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.
Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.
Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.
Winter Lights is a spectacular open-air walk-through light show made from over one million lights! Located at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina, this year’s event features favorites like the famously tall 50-foot lighted tree and the Quilt Garden, along with enchanting new details designed to delight and surprise. All prices are per vehicle. No pets allowed.
Winter Lights features live entertainment nightly and food and beverages from the Bent Creek Bistro, the Cocoa Shack and the Cocoa Cabin! Open nightly from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.
Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.
Winter Lights is a spectacular open-air walk-through light show made from over one million lights! Located at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina, this year’s event features favorites like the famously tall 50-foot lighted tree and the Quilt Garden, along with enchanting new details designed to delight and surprise. All prices are per vehicle. No pets allowed.
Winter Lights features live entertainment nightly and food and beverages from the Bent Creek Bistro, the Cocoa Shack and the Cocoa Cabin! Open nightly from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
After an over 40 year career of weekly Celtic roots music radio broadcast including NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock, Asheville Sister Cities is excited that Fiona Ritchie will be traveling from Scotland to join us in-person to celebrate Burns Night and the bard of Scotland’s 266th birthday.
Proceeds raised from sponsorships and our 2025 Burns Night Fundraiser charity auction and raffle will be contributed toward regional hurricane disaster relief. Proceeds from ticket sales will be contributed toward the Thistle and Shamrock CD archive project at UNCA.
Entertainment includes piper Alex Stewart, fiddler Andrew Finn Magill, and dancers from the Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance.
Burns Night Seminar will be co-hosted by Fiona Ritchie during cash bar reception with complimentary warm Scottish appetizers.
Optional Whisky Tasting will be hosted by Highland Brewing’s Oscar Wong.
Event includes a full traditional Burns Night ceremony, three course dinner with selection of main course, and wee drams of single-male Scotch Whisky to toast the haggis.
URLs:
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2789424-0?pid=10412
Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/2789424-2?pid=10412
Price:
General Admission: USD 135.00
Category: Community | Fundraisers | Charities
Date and Time: 25th January 2025 at 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Venue details: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Asheville – Biltmore, 115 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, North Carolina, 28803, United States
Show off your chocolate cake baking skills this February!
Enter the Friends of the Enka-Candler Library
Love Your Library Chocolate Contest
on Sun. Feb. 9th 2025
Bring your cakes at 2pm to Griff’s Kitchen & Bar
at 1390 Sand Hill Rd. in Candler
$5 to enter a cake.
~We’re giving prizes to 1st, 2nd, 3rd places~
All are invited!
Public sampling at 4pm for $10/head
Questions? Email [email protected]
Thursday, February 27 from 9am-3pm
Food Connection and Loving Food Resources are collaborating to bring you a one-of-a-kind fundraiser! Brunk Auction House will be offering their appraisal services for $15/item or $40 for 3 items!
Choose the hour time slot that works best for you and bring in family heirlooms, high-valued finds, and other antiques to be appraised by the professionals! All proceeds from tickets sales go to Food Connection and Loving Food Resources and participants may have the option to consign their items through the auction house and make some money themselves!
BRUNK AUCTIONS – 117 Tunnel Rd, Asheville
Brunk is a private auction house specializing in the sale of fine art, jewelry, Asian art, antique furniture, coins, and countless other areas of collecting – ranging from Contemporary Art to Antiquities. Excellence in connoisseurship is the hallmark of our specialist staff. Consistent and thoughtful client service is the foundation of our 40 years in business.
Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.
Ross Gay — Poet, Essayist, & National Book Critics Circle Award Winner — will visit ACS with a profound mission: to explore and understand joy.
Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays— The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.
Join at 10 a.m. on Saturday March 1 for the Friends of the Black Mountain Library March Madness Book Sale. We’ll provide a bag that you can fill with adult books for $5. Children’s books are 4/$1, puzzles are $2, and antique books are priced as marked. The sale ends at 1 p.m. Members of the Friends of the Black Mountain Library can shop early at 9:30 a.m.
The Olivette Farm 5K & Fun Run, hosted by Asheville Cryotherapy and Recovery, will take place on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 9:30 AM. This unique race offers an early spring challenge for both competitive and novice runners with an on-and-off-road course through the beautiful Olivette Community and Farm. After the race, attendees can enjoy an after-party featuring local vendors, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. All proceeds will support the sustainable farming mission of Olivette Farm.
Leading a Nature Hike 101 with Lauren Lampley
ON-SITE | Friday, March 21 | 1 – 4 pm
Blue Ridge Naturalist – Capstone Credit
Leading a group on a hike in nature comes naturally to some people but for others it is a skill developed over time. In this class we will talk about best practices for how to safely and efficiently lead a group on a hike in nature as well as what planning is necessary before the day of the hike. We will discuss possible hazards to keep an eye on and what to do in case of an emergency in “front country” hiking areas such as many trails in the Asheville area.
This program takes place both indoors and out. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.
Support the Western North Carolina community while watching an afternoon full of ROLLER DERBY!
This derby-filled afternoon will start with an exhibition scrimmage from our Junior league, Blue Ridge Junior Roller Derby. Then, our B-Travel-Team, the Retrogrades, will take on the Gainesville Roller Rebels. Finally, we will have our open-gender mix-up bout featuring many of our own skaters as well as skaters from all over!
Proceeds from this event will benefit families in the Haywood County area affected by Hurricane Helene.
Doors open at 1:00 PM for an afternoon full of LIVE ROLLER DERBY at SMEC!
Online or At-The-Door Tickets: $10.00
1:00 Doors Open
2:00 Juniors Exhibition Bout
3:00 Retrogrades vs. GRR
5:00 Roller n Holler mixup bout
All ages welcome, kids 11 and under are FREE. We will have a great menu of concessions, including plant-based options!
BRRD is a non-profit organization that relies on the support of our community to provide action-packed, family-friendly fun on four wheels.
All About Bluebirds with Joe Sanders.
The recent upsurge in bluebird populations can largely be attributed to a movement of volunteer citizens establishing and monitoring bluebird nest boxes. Joe Sanders has been a bluebird protector for decades. His presentation gives an up close look at life in an active nest box and focuses on threats to the bluebird’s survival. Wear sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing for a walk to various nesting sites on the Arboretum grounds and an outdoor demonstration on how to monitor bluebird nest boxes.
Join us for an amazing day featuring locally grown trees, flowers, shrubs, herbs and veggies, as well as hand-crafted works of art, knife and tool sharpening – all provided by LOCAL vendors! Throughout the day we will feature educational presentations including “Conservation in 2025,” and “Container Planting: Tips and Tricks” which includes a quick and easy way to maintain your garden pruners. All of this combined with live music from Asheville Ukulele Society!
Help support our WNC communities by supporting its small business owners. Our local growers are thoroughly vetted in sustainable growing practices and are experts in their field. Our local artists are dynamically creative and talented, showcasing kitchen and garden gifts, original paintings and pottery, homemade and organic botanicals, honeys and vinegar, mobile knife and tool sharpening, and more! Join these talented individuals as we welcome Spring back to WNC.
Insect Pollinators of the Blue Ridge
with Shane Myers
Friday, May 9 | 1 – 3 pm
BRN – Elective | BREG – Core
Our plants in the Blue Ridge are pollinated by more insects than just Honey Bees. In this course, we will look at common and some less obvious pollinators of the region and discuss their life cycles, the benefits they provide the world, and how to attract them. We will also go outside to look for pollinators doing their work around the Arboretum grounds.
This program takes place in the classroom and outdoors. Please come prepared to walk on gentle, yet uneven terrain, and dress appropriately for the weather.
Join us for the 16th annual Authors for Literacy Fundraiser featuring New York Times bestselling author, David Baldacci. The evening will feature testimonials from the students and staff at Literacy Together, as well as a keynote address from David Baldacci. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. for mixing and mingling and heavy hors d’oeuvres. You’ll have an opportunity to hear from our team about the work we do to support more than 7,200 individuals throughout Buncombe County. Our seated program begins promptly at 6:30 p.m., and we’ll close the evening with a book signing managed by Malaprop’s Bookstore.
Tickets are on sale now!
20th anniversary Car Show at Blue Ridge Community College. All Makes, models, years invited. First 250 participants receive a goody bag. 50/50 raffle, quilt raffle, gift basket raffle, yellow duck raffle, scavenger hunt for the kids, fairy hair, complimentary caricature artist from 11-2, food trucks on site–cotton candy, gourmet popcorn, coffee truck, mini doughnuts, Italian ice, hot dogs and BBQ
Celebrate Land Trust Day, Saturday, June 7, with Mast General Store! Meet representatives from Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The Asheville Mast Store will donate 20% of the day’s sales to this land trust partner so that it may continue its mission of helping our community maintain its natural landscapes, create shared open spaces, and preserve the beauty that lies just beyond our own backyards!
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Book, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Book, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Book, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Book, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Book, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 55th Annual Book Sale, the largest and best book sale in North Carolina. Net proceeds support local STEM and educational scholarships for girls (5th-12th grades) and women at Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College. A King size quilt-set (with matching pillows and wall hanging) raffle is also offered.
Book donations are collected in Yellow Boxes at numerous community locations from early February to late May 2025. Walk-in donations are accepted each Thursday until May 22 from 10am-2pm at The Book Nook, 170 S. Broad St., Brevard, NC.
Saturday, June 7 10am-7pm
Sunday, June 8 noon- 7pm
Monday, June 9 10am-7pm
Tuesday, June 10 10am-3pm – half price day
Wednesday, June 11 10am-3pm – fill a box for $5 day
**Wednesday, June 11 (only 12-4pm) – Free books for local teachers and non-profits**
– 30,000 well organized books in all genres, plus puzzles, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, vinyl
– Ample parking, free admission, dealers welcome
– Prices range from 50 cents and up
– Assistance provided to load books into cars
– Cash, checks with ID, or cards accepted
Come and show your support for DuPont State Forest while showing your bike some love! If you’re not a cyclist but still love DuPont, come support the Forest while enjoying live music and so much more during the Bike Wash on Saturday, June 14, at Trailside Brewing.
This family-friendly event is a membership drive for Friends of DuPont Forest. Every membership directly supports the Forest and is crucial to its maintenance.
With the purchase of an individual membership at the event, you will receive 1 complimentary bicycle wash and lube.
With the purchase of a family membership, you will receive 2 complimentary bike wash and lubes. These services will be provided courtesy of some of the area’s most talented bike mechanics.
In addition to the membership drive and bike services, we will also have live music performed by Blue Ridge Betty and The Late Shifters.
Nourish your body, mind, and soul by experiencing a variety of offerings to bring balance and peace to your life during these times. Ample free time allows participants to nap, hike around the lake, journal, or explore Kanuga. Led by Chantal McKinney, a life-long seeker of the Divine. She is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, practitioner of community development, and former church planter who walks among the two worlds of faith and spirituality.
It’s out inaugural early summer event – the 5 Points Flea Market! All of Asheville is welcome to attend, but only 5 Points residents and select local businesses will be selling. Plus: food trucks, a community yard sale map, chalk drawing contest and more. Get your spot today!
Each year, MountainTrue hosts a BioBlitz to record all the species we can find in a given area. We identify and catalog organisms using the online app iNaturalist. The BioBiltz this year will be on June 21st at Hickory Nut Gap Farm near Asheville, NC. Volunteers will hike with experts in reptiles/amphibians, mammals, birds, plants, and mushrooms. *Group sign-ups are taken at the event and are first come, first serve. Group availability is subject to change.
We will meet at 12:30 pm to complete waivers and sign-up for groups. The BioBlitz will kick off at 1 pm and end at 5 pm. But the fun doesn’t stop there. We hope our volunteers will stick around for the barn dance at Hickory Nut Gap from 6 to 9 pm. All BioBlitz volunteers will receive free admission to the barn dance.
There will be a food truck on site where you can purchase dinner. MountainTrue will provide snacks.
Please bring: water, sunscreen, bug spray, notebook (if desired), sturdy close-toed shoes and any snacks, etc. that you may need.
**Kids aged 6 and up are welcome to join if they are accompanied by a parent/guardian for the duration of the trip.
🎉 Get Ready to Crawl, Celebrate, and Shine – The Official Pride Bar Crawl Awaits! 🎉
Gather your crew, rock your rainbow, and get ready for a day of colorful drinks, good vibes, and epic bar-hopping fun—let’s make this Pride Bar Crawl one to remember! _
The Pride Bar Crawl will take you through some of Asheville’s most inclusive bars, where you’ll meet new friends, spread love, and celebrate who you are in style. With vibrant music, laughter, and a whole lot of Pride, this is the ultimate way to embrace the spirit of the season and party with purpose.
Dress in vibrant attire and express your true self in a safe, welcoming space. This event is more than just a pub crawl; it’s a celebration of love, diversity, and inclusion. Whether you’re rocking a rainbow flag, glittering accessories, or something totally unique, this is your chance to drink, dance, and create moments you’ll never forget!
Don’t miss out on Asheville’s most colorful night of the year! Grab your tickets today and get ready for a night of celebration, joy, and making a difference in the community
Mark those calendars for our community book sale on Saturday, July 12 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
There will be a fantastic selection of books for all ages and tastes: children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, young adult, and puzzles.
Members of the Friends of the Black Mountain Library can start their shopping at 9:30 a.m.