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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, January 25, 2020
WNC Affordable Housing Fair
Jan 25 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Pack Library

The Buncombe County Public Library System introduces our first ever WNC Affordable Housing Fair. The fair will be held from noon – 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Lord Auditorium on the lower level of Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, downtown Asheville. Thirteen area agencies will be available to provide information about emergency shelter, rentals, and home ownership for area residents with different types of housing needs, from those experiencing homelessness to renters and individuals who qualify for home ownership assistance programs. Participating agencies include ABCCM, Asheville Housing Authority, BeLoved, Blair H. Clark Respite Center, Council on Aging, Eblen Charities, Givens Gerber Park , Habitat for Humanity, Helpmate Homeward Bound, Justice Resource Center, Mountain Housing Opportunities, and The Real Asheville Initiative.

Skating On The Big Ice
Jan 25 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Bon Secours Wellness Arena

 

Grab your friends, lace up your skates and shake up your weekly routine at The Well! Bon Secours Wellness Arena offers a friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy ice skating while listening to music and socializing with family and friends. Get a free skate rental when you donate! Bring 5 canned goods or a case of water to assist our STAGE partners, Loaves and Fishes and Habitat for Humanity.

Ice walkers are free and available first come, first served. Free parking is available in the VIP lot off of Church Street. Free ADA parking is available in the loading dock parking lot off of Academy Street.

Adults: $8 (age 7 and older)
Children: $6 (age 6 and under)
Skate Rental: $3

Group Rate (groups of 15 or more):
Adults and Children: $6
Skate Rental: $3

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Jan 25 @ 1:30 pm
South Carolina Children's Theatre

What begins as an innocent exploration of an old home, winds up taking siblings Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter far beyond their wildest imaginations, as they step through a huge wardrobe, into a land where an evil witch has taken control and misery reigns. They soon realize they haven’t arrived in Narnia by chance, but have been brought here to play a very important part in restoring natural order and keeping the peace in this magical land.

By demonstrating love, keeping faith and showing courage, the children find they have the power triumph over evil and return Narnia to its rightful leader. Children and adults alike will be enthralled by this classic C.S. Lewis story.


From the story by C.S. Lewis; Dramatized by Joseph Robinette; Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois


Most enjoyed by children, ages 5 and up.

Family Fringe Fest: Flying Catastrophe Circus
Jan 25 @ 5:00 pm
Empyrean Arts

It’s the “Flying Catastrophe Circus“! Aerial arts! Juggling! Cats on roller skates! Tap dancing contortion! Nine circus artists bring you a show overflowing with laughter, thrill and imagination. 25-minutes of non-stop fun and child-like wonder. 2 FREE shows at Empyrean Arts, Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 pm, Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5 pm.

Family Fringe Fest: URIKUBU: Language without Frontiers
Jan 25 @ 5:00 pm
Magnetic Theater.

La Gaviota Teatro brings their multidisciplinary theatre work “URIKUBU: Language without Frontiers” from Mexico City to the Magnetic Theater. Have you ever seen a dragon being born or met the God of Time? Through puppetry, live music, dance and a language made up just for this show, experience the magic. 3 shows: Thursday, Jan. 23, 7 pm, Friday, Jan. 24 at 5 pm, Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5 pm.

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Jan 25 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

The Pride of Pripyat: tales from the Chernobyl disaster (premier)
Jan 25 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
the BLOCK off Biltmore

The Perspective Collective presents the world premier of The Pride of Pripyat: tales from the Chernobyl disaster, an opera exploring the lives of everyday people living in the shadow of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. With a score by Sunny Knable and libretto by Jim Knable, singers Erin Brittain, Rachael Basescu, and Grant Mech bring multiple characters to life in a series of scenes accompanied by pianist Patrick Fink. Presented as part of the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival as a double feature with Biophilia Asheville

Asheville Sister Cities Burns Night Supper
Jan 25 @ 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Country Club of Asheville

A Robert Burns 261st Birthday Celebration Dinner will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2020, at the Country Club of Asheville. The event is sponsored by the Dunkeld and Birnam Committee of Asheville Sister Cities, Inc. (a 501c3 non-profit) which will benefit from the net proceeds of the dinner, optional whisky tasting, and charity raffle & auction.
A formal Robert Burns Dinner Ceremony beginning at 5:30 pm will include a three course meal with Haggis, a piper, poets, dancers and other entertainment. Scottish attire is recommended. Cocktails and other refreshments will be available from a credit card bar. An optional Scotch Whisky Blind Tasting of five single malts will be conducted with a $50 entry fee. Guests may also buy raffle tickets for an assortment of Scottish themed gifts and bid on auction items.
Tickets for the dinner ($100 per person) may be purchased on Eventbrite.com, downloading a registration form from ashevillesistercities.org/burns/, or by sending a check payable to the Asheville Sister Cities, Inc. to 994 Clovertop Lane, Arden, NC 28704. You will receive a follow up letter with additional information.

Exploring Expressive Painting with Soft Pastel
Jan 25 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, & 24 (make-up, if needed: MARCH 2)—Mondays, 6–8 pm
Registration deadline: January 27

Soft pastel is the purest medium for painting vibrant colors. In this four-part class, explore color, texture, and design to create beautiful finished artworks. Practice blending, layering, and a variety of strokes and techniques, in addition to color theory, design, and individual expression.

Instructor Terrilynn Dubreuil has over 30 years’ experience encouraging people of all ages and abilities to realize they can be creative with helpful techniques and energy. With an undergraduate degree and graduate studies in fine art, she teaches most media through approaches that help newbies to more experienced artists, and everyone in between.

Student supply list

Adult Studio

The Museum’s studio program for adults offers a core curriculum in drawing, painting, printmaking, and three-dimensional media, and also explores the intersections between them. Local and visiting artists help students of all levels and abilities develop skills in media that reflect techniques and themes featured in the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions. Classes meet for 3–12 weeks, and are designed for anyone interested in exploring specific media in depth; daylong workshops introduce new media or processes. To add your name to our Adult Studio mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.

11th Annual Django Reinardt Birthday Celebration
Jan 25 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

11th Annual Django Reinhardt Birthday Celebration

Family Fringe Fest: The Miraculously Inventive Machine of Charlie Mean
Jan 25 @ 7:00 pm
Wortham Center

The Miraculously Inventive Machine of Charlie Mean” created by puppeteer and toy maker Toybox Theatre, AKA Keith Shubert, is coming to the Wortham Center. Poor Charlie. He is getting bullied everywhere. At school, at home, on the streets, everywhere! It is time for him to plot his revenge! He’s going to invent a new machine to make them rue the day they even messed with Charlie Mean!  Funny and full of whimsy for all ages. 2 shows: Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7 pm, Sunday, Jan. 26 at 6 pm

Game Night at the Achetype
Jan 25 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Achetype

Enjoy Your Life GAME NIGHT at the ARCHETYPE
Come join us for a Game Night! Bring your favorite game (board game, cards, dominoes, etc.) and your favorite snack. There are also restaurants nearby where you can purchase food and bring it over.

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Jan 25 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

Brilliant Traces
Jan 25 @ 7:30 pm
35below

Brilliant Traces is compelling story about two people, Rosannah and Henry, who have both suffered from a series of unfortunate circumstances throughout their lives. One night, after traveling for many days with little to no rest, Rosannah mysteriously shows up on Henry’s doorstep, in Alaska. As Henry and Rosannah begin to open up to one another, they come to the realization that they both have had serious and emotionally complicated lives. Directed by Robert Dale Walker; Starring Shari Azar and Thomas Trauger.

The Russian Sorcerer & His Apprentices Greenville Symphony Orchestra
Jan 25 @ 8:00 pm
Peace Concert Hall, Greenville

Edvard Tchivzhel, Conductor
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite
Borodin: Symphony No. 2 (“Heroic Symphony”)
Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor

It’s an array of dazzling colors with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, followed by the fiery and exotic fantasies of Stravinsky with his Firebird Suite, while Borodin pulls out all the stops with his mighty and wild “Heroic Symphony.”

End Of The Line – An Allman Brothers Tribute
Jan 25 @ 9:00 pm
The Orange Peel

Sunday, January 26, 2020
Are You Registered to Vote?
Jan 26 all-day
Not sure if you’re registered to vote in the upcoming primary, local and general election? Take one minute to check by clicking the button below!

 

Kindly provided by MANNA Food Bank!

Asheville Mardi Gras Parade Volunteers Needed
Jan 26 all-day
South Slope
Asheville Mardi Gras Parade February 23
The 13th annual Asheville Mardi Gras parade will take place on February 23 in South Slope and we’re looking for parade day volunteers. The Asheville Mardi Gras parade is an all-inclusive, family friendly, full-color spectacle that is fun, entertaining, full of music, floats, dancing and celebrating. Spectators receive beads and candy and the photo opportunities are always amazing.

Details include: 

* About 20-25 volunteers needed for this rain or shine event. There will be 2 shifts, estimated to be from approx. 11a to 2/3p, and 2p to 5/6p.
*Setting up, manning and breaking down street barricades
*Assisting with krewe and float line up and timing as the parade begins
*Identifying parked cars that might need to be towed and checking for obstacles to smooth crowd control along the parade route.
*Coordinating with the Parade Logistics manager and city police
*Carrying 1 or 2 parade banners (Costumes optional but always encouraged!)
*Assisting with end of parade float disbursement
*Trash pick up following the parade set up and marching route. This is mostly paper trash and beads.  It’s rarely more than a few bags total.
Returning barricades, cones, etc. to the post-parade collection point
Confirmed Volunteer perks include $10 gift card to Vortex Donuts & Coffee and a free beer at Catawba.  Possibly more perks to come!
Email Dane if you’re interested in helping out, [email protected]
AMG is also seeking a Parade Day Logistics Manager as a PAID POSITION for Sunday, Feb. 23. Ideal person should have outdoor event coordination experience, flexibility and a good sense of humor. Duties include coordinating volunteers, ensuring cones and barricades are in place at all check points, answering any traffic/parked car/pedestrian concerns, acting as parade day primary contact for police and security and Mardi Gras leadership, coordinating compliance with City parade permit requirements, and helping ensure a timely start and finish to the parade. Candidate could plan to cover the parade route via bicycle or scooter or use walkie talkies to accomplish oversight of the .5 mile parade route. This position pays $125 for the day. More details available to any interested candidate. Email Dane if you’re interested in the position, [email protected]
Asheville Restaurant Week: Jan. 21 – 26
Jan 26 all-day
City of Asheville

 

Enjoy the tastiest cuisine of the city during Asheville Restaurant Week, presented by the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, January 21-26, 2020! Participating restaurants will provide special menus or pricing. Click here for a full list of special pricing and participating restaurant menus. During Asheville Restaurant Week, you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that doesn’t embrace the key tenets of farm-to-table dining. Asheville is home to more than 250 independent restaurants, 20 regional tailgate markets and a growing number of craft breweries. Their commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, has earned Asheville the designation as one of the top ten food and wine destinations in the United States. This is one week not to miss!

Celebrating our Culinary Community

During Asheville Restaurant Week, you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that doesn’t embrace the key tenets of farm-to-table dining. Asheville is home to nearly 250 independent restaurants, 20 regional tailgate markets and a growing number of craft breweries. Our commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, has earned Asheville the designation as one of the top ten food and wine destinations in the United States.

 

Cooper River Bridge Run
Jan 26 all-day
Cooper River Bridge Run

Fringe Fest 2020
Jan 26 all-day
Fringe Fest Various Locations

100 ticketed show times from local, national and international artists, we have FREE Random Acts of Fringe popping up all over town, all week long, and lots of parties!  The Kickoff party returns to the Lazy Diamond at 7 pm, co-hosted by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, from 6-9pm, on Sunday, January 19th. Check out the new Artist Wine Party, hosted by Zapow Gallery, 7 pm, Tuesday, January 21st. Free after-parties return, starting at 10 pm, Thursday at Sly Grog, Friday at Mothlight and Saturday at The Block Off Biltmore, There you can enjoy more Random Acts of Fringe, meet the artists and chat about your favorite shows! See AshevilleFringe.org for all the details.

LEAF Volunteers is now LEAF WeX
Jan 26 all-day
LEAF
We’ve opted to shift the name and give some different benefits.
WHAT is changing? The name, WeX Star Crew benefit, & Festival HQ
– Regular Volunteers are now WeX. Work 10 hours in exchange for Weekend (Fri to Sun) Ticket
– Plus Volunteers are now WeX Plus. Work 15 hours in exchange for a Weekend Plus (Thu to Sun) Ticket
– Star Volunteers are now WeX Star. Work 20 hours in exchange for a Weekend Plus (Thu to Sun) Ticket AND a Culinary Passport -OR- a Star Guest Pass Ticket (Thu to Sun). Guest passes are LIMITED.

We’ll update our Auto-Reply as well as make a note on the website when the guest pass is no longer an available option. Those who have submitted completed applications prior to the cut off will have the guest pass option.

WeX Headquarters (HQ) will now be located under the Ship with a designated lounging area for WeXs. Make sure to come by and say hello!! You’ll pick up official schedule cards and culinary passes here as well.

Organic Growers School 27th Annual Spring Conference, March 6–8
Jan 26 all-day
Mars Hill University

The 27th Annual Spring Conference—for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and sustainability seekers—is hosted by Organic Growers School (OGS), an Asheville-based non-profit organization. The conference takes place Friday–Sunday, March 6–8, 2020. The weekend event takes place at Mars Hill University in Mars Hill and the pre-conference events are in Buncombe and Henderson Counties.

Cost for  the pre-conference workshops are $60 with conference registration (Saturday, Sunday, or both) and $75 without. Cost for the weekend conference if registered by January 31, 2020 is $65 for Saturday and $80 for Sunday with the full weekend for $110.  For registration  after January 31, the cost of Saturday is $80, Sunday is $70 and the full weekend is $140.

The Spring Conference offers practical, region-specific workshops on farming, gardening, permaculture, urban growing, and rural living and includes a trade show, a seed exchange, special guest speakers, and a Saturday evening social.

More than 150 classes—both 90-minute sessions and half-day workshops—are offered on Saturday and Sunday in 17 learning tracks:

  1. Community Food

  2. Cooking

  3. Earth Skills

  4. Farmers: Beginning

  5. Farmers: Experienced

  6. Gardening: Beginning

  7. Gardening: Experienced

  8. Herbs

  9. Homesteading

  10. Livestock

  11. Mushrooms

  12. Permaculture

  13. Poultry

  14. Soils

  15. Sustainable Forestry

  16. Sustainable Living

  17. Thinking Big

This one-of-a-kind event brings people of all walks of life together for a weekend of learning, inspiration, and networking and features a host of local and regional experts. The mission of the Spring Conference is to provide down-to-earth advice on growing and sustainable living while remaining affordable and accessible. The Spring Conference is the largest locally run sustainability conference in the Southeast and is proudly focused on regionally appropriate growing methods.

Three full-day, on-farm, pre-conference workshops with special guest instructors are available on Friday, March 6, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are:

  1. Mushroom Cultivation at the Farm & Home with William Padilla-Brown & Leif Olson at Creekside Farms Education Center in Arden, NC.

  2. Healing Our Soils through Compost, and Compost Tea: Safe & Natural Fertilizers with Troy Hinke at Living Web Farms in Mills River, NC

  3. Chickens & You: From Egg to Table with Pat Foreman & Meagan Coneybeer at Franny’s Farm in Leicester, NC.

The conference will also host an evening lecture on Friday, March 6, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with Leah Penniman entitled, Farming While Black: African Diasporic Wisdom for Farming & Food Justice. The location for this event is the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St, Asheville, NC 28801.

The Spring Conference features a trade show on Saturday and Sunday that showcases a wide array of exhibitors and products from local farms, gardening suppliers, and cottage industries that specialize in organic products and resources. Also featured on Saturday and Sunday is the annual Seed and Plant Exchange booth which offers the opportunity to preserve genetic diversity and protect regionally adapted varieties. Attendees may bring excess seeds and small plants to share, barter, or trade.

For more information, visit the website at https://organicgrowersschool.org/conferences/spring/ and see the entire weekend schedule at https://organicgrowersschool.org/conferences/spring/schedule/.

Redesigning Our Future: National Environmental Summit for High School Students
Jan 26 all-day
Catawba College
Registration OPEN: 27th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference
Jan 26 all-day
Mars Hill University

Get the Early Registration Discount!

Early-registration prices for the 2020 Spring Conference are available through Friday, January 31, 2020.
RiverLink’s Art & Poetry Contest Grades PreK-12
Jan 26 all-day
online
Take an Online Course – Free with Lynda
Jan 26 all-day
Free online classes

Online courses

Learning with Lynda

Lynda.com is an online educational site that includes over 3,000 courses (and over 130,000 videos) in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production, and business. Normally, using lynda.com requires a paid subscription, but Buncombe County Public Library cardholders can access lynda.com content FREE with their library card number by following these instructions.

How to access lynda.com content with your library card:

Use the lynda.com button to go to the Buncombe County Library lynda.com login page (do not go directly to the Lynda.com homepage). If you are using  a smartphone or tablet, use your device’s browser, not the lynda.com app.

At the login page, enter your library card number and PIN.

lynda.com. You can learn it.Once you are logged in, the next step is to create a personalized account by entering your name and e-mail address. This account can help manage your course history, playlists, bookmarks, and Certificates of Completion.

Be sure to write down your password. If you forget your password, you’ll have to contact lynda.com directly by phone at 1 (888) 335-9632.

American Kennel Club Dog Agility Trial
Jan 26 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Western North Carolina Agricultural Center McGough Arena

The Blue Ridge Agility Club of Western North Carolina will host an American Kennel Club (AKC) agility trial , Friday & Saturday 8am-4pm, Sunday 8am-12pm.  The event will be held at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center McGough Arena. The object of agility is for the handler to navigate the dog through a timed obstacle course without the dog making a mistake.  Spectators are welcome to attend and admission is free. Please leave your dog comfortably at home.

Into the Blue: Artist Invitational 2020 at Blue Spiral
Jan 26 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Blue Spiral

Into the Blue_ Artist Invitational 2020

Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.

Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Upstate SC Boat Show
Jan 26 @ 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Greenville Convention Center

The 50th Annual Upstate SC Boat Show is coming to the Greenville Convention Center on January 23-26, 2020!

 

The show will host the latest models of boats including:
Fishing, Pontoon, Speed, Ski, Cruisers, and Personal Watercraft.  Additionally, you’ll find boating accessories and everything that you need to start the season off right!

 

Show Hours

 

Thursday & Friday: 12pm – 9pm
Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday: 12pm – 6pm