Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.

Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.

Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.

Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.

Grovewood Gallery proudly presents Artful Living: The Spirit of the Craftsman Style, a group exhibition celebrating the enduring influence of the American Arts and Crafts movement. On view from October 18 through December 31, 2025, this curated showcase brings together the work of four contemporary makers who honor traditional craftsmanship while offering fresh perspectives on timeless forms.

Featured artists include ceramicist Leslie Green Guilbault, a Roycroft Artisan whose pottery blends nature, myth, and metallic luster; blacksmith Paul Garrett, known for his handcrafted metalwork and luminous mica lamps inspired by early 20th-century design; furniture maker Timothy Livingston, whose heirloom-quality pieces reflect a deep reverence for honest materials and joinery; and painter Shawn Krueger, a Roycroft Master Artisan whose landscapes echo the quiet mood and tonal beauty of historic plein air work.

A festive morning for the whole family! Enjoy a breakfast buffet from 10AM–12PM, live holiday music, craft activities, and cookie decorating — plus a special visit from Santa himself. The bar will be serving hot chocolate, mulled wine, and eggnog for a cozy seasonal touch. $65 for adults, $45 for children.

Spend an hour +/- in the studio making a sterling silver and enamel charm.

Choose your charm shape and your favorite color(s) of enamel. You’ll sift the enamel onto the silver charm then fire it in a kiln to flow the glass enamel onto the silver, and repeat until your piece is complete!

Leave class with a finished charm you made yourself! Optional chain available for in-class purchase.

Level: Beginner Friendly

Wear comfortable clothing and arrive about 15 minutes ahead to sign a waiver and get settled. Our study is in downtown Asheville and there are 2 parking garages close by: Harrah’s and Rankin

Firestorm Books on Haywood Road is rebooting its annual holiday craft pop-up series, now in its sixth year! Featuring the work of 16+ local artists, this event will be a fundraiser for the Gaza Soup Kitchen and highlights affordable, giftable items that can only be found in Asheville.

This year’s craft pop-up will include two dates: Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th (the start of Hanukkah, ten days before Xmas Eve). Beginning at 11am and ending at 4pm, each date will have a different selection of artists showcasing baked goods, fiber arts, ceramics, art prints, jewelry, and more. The pop-up will take place outdoors at 1022 Haywood Road in West Asheville, or inside the bookstore at the same address in case of inclement weather.

Participating artists have committed to donate 25% of at least the first $250 in sales made to the Gaza Soup Kitchen, a grassroots NGO feeding thousands daily in Gaza. Attendees will have additional opportunities to support the lifesaving work of the humanitarian aid organization. More information on the Gaza Soup Kitchen can be found at https://gazasoupkitchen.org.

Firestorm Books on Haywood Road is rebooting its annual holiday craft pop-up series, now in its sixth year! Featuring the work of 16+ local artists, this event will be a fundraiser for the Gaza Soup Kitchen and highlights affordable, giftable items that can only be found in Asheville.

This year’s craft pop-up will include two dates: Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th (the start of Hanukkah, ten days before Xmas Eve). Beginning at 11am and ending at 4pm, each date will have a different selection of artists showcasing baked goods, fiber arts, ceramics, art prints, jewelry, and more. The pop-up will take place outdoors at 1022 Haywood Road in West Asheville, or inside the bookstore at the same address in case of inclement weather.

Participating artists have committed to donate 25% of at least the first $250 in sales made to the Gaza Soup Kitchen, a grassroots NGO feeding thousands daily in Gaza. Attendees will have additional opportunities to support the lifesaving work of the humanitarian aid organization. More information on the Gaza Soup Kitchen can be found at https://gazasoupkitchen.org.

Firestorm Books on Haywood Road is rebooting its annual holiday craft pop-up series, now in its sixth year! Featuring the work of 16+ local artists, this event will be a fundraiser for the Gaza Soup Kitchen and highlights affordable, giftable items that can only be found in Asheville.

This year’s craft pop-up will include two dates: Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th (the start of Hanukkah, ten days before Xmas Eve). Beginning at 11am and ending at 4pm, each date will have a different selection of artists showcasing baked goods, fiber arts, ceramics, art prints, jewelry, and more. The pop-up will take place outdoors at 1022 Haywood Road in West Asheville, or inside the bookstore at the same address in case of inclement weather.

Participating artists have committed to donate 25% of at least the first $250 in sales made to the Gaza Soup Kitchen, a grassroots NGO feeding thousands daily in Gaza. Attendees will have additional opportunities to support the lifesaving work of the humanitarian aid organization. More information on the Gaza Soup Kitchen can be found at https://gazasoupkitchen.org.

Women of the Pacific Northwest celebrates the voices, visions and material mastery of female artists working today, with roots from this rich and progressive region. Through the execution of disparate media from bronze, steel, glass, tin, plaster, mylar, printmaking, hair nets, cloth, rubber, wax to paint, these artists have achieved inventive, creative practices originating from critical, generative, inquisition of natural, social or subliminal forces. This exhibition highlights a group of female artists working in diverse media creating art that explores connections to place, whether sociological, environmental or spiritual, in a region supportive of equality, ecology and enterprise. These artists are among today’s pioneers, interpreting universality through personal observation and inventing poetic, transcendent works inspiring greater, pluralistic understanding, connecting us to one another and to the world around us.

Featured artists:

Victoria Adams, Drie Chapek, Jaq Chartier, Susan Dory, Betsy Ebys, Ann Gardner, Emily Gherard, Estuko Ichikawa, Lisa Jarrett, Brenda Mallory, Wendy Red Star, Katy Stone, Susan Zoccola, Marie Watt, and Julie Speidel.

So excited for Asheville Phoenix Fire Nonprofit’s 1st Annual – YULE TIDE PRIDE – Holiday Market Convention! We are bringing Pride into the festive season! Come get your holiday gifts, enjoy some local live music, coffee shop treats, connect with resources, take a holiday photo, sink in with community and more!

Included with admission

Capture that classic Christmas moment you and your children will never outgrow. Afterward, explore all that Antler Hill Village has to offer: ice cream at The Creamery, friendly animals at our Farmyard, plus Pisgah Playground, shops, restaurants, and an award-winning Winery.

Dates available:

November 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 28-30

December 6-7, 13-14, 17-24

Flood Gallery Fine Art Center revives its visual art program after Helene with this second in open exhibition series, featuring 25+ local artists showing multiple perspectives & styles. Art media for this show may include ceramic, stained glass, painting, drawing, photography, collage, printmaking, ceramic, enamel, fiber arts, digital media, and mixed media.
Light refreshments available, live music TBD.
Show runs Dec. 13, 2025 – Feb. 20, 2026

If interested in submitting, see Submission Guidelines:
• No entry fee!
• Artists of all perspectives, styles, & media
• Theme for inspiration & own interpretation: “The Power of Voice”
• Limit 2 works per Artist
• ~25 Artist limit; first come, first hung!
• Artwork must be framed and ready to hang/display.
• Artwork should be for sale. Flood Gallery retains 35%, so price accordingly.
• Label each artwork with name, title, medium, price, and artist bio/statement.
• Labels can be downloaded from our Facebook page, or filled out during art submission.
• Labeled artwork must be hand-delivered to Flood Gallery on Sat-Sun, Dec. 6-7, 11am – 5pm.

Join us at AVL Clay for our first Winter Wonderland Pottery Sale and Manna FoodBank fundraiser.
Shop local this season at AVL Clay! We’re excited to share the latest handmade pieces from our talented members. Support Manna Food Bank, enjoy live music, and discover a lovely assortment of ceramic gifts. And be sure to swing by our neighbor, Altamont Vintage!

By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten
Presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

December 11-21, 2025

Thursday, 12/11 at 7:30 (pay what you can available 11/27)
Fridays at 7:30
Saturday at 3 pm
Sundays at 3 pm

Director: Abigail Dover Thomas

Approximate Run Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Rating: PG due to adult content and mild language.

Four days before Christmas in Tinsel, Texas, a colorful parade of eccentric guests arrive at the Snowflake Inn and deck the halls with holiday hilarity. Trina, the harried yet upbeat innkeeper of this B&B, has more than she can handle coping with these nuttier-than-a-fruitcake lodgers. Hoyt and his sister, Donna Jo, make the mistake of trying to end a thirty-year feud between their curmudgeonly aunts, Ennis and Della, with sidesplitting results. Ainsley and Lenora, self-involved actors from a lower-than-low-budget touring production of A Christmas Carol, descend on the Inn to fulfill a promise, leaving comedic chaos in their wake. Add to this Yuletide mayhem an ill-advised romantic rendezvous between Mrs. Claus and one of Santa’s elves. This demanding guest refuses to leave, not to mention a tipsy housekeeper, and it will take more than a kiss under the mistletoe to keep Trina’s spirits merry and bright. But a spur-of-the-moment Christmas Eve wedding that brings together the fabulous Futrelle sisters—Honey Raye, Twink, Frankie, and Rhonda Lynn—and their best friend, Raynerd, takes a surprising and delightful turn that leads to a laugh-’till-your-sides-ache climax, changing all their lives forever.

Step into History This Holiday Season

Join us for the “Home for the Holidays: A Victorian Holiday Open House of the Old Kentucky Home.” Experience the warmth and charm of Holiday traditions in Thomas Wolfe’s world. Come see the home all dressed up in its Christmas finest! Guests will walk through the boardinghouse at their leisure to view this pop-up Holiday Traditions exhibit.

Enjoy holiday crafts, our exhibit hall, Christmas cookies, and warm apple cider in the Memorial’s Visitor Center. Last admittance into the house is 6:45pm.

Tickets are $10/person and can be purchased on at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/home-for-the-holidays-a-victorian-holiday-open-house-of-the-old-kentucky-home

This event supports the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville, North Carolina, championing education, enrichment, and Thomas Wolfe’s legacy. Your presence helps sustain a space where literature, history, and community come together

Winter Lights is excited to provide an all-new premium trolley experience, in partnership with Biltmore Park Town Square and Gray Line Trolley Tours! Skip the lines and ride the Winter Lights Trolley!

Enjoy dinner and shopping at Biltmore Park Town Square before hopping on the Winter Lights Trolley to experience Winter Lights!

Ride the Winter Lights Trolley Friday November 28 and select Fridays and Saturdays in December. Trolleys depart from Biltmore Park Town Square every half hour, beginning at 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $50 per-person and available select dates only.

Celebrate the magic of the season at the 5th Annual Winter Wonder Walk—an enchanting outdoor story experience where live theater meets a whimsical walk through the woods! Created by Asheville Plays and hosted by the Adventure Center of Asheville, this immersive journey guides guests through the Kingdom of Winterland, where each page of the story comes to life with delightful characters and heartwarming surprises. This family-friendly event has been created with everyone in minde, no matter your age or what you may celebrate during the winter holiday season. Winter Wonder Walk includes the outdoor storywalk, a heated holiday tent featuring a local vendor market, a kids’ play area, and several tasty concession and beverage options. Guests ages 4+ can also enjoy the Treetops Adventure Park Glow Trail, aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. Every ticket purchased helps spread joy even further—each one supports MANNA FoodBank and their mission to feed our community.Kids 12 and younger can earn a free general admission ticket by participating in our “S’Mitten With Books” reading program! Bundle up and bring the whole family—it’s the perfect way to make magical memories and give back this holiday season!
2025 Dates: November 29 & 30 and December 6, 7, 13, 14
Festivities begin at 6 PM | Winter Wonder Walk opens at 6:30 PM
Tickets & FAQs at www.winterwonderwalk.com

Once again, the magic of the Fae will fill our Great Hall with whimsy and elegance, illuminating the night in a spectacle of music, dance, and shared revelry to warm the winter’s chill. The sylvan sounds of Holler & Crow will grace the stage as we waltz through the evening, and in the witching hours DJ Jaime ignites the dance floor with enchanted rhythms that turn our royal court into pure revelry.

Don’t forget to attire yourself, and your entourage, in your finest regalia! A masque is required, and our Costume Contest will reward the most resplendent creations with generous prizes during our grand on-stage finale.

Join us on Saturday, December 13th, for an unforgettable night of enchantment and revelry at the next incredible Fae Masquerade!

The first 50 tickets are available at Early-Bird prices!
🌙 Indoor event | Ages 18+
🏰 Great Hall doors open at 7 PM
💃 Formal festivities begin at 8 PM

A night you don’t want to miss.

Josh grew up in Madison County, North Carolina surrounded by the music and stories of his ancestors. He is a highly accomplished storyteller and oldtime, bluegrass, and swing musician playing close to 20 instruments. His fiddling was featured in the movie Songcatcher, both onscreen and on the soundtrack. He has performed in all 50 states, throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia and gracing such stages as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and The Grand Ole Opry. He was nominated for a Grammy for his 2009 release with David Holt, entitled Cutting Loose.

Something extraordinary is coming to Asheville this winter! The North Carolina Arboretum and Explore Asheville are elated to announce the arrival of Trolls: A Field Study. Visiting on their first North American excursion, these twelve interactive troll sculptures will explore the Arboretum, embarking on a curious journey to learn about humankind.

Produced by Imagine in collaboration with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, these friendly and fanciful sculptures evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue as they study our small, intricate and inventive ways of life in Western North Carolina. Standing seven to nine feet tall and lovingly described by the artist as “Baby Trolls”, the creatures are crafted from materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.

Through their observations, the trolls reveal a fresh perspective on what makes us human, sparking curiosity and laughter in visitors of all ages.

Only cost is the parking fee. No other admission fees.