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.

Monday, January 16, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 16 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Free Day at Carl Sandburg Home: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jan 16 all-day
Carl Sandburg Home

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless advocate for racial equality, working classes, and the oppressed around the world. Commonly called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or MLK Day, the third Monday of January is a federal holiday to honor his life and legacy. Places where he made history and of the greater Civil Rights Movement he influenced are preserved in many national parks and in local communities around the country.

In honor of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., national parks will waive entrance fees for everyone on Monday, January 16, 2023, as the first fee free day of the year. It is also a day of service when thousands of volunteers participate in service projects across the country, including at national parks.

Find volunteer opportunities inspired by this day of service or visit a park to learn more about the history of Dr. King and the pursuit of civil rights in America.

MLK Day of Service

“The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.” – Coretta Scott King

MLK Day of Service is a defining moment in volunteerism, as Americans across the country step up to make communities more equitable and take action to build the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. While Dr. King believed this community was possible, he acknowledged and fought for systemic change. His example is our call to action.

This is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Many national parks traditionally host a variety of service projects that people can sign up for as volunteers.

Find volunteer opportunities inspired by this day of service or look for a volunteer event.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Jan 16 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Urban Peace Gardens & Market

On MLK Day of Service, we’ll tackle projects around the Burton Street community like helping out elder neighbors, projects in the community gardens, making art, picking up garbage, and more. We’ll provide snacks and food, hot and cool drinks, art supplies, tools, and music. You bring full water bottles, work gloves, and warm layers ’cause the weather can be hit or miss.

Gather at the main Peace Garden (47 Bryant St.), sign in, and we’ll put you to work!

Patty + Pearl Popup  
Jan 16 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Buxton Hall Barbecue

Join Buxton Hall executive chef Nick Barr for a celebration of oysters and burgers on Monday evenings throughout January and for a lunch and dinner menu takeover during Asheville Restaurant Week, Jan. 17-23. The menu features everything from pit-roasted oysters Vanderbilt and Southern-fired oysters to a double pimento cheese burger and a smoked brisket burger.

Tuesday, January 17, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 17 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Asheville Restaurant Week
Jan 17 @ 4:03 pm – 5:03 pm
Over 40 Asheville Restaurants

For many, the delicious culinary creations of local restaurants are a big part of what makes Asheville special. Asheville Restaurant Week celebrates Asheville’s great food scene. This year, more than 40 participating restaurants are serving up great food with menu specials. Show your favorite restaurants some love or try someplace new!

Asheville Restaurant Week

The Magnetic Theatre presents Turnt Tuesday at LaZOOM Room Bar + Gorilla
Jan 17 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room

TURNT TUESDAY
Preview Party Fundraiser
at LaZoom Room Bar & Gorilla
The third Monday in January is often referred to as Blue Monday – the holidays are over, it’s dark and gloomy outside and Valentine’s is still a month away. But you know what we say??

Screw Blue Monday – it’s Turnt Tuesday!! Come party with us at the Lazoom Room Bar and Gorilla to bring us all some winter cheer. Featuring music by local funk and groove band Smooth Goose, tasty food, drink specials and a preview of The Magnetic’s brand new rock opera: HappyLand!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Dixon’s Violin
Jan 17 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE

DIXON’S VIOLIN

You’ve never heard violin like this!  The world’s premier visionary violinist, Dixon’s life mission is to inspire people – and he has done so at over 1,000 concerts across North America, including giving four TED talks/performances, over ten years at Burning Man and Electric Forest, plus radio, TV, and film appearances.  A former technology leader and symphony violinist, Dixon walked away from a distinguished career to follow his dream full-time, and invented a whole new music genre.  Dixon now improvises on a 5-string electric violin with a looping system he developed to create an all-live one-man symphony, guided by his remarkable personal story of life transformation.
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 18 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Asheville Restaurant Week
Jan 18 @ 4:03 pm – 5:03 pm
Over 40 Asheville Restaurants

For many, the delicious culinary creations of local restaurants are a big part of what makes Asheville special. Asheville Restaurant Week celebrates Asheville’s great food scene. This year, more than 40 participating restaurants are serving up great food with menu specials. Show your favorite restaurants some love or try someplace new!

Asheville Restaurant Week

asheBUILT Happy Hour
Jan 18 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria

Join us at an old Asheville favorite, Barleys for some causal networking! We will be upstairs by the pool tables.

Parking is available at the Aloft parking garage.

French Broad Valley Jam
Jan 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Oklawaha Brewing Company

Join us for a weekly mountain music JAM with players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs! You are welcome to come and listen or to learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program. Free but donations are accepted. Weekly event takes place at Oklawaha Brewing Company.

Adults Only Trivia Night Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
Jan 18 @ 6:30 pm – 8:15 pm
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 6:30 pm ~ FREE!

AGES 18+ ADULTS ONLY ~ NO KIDS ALLOWED

ON OUR HUGE SCREEN IN THEATER 2!

ENJOY DINNER & DRINKS (FULL BAR) WHILE PLAYING

There are 3 rounds with new winners each round so you can show up late, miss a round and still be a winner. Plus, we have mid-round prizes to create as many winners as possible.

The questions are presented by a hilarious host on our giant movie screen and includes fun videos in each round.  You haven’t played a trivia night like this one!

Witty Wednesday Trivia
Jan 18 @ 6:30 pm
Sweeten Creek Brewing

Beat the mid week grind with some fun trivia! Win a $25 gift card for our taproom along with a $25 gift card from our resident kitchen, Bears Smokehouse BBQ!

Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Keynote Address from Clint Smith, “Our History, Reimagined”
Jan 18 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Lipinsky Hall Auditorium

UNC Asheville presents “Our History, Reimagined,” a Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Address from keynote speaker Clint Smith in Lipinsky Hall on Wednesday, January 18. This event is free and open to all, no tickets are required.

The United States is a country of great opportunity and economic mobility, but we must wrestle with how certain opportunities are contingent on different facets of one’s identity, and how the history of violence and exploitation helped to generate its economic foundation. The United States has freed millions around the world from despots and genocide, and we must wrestle with this same country’s pervasive history of barbarous imperialism. In a conversation exploring Civil Rights movements over the decades, as well as how memorials tie into our perceptions and collective memories of these eras, Clint pushes the audience to wrestle with the complicated truths about the country we live in and helps crystalize how this history has shaped the contemporary social, political, and cultural landscape of our world today.

Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2021.

He is also a former National Poetry Slam champion and a recipient of the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review, as well as the host of the Youtube series Crash Course Black American History.

This event is part of UNC Asheville’s Equity & Arts Series.


Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event, please contact the Event Organizer (see below). Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may park in faculty/staff and non-resident All Permit lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.
Prior to 5pm, any visitor (regardless of their reason for visit) need to adhere to the current practices listed on the parking website. Get your visitor parking permit here

Trivia Night
Jan 18 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Tavern

Every Wednesday

Trivia Night

Oliver Wood Trio
Jan 18 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Performance Image

– w/ CHRIS KASPER
– ALL AGES

– STANDING ROOM ONLY

OLIVER WOOD TRIO
Oliver Wood is a mainstay of modern-day American roots music. The frontman of the Wood Brothers since 2004, he’s spent the 21st century blurring the boundaries between folk, gospel, country-soul, and Americana, earning an international audience and a Grammy Award-nomination along the way. Always Smilin,’ his debut as a solo artist, continues that tradition while also shining new light on Oliver’s sharp songwriting, savvy guitar chops, and a voice that evokes the swagger of a Saturday evening picking party one moment and the solemnity of a Sunday morning gospel service the next.

Always Smilin’ is an album of bridges, mixing a wide range of collaborations with a uniquely personal touch. Guests include bandmates from Oliver’s musical past and present, from mentor and co-writer Chris Long (who performed alongside Oliver in King Johnson, the roots-rock band that dominated Atlanta’s music scene around the turn of the millennium) to percussionist Jano Rix (Oliver’s partner in The Wood Brothers). Blues heroine Susan Tedeschi, Hiss Golden Messenger’s Phil Cook, Medeski Martin & Wood’s John Medeski, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Tyler Greenwell, Nashville staple Phil Madeira, and singer/songwriter Carsie Blanton also make appearances, with Rebecca Wood — Oliver’s wife — handling the album’s handmade linocut cover art. For Oliver, the goal was simple: to collaborate freely with a mix of old friends and new partners, embracing a new level of independence.

Longtime fans don’t need to worry; Oliver remains fully committed to the Wood Brothers. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced the band to clear its touring schedule and spend most of 2020 at home, though, he began gathering together the solo material he’d been writing with other musicians. Gradually, almost surprisingly, an album began taking shape.

“People would come through Nashville during the year before the pandemic, and I’d set up a co-write or a jam in our studio, just to do some stuff outside of my own band,” he explains. “There wasn’t an album in mind. I just wanted to be creative. But when the pandemic happened, the songs started building up.”

There was plenty of stress to go around in 2020, but Always Smilin‘ — like its title suggests — is mostly an album of celebration. While “Get the Blues” addresses the struggles of the modern moment, songs like “Roots” and “Molasses” focus on brighter topics, from finding one’s center to embracing a simpler way of living. That diversity is reflected throughout the track list: on gospel covers like “The Battle is Over (But the War Goes On)” and “Climbing High Mountains (Tryin’ To Get Home)”; on country-soul standouts like “Soul of This Town”; on the tongue-twisting craft of “Kindness.” Oliver even makes room for an unlikely percussion instrument — the chicken coop — that once played a major role in his pre-Wood Brothers projects.

Always Smilin‘ celebrates the full range of Oliver Wood’s musical heritage, from the blues and gospel sounds he explored long before the Wood Brothers’ formation to the American roots music he’s been making during the past two decades. It’s an album of collaborations and communal recordings, spearheaded by a longtime team player who, for the first time ever, is making the final decisions himself. There will be more Wood Brothers music in the future, but this is an album about the present. An album about right now. And right now, Oliver Wood is smiling.

Thursday, January 19, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 19 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Asheville Restaurant Week
Jan 19 @ 4:03 pm – 5:03 pm
Over 40 Asheville Restaurants

For many, the delicious culinary creations of local restaurants are a big part of what makes Asheville special. Asheville Restaurant Week celebrates Asheville’s great food scene. This year, more than 40 participating restaurants are serving up great food with menu specials. Show your favorite restaurants some love or try someplace new!

Asheville Restaurant Week

New Years Resolution – Making more non-office friends
Jan 19 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Highland Brewing Company

Let AVL Digital Nomads give you a hand! Our fabulous “office” features a bartender, beer hall, and smiling faces all around! Our “agenda” consists of meeting other professionals, travelers, and remote workers to be your new friends. Who wants isolation when you can come out and socialize!

We make it super easy, it’s the Asheville way to accept everyone and enjoy the interesting conversations.
We’ll organize tables inside Highland Brewing’s main Taproom and stick our AVL Digital Nomads signs on a table. As always, we’ll have name tags, to help ease introductions. We’re looking forward to another fun event, meeting more new friends, and enjoying some beverages and conversation. See you there!

Not Rocket Science Trivia at Highland Brewing Downtown
Jan 19 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Highland Brewing Downtown

Trivia, Singo, tailgate games, and more! Our games are sure to challenge you, but c’mon… it’s not rocket science!

CHARLIE STARR with Benji Shanks
Jan 19 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

CHARLIE STARR with Benji Shanks

Ages 18+ FULLY SEATED SHOW

GA-20 + LadyCouch
Jan 19 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

GA-20

GA-20 clearly is on to something big. It’s a movement, a new traditional blues revival. The dynamic, throwback blues trio are disciples of the place where traditional blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll intersect. “We make records that we would want to listen to,” says guitarist Matt Stubbs. “It’s our take on the song-based traditional electric blues we love.” Stubbs, guitarist/vocalist Pat Faherty, and drummer Tim Carman have been at the forefront of this traditional blues revival since they first formed in 2018. It’s no wonder they skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard Blues Chart.

According to Stubbs, “Since we started the band we’ve focused on the story, the melody, and on creating a mood. Playing live as much as we do, we’re finding more and more that people are discovering how cool it all is. Traditional country, soul and funk music have all had these massive recent revivals, but traditional blues so far has not.” With their new Colemine album, Crackdown, and an intensive tour schedule, that’s all about to change.

On Crackdown, GA-20’s third full-length release, the band creates an unvarnished, ramshackle blues that is at once traditional and refreshingly modern. Expanding on their previous releases (2019’s Lonely Soul and 2021’s Try It…You Might Like It! GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor) GA-20 finds inspiration on the edges of the genre, where early electric blues first converged with country and rock ‘n’ roll. The album’s nine original songs include the loping, Louisiana-flavored Dry Run, the dirty, and bare-bones Easy On The Eyes and the melodic, garage-tinged Fairweather Friend. With tight, propulsive performances and a brevity and punk energy reminiscent of The Ramones, Crackdown is rowdy and fun, filled with instantly memorable, and well-crafted songs.

LADYCOUCH

“Everybody’s dancing, y’all — it’s about that time,” Allen Thompson sings during the first minute of LadyCouch’s ‘Future Looks Fine,’ setting the tone for a debut album rooted in groove, soul, and the family-like bond of the musicians.

A southern-rock jam band fronted by Thompson and co-founder Keshia Bailey, LadyCouch brings together a lineup of songwriters, horn players, harmony singers, and first-rate instrumentalists. The result is a larger-than-life sound inspired by the revue bands of the 1970s, bringing a contemporary approach to the timeless influence of Delaney & Bonnie, Little Feat, and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Funky and fiercely loyal, LadyCouch’s members are a community unto themselves, writing optimistic songs about the struggles and triumphs that connect us all.

“We choose to make it through hard times by being together,” says Bailey, who previously cut her teeth in the throwback soul group Magnolia Sons.  “There will always be struggle. You can sit and bask in it, or you can keep moving forward. For me, the best option is bond together and sing it out. That’s what this band does for me. LadyCouch heals me.”

JANIS JOPLIN’S 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
Jan 19 @ 9:00 pm
Asheville Music Hall
Friday, January 20, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 20 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Asheville Restaurant Week
Jan 20 @ 4:03 pm – 5:03 pm
Over 40 Asheville Restaurants

For many, the delicious culinary creations of local restaurants are a big part of what makes Asheville special. Asheville Restaurant Week celebrates Asheville’s great food scene. This year, more than 40 participating restaurants are serving up great food with menu specials. Show your favorite restaurants some love or try someplace new!

Asheville Restaurant Week

LARKIN POE
Jan 20 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

Support:
Goodnight, Texas

Ages 18+

Larkin Poe VIP Meet & Greet Package includes:

  • One general admission
  • Meet & Greet with Larkin Poe
  • One personal photo with Larkin Poe
  • One exclusive signed Larkin Poe print
  • One exclusive VIP merchandise item
  • One commemorative VIP laminate and lanyard
  • Pre-show merchandise shopping opportunity before venue opens to the public
  • Priority entry into the venue
Saturday, January 21, 2023
2023 Food Vendor Application for ADA Events Now Available
Jan 21 all-day
online

The application to be a food vendor at our events is now available. We’re seeking vendors for Downtown After 5, the Independence Day Celebration and Asheville Oktoberfest.

Click here to fill out the application. Application deadline is Friday, February 10.

Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Jan 21 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Nobody’s Darling String Band
Jan 21 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Jack of the Wood

Nobody’s Darling String Band is here every Saturday from 4-6! Stop in for an afternoon libation and enjoy the ladies picking’ away on the stage!