Calendar of Events
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 Imagination Day Our mobile recreation team will be offering a special day of open play geared for younger children to engage and explore. Giant building blocks, tunnels and fun games await. Ages 1-5 years with an adult. Drop in, no sign up required. 10am-12pm FREE
June 13th Weaver aArk
June 27th Hummingbird Park
July 11 Jake Rusher Park
July 18 Kenilworth Park
July 25th Hummingbird Park
August 1 West Asheville Park
August 8 Jake Rusher Park
Join us for workdays in the Sand Hill native tree nursery. Tasks vary and often include repotting, weeding, mulching, and other special projects to improve infrastructure and function.
First – third Tuesdays of the month
10am – 12pm
Need to know
Please come dressed in work clothes with close toed shoes. Bring water and sun protection. All other gear and supplies are provided.
“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas! Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century. Once your appetite for knowledge is satisfied, enjoy sample tastings of flavors like Apple Pie, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, and Strawberry moonshine. If the samples are not enough, there will be plenty of Moonshine infused cocktails like Copper Cola or Moonshiner’s Mimosa available for purchase. GSMR is excited to feature multiple craft NC based distilleries to serve our guests only the best! Each jar is handcrafted and authentically infused with real fruit, the way moonshine was meant to be made. Passengers will also enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride with an attendant and our popular Cajun seasoned Pulled Pork BBQ with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce cooked in our special spices and slow roasted to perfection! During the month of October, 9am departures will feature the option of a delicious Cheesy Shrimp & Grits or Cheesy Ham Hash Brown Casserole while 2pm departures will be served the popular BBQ meal.
Join us for a fun and interactive story time designed for children ages 18 months to 3 years
Do you LOVE fire trucks?! Come explore one in real life here at the Enka Candler Library! Adults will stay for this experience with their children.
Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition, Publication, and Public Programming
Black Mountain College (1933–1957), a small but remarkably influential liberal arts school in rural North Carolina, had important links to Mexico that until now have been little investigated. A crucible of twentieth-century creativity, BMC galvanized and inspired artists and intellectuals from around the world, while Mexico’s innovations and age-old traditions—in fine and applied arts, architecture, poetry, music, performance, and more—dovetailed with, and indeed drove, global impulses toward modernism and beyond. Among the many key BMC figures whose lives were importantly touched by experiences in Mexico were Anni and Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Jean Charlot, Elaine de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Carlos Mérida, Robert Motherwell, Charles Olson, Clara Porset, M.C. Richards, and Aaron Siskind. In turn, engagements with BMC and its legacy have played a significant role in shaping contemporary approaches to art in Mexico, evident in the works of Jorge Méndez Blake, Iñaki Bonillas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Jose Dávila, Gerda Gruber, Lake Verea, Gabriel Orozco, and Damián Ortega, among others.
The exhibition BMC/MX features works by these and other prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside a selection of historic works by BMC artists, highlighting the ways in which ideas and modalities are translated across materials, space, and time.
Related programming, planned in collaboration with Mexican artists, features a series of public events, including a performance by artist (and BMC/MX co-curator) David Miranda to take place at Different Wrld; an exhibition visit (in Spanish and English) with BMC/MX Project Director Eric Baden; and a series of experiential art events in the BMCM+AC library.
The exhibition is accompanied by the book Black Mountain College and Mexico (forthcoming late summer 2023), which investigates the people, ideas, and practices linking BMC and Mexico during the life of the school, as well as resonances between BMC and the work of contemporary Mexican artists. With contributions by BMC/MX’s curators, as well as by artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, design scholar Ana Elena Mallet, and author and activist Margaret Randall, this fully illustrated volume brings new light to this complex and underexplored subject.
BMC/MX is an investigation into modes of communication—the arenas in which new ideas and alliances may come to be—between Black Mountain College and Mexico, between past and present, between form and idea.
About the Curators
BMC/MX’s Project Director Eric Baden is a photographer and from 1994 to 2022 was professor of photography at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He is the founding director of photo+, a multidisciplinary arts event held in Asheville, North Carolina.
Artist and educator David Miranda is curator at the Museo Experimental El Eco (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM), and teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City.
Diana Stoll is an editor, writer and curator who works with institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has served as an editor at Aperture and Artforum magazines, and contributes writings to prominent arts publications.
Included with admission
Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:
- An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
- A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
- Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels
Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.
Gather bathing suits and sunscreen, Buncombe County’s outdoor pools are getting ready to open. The County’s five outdoor pools will open for the 2023 season on May 27. This includes the pools at Cane Creek, Erwin, Hominy Valley, North Buncombe, and Owen.
Outdoor pools will be open on weekends only until area schools are out for the summer. Starting on June 10, Pools will be open seven days a week.
Pool hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cost for pool entry is $3 per person.
Private lessons at the outdoor pools are available for different age groups from 3-year-olds and up. For more information on lessons or to register for a class, click here.
The pools can also be booked for private parties 14 days in advance and must have a minimum of 50 patrons. Pool bookings are available Monday through Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Click here for more information on booking pools.
Buncombe County Pool Locations:
- Cane Creek Pool – 590 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher
- Erwin Pool – 58 Lees Creek Road, Asheville
- Hominy Valley Pool – 25 Twin Lakes Road, Candler
- North Buncombe Pool – 734 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville
- Owen Pool – 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa
In addition, lap swimming is available year-round at the Buncombe County Schools Aquatics Center, a 10-lane pool managed by the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Buncombe County Schools.
For more information on outdoor pools, visit the County’s pool website or call (828) 348-4770.
Hit the trails and learn more about The North Carolina Arboretum’s botanically diverse forest with a guided trail walk! April through October, this free hiking program is led by trained volunteer guides who take small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season and each guide’s area of expertise, topics of discussion may include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history and more.
Guided trail walks are limited to 15 people, including the guide, and are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age. Groups depart from the Baker Visitor Center Lobby on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m..
Walks last 1.5 – 2.5 hours, are approximately one to two miles in length. As this program is held rain or shine, all participants should dress appropriately for the weather.
There is no pre-registration; walks are first-come first served and sign up sheets are located in the Baker Visitors Center.
Walks are FREE; however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.
Know Before You Go
- Guided Trail Walks are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age.
- Guided Trail Walks are rain or shine and all participants should be dressed comfortably and for the weather.
- Hikes cover 1-2 miles and last 1.5-2 hours.
- Well-behaved leashed pets are welcome to accompany their owners. In the rare case that a pet is disruptive or negatively impacts the experience, the pet and its owner may be asked to excuse themselves from the guided walk.
- COVID-19 Safety: In order to hear the guide and fully participate in the trail walk, participants will be in close proximity to one another for extended periods of time. While face coverings are not required, participants should use their best judgement to keep themselves and others safe while enjoying the trails. Individuals who are experiencing flu-like symptoms or suspect they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should not participate.
- At this time, no more than 6 spaces may be filled by a single family/group through pre-registration for any one Guided Trail Walk. If additional spaces are available on the day of the Walk, additional members of the family/group may participate. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming larger groups in the future.
| Could you beat an owl in a staring contest or hold your breath longer than an otter? Find out during this interactive program all about the amazing feats our local wildlife perform every day! |
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!
Do you know our staff has a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn about the types of wildlife in the area and their jobs. Some of our best educators have feathers, fur, shells or scales!
Join us for a lively language enrichment story time designed for children ages 4 to 18 months.
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Come down the Pack Memorial Library and play with LEGOs! Please leave your personal LEGOs at home, because we’ve got plenty.
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ABOUT WEST ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET
• We accept SNAP EBT + Credit Cards •
At the West Asheville Tailgate Market, vendors’ tables are abundant with an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, meat, poultry, and fish. You will also find plant starts for gardens, locally made specialty items, natural beauty products, herbal medicine, and locally made art and crafts. We have live music and free kids activities so there’s fun for the whole family.
Explore regions such as Chile and Greece that produce vibrant, cool, and invigorating white wines that are perfect for summer. Advanced Sommelier Cara De Lavallade will explain how to identify grape varieties and discuss how the influence of acidity, alcohol, body, and sweetness play into the final product. Participants will receive six 2-ounce wine pours accompanied by cured meats and cheeses.
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Join other veterans for this series of writing classes led by NC Veterans Writing Alliance Writer in Residence Elizabeth Heaney, author of the book The Honor Was Mine. To sign up, please e-mail Ron Toler at [email protected]. |
Let’s get to know each other a little better and build our community of shared democratic values. Remember (and tell your friends) voting is just like driving — “D” to go forward, “R” to go backwards. (A sense of humor can’t hurt either!)
We will have some light finger food and snacks, bottled water, plenty of ice and a couple coolers. Please bring your favorite beverage!
Riceville/Swannanoa Democrats are welcome to attend.
Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.
Curious about about Opera? Join us for a two part mini workshop to explore and learn more. Both sessions will be led by retired educator & local opera lover, James Tucker.
Tuesday, July 18th @ 6 PM: An introduction to the basics of understanding and appreciating opera.
Tuesday, July 25th @ 6 PM: A viewing of “I Pagliacci” (The Clowns) by Composer Ruggero Leoncavallo with Q & A
Join us for either or both sessions. No registration is necessary. This program was designed for adults but all ages are welcome. Come learn to love opera @ the Weaverville Library!
This live streamed virtual event is free but registration is required.
Please CLICK HERE to register. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!
Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters: A stirring defense of Sinéad O’Connor’s music and activism, and an indictment of the culture that cancelled her.
In 1990, Sinéad O’Connor’s video for “Nothing Compares 2 U” turned her into a superstar. Two years later, an appearance on Saturday Night Live turned her into a scandal. For many people—including, for years, the author—what they knew of O’Connor stopped there. Allyson McCabe believes it’s time to reassess our old judgments about Sinéad O’Connor and to expose the machinery that built her up and knocked her down. Addressing triumph and struggle, sound and story, Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters argues that its subject has been repeatedly manipulated and misunderstood by a culture that is often hostile to women who speak their minds (in O’Connor’s case, by shaving her head, championing rappers, and tearing up a picture of the pope on live television). A journalist herself, McCabe exposes how the media distorts not only how we see O’Connor but how we see ourselves, and she weighs the risks of telling a story that hits close to home. In an era when popular understanding of mental health has improved and the public eagerly celebrates feminist struggles of the past, it can be easy to forget how O’Connor suffered for being herself. This is the book her admirers and defenders have been waiting for.
Allyson McCabe is a writer, reporter, and producer whose work is often broadcast on NPR, and her byline appears in the New York Times, BBC Culture, Wired, and other publications. More at https://www.allysonmccabe.com
Living Colour’s Time’s Up: The iconic Black rock band Living Colour’s Time’s Up, released in 1990, was recorded in the aftermath of the spectacular critical and commercial success of their debut record Vivid. Time’s Up is a musical and lyrical triumph, incorporating distinct forms and styles of music and featuring inspired collaborations with artists as varied as Little Richard, Queen Latifah, Maceo Parker, and Mick Jagger. The clash of sounds and styles don’t immediately fit. The confrontational hardcore-thrash metal – complete with Glover’s apocalyptic wail – in the title track is not a natural companion with Doug E. Fresh’s human beat box on “Tag Team Partners,” but it’s precisely this bold and brilliant collision that creates the barely-controlled chaos. And isn’t rock & roll about chaos?
Living Colour’s sophomore effort holds great relevance in light of its forward-thinking politics and lyrical engagement with racism, classism, police brutality, and other social and political issues of great importance. Through interviews with members of Living Colour, and others involved in the making of Time’s Up, Kimberly Mack explores the creation and reception of this artistically challenging album, while examining the legacy of this culturally important and groundbreaking American rock band.
Kimberly Mack is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a music critic, and a memoirist. She is the author of Living Colour’s Time’s Up (33 1/3) (Bloomsbury, 2023) and Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White (2020), which won the 2021 College English Association of Ohio’s Nancy Dasher Award.
Rachel Angel is an alt-country & indie artist and Malaprop’s Bookseller. Listen to Rachel’s music at https://rachelangel.bandcamp.com/album/midnite-heart-attack and https://www.instagram.com/rachelangelmusic
We are honored to host the Asheville Community Hoop and Flow Arts Jam in Pritchard Park, located in the heart of our beloved city. This event began in 2008 and we are honored and thrilled to bring you this FREE event open to all ages and all levels of experience! Asheville Hoops provides jammin’ tunes, demo props for all to use and a positive event that promotes movement, creativity, dance and FUN!
The history of Flat Rock comes to life in a new film. The archivally rich film showcases a wealth of stories and history specific to Flat Rock that includes photos, maps, blueprints, literature, and art from diverse repositories. Buncombe County Special Collections at Pack Memorial Library has contributed a trove of archival photos from its African American and Flat Rock Collections.
The award-winning historical documentary film, To Protect and Preserve: Historic Flat Rock’s Legacy to Keep, will be screened at the Pack Memorial Library. The first hour of the film, Part 1, Flat Rock’s History will be shown on Tuesday, July 18 at 6 p.m. The event is free to the public. Designed to educate and inspire all ages and demographics, the film unveils Flat Rock’s unique and hidden history as a small American village established in the early 1800s in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
A look back
The film begins in the land of the Cherokee, revealing their way of life and attitudes toward stewarding the land, water sources and trading. The story continues with the Early Explorers, First Settlers, Charlestonian Rice Planters, Enslaved and Freedmen, impacting transgenerational descendant lives to this day. The filmmakers of One Life, One Legacy Films made discoveries in the archives of St. John in the Wilderness Church in Flat Rock that led them to uncover transgenerational connections to living descendants that they could bring to the big screen. The filmmakers interviewed Historian and Author Alexia Helsley, Cherokee Scholar Tom Belt, descendants of the first families, a slave descendant, and preservationists and residents.
Wanda Horne, a 5th generation descendant, whose ancestors were the first enslaved couple married in 1855 at St. John in the Wilderness, tells stories of growing up in East Flat Rock with her extended family. Her Aunt Blanche was a pivotal part of their family and was employed by a white family headed by Dr. D.I.C King. King is a descendant of Judge Mitchell King who was a slave owner in Flat Rock, as well as known for giving the land to settle Hendersonville. Dr. King was the physician for all the Williams family and the new generation of their children. His son, Rick, tells of how Blanche was their nanny, their cook, “their everything,” and how she and his mother would build things together. The filmmakers note, “This one story of black and white connections enriches our understanding, serving as the catalyst in connecting families to our universal histories within our community from generation to generation. There are countless hidden stories yet to be uncovered and threaded together to enlighten us all.”
Filmmakers Patricia Bradley and Michelle Mullen wish to encourage others to bring their community’s and family’s important histories to life, which help us understand our past and present stories.
About Historic Flat Rock
Flat Rock is the largest historic district in our state. Historic Flat Rock, Inc. was founded in 1968 as a non-profit volunteer organization of community residents, preservationists and conservationists who protect the Flat Rock Historic District. Its mission is to “Protect and Preserve” houses, churches, woodlands, and open spaces as well as promoting its cultural history through education.
We gather on Tuesday evenings to share a dharma teaching, meditate for 20 minutes, followed by a group discussion. We come together to create a sangha community, and support each other as we deepen, reignite or begin our practice. We are diverse in age, experience and cultural backgrounds but share an interest in Buddhist teachings, specifically Thich Nhat Hanh, but draw from many wells. There is no charge as the dharma and practice should not have a price and be available to everyone. Sangha members are starting kirtan, a book club, and various musical and ceremonial gatherings.
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
A brass-travanganza with BMC faculty and students.
PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
BMC Brass Artist Faculty
College and High School Brass Ensembles
Please note: All seating is general admission.