington D.C.
Winston Hodges is from DC by way of Richmond. He’s toured all over the east coast showcasing his southern charm and edgy wit. His clips have been viewed a combined 4 million times! His award winning special Grieving Productively is available on YouTube and his label debut album Already Aware is available on Apple/Spotify/Amazon.
Winston has opened for Demetri Martin, Brian Regan, and Dave Attell to name a few.
Featuring Matilda Epstein and Kali Passafiume
ages 18+
Doors at 6:30, show at 7pm
FULLY SEATED SHOW
Todd Barry has released for one-hour stand-up specials including his latest one for, Domestic Shorthair.
He’s appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ,The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan and Late Night With Seth Meyers and his acting credits include The Wrestler, Road Trip, Flight of the Concords, Chappelle’s Show, Spin City, Sex and the City. You may have heard his voice on the animated series Bob’s Burgers, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
Todd is also the author of the critically-acclaimed 2017 travel memoir Thank You For Coming To Hattiesburg.
Every Friday evening Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country
“Where Ya From?” is a crowd work show (like the instagram clips y’all love so much). Come out to Catawba Brewing for a late night crowd work comedy showcase. This is your one chance to talk during the show and you don’t want to miss out
featuring Jess Cooley, Julia Macias, Matilda Epstein, Winston Hodges and more!
ages 18+
doors at 8:45pm, show at 9:15pm