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.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Move On Up: Soul/R+B
Aug 4 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 5 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

“Move On Up” is a night of your favorite and forgotten Soul/RB cuts right after Comedy Night.

Thursday, August 5, 2021
Salsa Night Thursday
Aug 5 @ 9:30 pm – Aug 6 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

Spice up your life with Latin sounds by local DJs Nex Millen & Mtn Vibez every Thursday.

Super bonus if you come early and get Dance Lessons from our knowladable instructors and get your body ready with sabor for the night. NO COVER All events 21+

Friday, August 6, 2021
Music On Main: Marsha Morgan Band
Aug 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Visitor Center

Music on Main features a diverse line-up ranging from pop, oldies, rock, to contemporary music – there’s something for every musical taste! The family-friendly event offers concessions such as hot dogs, ice cream, pretzels and lemonade for sale.

Classic car shows are held in conjunction with Music on Main. The car shows are located in front of the Wells Fargo between Barnwell and Caswell Streets, which will be closed to traffic. For more information about the classic car shows, contact the Carolina Mountain Car Club.

Bring a chair and enjoy an evening of live music from 7 pm-9 pm.  The audience seating area opens after 5:30 pm, early admission is prohibited.  Admission is free. Alcoholic beverages, backpacks, or coolers are prohibited.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be postponed until 8pm.  If the weather does not improve by 8 pm the performance will be canceled.

Everybody Free Dance Party
Aug 6 @ 10:00 pm – Aug 7 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

DJ Dance Party with Meseret & Zati 🎧 Every Friday Nigh it’s you, it’s dark house and the dance floor. NO COVER 21+

Saturday, August 7, 2021
Mountain Dance and Folk Festival
Aug 7 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Lipinsky Hall Auditorium at UNCA,

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

Are you ready to be part of the 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival®? On August 5, 6, 7, 2021, a different show will be presented live on stage each evening allowing you to appreciate the talent and dedication of the hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. These traditions involve not only the hand-clapping, toe-tapping rhythms of Bluegrass, the style and stories of century-old ballads, the high energy of clogging, the elegance of Big Circle Mountain Smooth Dance, the fun and entertainment of storytelling, but also include an awareness of the hardships and trials that have brought us to this place and time.

This 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival® has been made possible through the generosity of our music community volunteering their time and talent to preserve and promote the Southern Appalachian music, dance and storytelling heritage.

A listing of performers who volunteer their time and talent to make our events possible can be found on Our Performers page. Please visit their websites and support their generosity by purchasing music, merchandise, making a contribution to virtual tip jars where available or just to tell them you enjoyed their performance. Our artists especially need our support during these difficult times.

The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as a means for people to share and understand the beauty and dignity of the Southern Appalachian music and dance traditions that have been handed down through generations in western North Carolina. He saw the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival grow to be the oldest gathering of its kind in the nation and it continues in this way, a platform for the talented of the high country lying between the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has served a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of the vitality and importance of Southern Appalachian culture throughout the region, nation and world. Bascom Lunsford’s mission was to present the finest of the Appalachian ballad singers, string bands and square dance teams for education and entertainment. The songs and dances shared at this event echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lunsford’s was the first dubbed a folk festival, and he later consulted with many communities across the country interested in organizing similar festivals.

If you like Shindig on the Green, you’ll love the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival!

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here for more history of the Festival.

Click here if you are interested in performing.

Click here if you are interested in becoming a Corporate Sponsor.

Hip Hop Night: Vinyl Timetravelers
Aug 7 @ 10:00 pm – 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

Hip Hop Turntablism party with DJs Kutzu & Chubby Knuckles & the Vinyl Time Travelers first Saturday of the month.
Every First Saturday 10pm to 2am
All events 21+
Monday, August 9, 2021
2021 Street Dances: Lynn Goldsmith + The Jeter Mountain Band with Lake Lure Cloggers
Aug 9 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hendersonville Visitor Center

 

The Street Dances have been a tradition for over 100 years in Downtown Hendersonville! They began in 1918, at the end of World War I, when the city welcomed home its soldiers from the War by celebrating in the streets, and became nationally known after they were included in the guidebook Blue Ridge Music Trails, Finding A Place In The Circle, written by Fred S. Fussell. The guidebook was winner of the first PRESERVE AMERICA Presidential Award for Heritage Tourism.

The sounds of fiddles and banjos playing at the Street Dances have been a part of Henderson County’s heritage for more than 100 yearscalling people of all ages to journey to downtown Hendersonville to enjoy toe-tapping-good mountain music.

Hendersonville comes alive with people listening to the traditional mountain and bluegrass music performed by a live band, square dancing and special appearances are often made by area clogging teams for a foot stomping evening.

Bring a chair and enjoy an evening of live music from 7 pm-9 pm. The audience seating area opens after 5:30 pm, early admission is prohibited.  Admission is free. Alcoholic beverages, backpacks, or coolers are prohibited.

Enjoy free, live music at the Visitor Center every Monday & Friday evening in July and August! Click here to learn more about Monday Night Live! and here to learn more about Music on Main Concerts.

Click to download a copy of the 2021 Summer Music Series brochure.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Aquanet: Goth Night
Aug 10 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 11 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Latin Night Wednesday
Aug 11 @ 9:00 pm – 11:59 pm
One World Brewing West

Latin Night Wednesday

MTN VIBEZ Presents Latin Night-every Wednesday.  Free Dance Lessons 8:30-9PM-All Skill Levels and All Latin Genres-Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, Reggaeton.

DJ Ephcto spins cultural bass music from 6:30pm-9pm and is a perfect time to come for some dinner prior to the start of Latin night.

Move On Up: Soul/R+B
Aug 11 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 12 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

“Move On Up” is a night of your favorite and forgotten Soul/RB cuts right after Comedy Night.

Thursday, August 12, 2021
Salsa Night Thursday
Aug 12 @ 9:30 pm – Aug 13 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

Spice up your life with Latin sounds by local DJs Nex Millen & Mtn Vibez every Thursday.

Super bonus if you come early and get Dance Lessons from our knowladable instructors and get your body ready with sabor for the night. NO COVER All events 21+

Friday, August 13, 2021
Music On Main: Emporium
Aug 13 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hendersonville Visitor Center

Music on Main features a diverse line-up ranging from pop, oldies, rock, to contemporary music – there’s something for every musical taste! The family-friendly event offers concessions such as hot dogs, ice cream, pretzels and lemonade for sale.

Classic car shows are held in conjunction with Music on Main. The car shows are located in front of the Wells Fargo between Barnwell and Caswell Streets, which will be closed to traffic. For more information about the classic car shows, contact the Carolina Mountain Car Club.

Bring a chair and enjoy an evening of live music from 7 pm-9 pm.  The audience seating area opens after 5:30 pm, early admission is prohibited.  Admission is free. Alcoholic beverages, backpacks, or coolers are prohibited.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be postponed until 8pm.  If the weather does not improve by 8 pm the performance will be canceled.

Everybody Free Dance Party
Aug 13 @ 10:00 pm – Aug 14 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

DJ Dance Party with Meseret & Zati 🎧 Every Friday Nigh it’s you, it’s dark house and the dance floor. NO COVER 21+

Saturday, August 14, 2021
Black Box Dance Theatre presents PATRIOT
Aug 14 @ 7:00 pm
Diana Wortham Theatre

In 2019, partnering with the NC Arts Council and the USO, Black Box Dance Theatre (BBDT) began the creation of PATRIOT, an evening-length work of multimedia dance, theater, and storytelling that is a living memorial of emotionally charged, virtuosic dancing examining the service and sacrifice of US veterans, active-duty military and their families. In 2021 BBDT will premier PATRIOT in veteran and military communities throughout NC and beyond. BBDT has a long history with the USO of NC as part of its nationally recognized Warrior, Spouse and Family Reset Programs. Aimed to build resiliency, Resets support military service members and their families through movement, dance and storytelling workshops to help them deal with the ongoing mental wellness challenges of military life, including deployment and reintegration. In addition to the Resets, PATRIOT is an invitation for participants to bring their experiences and stories to a larger platform.

The performance of PATRIOT is inspired by the non-fiction stories collected during Resets and first-hand experiences of BBDT dancers. The choreographed framework of PATRIOT allows for the integration of community performers. The lens of hero, veteran, spouse, and protestor are threads that have emerged. Alfredo, a Purple Heart Veteran injured by a 400 lb bomb in Iraq; Roy, a non-combat veteran who was drafted out of school; Nikki, a military spouse and mother who carries the stress of her husband’s deployments; and Steven, a war protestor who struggles with supporting his brother who recently joined the Army all bring authentic voices to the art-making. Moments of pageantry, humor, physicality, and humility have surfaced in the making of PATRIOT. Differing views, differing abilities, differing voices are given stage.

Wortham Center Presents Black Box Dance Theatre in “PATRIOT”
Aug 14 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wortham Center

A living memorial of emotionally charged, virtuosic choreography, “PATRIOT” by Black Box Dance Theatre examines the service and sacrifice of U.S. veterans, active-duty military and their families — turning real, submitted accounts into moving stories told through modern dance. Using movement, multimedia, theater and storytelling to address the ongoing mental wellness challenges of military life, Black Box Dance Theatre shares these powerful, lived experiences at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets: $35, with discounts available for military service members and their families. Box office: 828-257-4530 or worthamarts.org.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Aquanet: Goth Night
Aug 17 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 18 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Latin Night Wednesday
Aug 18 @ 9:00 pm – 11:59 pm
One World Brewing West

Latin Night Wednesday

MTN VIBEZ Presents Latin Night-every Wednesday.  Free Dance Lessons 8:30-9PM-All Skill Levels and All Latin Genres-Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, Reggaeton.

DJ Ephcto spins cultural bass music from 6:30pm-9pm and is a perfect time to come for some dinner prior to the start of Latin night.

Move On Up: Soul/R+B
Aug 18 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 19 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

“Move On Up” is a night of your favorite and forgotten Soul/RB cuts right after Comedy Night.

Thursday, August 19, 2021
PERFORMANCE: CHRISTOPHER-RASHEEM MCMILLAN
Aug 19 @ 7:00 pm
Online

Thursday, August 19 at 7 PM Eastern

Streaming to the event page, FB live + IGTV (@bmcmuseum)

“The Long Way Home,” a new solo work by Christopher-Rasheem Mcmillan, poses a way of contending with the Black body as a composite body, one that is connected to, affirms, and disrupts the archive and Historiography. Through this solo dance performance, McMillan tracks the Merce Cunningham technique through diaspora, emphasizing that the diaspora is never the homeland: it’s never home, it’s always somehow both exile in migration and in travel; different from, yet somehow always in dialogue with, its genesis.

Christopher-Rasheem McMillan, is a performance-related artist and scholar. He has a joint appointment between Dance and Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. McMillan received his BA from Hampshire College, his MFA in Experimental Choreography from the Laban Conservatoire, London, and his PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from King’s College, London (2017).

His interests concern choreography in an expanded field, something that he has approached through experimental practices and creative processes in a multiplicity of formats and expressions. He uses video, performance, photography, and oral storytelling to explore themes of race, memory, queer desire, religion, personal and public mythology. McMillan’s performance works have been seen at venues such as the Bates Dance Festival of Bates College, Providence International Arts Festival (PVD), and The Dance Complex, and Green Street Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in performance platforms such as the 2011 participatory event Beyond Text, London. He was a Five College Fellow for the 2013–14 academic year and the recipient of the McGreggor-Girand Dissertation Fellowship for the 2014–15 academic year. His writing has been published in The Journal of DanceMovement & SpiritualitiesKinebago, and Contact Quarterly. Currently, McMillan is a fellow and visiting assistant professor at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale College’s Theater and Performance Studies department.

Salsa Night Thursday
Aug 19 @ 9:30 pm – Aug 20 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

Spice up your life with Latin sounds by local DJs Nex Millen & Mtn Vibez every Thursday.

Super bonus if you come early and get Dance Lessons from our knowladable instructors and get your body ready with sabor for the night. NO COVER All events 21+

Friday, August 20, 2021
Everybody Free Dance Party
Aug 20 @ 10:00 pm – Aug 21 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

DJ Dance Party with Meseret & Zati 🎧 Every Friday Nigh it’s you, it’s dark house and the dance floor. NO COVER 21+

Monday, August 23, 2021
2021 Street Dances: Blue Ridge Tradition with Southern Connection Cloggers
Aug 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

 

The Street Dances have been a tradition for over 100 years in Downtown Hendersonville! They began in 1918, at the end of World War I, when the city welcomed home its soldiers from the War by celebrating in the streets, and became nationally known after they were included in the guidebook Blue Ridge Music Trails, Finding A Place In The Circle, written by Fred S. Fussell. The guidebook was winner of the first PRESERVE AMERICA Presidential Award for Heritage Tourism.

The sounds of fiddles and banjos playing at the Street Dances have been a part of Henderson County’s heritage for more than 100 yearscalling people of all ages to journey to downtown Hendersonville to enjoy toe-tapping-good mountain music.

Hendersonville comes alive with people listening to the traditional mountain and bluegrass music performed by a live band, square dancing and special appearances are often made by area clogging teams for a foot stomping evening.

Bring a chair and enjoy an evening of live music from 7 pm-9 pm. The audience seating area opens after 5:30 pm, early admission is prohibited.  Admission is free. Alcoholic beverages, backpacks, or coolers are prohibited.

Enjoy free, live music at the Visitor Center every Monday & Friday evening in July and August! Click here to learn more about Monday Night Live! and here to learn more about Music on Main Concerts.

Click to download a copy of the 2021 Summer Music Series brochure.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021
STOMP
Aug 24 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Center

stomp

Explosive. Inventive. Utterly Unique.

STOMP doesn’t have a storyline or dialogue like traditional musicals or plays. Instead, the eight-member troupe uses everything but percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, and hubcaps, to name a few – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.

Over the past 20 years, STOMP has grown into an international sensation. A fan-favorite amongst television hosts and audiences, STOMP members have performed on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and “The Today Show.” All the while, the production has accumulated awards and recognition, including an Olivier Award for Best Choreography, a New York Obie Award, and a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience (and unique, it is!).

You may have seen STOMP before, but with two new pieces, you’ve never seen it like this! Join in on the journey through sound, a celebration of the every day, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum. STOMP – see what the noise is all about.

STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” – San Francisco Chronicle

“If you haven’t seen STOMP, GO! If you have seen it, take someone and share the pleasure!” – Boston Globe

Official Website

Aquanet: Goth Night
Aug 24 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 25 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
STOMP
Aug 25 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Center

stomp

Explosive. Inventive. Utterly Unique.

STOMP doesn’t have a storyline or dialogue like traditional musicals or plays. Instead, the eight-member troupe uses everything but percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, and hubcaps, to name a few – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.

Over the past 20 years, STOMP has grown into an international sensation. A fan-favorite amongst television hosts and audiences, STOMP members have performed on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and “The Today Show.” All the while, the production has accumulated awards and recognition, including an Olivier Award for Best Choreography, a New York Obie Award, and a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience (and unique, it is!).

You may have seen STOMP before, but with two new pieces, you’ve never seen it like this! Join in on the journey through sound, a celebration of the every day, and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum. STOMP – see what the noise is all about.

STOMP has a beat that just won’t quit!” – San Francisco Chronicle

“If you haven’t seen STOMP, GO! If you have seen it, take someone and share the pleasure!” – Boston Globe

Official Website

Latin Night Wednesday
Aug 25 @ 9:00 pm – 11:59 pm
One World Brewing West

Latin Night Wednesday

MTN VIBEZ Presents Latin Night-every Wednesday.  Free Dance Lessons 8:30-9PM-All Skill Levels and All Latin Genres-Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia, Reggaeton.

DJ Ephcto spins cultural bass music from 6:30pm-9pm and is a perfect time to come for some dinner prior to the start of Latin night.

Move On Up: Soul/R+B
Aug 25 @ 9:00 pm – Aug 26 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

“Move On Up” is a night of your favorite and forgotten Soul/RB cuts right after Comedy Night.

Thursday, August 26, 2021
City Dance
Aug 26 @ 7:30 pm
Landmark Hal

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Salsa Night Thursday
Aug 26 @ 9:30 pm – Aug 27 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

Spice up your life with Latin sounds by local DJs Nex Millen & Mtn Vibez every Thursday.

Super bonus if you come early and get Dance Lessons from our knowladable instructors and get your body ready with sabor for the night. NO COVER All events 21+

Friday, August 27, 2021
Everybody Free Dance Party
Aug 27 @ 10:00 pm – Aug 28 @ 2:00 am
Asheville Beauty Academy

DJ Dance Party with Meseret & Zati 🎧 Every Friday Nigh it’s you, it’s dark house and the dance floor. NO COVER 21+