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.

Saturday, May 23, 2020
Free Lunches at Ferguson YMCA
May 23 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Ferguson Family YMCA

Image may contain: 2 people, people sitting and outdoor, possible text that says 'the MEETING COMMUNITY NEED'

FREE LUNCHES for anyone 18 years of age and under at the Ferguson Family YMCA. Simply drive up to our front door and let us know how many lunches you need, no questions asked.

For additional food for your family, pick up a FREE box of fresh produce at our Mobile Markets. Calendars are online at ymcawnc.org/nutritionprograms.

Blooms & Brews: The North Carolina Arboretum POSTPONED
May 23 @ 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

Tip a glass to the plants that make your home, house – and beer – unique! The North Carolina Arboretum is excited to host its first annual “Blooms & Brews” floral and beer festival, which will be held on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Participants can visit various beer tasting stations, featuring botanically-influenced craft brews placed throughout the Arboretum’s gardens, create botanical wearables and attend educational programs. Visitors can also experience live floral demonstrations and exhibits, including the Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society’s annual Rose Show.

Admission into Blooms & Brews is free; however, standard parking fees apply to non-members. Separate beer tasting packages can be purchased on-site.

Pisgah Brewing Curbside Sale
May 23 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Pisgah Brewing

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Double IPA Beer release and drive-thru-curbside beer service.

*CREDIT ONLY-NO CASH*** Located in the Pisgah Brewing Concert Field, entrance at the new production facility at 2948 US 70, Black Mountain.

Beers available:

6pks-Pisgah Pale, Greybeard IPA, Brite Sky IPA, Turtleback Brown Ale, Porter, Pilsner, Blueberry Wheat, Walkertown Witbier

4pks-NEW* Double IPA

500ml Bottles-Chocolatized, Tripel, Demon Rouge

Service Industry Heroes Complimentary Meal w/ Food Connection
May 23 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
The Asheville Masonic Temple · Asheville, North Carolina

Image may contain: possible text that says 'SERVICE INDUSTRY HEROES complimentary meal by WICKED WEED BREWING'

To our friends who’ve lost their jobs including those in the service industry and hospitality workers: Please join Food Connection for a free “to go” meal lovingly prepared by Wicked Weed Brewing’s Cultura thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous donor! We will be setting up in the parking lot against the Asheville Masonic Temple. We will be offering curbside service distributing meals from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm or until they run out.

For the safety of our beautiful community:
* If you come by car, please stay in your car at all times.
*There is 1 Entrance In By AMT and you will drive through and exit at the back of the lot.
• If you come by foot, please keep a social distance of at least 6 feet.
* Wear a mask if you have one
Thanks, y’all! We hope to see you Saturday!

Swannanoa Valley Complimentary Meal w/ Food Connection
May 23 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
In front of the office of Symmetry Financial

Food Connection will be giving out free chef prepared meals from Wicked Weed Brewing‘s Cultura restaurant in Swannanoa on Saturdays beginning May 2nd from 3-4PM or until all meals are given out. Times are tough for many of us. Please know there are no requirements for receiving the meals. If you need a meal or meals for your family, PLEASE come join us. :) Meals will be served curbside “to go” style in front of the Symmetry Financial Group offices at 204 Whitson Avenue in Swannanoa (next door to the Native Kitchen.) Look for the Food Connection van. Our volunteers will be practicing extreme safety. We hope to see you this Saturday and each Saturday that you may need a delicious ready-to-eat meal. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post!

Streamed Music All Cooped Up Rooster Walk
May 23 @ 5:00 pm
online

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Join us for an evening of free streamed goodness this Saturday as we celebrate what would’ve been the Rooster Walk 12 weekend with live sets from some of our favorite artists and exclusive RW “All Cooped Up” merchandise for sale online. This live stream event is made possible by our friends at VisitMartinsville and Martinsville Made
Around 10 pm, Kendall Street Company will perform a set on the Lake Stage at Pop’s Farm, with the full “Lake Lights” package provided by 81 Productions.
Around 8 pm, the Isaac Hadden Project & Friends will perform a Grateful Dead set live from the Lake Stage.
Other musicians will join us remotely to stream their sets starting 5 pm.
Please note: Unfortunately, the public is NOT allowed to attend this event. Please do not show up to Pop’s Farm this weekend; we will not be able to let you onto the property.

The live stream will be simulcast Facebook, YouTube and our Website.

Facebook Live:
Link posted later

Website:
https://roosterwalk.com/live

YouTube Live:
https://youtu.be/-W6Cse8HA2w

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsTBfpiwku9skA5nJcmVFTA/

Fontana Trestle Train ft. BBQ & Brews
May 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Great Smokey Mountain Railroad

Back by popular demand our BBQ & Brews now featured on the Fontana Trestle Train, will roll out this Summer! Featuring slow-cooked BBQ prepared fresh and beer tastings showcasing our local breweries! Family friendly seating will be available on this experience!

Departing from Bryson City, these trains will travel to the Fontana Trestle and beyond remaining parallel to the Fontana Lake stopping at the perfect viewing spot just around sunset for a spectacular view! A delicious BBQ meal will be served during the trip. Returning back to the Bryson City Depot at 9pm.

In the Basket

Each of you will get your own basket of Southern-style barbeque goodness with hand-pulled pork slider, a couple pork ribs, and chicken drumstick accompanied by baked beans and house-made coleslaw.

And, of course, no respectable Southern barbeque would forget to warm up some apple cobbler for dessert.

Featured Breweries

                                

 

March 14                     May 2                      May 23(S)

              

    June 19 and 20       July 17&18(S)                                                 August 22
Benefit Manna Food Bank: White Horse Live NPR Theme Composer BJ Leiderman
May 23 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online

Join us for the next episode of White Horse Live, featuring NPR Theme Composer BJ Leiderman in his very first live stream performance, to benefit MANNA Food Bank in their efforts to feed many during this extraordinary time.

Join BJ as he performs some of your favorite tunes by Cat Stevens, Janis Ian, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles (just to mention a few). And, of course, some of his best loved Public Radio Themes.

“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”

The video should start automatically at show time (8pm Eastern on Saturday), but if it does not, please refresh this page, or click here.

From the Darkness: Virtual Stout Panel
May 23 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online

Doug Reiser of Burial Beer Co. will be joined on Zoom for a virtual stout panel by Cory King (Side Project Brewing), John Wakefield (J. Wakefield Brewing), and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (Evil Twin Brewing). Check in with Burial on Facebook and Instagram for Zoom registration!

https://www.facebook.com/pg/burialbeer/events/?ref=page_internal

Online: The Get Right Band – Album Release Conversation
May 23 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
online

Image may contain: 3 people, people standing and outdoor

THE ALBUM ON MAY 23rd! We’re just too excited to share it with you to postpone this. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do our Asheville Album Release show on May 23rd or many of the Release Tour dates following that. It’s a big loss and we hate that we won’t get to see you in person for a while. We’ll still play some album celebration shows when safety allows, but obviously we don’t know when that will be. IN THE MEANTIME, we have a new fun plan for release day. We’re going to get on our Facebook page at 8 PM on May 23rd to talk about the new record, our favorite songs, tell some stories, and ask each other some questions. So you’ll have all day to listen to the album on Spotify, iTunes, wherever, and then you can tune in at 8 PM for a fun chat.

Much Love,
The Get Right Band

LISTEN TO SINGLES ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2n9NilZcDzen7IXYBFgMi3

PRE-SAVE FULL ALBUM ON SPOTIFY: https://show.co/usUszw8

PRE-ORDER FULL ALBUM ON CD: https://thegetrightband.com/product/itchy-soul/

PRE-ORDER FULL ALBUM ON ITUNES:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/itchy-soul/1498838296

Sunday, May 24, 2020
BMC@Home: Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor
May 24 all-day
online

BMC favorite Gil Shaham shares a special at-home performance of the first movement of the Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043. Adele Anthony performs the violin 1 solo, Shaham performs the violin 2 solo, and colleagues Colin Jacobsen (violin, viola) and Eric Jacobsen (cello) supply the orchestral accompaniment.

Brevard Music Center Online: Keith’s Corner Summon the Heroes
May 24 all-day
Online

Keith’s Corner

Inspiring music and personal stories from our very own Keith Lockhart and special guests.


One of my great joys at Brevard is being able to share with you symphonic music that is special to me. Keith’s Corner will allow me, albeit virtually, to continue to do that. Join me here as I share stories with you about the music that I love…some of the music that made me fall in love with orchestras, some works that have produced memorable moments during my years at Brevard, and some of the music that touches me most profoundly. It will also be an opportunity to, on occasion, introduce you to a gem you may not have yet discovered. Join me for a completely personal, somewhat subjective and, I hope, entertaining listening experience! – Keith Lockhart

The Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, performs a musical video tribute, Summon the Heroes–featuring the work originally composed by John Williams for the 1996 Olympic Games–as a tribute to today’s first responders who are providing critical and needed services during the Covid-19 epidemic. John Williams joins the virtual tribute with a musical and spoken introduction from his home studio in Los Angeles.

Digital BMC: Open Air Brevard Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
May 24 all-day
online

Open Air Brevard

Enjoy featured re-broadcasts of Open Air Brevard, produced by 89.9 WDAV Classical Public Radio based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Additional broadcasts co-produced by BPR Classic in Asheville, North Carolina. Check back regularly for new episodes!

Also Sprach Zarathustra (opens in new tab)

Posted May 21, 2020; originally aired in the 2013 and 2016 seasons

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Matthias Bamert, conductor
Tone poem and the opening theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major

Jean-Louis Steuerman, piano
Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Matthias Bamert, conductor

Moogmentum in Place: Fundraising live stream events, celebrating Bob Moog’s 86th birthday + one year anniversary of the Moogseum
May 24 all-day
online

Moogmentum in Place is an upcoming series of fundraising live stream events, from May 9th- May 31st, celebrating Bob Moog’s 86th birthday and the one year anniversary of the Moogseum.

Moogmentum In Place will feature performances, musical and technical insights, and question and answer sessions with a prodigious and varied group of legendary musicians, composers, and music technologists. All events will be streamed from the Foundation’s Facebook page where attendees from around the world will have the opportunity to donate in any amount.

Moogmentum In Place will feature film composers and synthesists Alex Wurman (May 9th) and Michael Whalen (May 17th), renowned keyboardist and musical director Greg Phillinganes (May 15th), former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn interviewed by Jerry Kovarsky (May 21st), theremin virtuoso and music technologist Randy George (May 23rd), and electro-acoustic violist/composer Martha Mooke (May 28th). A virtual tour of the Moogseum and other events are also planned. Further information about each event will be released the week prior to it occurring.

St. Louis Symphony 2020 BMC Instrument Playground Online
May 24 all-day
online
Texas Roadhouse Pre-Order: Butchers Packs for Memorial Weekend
May 24 all-day
Texas Roadhouse
ASHEVILLE, NC Texas Roadhouse Pre-Order Form Butchers Packs Memorial Weekend
This pre-order form is for Texas Roadhouse ASHEVILLE, NC location. If you have questions please call the store. Pre-ordering is open now through Monday, May 25 at Noon! Pick-up days are Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25
The 2020 James Beard Awards Nominees Chief Awards Online Interactive Map
May 24 all-day
online

The 2020 James Beard Awards Nominees

The OpenTable team

The 2020 James Beard Awards nominees are here, marking the arrival of the short list of who could win one of the food world’s most prestigious honors.

2020 James Beard Awards Nominees

YMCA of Western North Carolina Mobile Market Schedule MAY
May 24 all-day
varies

https://ymcawnc.org/sites/default/files/May%202020%20Nutrition%20mobile%20market.pdf

 

Bluegrass Brunch
May 24 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Bluegrass Brunch
hosted by Aaron Woody Wood & The Sufi Brothers

Pickin’ on the Porch w/ Chicken Coop Willaye 1030AM
Bald Mountain Boys 11AM – 12:30PM
Sufi Brothers 12:45PM – 3PM

Be sure to check out our Bloody Mary Bar, the BEST selection of pickled products and other additions in Asheville. The MOJO Kitchen will be serving a special Brunch menu until 3PM as well.

Food & music start at 10:30am
ADULT beverages at Noon.

Blooms & Brews: The North Carolina Arboretum POSTPONED
May 24 @ 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

Tip a glass to the plants that make your home, house – and beer – unique! The North Carolina Arboretum is excited to host its first annual “Blooms & Brews” floral and beer festival, which will be held on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Participants can visit various beer tasting stations, featuring botanically-influenced craft brews placed throughout the Arboretum’s gardens, create botanical wearables and attend educational programs. Visitors can also experience live floral demonstrations and exhibits, including the Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society’s annual Rose Show.

Admission into Blooms & Brews is free; however, standard parking fees apply to non-members. Separate beer tasting packages can be purchased on-site.

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
May 24 @ 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/

Shakedown Sundays
May 24 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Every Sunday Except First of Month.

Live Stream: Brushfire Stankgrass (Album Release)
May 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online

Local favorites Brushfire Stankgrass return with an album release show streaming live from The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC on May 24!

– FREE LIVE STREAM
– 7PM SHOW
– DONATIONS ACCEPTED
– VIRTUAL TIP JAR : Paypal.me/TheGreyEagle
– VIEW LIVE STREAM HERE : facebook.com/greyeagleasheville

BRUSHFIRE STANKGRASS
Brushfire Stankgrass rises again. A bona fide Asheville classic, Brushfire is a genre-bending, Moog-powered, ongoing exploration of modern mountain music. With the love and support of a vibrant community of local musicians and creators, brothers Will and Ben Saylor, accompanied by Micah Thomas and Daniel Iannucci, continue to reinvent themselves and their distinctive, jam-infused, synth-laden, bluegrass sound. The band has a lot to share in 2020, starting with a double album release show at the Grey Eagle on May 24.

PBS National Memorial Day Concert Livestream
May 24 @ 8:00 pm
online
Monday, May 25, 2020
Brevard Music Center Online: Keith’s Corner Summon the Heroes
May 25 all-day
Online

Keith’s Corner

Inspiring music and personal stories from our very own Keith Lockhart and special guests.


One of my great joys at Brevard is being able to share with you symphonic music that is special to me. Keith’s Corner will allow me, albeit virtually, to continue to do that. Join me here as I share stories with you about the music that I love…some of the music that made me fall in love with orchestras, some works that have produced memorable moments during my years at Brevard, and some of the music that touches me most profoundly. It will also be an opportunity to, on occasion, introduce you to a gem you may not have yet discovered. Join me for a completely personal, somewhat subjective and, I hope, entertaining listening experience! – Keith Lockhart

The Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, performs a musical video tribute, Summon the Heroes–featuring the work originally composed by John Williams for the 1996 Olympic Games–as a tribute to today’s first responders who are providing critical and needed services during the Covid-19 epidemic. John Williams joins the virtual tribute with a musical and spoken introduction from his home studio in Los Angeles.

Digital BMC: Open Air Brevard Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
May 25 all-day
online

Open Air Brevard

Enjoy featured re-broadcasts of Open Air Brevard, produced by 89.9 WDAV Classical Public Radio based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Additional broadcasts co-produced by BPR Classic in Asheville, North Carolina. Check back regularly for new episodes!

Also Sprach Zarathustra (opens in new tab)

Posted May 21, 2020; originally aired in the 2013 and 2016 seasons

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Matthias Bamert, conductor
Tone poem and the opening theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major

Jean-Louis Steuerman, piano
Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Matthias Bamert, conductor

Moogmentum in Place: Fundraising live stream events, celebrating Bob Moog’s 86th birthday + one year anniversary of the Moogseum
May 25 all-day
online

Moogmentum in Place is an upcoming series of fundraising live stream events, from May 9th- May 31st, celebrating Bob Moog’s 86th birthday and the one year anniversary of the Moogseum.

Moogmentum In Place will feature performances, musical and technical insights, and question and answer sessions with a prodigious and varied group of legendary musicians, composers, and music technologists. All events will be streamed from the Foundation’s Facebook page where attendees from around the world will have the opportunity to donate in any amount.

Moogmentum In Place will feature film composers and synthesists Alex Wurman (May 9th) and Michael Whalen (May 17th), renowned keyboardist and musical director Greg Phillinganes (May 15th), former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn interviewed by Jerry Kovarsky (May 21st), theremin virtuoso and music technologist Randy George (May 23rd), and electro-acoustic violist/composer Martha Mooke (May 28th). A virtual tour of the Moogseum and other events are also planned. Further information about each event will be released the week prior to it occurring.

Texas Roadhouse Pre-Order: Butchers Packs for Memorial Weekend
May 25 all-day
Texas Roadhouse
ASHEVILLE, NC Texas Roadhouse Pre-Order Form Butchers Packs Memorial Weekend
This pre-order form is for Texas Roadhouse ASHEVILLE, NC location. If you have questions please call the store. Pre-ordering is open now through Monday, May 25 at Noon! Pick-up days are Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25
Honoring Doc Watson Week by MerleFest
May 25 @ 9:00 am
online

Image may contain: one or more people, people playing musical instruments, people on stage and text

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is pleased to share that artists and friends alike will join us in honoring music legend Doc Watson during the week of May 25 – 29, 2020. A list of artists participating each day will be posted across our social media channels.

Doc Watson passed away on May 29, 2012. MerleFest artist relations manager Lindsay Craven reached out to see if some artists would like to share a special song and a memory of Doc Watson. “The response was amazing,” she said. “We have over 60 artists that have taken time to record a video and send in a song for us to share with our fans. It was only fitting to call this remembrance #DocWatsonWeek.” The event will close out with Doc’s final performance on the Creekside Stage in 2012.

To view the event, you can tune into MerleFest’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts during the week. The videos will go out each hour, starting at 9 a.m. each day. If you don’t want to view the videos on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram at @MerleFest and Twitter at @MerleFest.

Sandburg Home: 34th Annual Folk Music Festival Memorial Day
May 25 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Carl Sandburg Home

 

Jamie Laval performs at Sandburg Folk Fest
Jamie Laval Performs at Sandburg Folk Fest 2013

NPS Photo

On Memorial Day folk musicians from across the region will share a day of toe-tapping fun and music. Just as Carl Sandburg’s family enjoyed sitting on the porch while he played a guitar and sang for them, you can experience the joy of music at Connemara. All performances take place in the amphitheater, unless otherwise specified, and signs will direct festival goers.

2020 Performers include:

  • Pretty Little Goat Band
  • Jon Shain
  • Kat Williams
  • Amanda Anne Platt and the Honeycutters
This event is free and open to the public. Snacks will be available for sale in the bookstore and tours of the Sandburg home will be available throughout the day for a small fee.

Parking
Keep in mind that our parking lots fill up quickly. We will run a courtesy shuttle from satellite parking lots at the Flat Rock Playhouse (located across the street) and from the Flat Rock Village Offices (110 Village Center Drive) to the park entrance, throughout the day. It is a short walk from the park entrance to the amphitheater. There will be also be a shuttle operating inside the park to take visitors from the entrance to the amphitheater, Sandburg Home and barn area.

The event will be held at the new amphitheater located near the park entrance. Bench seating is available and visitors are also welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets as seating is expected to fill quickly. Come prepared for warm weather, with sun protection, water and snacks. Dogs are not permitted in the seating areas for the festival.