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.
Photo credit:
Photograph by Bowery Blue Makers
Jeans – with their standardized pockets, rivets, and denim – are so much a part of everyday wardrobes that they are easy to overlook. Yet, in workshops across the nation, independent makers are reevaluating the garment and creating jeans by hand, using antiquated equipment and denim woven on midcentury looms. Crafting Denim explores how and why jeans have come to exist at the intersections of industry and craft, modernity, and tradition.
A product of industrial factory production for over a century, jeans are being recast by a new cohort of small-scale makers including craftspeople like Ryan Martin of W.H. Ranch Dungarees, Takayuki Echigoya of Bowery Blue Makers, and Sarah Yarborough and Victor Lytvinenko of Raleigh Denim, who favor choice materials and small-batch fabrication. The jeans they make merge craft traditions with industry and extend the conversation between hand and machine.
Each maker creates a distinctive product but shares a deep appreciation for materials, tools, history, and denim. These jeans are in dialogue with the past and in line with contemporary interests in sustainability. The small workshops featured here are sites of innovation and preservation, and visitors are invited to take a close look at an everyday item and imagine alternative contexts for making and living in our own clothes.
Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.
Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.
Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.
We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.
The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:
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Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning
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Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers
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One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership
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Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan
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Access to Field Days with regional partners
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Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference
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Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference
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15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor
View a sample of the full course schedule here.
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)
Tickets on Sale Monday Sept 11 at NOON
Today in Western North Carolina, more than 155,000 people are facing an empty bowl every month. But you can help fill those bowls and become part of a collective effort to end hunger in WNC at MANNA FoodBank’s 22nd Annual Empty Bowls event!
A fusion of creativity and compassion, Empty Bowls serves as a poignant reminder that, while art has the power to uplift and inspire, it can also serve as a platform for raising awareness about the very real problem of hunger across our mountains. Guests select a bowl handmade by local artisans and take with them a seasonal meal of delicious soups, breads, and dessert. The souvenir bowl that guests take home reminds them of the many WNC neighbors that are currently struggling to afford groceries.
Almost every part of the event is donated, including the event space, food, and local pottery and art. This allows MANNA to use event proceeds for our critical food distribution programs, which are currently reaching 155,000 food insecure neighbors every month across our 16-county service area, including the Qualla Boundary. Every dollar raised can help provide food for 4 meals. Since 2002, the collective generosity of our Empty Bowls guests, potters, sponsors, culinary partners, and everyone who has ever had a hand in the event, has allowed MANNA to provide the equivalent of 3.6 MILLION MEALS across Western North Carolina.
COLLECTOR’S CORNER
In addition to the souvenir soup bowls that ticket holders select, guests may purchase special works of high-end craft and art at the Collector’s Corner. Collector’s Corner items are both functional and gallery-quality pieces selected by the artists. 100% of the proceeds from Collector’s Corner sales go directly to supporting MANNA’s mission of ending hunger in WNC. The public is invited to shop the Collector’s Corner, even if they are not able to attend the Empty Bowls event.
TICKETS
MANNA hosts its annual Empty Bowls event in a walk-through format. Guests choose a one-hour time window that best suits their schedule, then arrive at the DoubleTree during that time window to select their bowl, choose their soups, and pick up bread + dessert. Guests can choose a one-hour time window any time between 10 AM and 6 PM, and can arrive any time during their chosen one-hour window. Both limited seating for those who would like to enjoy their meal in person AND limited curbside service for those who wish to remain in their cars are available.
Adult Ticket: $45 (includes your choice of one souvenir pottery bowl handmade by a local artist, your choice of three soups/stews/chowders packaged to go, and bread + dessert packaged to go)
Kids Package: $10 (includes one souvenir kid’s bowl handmade by a local artist and other pint-sized goodies)
Fur Kids Package: $30 (guests choose a dog or cat package; includes one souvenir pottery pet bowl handmade by a local artist, yummy treats for your furry friend, and other fun surprises)
“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas! Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century. Once your appetite for knowledge is satisfied, enjoy sample tastings of flavors like Apple Pie, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, and Strawberry moonshine. If the samples are not enough, there will be plenty of Moonshine infused cocktails like Copper Cola or Moonshiner’s Mimosa available for purchase. GSMR is excited to feature multiple craft NC based distilleries to serve our guests only the best! Each jar is handcrafted and authentically infused with real fruit, the way moonshine was meant to be made. Passengers will also enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride with an attendant and our popular Cajun seasoned Pulled Pork BBQ with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce cooked in our special spices and slow roasted to perfection! During the month of October, 9am departures will feature the option of a delicious Cheesy Shrimp & Grits or Cheesy Ham Hash Brown Casserole while 2pm departures will be served the popular BBQ meal.
Throughout the history of painting from the mid-19th century forward, artists have used an
endless variety of approaches to record their world. Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting continues this thread, offering an opportunity to explore a singular and still forceful aspect of American art. Photorealism shares many of the approaches of historical and modernist realism, with a twist. The use of the camera as a basic tool for organizing visual information in advance of painterly expression is now quite common, but Photorealists embraced the camera as the focal point in their creative process.
Beyond the Lens presents key works from the collection of Louis K. and Susan Pear Meisel,
bringing together paintings and works on paper dating from the 1970s to the present to focus on this profoundly influential art movement. The exhibition includes work by highly acclaimed formative artists of the movement such as Charles Bell, Robert Bechtle, Tom Blackwell, Richard Estes, Audrey Flack, and Ralph Goings as well as paintings by the successive generations of Photorealist artists Anthony Brunelli, Davis Cone, Bertrand Meniel, Rod Penner, and Raphaella Spence. Featured artworks in the exhibition include diverse subject matters, but the primary focus is on the common and every day: urban scenes, “portraits” of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, still life compositions using toys, food, candy wrappers, and salt and pepper shakers. All provide opportunities for virtuoso studies in how light, reflection, and the camera as intermediary shapes our perception of the material world.
This multigenerational survey demonstrates how the 35-mm camera, and later technological
advances in digital image-making, informed and impacted the painterly gesture. Taken together, the paintings and works on paper in Beyond the Lens show how simply spellbinding these virtuosic works of art can be.
“Beyond the Lens offers a fascinating look into the Photorealism movement and delves into the profound connection between the artists’ observation and creative process,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of Asheville Art Museum. “We are delighted to present this curated collection of artworks encapsulating the creative vision and technical precision that defines this artistic genre.”
Photorealism found its roots in the late 1960s in California and New York, coexisting with an explosion of new ideas in art-making that included Conceptual, Pop, Minimalism, Land and Performance Art. At first, representational realism coexisted with the thematic and conceptual explosion but was eventually relegated to the margins regarding critical and curatorial attention. Often misunderstood and sometimes negatively criticized or lampooned as a betrayal of modernism’s commitment to abstraction, the artists involved in Photorealism remained committed explorers of the trail they had blazed. In the decades of the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century, realistic and symbolic painting experienced a renaissance, as contemporary artists are increasingly drawn to narrative and storytelling. Concurrently, using a camera as a preparatory tool equally legitimate and valuable as pencils and pens has made the rubric of Photorealism increasingly relevant.
This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and guest curated by Terrie Sultan.
This exhibition is sponsored in part by Jim and Julia Calkins Peterson.
The Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa is presenting its first Field of Honor®. A field of American flags dedicated to military and first responders will be flying from September 11 – September 30th at the lot between the Black Mountain United Methodist Church and Harwood Home for Funerals (200 W. State Street, Black Mountain, NC 28711). An opening ceremony will be held on Monday, September 11 at 1:00 at the field location and a closing ceremony will take place at 11:00 on September 30 to retire the flags. All funds raised by this event will be distributed to non-profit organizations and used for scholarships in the Black Mountain/Swannanoa area. Donations can be made at: https://www.healingfield.org/blackmountainnc23
Romare Bearden (Charlotte, NC 1911–1988 New York, NY), African American writer and artist, is renowned for his collages. He constantly experimented with various techniques to achieve his artistic goals throughout his career. This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores his most frequently used mediums, including screen-printing, lithography, hand-colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage.
Bearden’s work reflects his improvisational approach to his practice. He considered his process akin to that of jazz and blues composers. Starting with an open mind, he would let an idea evolve spontaneously.
“Romare Bearden: Ways of Working highlights Bearden’s unique artistic practice and masterful storytelling through art,” says Pamela L. Myers, Executive Director of the Asheville Art Museum. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Jerald Melberg Gallery to present these extraordinary works on paper in conversation with Bearden’s collage Sunset Express, 1984 in the Museum Collection (on view in the Museum’s SECU Collection Hall). This exhibition will also provide a glimpse into the cultural histories and personal interests that influenced his art-making practice, and we hope it encourages introspection and dialogue with our visitors.”
Jerald Melberg states, “Romare Bearden’s groundbreaking artistic practice continues to captivate audiences worldwide. With an unparalleled legacy of creativity and innovation, Bearden’s contributions to art remain deeply influential years beyond his life.” We have enjoyed organizing this exhibition with the Asheville Art Museum to showcase his artistic genius and inspire visitors from the Western North Carolina region and beyond.”
This exhibition is made possible in part by the Judy Appleton Fund. Many thanks to the Jerald Melberg Gallery for the loan of these important artworks and to Mary and Jerald Melberg for their long-standing support of the arts, artists, and the Asheville Art Museum.
The Art of Food features works from important postwar artists, like Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, John Baldessari, Wayne Thiebaud, Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Jasper Johns, alongside the work of contemporary artists, like Alison Saar, Lorna Simpson, Enrique Chagoya, Rachel Whiteread, and Jenny Holzer, among others.
The Art of Food features more than 100 works in mediums that include drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, and ceramics by 37 artists.
Each artist has a unique means of depicting food in their work that, when seen alongside others, creates a nuanced representation of the complex place food holds in everyday life. Cross-historical resonances between artists in the exhibition spark novel meditations on food and its discontents, while speaking to a broad range of audiences.
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.
Weaverville will hold its annual 9/11 Observance on Monday, 9/11/23 at the Community Center above Lake Louise. Renee Taft, our speaker joined the Navy just out of high school because of this dastardly attack on our nation. Her story is about how the rest of her life was shaped by this national tragedy.
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Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. Begun in 1962 in Wisconsin, it was a student of Littleton’s that first came to the area in 1965 and set up a glass studio at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. By 1967, Mark Peiser was the first glass artist resident at the school and taught many notable artists, like Jak Brewer in 1968 and Richard Ritter who came to study in 1971. By 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and moved to nearby Spruce Pine, North Carolina and set up a glass studio at his home. Since that time, glass artists like Ken Carder, Rick and Valerie Beck, Shane Fero, and Yaffa Sikorsky and Jeff Todd—to name only a few—have flocked to the area to reside, collaborate, and teach, making it a significant place for experimentation and education in glass. The next generation of artists like Hayden Wilson and Alex Bernstein continue to create here. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. Exhibitions, including Intersections of American Art, explore glass art in the context of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum’s Collection. |

Join us on Monday, September 11, 5 p.m., for a special appearance, album signing, and listening party with Steep Canyon Rangers. The band’s new album, Morning Shift, is due out September 8, and the LP was proudly pressed at Citizen Vinyl.
The listening party is free to attend and open to the public. No tickets are needed, but come early for mocktails, cocktails, and coffee drinks at Session.
For the in-store event, each band member will pick a song from the record to talk about. Morning Shift is the Rangers 14th studio album. It was produced by Darrell Scott, engineered by Dave Sinko, and recorded in Bat Cave, N.C., a historical refuge settled near a long-forgotten crossroads of Southern Appalachia. “This was the perfect space to feel confident in expanding upon that Carolina sound, the perfect runway to let their well-oiled machine do what it does best: craft stories from the ground up, as a unit,” according to the Rangers’ website.

On this record, the GRAMMY-winners tell stories that both honor their roots and expand upon the living art of bluegrass music, all while solidifying their reputation as some of the most influential songwriters in Americana today. Morning Shift also marks the band’s first album with new member Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, bringing a soul-stirring element to the Rangers’ mastery of mountain music. Burdett is an award-winning singer-songwriter and a student of folk tradition providing a fresh, emotional context to the Rangers’ songbook.
ABOUT THE BAND: Steep Canyon Rangers is made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals, and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals.
Whether you are an experienced, reluctant or new & curious phone banker, this brief training will prepare you for making important calls to people in our most rural precincts who tend to vote for Democrats, but not often enough! Bring your fully charged phone and laptop so you’ll be all set to make calls.
Snacks, drinks, and lots of camaraderie on hand!
All Buncombe Democrats who are willing to make phone calls should attend.
MEAN GIRLS JR
Grades: 6th-8th
Rehearsals: Mondays, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Rehearsals Start: September 11, 2023
Tech Week: January 29-February 1, 2024
Show: February 2-4, 2024
Asheville’s best ping-pong players join Asheville’s worst table-tennis players at Sovereign Kava every Thursday at 7 p.m. to battle for glory and a $50 bar tab. No charge.
Whether you learned to play in the basement as a kid, or in a prison as a young adult, or in a rehab facility as an older adult, this is the tournament for you.
Located just down the hill on the Asheville-side of Mission Hospital, we are convenient walking distance to medical help after you get your heart broken on our Butterfly table.
Bring your paddle or borrow one of ours. Open to all skill levels and clothing styles. Beginners welcome. Hell, we’re ALL rusty after not playing during the Pandemic so don’t let that stop you.
Our table-tennis table is open for play 7 days a week, noon to 11 p.m. unless there’s a music event.
Here’s a link to a video from our 2019 table tennis tourney:
https://youtu.be/w_1EFEzx9sA
Have You Got It Yet?
The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd
For Immediate Release: A new documentary explores the mystery of
what happened to the founder and leader of one of rock music/s most
legendary bands. A special September 11 one-night screening as part
of the Music Movie Mondays series at Grail Moviehouse will be hosted
by Asheville speaker, author, music journalist and Pink Floyd authority
Bill Kopp.
When Pink Floyd released their debut single, 1967’s “Arnold Layne,” it
marked the beginning of a momentous chapter in music. The song
showcased not only the psychedelic quality of the four-man group from
Cambridge and London, but the songwriting prowess and unique vision of the
band’s leader, Syd Barrett.
Guitarist and front man Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett was a promising artist,
creating unique songs that both captured the zeitgeist of the burgeoning
psychedelic movement and captured a particular kind of English whimsy, informed as much by poetry and fantasy as by
LSD. The band’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn featured a bounty of songs that displayed Barrett’s unique
and inimitable musical vision.
But little more than nine months after that album’s release, Barrett was gone from the group he had founded. Save for two
erratic and deeply idiosyncratic solo albums and a handful of unfinished recordings, that would be the last the world would
hear from the uniquely creative songwriter and musician. Completely leaving music behind, he went on to live a quiet life
in Cambridge, finally passing away in 2006, nearly 40 years after leaving (or being dismissed from) Pink Floyd.
What happened? Did Syd suffer a mental breakdown? Did he succumb to the effects of too many LSD trips? Did he
simply want to step out of the machinery of the music business? Or is the real story some combination of all of those
things and more? Until now, Syd’s life has been the subject of speculation and conjecture. But with the cooperation of
Barrett’s family and former band mates, director Roddy Bogawa explores the fascinating mystery that is the life and music
of Syd Barrett.
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd is a new authorized documentary that digs deep into
the mystery that is Syd Barrett. As part of the Music Movie Mondays series, Grail Moviehouse in Asheville hosts a special
one-night-only showing of the film. Presented by Asheville-based speaker, author and music journalist Bill Kopp (author of
Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon) the evening will include a screening of the film
followed by an interactive discussion.
Hosted by author, speaker and music journalist Bill Kopp,
the evening will feature a screening of the film followed by
an interactive discussion. Have You Got It Yet? is the latest
in Grail Moviehouse’s popular series, Music Movie
Mondays.
“Going to the movies has always been a kind of communal experience,” says Kopp, host of
Music Movie Mondays. “Especially in this post-lockdown era, the opportunity to not only watch
a film but then to discuss it with others is something even more special. And music-related
films lend themselves remarkably well to this shared, interactive experience.”
Music Movie Mondays is sponsored by AshevilleFM. Hosted by Asheville-based author and music journalist Bill Kopp,
Grail Moviehouse presents a special screening of Have You Got It Yet? on Monday, Sep. 11 @ 7 pm. Sponsored by
AshevilleFM, the evening will feature a brief introduction. Then we’ll watch the film together; afterward, we’ll engage in a
moderated discussion.
The one-night-only screening of Have you Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd is the latest in the
ongoing popular series of Music Movie Mondays at Grail Moviehouse. Every month, we’ll watch and discuss new
releases, classics and cult favorites.

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.
CAROLINA CELTIC, is a monthly concert series which showcases Irish and Scottish musical traditions and often explores their commonality with the Appalachian ballads and stories of the Carolina mountains..
Tonight’s show will feature, ROBIN BULLOCK and THE REEL SISTERS
ROBIN BULLOCK has been hailed as a “Celtic guitar god” by Baltimore City Paper, “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine and one of the 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com. His honors include the Association for Independent Music’s prestigious INDIE Award (with the world-folk trio Helicon), Player’s Choice and Album of the Year Awards from Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and the Swannanoa Gathering’s Master Music Maker Award. Robin has played hundreds of concerts as touring sideman with Grammy Award-winning folk legend Tom Paxton, and was the sole support musician on four of Tom’s “Together at Last” tours with fellow Grammy winner Janis Ian. Writing about Robin in The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Celtic Music, Thistle and Shamrock host Fiona Ritchie says “Bullock’s music accents the connections between Celtic and American traditional and acoustic music. That he is able to do so by playing almost any stringed instrument to perfection is his specialty.”
With the release of their duo CD Highland Ramble joining their many critically-acclaimed solo albums, Sue and Robin prove that their individual talents together create a world-class combination, carrying Celtic tradition into new and transformative realms.
The Reel Sisters are a duo steeped in the musical tradition of Scottish harp and smallpipes. Rosalind and Kelly share lifetimes of experience in the traditional music community and the technical expertise of classical training. Compelling tunes combine with The Sisters’ approachable, lighthearted personalities to create a unique and intimate musical experience. The Reel Sisters’ music is uplifting, stirring, and just sweet fun.
Rosalind Buda holds a BMUS from the University of Iowa and a MM from New England Conservatory in Bassoon Performance. She has taught and performed throughout the US and Europe. She teaches and performs classical chamber and orchestral music and Celtic music in her in her home of Asheville, NC and throughout Western North Carolina. Keeping to the mountain tradition, Rosalind plays banjo for fun and enjoys contra dance.
Kelly Brzozowski holds a BMUS and a Masters Diploma in Harp Performance and Musicology from the University of North Wales. She has taught and performed throughout Europe and the US. Kelly lives in Atlanta where she maintains a large teaching studio and performs both classical and Celtic music. When she is not performing or teaching, she is homeschooling her son. You will often find them designing and conducting experiments. Is it science or food?!
TANGERINE DREAM
Partially seated show
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW!
Do you have a boundary-pushing, innovative performance piece, short film or installation that you’re ready to share?
We will open applications for the film portion of the festival in fall 2023. Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway. Our application fee for films is $5.
NOW CONSIDERING WORKS OF ALL KINDS
We accept live performances from 5 to 60 minutes in length, plus installations and films. We’re open to other types of performance as well – let’s talk! Depending on its length, your piece may be grouped with another show, or scheduled as a Random Act of Fringe. RAFs are free and open to the public, and artists receive a stipend for their performance, rather than relying on door sales.
Typically each artist with a ticketed show gets 2 performances. But in 2024, we’re exploring the option of giving a few shows 3 performances, at select venues only. Our venues range from 20-80 person capacity.
1. FRINGE SHOT
A piece that is
5-15 minutes long
May be paired with another performance, or be selected as a free Random Act of Fringe.
2. SHORT FORM
A piece that is
20-40 minutes long
May be paired with another show.
3. FULL-LENGTH
A piece that is
45-60 minutes long
Ticketed theater-style show.
4. INSTALLATION
A piece that is
Site-specific (any length)
May be in an unusual location, or repeated many times. May be seen by as few as one person at a time.
5. FILM
A piece that is
Designed specifically for film.
May be of any genre & length. Could be combined with other films for a showcase or film night.
Submit on Film Freeway Fall 2023
3. THE ASHEVILLE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL IS A JURIED FESTIVAL.
We carefully review each and every submission. You’ll know by late October if your piece is selected. Should your piece get selected, there is a $35 participation fee.

Do you work in downtown Asheville? If so, Buncombe County’s expanded affordable parking program could save you hundreds of your hard-earned dollars. The program already includes 150 spots at the Coxe Avenue parking deck (located at 11 Sears Alley) for a discounted price of $40 per month. After research and public input, the County is excited to offer an additional 50 spots at the College Street parking deck (located at 164 College Street, across from the judicial complex) for $40 per month. This initiative, focused on service industry and retail workers, is now taking applications.
The expansion of the Affordable Parking Program comes after nearly 800 survey respondents shared their support and echoed the need for the program. To help meet that demand, the County is now offering a total of 200 discounted spots for downtown workers. “We’ve heard a lot of positive feedback, and it’s helping a lot of people. Behind housing, transportation is next highest expense for many people… so providing people in the workforce with an affordable way to get close to where they work is really very valuable,” said Commission Chair Brownie Newman.
To be eligible, you need to work in Downtown Asheville and make 80% area median income (AMI), which is less than $22.88 per hour or $3,967 per month. Applications are now open for the program, and it offers 75 spots at Coxe Avenue and 50 at College Street. If you think you’re eligible, then please go ahead and apply.
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Food Scraps Drop Off
The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in two locations for all Buncombe County residents. This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Register for Food Scraps Drop Off
Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin? Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.
Locations
Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot
749 Fairview Road, Asheville
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- Dawn – Dusk
Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot
30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville
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- Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.
West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building
942 Haywood Road, Asheville
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- Library open hours
- Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center
85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander
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- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm
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Buncombe County is excited to announce the inquiry process for the 2023 Homeowner Grant Program opens Aug. 1. This program is officially in its third year, and qualified homeowners will have an opportunity to receive financial assistance for housing-related costs. The website buncombecounty.org/homeownergrant will start accepting inquiries Aug. 1-Sept. 30, or homeowners can call (828) 250-5500. You must call or submit an inquiry to determine eligibility.
You may qualify for up to $300 in unincorporated Buncombe County, and up to $500 in City of Asheville. Please note that applicants who received grants last year will need to re-apply.
Through this program, residents who own residential property in Buncombe County that they have lived in as their primary residence for at least five years and who earn at or less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) as a household may be eligible to participate.
If eligible, grantees may choose to have grant funds applied to their property tax bill and/or paid and applied to other housing-related obligations such as housing costs, mortgage, or homeowner’s insurance. Payments are made directly to the source of the approved bill. Payments will not be made directly to individuals. There are several new aspects to this year’s program including new eligibility requirements, and now mobile-home owners may receive the grants.
- You must have owned and lived in your home for 5 years or more
- Your home must by your primary and only residence
- Your household income is at or below 80% of area median income (AMI)
- Your household cannot already be receiving tax deferment assistance like elderly/disabled, or Veterans exemptions.
- You must not have more than $60,000 in liquid resources (for example: your cash on hand, checking & savings accounts combined, or other investments available to you within 7 days)
The inquiry process will be open through Sept. 30. Eligible homeowners can submit an inquiry at buncombecounty.org/homeownergrant after Aug. 1 or call (828) 250-5500 to start the application process. Phone support is available in any language. Please note that we anticipate a high volume of calls and inquiries at the onset, and it may take a few weeks for a case manager to get back with you.
“If you think you may qualify, but you aren’t sure, please give our team a call,” says Economic Services Director Phillip Hardin. “We know there are a number of unique circumstances, and our staff will work with homeowners to help find solutions.”
This month, you can make a difference for someone needing food by enjoying a local beer! Our friends at 12 Bones Brewing and Appalachian Mountain Brewing are designating one of their delicious beers as their Pint with Purpose, where every beer sold in September helps provide FOUR MEALS we can get to our neighbors right now!
12 Bones Brewing will be donating $1 of every pint of Coastal Grandmother Kölsch, and Appalachian Mountain Brewery is donating $1 for every pint of their Spoaty Oaty Pale Ale!
Thank you to these Hops for Hunger brewery partners for taking action in September to help feed WNC families!
12 Bones Brewing 5 Foundy St Ste 10, Asheville, NC 28801
Appalachian Mountain Brewing
LET THE HEALING BEGIN:
HEALING ARTS SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED!LEAF Global Arts is here for ALL the arts, from music and dance to visual and performance art. Add to that list Healing Arts, which allow us to more deeply experience LEAF Festival — and ourselves! (Look for a reveal of Handcraft Artists & Vendors next week.)
Expand your LEAF weekend with Healing Arts, Movement, and Earth Skills workshops, all with the intention of helping you flow with whatever comes your way. Enjoy flow yoga to live music, nature hikes, dance, music workshops, sound healing, meditation, and more.
“Incredibly excited for the Fall healing arts and earth skills workshop offerings. There is something for everyone, including various types of yoga, meditation, kudzu basket weaving, sound healing, dance,
forest bathing, exploring your personal strengths, and more.
Fill your weekend with self care for your mind, body, and soul.
We are grateful for all the artists coming to LEAF Festival.”
~ Madison, LEAF Vendor Coordinator
Buy Tickets & Lodging
READY, SET, LEAF!
FULL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE WITH TIMES ANNOUNCED!
“We are beyond thrilled to unveil our meticulously crafted schedule for LEAF’s Fall Festival, ‘Legends of The Americas,’ October 19-22, complete with TIMES and all the latest updates. Every moment has been designed with you in mind, forging connections that transcend borders and ignite the spirit. We call to every soul, near and far, to dive deep into the enchantment that awaits. Let the rhythm of these magical cultures enthrall you, let the melodies tell stories that resonate with the heart.
The world of LEAF beckons — are you ready to witness the magic?
Dive in now!”
~ Otto Vazquez, Artistic Curator
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OGS has kicked off its membership opportunities for donors. We depend on the community and members like you. Become a member and help the Organic Growers School transform the food system to serve the needs of all people.
Donate at the $120 level or more, once annually or in monthly increments, to receive an OGS gift! Plus, you’ll receive discounts to OGS special events, 10% off select OGS programs such as the Gardening Series, Homegrown Dream, Farm Dreams, and the annual Spring Conference, and discounts from our partners listed below:
Becoming a member is as simple as making a contribution as mentioned above, and we’ll handle everything else for you! |









LET THE HEALING BEGIN:
READY, SET, LEAF! 


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