Featuring over 50 of the brightest comedians from all around the country, the Asheville Comedy Festival showcases hilarious performers each show, delivering the best comedy in the largest stand-up comic event in the Southeast.

The festival kicks off Wednesday, August 10 at Highland Brewing, and then continues for a three-night run at the Wortham Center with three stacked showcases, ending Saturday, August 13. Every show is completely different!

Come join us at the Sourwood Festival

The U.S. Army Parachute Team, The Golden Knights, will perform before the 7pm championship game.

The two Golden Knights demonstration teams travel the United States performing for public audiences at venues ranging from small civic events to nationally televised events, such as NFL games, NASCAR races, and international air shows. Team members are from a variety of backgrounds in one of the 150 jobs in the U.S. Army.
The parachutists perform to exacting standards but may tailor their performance for a specific venue. The Golden Knights have an unparallelled safety record in the professional parachuting arena.
The Golden Knights also have competition teams who have won national and international competitions. They hold the current military world record in both male and female four-way freefall formation and the world record in canopy piloting speed. The Golden Knights tandem section provides tandem parachute jumps to approved local and national celebrities, media personnel, and VIPs. It was a Golden Knights team that jumped with the late President George H.W. Bush in 2007, 2012, and 2014.
The Golden Knights are headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C.

• 

• 6:00pm – 8:00pm

  Open mic comedy every Thursday from 6-8pm at Ginger’s Revenge Tasting Room.

  Rotating hosts each week Clay Jones, James Burks and Katy Hudson

  No cover
  Signup starts at 5:30, and signup order will not necessarily be show order. Each comic gets 5 mins of stage time

“Weird Al” Yankovic burst onto the scene over three decades ago and never looked back.  For the second time in his storied career, the world’s foremost musical satirist and five-time Grammy winner foregoes his usual high-octane, big-production show for an intimate evening of music, focusing on original (non-parody) songs from his 14-album catalog.  Marking his highly anticipated return to the concert stage after his hugely successful Strings Attached Tour in 2019 where Weird Al performed each night alongside a full symphony orchestra, this is a rare opportunity to get up-close and personal with this legendary performer.

All guests attending this performance are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative testing within 72 hours of show plus matching photo ID to obtain entry to the venue.

Stand Up Comedy is back in the Asheville Pizza Gameroom with the hottest comics in town. Hosted by Cody Hughes, featuring Petey Smith McDowell, Mario T & Jess Cooley
8p, $13
Comedy Open Mic sign up at door, performers get free entry & pizza 3-5m
contact Michele at [email protected] for more info

Stand Up Comedy is back in the Asheville Pizza Gameroom with the hottest comics in town. Hosted by Cody Hughes, featuring Petey Smith McDowell, Mario T & Jess Cooley

Comedy Open Mic sign up at door, free entry & pizza 3-5m

Contact Michele at [email protected] for more info

Steve Martin and Martin Short’s “You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today!” is a show that redefines the form in unexpected and profound ways, from two of the funniest, most influential and acclaimed talents of the past century. Their humor is often subversive, but it is always a joyous self-deprecating romp from two comedy masters driven to make each other laugh as much as the audience. The jokes come at you at a rapid-fire pace with little set-up and big punch lines as they mock Hollywood and the fickle nature of celebrity, but the comedy truly soars when they lovingly (and relentlessly) roast each other. Martin and Short’s chemistry and timing on stage reflects a friendship forged over three decades which developed when they met for the first time on the set of the 1986 film “Three Amigos.” These two titans of comedy have been touring together since 2015, when they launched their first live show entitled “A Very Stupid Conversation.”

Steve Martin and Martin Short will be joined by very special guest Paul Shaffer.

17th Annual Come to Leicester Artist Studio Tour: 10 AM – 5 PM, August 20-21. Artists in the small community of Leicester, NC open their studios to the public for this free, self-guided tour. Visitors choose their own tour stops using detailed brochures with maps and signs along the route directing to the individual stops. Visitors will find many types of fine art and crafts, including brooms, pottery, paintings, iron work, jewelry, fiber, stained glass, mosaic, enamel, and mixed media. Visit our website to see the artists and print a map. http://www.cometoleicester.org

New changes are on the horizon, as we usher in a new era of LEAF awesomeness. This summer, we’re relocating LEAF Downtown to an inspiring NEW outdoor venue, The Grey Eagle’s newest venue  “The Outpost” at 521 Amboy Road. This new riverside venue will come alive with entertainment on Saturday, August 20th, with an entire day dedicated to our youth, family and community in an event dubbed: LEAF Down By The River!

    Rain Date: In the event of inclement weather, we will reschedule to Saturday, August 13. Participants will be notified no later than 8PM the evening before the event.

LINK for Aug. 20 tour: https://www.wnchistory.org/event/wncha-hidden-history-hikes-and-tours-mars-hill-anderson-rosenwald-school-second-tour/

Join us at The 2nd Act – Coffee, Wine & Craft Beer Bar in Hendersonville, NC for an evening filled with your favorite Oktoberfest sounds!

17th Annual Come to Leicester Artist Studio Tour: 10 AM – 5 PM, August 20-21. Artists in the small community of Leicester, NC open their studios to the public for this free, self-guided tour. Visitors choose their own tour stops using detailed brochures with maps and signs along the route directing to the individual stops. Visitors will find many types of fine art and crafts, including brooms, pottery, paintings, iron work, jewelry, fiber, stained glass, mosaic, enamel, and mixed media. Visit our website to see the artists and print a map. http://www.cometoleicester.org

• 

• 6:00pm – 8:00pm

  Open mic comedy every Thursday from 6-8pm at Ginger’s Revenge Tasting Room.

  Rotating hosts each week Clay Jones, James Burks and Katy Hudson

  No cover
  Signup starts at 5:30, and signup order will not necessarily be show order. Each comic gets 5 mins of stage time

The Hot Girls’ End of Summer Report
Friday August 26
The Orange Peel
101 Biltmore Ave, Downtown Asheville

8p, doors at 7p • fully seated show

Standup Comedy Show
Featuring the HOTTEST and FUNNIEST female identifying comedians from around the region!
Hosted by Morgan Bost

Featuring Lace Larrabee who was recently on NBC’s America’s Got Talent with yesses from all the judges. This actress, comedian and podcaster is best known for “Queen America,” “Punchline” and “Flophouse.” with Hilliary Begley, fresh off her European tour, best known for Dumplin’ on Netflix and Amazon Prime. plus Moira Goree, Becca Steinhoff and more great regional comedians

Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm
$17 – $20

The Hot Girls’ End of Summer Report
Friday August 26 at The Orange Peel
101 Biltmore Ave, in Downtown Asheville
8p, doors at 7p • fully seated show

You wont want to miss this Standup Comedy Show as the HOTTEST and FUNNIEST comedians from around the region get back in town to give us their Hot Girl End off Summer report!

Featuring Lace Larrabee who was recently on NBC’s America’s Got Talent with yesses from all the judges. This actress, comedian and podcaster is best known for “Queen America,” “Punchline” and “Flophouse.” with Hilliary Begley, fresh off her European tour, best known for Dumplin’ on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

plus Moira Goree, Becca Steinhoff and more great regional comedians you don’t want to miss this HOT evening out!!

Hosted by the amazing Morgan Bost

Have a yen to try a local hike, but don’t know where to begin? Join Buncombe County Parks & Recreation for scenic hikes close to home this summer and fall. The Sampler Hike Series is a free four-pack of popular treks lead by Parks and Recreation staff on Saturday mornings.

Explorers of all skill levels are invited to experience the fun of one hike, all four, or somewhere in between. Space is limited to 12 hikers and advanced registration is necessary.

Up first is the Lake Powhatan hike. We will begin our hike at Bent Creek River Park and take the Mountains to Sea Trail until we hop onto NC Arboretum property to join the Old Mill Trail and Bent Creek Road Trail that takes us into the Pisgah National Forest on our way to Lake Powhatan.

This hike follows a multi-use gravel path for most of the journey with some dirt paths here and there. The grade is flat and is considered a very easy hike. The overall distance that we will be traveling is 6.5 miles and it will take around 2.5 hours.

Stayed tuned to buncombecounty.org/parks for details on September’s hike.

What to Bring Hiking

• Daypack or backpack
• Weather-appropriate clothing (The temperature and wind can change with elevation, so moisture-wicking shirts and layers are recommended.)
• Hiking boots or shoes
• Water
• Trail snacks
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellant
• Sunglasses (optional)
• Hat or bandana (optional)
• Binoculars (optional)
• Camera (optional)
• Trekking poles (optional)
• Compass (optional)
• Whistle (optional)
• Knife or multi-tool (optional)
• First aid kit (optional)

Follow Parks & Recreation on Facebook and Instagram.

The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is proud to host the Asheville based improv comedy troupe, Reasonably Priced Babies. RPB is a formidable improv comedy group consisting of Tom Chalmers, Mondy Carter, Karen Stobbe, Kim Richardson and Josh Batenhorst.

This is how it works: RPBs will ask the audience for suggestions and then they make that come to technicolor life. Get ready to be a part of the experience because this show will push the envelope of ridiculous fun.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Masks are encouraged but not required.

For decades, the unforgettable caricature of veteran comedian James Gregory has stood grinning: his shirt untucked, his arms outstretched, a carefree welcome to a down-home, hilarious comedy experience. It’s storytelling at its best. The trademark caricature is the essence of humorist James Gregory’s comedy: rib-tickling reflections on life from the front porch.

James is constantly touring. He’s on the road about three days a week, forty six weeks a year. He continues to entertain sold-out crowds in theaters and comedy clubs and remains in demand for corporate events. James has been the featured entertainer for hundreds of corporations, including the Coca Cola Company, Kimberly Clark Corporation, Hewlett Packard and Kroger. James has also been the featured speaker for events sponsored by various civic and church groups.

James is heard weekly on syndicated radio shows such as Rick and Bubba, John Boy and Billy and Bob and Tom. Combined, these shows are broadcast to people in over 220 cities nationwide. As a result, he now has a grass-roots following that numbers in the millions.

James was born in a rural area about twenty five miles east of Atlanta, GA. He got his first job at the age of twelve at a small country grocery store. By the time he was fifteen, he was working thirty-seven hours a week, as well as going to school. As an adult, James has worked for the U.S. Postal Service, the Department of Defense, and spent almost ten years as a salesman before discovering the wonderful world of stand-up comedy.

James does not “tip-toe” through life as if he’s walking on broken glass or egg shells. That style is evident on stage as well. He is not politically correct. Much of his humor is centered on brilliant observations of crazy relatives and people obsessed with the slightest change in weather conditions – now referred to as global warming. He delights in poking fun at modern sensitive parents and out-of-control environmentalists. Gregory has been quoted as saying, “If you want me to be concerned about endangered species, you need to convince me that we’re about out of chickens.”

The James Gregory show turns the clock back to a time when life was simpler; to a better time, before the death of common sense; a time when people sat on the front porch and actually talked to each other without a cell phone in their ear.

James’ success, like his comedy, is the direct result of the values he grew up with. And now, twenty something years later, it is this unique brand of humor that packs the crowds into his sold-out shows. The absence of vulgarity sets James apart and his stories are carefully crafted art. “I have lived long enough to know people, know life”, Gregory reflects. “My comedy is based on my life experiences. It’s real, it’s funny and the audience loves it. That’s why I’m still in business.”