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.

Sunday, August 20, 2023
Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
Aug 20 @ 3:00 pm
Jack of the Wood

 

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session 

Sundays

1 till who knows when?

Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.

Jack of the Wood

95 Patton ave

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 252.5445

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Back-to-School” Family Show with the Billy Jonas Band
Aug 20 @ 4:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Fun for All Ages!

The Billy Jonas Band loves to engage and delight both young and adult audiences. Whether performing for adults, families, school groups, faith communities, or a mix, they strive for a musical excellence that inspires, entertains, and moves people literally and figuratively. With “wild winded word magic” (Dirty Linen Magazine), homemade “industrial re-percussion” instruments, exquisite 3 and 4 part vocal harmonies, plus guitar and bass, they love to create community through song and story. Their specialty: finding and pushing your “wonder” button.

In 2010, the Billy Jonas Band was honored with a performance at the White House!

Fringe Summer Nights Vol. 3: Strange Daughters Butoh, The Accidentals + Justin Evans
Aug 20 @ 6:00 pm
Wedge at Foundation

The last of our 3 Fringe Summer Nights will have pop up performances, Asheville Fringe announcements, cold beverages and weirdo camaraderie. Join us!
Featuring:
Strange Daughters Butoh
The Accidentals
Justin Evans

Donations go to artists. Donate to Asheville Fringe at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?donation=afs

Pisgah Sunday Jam – Hosted by Spiro + Friends
Aug 20 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Pisgah Brewing Company

Join us for Black Mountain’s original Sunday Jam! Hosted by Spiro and Friends, this jam features original jams and favorite covers. Bring your instrument! Sign-ups at the stage starting at 6 PM!

Pisgah Beer, Gluten Free and N/A options available. Family and dog friendly venue.

The taproom is open from 2:00 to 9:00 PM with music beginning at 6:30 PM.

Billy Jonas + BJ Leiderman
Aug 20 @ 7:30 pm
The Grey Eagle

Some ask: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Billy Jonas asks: “What is the sound of 600 sets of keys jingling on the downbeat?”

Music enthusiasts of all ages are in for a treat as The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds join forces to bring a sensational pairing: BJ & BJ (Billy Jonas & BJ Leiderman) to Grey Eagle Music Hall on Sunday, August 20. The doors will open at 7:00 PM, and the show will begin at 7:30 PM. Additionally there’s a 4pm back-to-school “family show” with the Billy Jonas Band, bidding farewell to Sherman Hoover, The BJB bassist for 14 years.

Billy Jonas, an acclaimed performer, singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator creates a soul-spelunking, heart healing, and joy-filled journey. With his captivating blend of voice, guitar, and “industrial re-percussion” (found, foraged, and homemade instruments), Jonas inspires audience participation and invites an atmosphere of ecstatic connectedness.

BJ Leiderman shares the evening stage, and is the award-winning composer, renowned for his unforgettable theme music on Public Radio. With his debut album “BJ,” BJ Leiderman will serenade the crowd with original songs and cherished cover tunes. His crowd-pleasing medley of beloved Public Radio themes promises to delight listeners of all ages.

Monday, August 21, 2023
Asheville Community Theatre Youth Production Classes
Aug 21 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

What is a Youth Production?

An ACT Youth Production is an immersive performance workshop that is specially tailored for young artists who aspire to learn and grow in the performing arts. This hands-on experience offers a unique opportunity for students to undergo a comprehensive exploration of the theatrical process. Starting with auditions, they are taught how to prepare and present their best selves, and throughout the rehearsal process, students collaborate with the cast in a dynamic and supportive environment. A distinctive feature of this program is the inclusion of choreography and voice training sessions that enable students to discover and improve their vocal prowess and dancing abilities, thus turning them into well-rounded performers. Every aspect is designed to nurture creativity, foster teamwork, and instill a genuine love for theatre. All students are encouraged to participate, regardless of their previous experience or exposure to theatre.

Interested in Technical Theatre classes?

If you’re interested in getting hands-on experience with technical theatre, our Tech & Run Crew class is tailored just for you. Whether you’re a beginner with a budding interest or a seasoned tech enthusiast aiming to sharpen your skills, you will get the opportunity to work on real productions in an education environment.

Fall Semester Adult Acting Class at Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 21 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

You asked and we delivered! ACT is proud to offer a wide range of classes for adults. We invite you to join us to explore, discover, nurture, and refine your theatrical abilities – your stage is waiting.

Flat Rock Playhouse: Fall Classes and Auditions for the World Premiere Musical
Aug 21 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

Announcing 8 weeks of Fall Musical Theatre/Theatre Camps for rising K-12th Graders and Adults!

With new content for every program,

returning students will always have the chance to dive into fresh material.

Share what you have learned with a performance at the end of the semester!

Youth Theatre Classes w/ Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 21 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre
AJJ
Aug 21 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES

AJJ Tickets | Asheville, NC | Grey Eagle Music Hall (etix.com)

– STANDING ROOM ONLY

AJJ
AJJ frontman Sean Bonnette can summarize the band’s new album, Good Luck Everybody, in a single sentence: “Sonically, it’s our least punk record, and lyrically, it’s our most punk record.”

And indeed, Good Luck Everybody (January 17, 2020), the Arizona band’s seventh album, stands out in their already diverse catalog. While still rooted in the folk-punk sound AJJ has become known for, the album is unafraid to delve into new territories that test the limits of what the band is capable of.

“I think it explores some of the weirder sides of AJJ, the more experimental leanings that we’ve had in the past,” says bassist Ben Gallaty. Good Luck Everybody draws from a wealth of sonic inspirations, from Laurel Canyon folk-rock of the 60s and 70s to avant garde artists like Suicide, as well as some orchestral pop. There is even a piano ballad, the tragic “No Justice, No Peace, No Hope.”

Lyrically, Good Luck Everybody is a change of pace from the idiosyncratic songwriting style Bonnette has honed over more than 15 years fronting AJJ. It still features his wonderfully weird turns of phrase and oddball word pairings, but this time, his thematic lens is more directly focused on the inescapable atrocities of the world around him. Longtime fans will recognize the album’s social commentary as a return to their 2011 release, Knife Man, but this time it’s fueled by a more radical urgency.

“I usually try for a timeless effect in songwriting, so that you can hear a song and generally not think about the context under which it was written,” says Bonnette. “But for this one, I was trying to write, and all the bad political shit just kept invading my brain and preventing me from writing that way. So I decided to fully embrace it and exorcise that demon.”

Much like Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs pulled their songs straight from newspaper headlines, Good Luck Everybody feels like a long scroll through social media feeds on a particularly volatile day.

with special guests….

OPEN MIKE EAGLE
SAD PARK
FOOT OX

Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Fall Semester Adult Acting Class at Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 22 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

You asked and we delivered! ACT is proud to offer a wide range of classes for adults. We invite you to join us to explore, discover, nurture, and refine your theatrical abilities – your stage is waiting.

Flat Rock Playhouse: Fall Classes and Auditions for the World Premiere Musical
Aug 22 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

Announcing 8 weeks of Fall Musical Theatre/Theatre Camps for rising K-12th Graders and Adults!

With new content for every program,

returning students will always have the chance to dive into fresh material.

Share what you have learned with a performance at the end of the semester!

Youth Theatre Classes w/ Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 22 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre
PARENTS LOUNGE LEAF Global Experience
Aug 22 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Experience

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

sneak peek Pippin
Aug 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Time to start livin’!

Magic & Mystery, our 77th Mainstage Season is here! Join us for Pippin, the Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Schwartz, Roger O. Hirson, and Bob Fosse, that follows a young prince’s quest for the true meaning of life.

Catch a sneak peek at the Pack Memorial Library on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM.

An Evening of Kirtan with Nina Rao and Aditi Sethi
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm
AyurPrana Listening Room

Nina Rao and Aditi Sethi are both practitioners on the path of Bhakti Yoga where chanting of Sanskrit mantras is an expression of longing for the Divine in all hearts, and celebrating the One Love!

Nina Rao learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. In 1998 she met her guru, Sri Siddhi Ma in the foothills of the Himalayas and spent time with her regularly for 19 years. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and accompanies him musically as well. She has released two albums Antarayaami and Anubhav and regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometowns of Brooklyn & New Paltz, New York. She is also founder and chairwoman of non-profit Saving Wild Tigers which supports conservation of wild tigers and all species in their natural habitat in India. In addition, she hosts a podcast series on the Be Here Now Network exploring spirituality, practice, and conservation of wilderness and Nature. NinaRaoChant.com

As a child under the guidance of her parents and grandparents from India, Aditi began offering devotional music from the Sikh and Hindu traditions to her community. More recently, she studied Indian devotional and classical music with her teacher, Krishna Kant Shukla, who lives in Varnasi, India. She has been living in the Asheville area since 2008 and has offered kirtan to her local community with Jojo Silverman, Scott Sheerin, and others. As a hospice physician and end-of-life-doula, she values the power of mantra to focus the mind, open the heart and expand consciousness. aditimusic.com

Tickets are: $25 Advance. $30 at door

WHITE HORSE OPEN MIC
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

We view our Open Mic as a service to the community, providing performance opportunities for musicians who rarely get to play on a nice stage. We like to provide opportunities for community members to come enjoy live music for FREE at least once a week, and sometimes more than once a week.

You’ll hear a variety of wonderfully talented folks on their way up. You never know what you’ll hear… original songs, covers, guitar, piano….. and often something quite surprising.

Each performer gets 15 minutes or three songs.

Our Open Mic has been so popular that we typically have more folks wanting to perform than we’ve had room for. After consulting with some of our regular attendees and participants we want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to perform on stage.

So we are trying out a new process and it seems to be very popular.

We’ve expanded the number of available performance slots to 10 per night.

  • Note: There are actually 12 spots on the list each night. . The host of Open Mic is spot 1, and the owner of White Horse (Bob Hinkle) is spot 3. That leaves 10 available spots to be drawn from the hat.

In place having folks lineup in advance for the signup list, we now pull names out of a hat.

We suggest that those desiring to perform on stage arrive prior to 6:30pm.

When you arrive, check in with the bartender and they will give you a piece of paper where you will write your name and drop it into “the hat”

Sometime between 6:30 and 6:45, the bartender will announce that the names are being drawn.  You must be present when the names are drawn to confirm your participation. Participants will be added to the nights performer list in the order in which they are drawn.

Any names left in the hat that do not make the performer list for the night , are automatically put first on the list for the following week. PLUS…. they get a free bottle of beer or soft drink “on the house” as a thank you for their patience and support of fellow musicians.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Asheville Community Theatre Youth Production Classes
Aug 23 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

What is a Youth Production?

An ACT Youth Production is an immersive performance workshop that is specially tailored for young artists who aspire to learn and grow in the performing arts. This hands-on experience offers a unique opportunity for students to undergo a comprehensive exploration of the theatrical process. Starting with auditions, they are taught how to prepare and present their best selves, and throughout the rehearsal process, students collaborate with the cast in a dynamic and supportive environment. A distinctive feature of this program is the inclusion of choreography and voice training sessions that enable students to discover and improve their vocal prowess and dancing abilities, thus turning them into well-rounded performers. Every aspect is designed to nurture creativity, foster teamwork, and instill a genuine love for theatre. All students are encouraged to participate, regardless of their previous experience or exposure to theatre.

Interested in Technical Theatre classes?

If you’re interested in getting hands-on experience with technical theatre, our Tech & Run Crew class is tailored just for you. Whether you’re a beginner with a budding interest or a seasoned tech enthusiast aiming to sharpen your skills, you will get the opportunity to work on real productions in an education environment.

Asheville Performing Arts Academy Programs 2023-2024 Season
Aug 23 all-day
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

2023-2024 Season

The Asheville Performing Arts Academy facilitates a life-long appreciation and advocacy of the arts by providing a loving community where students discover the tools needed to navigate life on and off the stage.

Mission

The Asheville Performing Arts Academy is a school based on unlimited opportunities for students to explore their interests in music, dance, and drama.  We foster a love and appreciation for the arts through student-teacher relationships, which encourage and help you to excel at your dream. We offer high quality instruction and educational experiences because we are committed to the art of teaching and the teaching of the arts.  It is our hope to build art and awareness in the community and provide a home for families to pursue their dreams.

With classes for students of all ages, the Asheville Performing Arts Academy is your place to discover the love of music, drama, and dance in your life.

Asheville Performing Arts Academy… where the arts come alive!

November 10-12, 2023

An APAA Cabaret (Company)

 

December 8-10, 2023

Oliver, Jr. (Prep)

 

December 15-17, 2023

Oliver, Jr. (Community)

February 2-4, 2024

Mean Girls, Jr.

(Middle School Community)

 

February 9-11, 2024

Mean Girls HS Version

(High School Community)

 

March/April 2024

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Homeschool Academy)

April 25-28, 2024

Little Shop of Horros (Company)

 

May 10-12, 2024

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Prep)

 

May 17-19, 2024

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Community)

Fall Semester Adult Acting Class at Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 23 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

You asked and we delivered! ACT is proud to offer a wide range of classes for adults. We invite you to join us to explore, discover, nurture, and refine your theatrical abilities – your stage is waiting.

Flat Rock Playhouse: Fall Classes and Auditions for the World Premiere Musical
Aug 23 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

Announcing 8 weeks of Fall Musical Theatre/Theatre Camps for rising K-12th Graders and Adults!

With new content for every program,

returning students will always have the chance to dive into fresh material.

Share what you have learned with a performance at the end of the semester!

Youth Theatre Classes w/ Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 23 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre
The Girl on the Train
Aug 23 @ 2:00 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

Rachel Watson longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love. Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated. Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and DreamWorks film.

*Adult language and content. Parental discretion advised.

The Girl on the Train
Aug 23 @ 7:30 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

Rachel Watson longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love. Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated. Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and DreamWorks film.

*Adult language and content. Parental discretion advised.

Cole Ritter + The Night Owls + Vaden Landers
Aug 23 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Cole Ritter & The Night Owls + Vaden Landers Tickets | Asheville, NC | Grey Eagle Music Hall (etix.com)

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

COLE RITTER AND THE NIGHT OWLS
Founded in 2019, Cole Ritter and The Night Owls have since been pioneering new sonic spaces and finding their very own home-grown sound that is completely new, yet nostalgic. This award-winning band is helmed by Cole Ritter, a Nashville Native who has devoted his life to music. Cole was featured on Season 20 of American Idol and was chosen as Hunter Girl’s duet partner. Ritter’s songwriting draws inspiration from many genres including country, rock, folk, and the blues.

The Allstar backing band, The Night Owls, features a lineup of some of Nashville’s best and brightest up-and-coming instrumentalists and musicians. The Night Owls are made up of Alex Barcic on Pedal Steel Guitar, Tom Davis on Upright Bass, Christian Starrett on Guitar, and Matt Martirano on drums. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls were chosen as the winner of Belmont’s University’s “Country Showcase” in 2020. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls are quickly rising and can’t wait to share their music with the world!

VADEN LANDERS
Vaden Landers is a 27 year old multi-instrumentalist from Eastern TN. As a teen he set out traveling the American highways and railways, learning the ways of a travelermusician, and gaining hard-won life experience along the way. Vaden continued to hone his songwriting, singing, yodeling and picking skills while busking and touring from Alaska to Florida, turning heads as an exciting new player in the revival of the traditional country music scene and finetuning his original songs, which harken back to the golden days of country music. Blending influences from honky tonk, rockabilly, folk, blues, ragtime, jazz, western swing and old-time Appalachian, Vaden Landers brings new fire to a classic sound!

Jai Wolf: Blue Babu Live
Aug 23 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

You don’t know Jai Wolf like you think you do. After hundreds of millions of streams on indie-dance anthems like “Indian Summer” and “Starlight,” blockbuster festival sets from Indio to India, and co-signs from the likes of Skrillex and ODESZA, it’s clear from the opening notes of Jai Wolf’s long-awaited debut album The Cure to Loneliness that he sees the expectations around his name as an opportunity to challenge convention.

The Cure to Loneliness finds Jai Wolf completing his evolution from upstart bedroom remixer to future bass DJ to builder of lush musical worlds. While still very much dancefloor-focused, some tracks on the LP conjure the angular riffage of The Strokes and Phoenix, weave melodies through the sugary happysad of M83 and CHVRCHES, or build up walls of sound like Explosions in the Sky — all while maintaining the melodious polish and evocative groove to which fans have grown so close.

“In my heart, this album is me,” says Jai Wolf. “From the sounds to the lyrics, it’s everything that I’ve always wanted to do.” Taking a different approach to many of his contemporaries under the wing of indie darling label Mom+Pop (Courtney Barnett, Flume, Jagwar Ma, Alina Baraz), Jai Wolf largely eschewed singles over the course of two years to patiently craft The Cure to Loneliness. The result is a thoughtfully framed, confidently expressed musical vision that will tug at heartstrings in 2019 and long beyond.

The Cure to Loneliness is available everywhere now.

Thursday, August 24, 2023
Asheville Performing Arts Academy Programs 2023-2024 Season
Aug 24 all-day
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

2023-2024 Season

The Asheville Performing Arts Academy facilitates a life-long appreciation and advocacy of the arts by providing a loving community where students discover the tools needed to navigate life on and off the stage.

Mission

The Asheville Performing Arts Academy is a school based on unlimited opportunities for students to explore their interests in music, dance, and drama.  We foster a love and appreciation for the arts through student-teacher relationships, which encourage and help you to excel at your dream. We offer high quality instruction and educational experiences because we are committed to the art of teaching and the teaching of the arts.  It is our hope to build art and awareness in the community and provide a home for families to pursue their dreams.

With classes for students of all ages, the Asheville Performing Arts Academy is your place to discover the love of music, drama, and dance in your life.

Asheville Performing Arts Academy… where the arts come alive!

November 10-12, 2023

An APAA Cabaret (Company)

 

December 8-10, 2023

Oliver, Jr. (Prep)

 

December 15-17, 2023

Oliver, Jr. (Community)

February 2-4, 2024

Mean Girls, Jr.

(Middle School Community)

 

February 9-11, 2024

Mean Girls HS Version

(High School Community)

 

March/April 2024

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Homeschool Academy)

April 25-28, 2024

Little Shop of Horros (Company)

 

May 10-12, 2024

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Prep)

 

May 17-19, 2024

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Community)

Fall Semester Adult Acting Class at Asheville Community Theatre
Aug 24 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

You asked and we delivered! ACT is proud to offer a wide range of classes for adults. We invite you to join us to explore, discover, nurture, and refine your theatrical abilities – your stage is waiting.

Flat Rock Playhouse: Fall Classes and Auditions for the World Premiere Musical
Aug 24 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

Announcing 8 weeks of Fall Musical Theatre/Theatre Camps for rising K-12th Graders and Adults!

With new content for every program,

returning students will always have the chance to dive into fresh material.

Share what you have learned with a performance at the end of the semester!

RAHZEL OF THE ROOTS AT LEAF FESTIVAL
Aug 24 all-day
online

What!!! Rahzel from the original Roots is coming to LEAF! The Human Beatbox aka the Grammy-winning Rapper/MC from the original, world-renowned Roots lineup, has been added to the Saturday night lineup of the October Festival.

Famous for his jaw-dropping vocal percussion and beatboxing prowess, Rahzel is not just a performer, he’s an experience. Dive deep into the pulse and rhythm of hip-hop (on the 50th anniversary of the genre) with this masterful artist who blurs the line between voice and instrument. It’s more than a show: it’s musical genius live onstage.

Aaaand … there will be a Beatbox Play-Shop for all ages. Don’t miss it! 🔥🔥🔥

Rahzel is one of the biggest names in beatboxing today, and continues to redefine the limits of the human voice. Known as “The Godfather of Noyze,” he was growing up in Queens when hip-hop blew up. LEAF is thrilled to welcome Rahzel to the fall Festival on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Rahzel’s cousin Rahiem was an original member of the Furious Five, and Rahzel recalls sneaking into their shows, “watching Grand Master Flash before I could even see over the gate.” Rahzel embraced the philosophy that “not having’ was never an excuse for ‘not doing. … To me, [beatboxing] saves lives and I’m a prime example of it. It inspires kids to be creative and motivated.”

Through both his solo work and his stint with the live-music hip-hop group The Roots, Rahzel is credited with bringing beatboxing back to the fore of hip-hop in the 1990s. Rahzel can sing a chorus and beatbox the back-up simultaneously, a skill showcased on his signature song, “If Your Mother Only Knew,” from his groundbreaking first album, Make the Music 2000. Rahzel has worked with artists from Björk to Branford Marsalis.

LEAF Global Arts is on a mission CONNECTING CULTURES and CREATING COMMUNITY through world music, arts education, preservation and experiences. The closest distance between two people is a story, a song, or a dance.

Join us at LEAF Festival October 19-22, 2023 at Lake Eden