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.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
Looking to get involved, stay active, and meet some new friends? Sand Hill Community Garden workdays take place on Wednesdays (6-8 p.m.) and Saturdays (10 a.m.-noon) from Feb. 27-Oct. 30, 2021, at Buncombe County Sports Park. The garden is located on 16 Apac Dr. in West Asheville/Enka-Candler.
Join friends and neighbors as they come together on common ground to raise fresh, organic vegetables and fruits for the Enka community.
Expect to wear a mask and maintain social distance throughout. Tools and hand sanitizer are available, but any gloves, loppers, pruners, or gardening tools you can bring will decrease the amount of contact between volunteers. Please wear work clothes to get dirty and closed-toe shoes. Sunscreen, water, and a hat are also handy items to have on hand.
Sand Hill Community Garden has been growing fresh produce since 2011 and raised over 1,200 lbs. of organic produce last year.
NOTE: Community workdays are weather dependent. Please join the community garden email list (send your info to [email protected]) to stay up on workday tasks and other garden news.
To receive the I Heart Parks monthly newsletter, sign up online. Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
Heather Davis Studio & Gallery and GRIND have teamed up to bring plants to Pink Dog Creative on the weekends. Whynot Farm, which is affiliated with HDS&G, raises the plants on its farmland in Eastern TN, so they are locally-raised.
The plant sale will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, on the patio at Pink Dog Creative. During the week, select plants will be available for purchase in GRIND.
Fathers climb the Treetops Park or Zip KidZip for free with paying family members. Use code “dad” when booking online.
Gardening in the Mountains Presents:
Creating and Managing Pollinator Habitat
This presentation by Bryan Tompkins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service covers specific details about prepping, planting, and maintaining pollinator gardens as complete habitats. It will also discuss different opportunities and methods for implementing other pollinator-habitat components into your area—from assessing and developing a habitat suitable to your site to working with others in your neighborhood to create connected and contiguous habitat components. Bryan takes a deeper look into the elements and factors that are needed to go beyond just creating a nice flower garden. Armed with the information in this talk, you can create a habitat!
Juneteenth is the celebration of the timeframe when slavery was abolished. During the weekend of Juneteenth, GRIND Coffeehouse will hold GRINDfest – a celebration of black business and entrepreneurship. GRINDfest will highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting people across cultures. This weekend of fun will include a play entitled “Savagery”, a poetry slam, local storytellers, game tournaments, a lip sync battle, vendors selling unique items, Black food from around the world and an outdoor dance party with local DJs. This event promises to be one of the most fun and enlightening of the year.
⚡WHAT IS GRINDFEST?
Juneteenth is the time where we celebrate the timeframe where slavery was abolished. It took time for word to spread so it is recognized as Juneteenth.
During the weekend of Juneteenth, we will have GRINDfest – a celebration of black business and entrepreneurship. After slavery was abolished the people held as slaves began to use their skills and talents to do business in an economy that previously thought of them as property. Nonetheless, they made progress and became business owners.
GRINDfest will bring people together to celebrate Black Business and Black Entrepreneurs. It will highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting people across cultures. Economies do not exist in a bubble. They include everyone.
⚡WHY THIS WEEKEND?
Our commissioners just declared Juneteenth a Holiday in Buncombe county. This was the time that slavery was abolished. We know that the effects of slavery and white supremacy still torment our communities, but we have determined to celebrate the life and progress of Black people in Asheville.
We will be hosting GRINDfest on June 18th-20th, our celebration of Black Business and Entrepreneurship. Conveniently located in the River Arts District, we will have a weekend full of fun and learning: “Savagery” (the play), a poetry slam, local storytellers, game tournaments, a lip sync battle, vendors selling unique items, Black food from around the world and an outside dance party with local DJ’s. This event promises to be one of the most fun and enlightening of the year.
⚡WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
🔥EVENT HIGHLIGHTS🔥
📍XTREME HIP HOP AEROBICS: Supercharge your morning with movement set to great music.
📍PINK DOG BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS: Neighboring businesses opening up for breakfast so patrons can come purchase meals
📍ROOTS REVEAL: We have done this activity already with Bowie State University and will do it during the festival. People will order their DNA test that shows countries of origin and features that run in their bloodline. But they will wait until the event to open the results. In this 90 minute workshop, people will open their results and reveal their ancestry. Then they will be engaged in activities led by Dr. Masica Jordan, Clinical Psychologist and College Professor, that highlight the similarities and overlaps shared among people in the room that may not know each other, but share similar histories, countries of origin, and features. By sharing their ancestral DNA, we see that we are more alike than different.
** participants must order their own DNA test results ahead of time
📍SAVAGERY: Another event during the festival will be the play, “Savagery”. This play was scripted by local author, Nichole Lee and was written as a collection of stories and music from people of color. It is therapeutic in that it tells the story, but it is also entertaining and engaging.
📍GAMES TOURNAMENT: We will have card game tournaments in addition to family fun activities. This in addition to local food vendors with West African cuisine, Jamaican Island cuisine, and a Seafood Boil/Fish Fry, we will host community awards given to people who have made significant progress and contributions such as “single fathers/mothers, blended families, people who had to switch careers, and those succeeding after recovery/re-entry.
📍LIP-SYNC BATTLE: Another event that will happen is the lip-sync battle where contestants perform in the goofiest, funniest way they can to win the prize.
📍DEPOT STREET DANCE PARTY: We close the night out with a huge dance party. It is a festival that has great purpose and practical fun. The whole idea is to celebrate differences and learn from them while uniting people. We have already gathered all the businesses on our block in the River Arts District in addition to 20 other black businesses that are part of our Black Wall Street Program to make this festival a success. Tension can exist between people who look differently, but we designed this festival to bring folks together to celebrate and learn in a fun-filled weekend.
✅Download our Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3hB1U9Z
✅Be one of the sponsors: https://bit.ly/3w1SmbR
✅Be a volunteer: https://bit.ly/33HmVHy
⚡Free-Entry event made possible by our amazing sponsors. Bring the whole family and friends and enjoy the Blackest Weekend in Asheville
The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.
The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
Heather Davis Studio & Gallery and GRIND have teamed up to bring plants to Pink Dog Creative on the weekends. Whynot Farm, which is affiliated with HDS&G, raises the plants on its farmland in Eastern TN, so they are locally-raised.
The plant sale will take place on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, on the patio at Pink Dog Creative. During the week, select plants will be available for purchase in GRIND.
Gardening in the Mountains Presents:
Creating and Managing Pollinator Habitat
This presentation by Bryan Tompkins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service covers specific details about prepping, planting, and maintaining pollinator gardens as complete habitats. It will also discuss different opportunities and methods for implementing other pollinator-habitat components into your area—from assessing and developing a habitat suitable to your site to working with others in your neighborhood to create connected and contiguous habitat components. Bryan takes a deeper look into the elements and factors that are needed to go beyond just creating a nice flower garden. Armed with the information in this talk, you can create a habitat!
POLLINATOR PHOTO CONTEST… WITH PRIZES!
Now until June 27
Break out your smartphones and cameras this Week and start snapping pics of WNC’s native pollinators!
Enter your best photos in our contest for a chance to win incredible prizes, like a $100 gift card to Reems Creek Nursery, and an Asheville Bee Charmer gift basket!
While you’re out taking photos, consider also participating in our BioBlitz.
The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.
The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
Join naturalist, plant ecologist, and garden educator Lisa Wagner to learn how to create a landscape that supports native pollinators.
Native bees, honeybees, flower flies, butterflies, and hummingbirds are among North America’s best-known pollinators. Enjoyable to watch, they’re even more important in their role as pollinators; most flowering plants (90%) depend on pollinators for successful reproduction, including a third of our food plants. Join naturalist, plant ecologist, and garden educator Lisa Wagner to learn how to create a landscape that supports pollinators with plants that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. She’ll talk about habitat characteristics that are important for pollinators, provide suggestions for plants to add to your garden, and discuss ways to support pollinators in your own garden and community.
.
Lisa was the Director of Education at the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University for over 20 years before she and her husband retired to Asheville, North Carolina. A plant ecologist by background (Ph.D. in Botany, UC Berkeley), she’s interested in native plants, sustainable gardening, vegetable gardening, and public outreach as well as being a keen gardener. She often teaches classes at the NC Arboretum and the Botanical Gardens at Asheville, in addition to doing presentations for groups (now as a volunteer). Her blogs, Natural Gardening (www.naturalgardening.blogspot.com) and Places of the Spirit (www.placesofthespirit.blogspot.com) reflect her observations about the natural world, gardening, and sense of place.
Gardening in the Mountains Presents:
Creating and Managing Pollinator Habitat
This presentation by Bryan Tompkins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service covers specific details about prepping, planting, and maintaining pollinator gardens as complete habitats. It will also discuss different opportunities and methods for implementing other pollinator-habitat components into your area—from assessing and developing a habitat suitable to your site to working with others in your neighborhood to create connected and contiguous habitat components. Bryan takes a deeper look into the elements and factors that are needed to go beyond just creating a nice flower garden. Armed with the information in this talk, you can create a habitat!
POLLINATOR PHOTO CONTEST… WITH PRIZES!
Now until June 27
Break out your smartphones and cameras this Week and start snapping pics of WNC’s native pollinators!
Enter your best photos in our contest for a chance to win incredible prizes, like a $100 gift card to Reems Creek Nursery, and an Asheville Bee Charmer gift basket!
While you’re out taking photos, consider also participating in our BioBlitz.
The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.
The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
Gardening in the Mountains Presents:
Creating and Managing Pollinator Habitat
This presentation by Bryan Tompkins, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service covers specific details about prepping, planting, and maintaining pollinator gardens as complete habitats. It will also discuss different opportunities and methods for implementing other pollinator-habitat components into your area—from assessing and developing a habitat suitable to your site to working with others in your neighborhood to create connected and contiguous habitat components. Bryan takes a deeper look into the elements and factors that are needed to go beyond just creating a nice flower garden. Armed with the information in this talk, you can create a habitat!
POLLINATOR PHOTO CONTEST… WITH PRIZES!
Now until June 27
Break out your smartphones and cameras this Week and start snapping pics of WNC’s native pollinators!
Enter your best photos in our contest for a chance to win incredible prizes, like a $100 gift card to Reems Creek Nursery, and an Asheville Bee Charmer gift basket!
While you’re out taking photos, consider also participating in our BioBlitz.
The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.
The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
You might be aware of the plight of the pollinators. And maybe you’ve heard of issues affecting pollinator health such as pesticides, disease, loss of habitat, and climate change. But did you know that artificial outdoor lighting can adversely affect pollinator health? Recent research is
uncovering some surprising and alarming effects that artificial outdoor lighting can have on nocturnal and diurnal pollinators and the plants that they need to survive. In the last twenty years, light emissions have increased by 70% in residential areas around the world. From reductions in flower visits by pollinators to reduced seed and fruit set in plants, artificial outdoor lighting is impacting natural ecosystems in ways we never before imagined. Join us as we explore the research and effects of artificial lighting as well as mitigation measures we can all take to minimize the effects of the human desire to overcome the darkness of night.
Bryan has spent the past 15-years as a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Asheville, North Carolina. He currently serves as the USFWS – Southeast Region recovery biologist for the federally endangered rusty-patched bumble bee and is the Energy Project Coordinator for the Asheville Field Office where he reviews energy production and development projects such as hydropower, coal combustion, natural gas, solar arrays, and wind farms. His job responsibilities consist of coordinating with energy companies to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats from impacts associated with energy production projects. His recent efforts have been focused on the conservation of pollinator species with emphasis on the preservation and restoration of native pollinator habitat in North Carolina. He is a founding member of the North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance – a diverse group of dedicated stakeholders from state and federal agencies, educational institutions, businesses, and non-profit organizations that have shared interests in advancing pollinator conservation in North Carolina and an active member of the Asheville Bee City Leadership Committee. In his free time, Bryan enjoys backcountry camping, float fishing the many beautiful rivers of western North Carolina, gardening, and spending time in the outdoors with his family.
Looking to get involved, stay active, and meet some new friends? Sand Hill Community Garden workdays take place on Wednesdays (6-8 p.m.) and Saturdays (10 a.m.-noon) from Feb. 27-Oct. 30, 2021, at Buncombe County Sports Park. The garden is located on 16 Apac Dr. in West Asheville/Enka-Candler.
Join friends and neighbors as they come together on common ground to raise fresh, organic vegetables and fruits for the Enka community.
Expect to wear a mask and maintain social distance throughout. Tools and hand sanitizer are available, but any gloves, loppers, pruners, or gardening tools you can bring will decrease the amount of contact between volunteers. Please wear work clothes to get dirty and closed-toe shoes. Sunscreen, water, and a hat are also handy items to have on hand.
Sand Hill Community Garden has been growing fresh produce since 2011 and raised over 1,200 lbs. of organic produce last year.
NOTE: Community workdays are weather dependent. Please join the community garden email list (send your info to [email protected]) to stay up on workday tasks and other garden news.
To receive the I Heart Parks monthly newsletter, sign up online. Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.
POLLINATOR PHOTO CONTEST… WITH PRIZES!
Now until June 27
Break out your smartphones and cameras this Week and start snapping pics of WNC’s native pollinators!
Enter your best photos in our contest for a chance to win incredible prizes, like a $100 gift card to Reems Creek Nursery, and an Asheville Bee Charmer gift basket!
While you’re out taking photos, consider also participating in our BioBlitz.
The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.
The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.
The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.
Included with admission
Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.
In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.
Join Sarah Fraser, New Belgium’s Sustainability Specialist, for a tour of their pollinator-friendly landscape. As part of a multi-faceted effort to make their Asheville brewery as sustainable as possible, New Belgium has incorporated an array of native, pollinator-friendly plants into their landscape. Stop by to learn more about what they’re doing to help pollinators and grab a beer afterwards! Please meet outside the Liquid Center.
Big thanks to Wedge Brewing Co for donating the use of their Cloud Room for this event!
Description: With over 500 known species of bees in the state, it is not surprising that their conservation is a bit more complex than planting packets of “pollinator” seeds. We will explore a tiny bit of regional bee diversity; point out species groups of plants that are particularly important to creating that bee diversity and talk about how your property (no matter how small) and community can be a contribution to the harboring, and the conservation of, a diverse group of interesting bees.
Sam Droege is a wildlife biologist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, part of the US Geological Survey. He is widely published in journals and has been the editor of numerous government publications on birds and insects. His work cataloging and photographing bees has been featured by NPR, The Weather Channel, and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as in numerous publications including Wired, the Wall Street Journal, and Popular Science.
This and other Pollination Celebration events are made possible by Carolina Native Nursery, with additional support from Reems Creek Nursery.