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, December 7, 2020
The Big Crafty Online
Dec 7 all-day
Online

Our weekend.

For the first time in more than a decade, we won’t be sharing hugs with you all, and we’re really missing it.
But we’ll still be admiring the year’s creative harvest and we hope you will, too!
Our artists have responded to the extraordinary circumstances of this year with creative zeal, and we hope you’ll enjoy checking in with them via our list of artists.
We will also be sharing some of our favorite work and gift ideas via Instagram and Facebook this weekend and throughout the holidays.
Treat yourself. Treat your fam. Know that your support is needed and appreciated.
Also…know that next year we will be hugging you extra tight.
Til then, stay well, keep your fires burning, and take extra good care of one another ❉❊❤❊❉

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County Holiday Book Drive
Dec 7 all-day
Online or In Person Barnes + Noble
UWABC Holiday Book Drive 2019Holiday Book Drive

The eighth annual Holiday Book Drive is taking place November 1-December 12, 2020 thanks to the generous support of Capstone Health Alliance and Barnes & Noble Asheville. Despite the challenges of this year, United Way’s Women United is once again joining forces with our volunteer center, Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, to collect books for elementary and middle school youth for the holidays and show them what we’re able to do when we come together and Live United. All donated books will be distributed to programs serving diverse, underserved communities throughout Buncombe County.

Last year 2,800 books were collected both online and through our wonderful program partner Barnes & Noble Asheville. Since the drive’s inception nearly 13,000 books have been collected to support our local students thanks to your generosity and care.

Virtual Angel Giving Tree
Dec 7 all-day
Online

This holiday season we are reimaging traditions for a safer,  socially distant world and our Angel Tree is going virtual. This gift tree provides our broader YWCA community a path to join us as we aim to support our program participants and their families with a holiday season full of love and support.

If you are able to, please select a gift from our Amazon wish list. Gifts from the list will be mailed directly to our building and will be sorted and distributed by our YWCA elves. All items on the list have been selected by the families and are items they are wishing for or are in need of this holiday season.

If you would like to go further and adopt a family this holiday season please email our Director of Women’s Empowerment Kelley Hubbell to get the details of how you can fulfill a family’s holiday wish.

All gifts must be ordered by December 11.


Programs Served by the Angel Tree

MotherLove
YWCA’s MotherLove program supports pregnant and parenting teens throughout Buncombe County. Our goals are to help young parents to stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents and delay another teen pregnancy.

Getting Ahead In a Just Getting By World
YWCA’s Getting Ahead program aims to provide financial empowerment for low-income women of all ages and backgrounds to make choices that positively impact themselves, their families and their community.

Early Learning Program
YWCA’s Early Learning Program provides 5-star childcare for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Our experienced and compassionate teachers not only provide exceptional care for little ones, but they also prepare young children to succeed cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. We prioritize families using childcare vouchers or caring for children in the foster care system.

Empowerment Childcare
The YWCA provides up to 12 hours of free childcare per week for parents who are in transition, continuing their education, accessing social services, or looking for employment. ECC works closely with the Family Justice Center, Buncombe County Health and Human Services, A-B Tech, Green Opportunities, and Mary Benson House.

Winter Reading Challenge
Dec 7 all-day
Online with Buncombe County Libraries

Photo of typewriter

Looking for ways to optimize coziness this winter? Check out the Library’s Winter Reading Challenge! Starting Dec. 1, pick up a Winter Reading Activity Sheet from any Buncombe County Public Library during public service hours or download a PDF below. The activity sheet includes multiple ways kids and their families can enjoy the winter season together in a screen-free, socially distanced way. This free activity sheet is designed with kids in mind, but all are invited to participate. The focal challenge is to Build A Blizzard, in which kids are invited to make paper snowflakes to help decorate their local branch. Libraries will be offering the craft supplies needed to Build a Blizzard while supplies last, so plan to stop by your library soon!

AHNA Annual Holiday Pet Food and Supply Drive
Dec 7 @ 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Animal Hospital of North Asheville

“Warm Hearts * Full Bellies” Holiday Pet Food and Supply Drive
Join us this Holiday Season to help pets in need in our community. During “Warm Hearts * Full Bellies,” AHNA will be collecting donations of wet or dry pet food, much-needed supplies, and monetary donations for the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) and Meals on Wheels of Buncombe County.
Starting Friday, November 27th, and lasting through Saturday, January 2nd, we will be offering several different ways to donate to help these amazing organizations. Due to how the threat of COVID-19 has affected our community, we have made some changes to our annual holiday food drive. We have kept safety in mind.
Donations Accepted:
We will be collecting wet or dry cat or dog food, small animal/rabbit food, cockatiel/parakeet bird food, cleaning supplies, pet supplies (toys, blankets, and more), along with monetary donations at AHNA.
DROP OFF:
We will have a donation bin on our patio at AHNA for donated items. Items can be dropped off during regular business hours (M-F 7:30am-6:00pm, and Sat 8am-5pm).
ONLINE:
Starting in December, we will be offering online donation collections through Amazon wishlist and direct donations to the organizations. Supplies can be ordered online and delivered to AHNA. We will distribute the donations after the first of the year to the Asheville Humane Society and Meals on Wheels.
Direct Donations:
Asheville Humane Society: https://www.ashevillehumane.org/donation-drive
To show our appreciation, Animal Hospital of North Asheville has partnered with Science Diet Pet Food to donate an extra pound of food for every pound (up to 2,000 pounds) of pet food donated during our Holiday Pet Food Drive.
Please, if you want to donate by check, it must be written to the organization of your choice (not to Animal Hospital of North Asheville).
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for fun weekly events, information about these wonderful organizations, and photos of animals your donations will be helping.
Claxton Giving Tree Online!
Dec 7 @ 7:30 am – 3:30 pm
Online + In Person Claxton Elementary
Asheville Community Theatre is Seeking Santas!

We team up with Claxton Elementary each year to find folks who’d love to provide gifts for students who would otherwise go without. If you’re looking for a way to give back this season, these children need you!

Once you sign up, we will match you with a child and email you a printable ornament with their sizes and wish list!

You can drop off gifts from 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM (M-F) at Claxton Elementary School.
More specific details will be included in an email after you sign up.

Winter Wonderland at Grove Arcade
Dec 7 @ 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Grove Arcade

Grove Arcade is thrilled to announce the return of its annual Winter Wonderland holiday celebration.

The Arcade has transformed into a wreath-bedecked showcase for Asheville’s finest local craftspeople and retailers. Smells of pine and holly will greet visitors as they tour—at a proper social distance!—Asheville’s stunning art deco gem to discover one-of-a-kind, handcrafted local gifts, enjoy holiday-themed beverages and dining specials, and winter-y feels within the warm Grove Arcade halls. Specially curated Christmas standards and the most extravagant holiday decorations in town will transport visitors to a truly unforgettable winter paradise.

We will be hosting a local MANNA Food Bank Drive! Drop-off barrels will be placed around several areas of the Arcade to be collected and distributed by MANNA to help during these uncertain times.

For the enjoyment and safety of everyone, Grove Arcade will be taking appropriate COVID-19 precautions during Winter Wonderland. All visitors and employees will be required to follow the CDC’s health recommendations, including social distancing and mask wearing.

Enjoy a safe and jolly visit to Grove Arcade’s Winter Wonderland! And from all of us at Grove Arcade, Happy Holidays!

Pisgah Legal Offer Support w/ Affordable Health Care Enrollment
Dec 7 @ 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Pisgah Legal--Online

The ACA is still the law, and Pisgah Legal is again helping people across WNC understand their options and sign up for Affordable Care Act Health Insurance. Open Enrollment only lasts six weeks – so don’t delay!

Schedule a
Phone Appointment Today! (828) 210-3404

There are no charges for our services.

Christmas at Connemara Thanksgiving to January 6
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Carl Sandburg House

The house will be decorated in the simple style of the Sandburg’s with poinsettias and a traditionally decorated Christmas tree throughout December until January 6th, 2021.

Desserts handmade to order
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Online

a slice of cake on a plate: Peppermint bark brownies from Butterbug's Baked Goods.

Desserts handmade to order and without preservatives!

Order online only.

Donate at The Blood Connection
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
The Blood Connection

We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.

Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.

You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.

Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!

Flat Rock Playhouse 2021 calendar!
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

2021 year calendar with photo of the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage covered in snow.

Start the year off right with a Flat Rock Playhouse 2021 calendar! This beautiful image of our Mainstage was taken by longtime Vagabond and Flat Rock Playhouse favorite, Scott Treadway. Enjoy the view of the Rock all year round in your office, on the kitchen wall, or above your desk. This quality printed calendar is 20″x16″ and supports the arts in North Carolina.

 

Mel Chin’s Wake Sculpture
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Downtown Asheville

Wake, Mel Chin’s giant animatronic sculpture, installed in New York City’s Times Square last summer, will be on view in Asheville through March 15, 2021, at 44 Collier Avenue. Chin, a WNC based conceptual artist, was named a MacArthur Fellow in September 2019.

Wake was commissioned as part of Mel Chin: All Over the Place, a multi-site survey of his works from across many decades that took place in several New York City locations. A collaborative group, led by UNC Asheville’s STEAM Studio and The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, formed to plan and raise funds for the sculpture to be seen locally.

Wake – 60 feet long, 34 feet wide and 24 feet high, conceived and designed by the artist – was engineered, sculpted and fabricated by an interdisciplinary team of UNC Asheville students, faculty, staff and community artists led by Chin. The sculpture is interactive and features decks and places to sit and contemplate.

Wake evokes the hull of a shipwreck crossed with the skeletal remains of a marine mammal. The structure is linked with a carved, 21-foot-tall animatronic sculpture, accurately derived from a figurehead of the opera star Jenny Lind that was once mounted on the 19th century clipper ship, USS Nightingale. Jenny Lind moves subtly as she breathes and scans the sky.

Visitors can experience Wake daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 44 Collier Avenue. For more details and a schedule of programming, visit ashevillearts.com.

The Minority Diabetes Prevention Program
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Online

The Minority Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a year-long, group-based program that helps people make realistic and achievable lifestyle changes.

Research shows that MDPP participants reach 5 to 7 percent weight loss and decrease their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.

The Minority Diabetes Prevention Program is available to qualifying participants and includes a YMCA household membership. The Y and ABIPA offer the program at multiple locations and times in Buncombe, Henderson, and McDowell counties.

Led by a trained lifestyle coach, this diabetes prevention program addresses healthy eating, physical activity, stress, and other barriers that affect health.

Yule logs: an annual Hop tradition
Dec 7 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Hop Ice Creamery

a close up of a piece of chocolate cake on a table: Ice cream Yule logs from The Hop Ice Cream Cafe.Vegan Ice Cream Yule Logs

Pickup is Tuesday 2-8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday 12-6 p.m.

100 Coats + Cans Holiday Drive
Dec 7 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Engel & Völkers Asheville

We’re kicking off our annual holiday drive!
This year, we are asking for coats and other cold weather gear for kids that will be donated to The Boys & Girls Clubs of Buncombe County and canned goods and other non-perishables for MANNA FoodBank. Last year our community came together and made our annual coat drive a huge success. We were able to surpass our goal of donating 100 coats. This year we hope to donate 100 coats and 100 canned goods.
We invite you to join us in supporting these incredible organizations by donating either cold weather gear like a coat, canned goods, or both. Any donation is greatly appreciated. While Giving Tuesday is a one day event, we’ll be holding our holiday drive until December 19th.
TO DONATE: We have designated donation hours at our office in downtown Asheville at 26 College Street. Drop off donations Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays 10 am – 1 pm until December 19th. Or, please contact us and we would be happy to arrange a pick-up time!
Please help us keep the youth of Buncombe County warm and families fed this winter season. With the impact of COVID-19, it has never been more important to take care of our community.
Bigger Pots Made Easy with Instructors Gabriel Kline and Anja Bartels
Dec 7 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Odyssey ClayWorks

Mondays, 10am – 12:30pm
October 12th – December 7th
No Class October 19th

Do you want to increase the scale of your work, but feel intimidated by large pieces of clay? The truth is, you don’t have to be a big, strong person to make big, strong pots! Join Anja and Gabriel as they demystify the techniques used to produce large scale pottery. Demos will include throwing wide diameter bowls, section building skyscraper pots, centering 50-100 lbs. of clay, and creative ways to make voluminous storage jars. These techniques are simple, fun, and easy to learn. You’ll be amazed at the pieces you create! The class will include plenty of studio and one-on-one time with the instructors.

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

Tuition: $310 + $75 Lab Fee*
*Includes 50lbs of clay and firing of large work

Monte Vista Hotel: Deck The Trees
Dec 7 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monte Vista Hotel

Deck The Trees is a fun and festive December Holiday Happening in Black Mountain. This event is a fundraiser for the Fuel Fund of the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries. Trees decorated in the theme And A Star Appeared will be displayed in the Monte Vista Hotel and many businesses throughout Black Mountain. Trees may be voted on by placing cash/check in the box corresponding to your favorite tree. All money collected goes directly to the Fuel Fund. For more information about Deck The Trees and to support your favorite tree(s) contact svcmblackmountain.org.

WCCA’s new Bargain Hunt Thrift Store
Dec 7 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bargain Hunt Thrift Store

When WCCA’s Bargain Hunt Thrift Shop opens for business on Tuesday,
December 1st, it will also mark the start of a new holiday tradition – Countdown to Christmas. In
addition to providing a source for inexpensive clothing and household goods, Bargain Hunt will
help fund WCCA’s programs including: Children’s Services, Housing, Transportation, and Older
Adult Services throughout four Western NC Counties.
Standing out in Hendersonville’s active resale marketplace requires thinking outside the box. Or,
in this case, thinking outside 24 boxes. Store manager Belinda Sawyer exclaimed, “That little
surprise each morning just adds to the fun and anticipation of the holidays. So the new tradition
at Bargain Hunt is to celebrate the season with a Countdown Calendar of Discounts.” Each day
in December, Bargain Hunt will reveal a new discount for customers to enjoy.

10AM to 2PM on Saturday

Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds Exhibit
Dec 7 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Andy Warhol: Silver Clouds

Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall

Andy Warhol’s Silver Clouds create an immersive experience born out of the iconic Pop artist’s interest in innovation and experimentation. Warhol collaborated with Bell Labs engineer Billy Klüver to transform the then-new material Scotchpak into an enlivened and interactive work of art. First shown in April 1966 at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City, these air- and helium-filled balloons float like pillows through a space which, combined with their metallic surface, garnered the name Silver Clouds. The clouds notably became part of the design and choreography of Merce Cunningham’s RainForest, which premiered in 1968.

To ensure the safety of Museum visitors and staff, Silver Clouds will be presented as a touch-free experience. Visitors are encouraged to view the work from a distance as the balloons, moved by gentle air currents, drift about the space while imagining the presence of Cunningham’s dancers. A video recording of RainForest in its entirety may be viewed in Reverberations: Exploring Movement in the Collection.

Dancing Atoms Barbara Morgan Photographs
Dec 7 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Dancing Atoms

Barbara Morgan Photographs

Martha Graham: Frontier

Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall

Barbara Morgan, a founding member of the Aperture Foundation, earned a reputation as a Modernist. Much of her work involves dance, photomontage, and a desire to capture motion. She often would design her images so that the figure was shown against neutral or blank backgrounds that heightened the energy of the motion.  As proven in Morgan’s photographs, the exploration of movement is a theme that countless photographers have been drawn to in the past.  Capturing the beauty and effort of kinetic energy on film takes not only a keen photographic eye, but, more importantly, an understanding of the science that creates such action. Morgan was one such photographer.  Her legacy of observing life in relation to “dancing atoms” is forever preserved on film and on paper, providing a glimpse into her world of photography, painting, light, and modern dance.

This exhibition is organized by the Syracuse University Art Galleries.

Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture Asheville Art Museum
Dec 7 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Left: Virginia Scotchie, Object Maker Series, 2020, glazed stoneware. Asheville Art Museum. © Virginia Scotchie. Right: Jane Palmer, Untitled, circa 1990, glazed stoneware, 41 × 14 ¼ × 21 ½ inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of Jane Palmer.

The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.

North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.

Reverberations Exploring Movement in the Collection Art Exhibit
Dec 7 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Marianne Preger-Simon, Portrait of Merce Cunningham, 1953, ink on paper, 11 ⅜ × 10 inches. Black Mountain College Collection, gift of the Artist, 2009.17.12.41. © Marianne Preger-Simon

Reverberations

Exploring Movement in the Collection

Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall

Movement in static mediums such as painting, drawing, and photography is difficult to express, yet many artists feel called to explore it. Movement serves as an impetus for creation—to either capture it or create it in entirely different mediums. The works here, selected from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection, highlight additional approaches to rendering a lasting imprint of the ephemeral. Artists such as Walter Iooss and Blythe Bohnen are concerned with the motion of the human form, evoking a sense of elongated or contracted muscles, of limbs moving through space. Others, like Robyn Horn and Bernar Venet, approach the challenge through abstraction, foregoing representation yet communicating an atmosphere of dynamic change. Marianne Preger-Simon’s drawings of her fellow dancers at Black Mountain College in the summer of 1953 are not only portraits but also a dance of pencil on paper, created in the spirit of artist Josef Albers’s line studies as she simultaneously worked with choreographer Merce Cunningham. Each of these artists ultimately reflects on the time-based ephemeral nature of movement.

Santa Claus visits
Dec 7 @ 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Asheville Mall

The Asheville Mall is now offering Santa Claus visits for children this year, but it will look a bit different as the staff follows strict guidance to keep families safe. “Santa’s Workshop” is located in the traditional center of the mall, but the visits will be contactless. Instead of children sitting on Santa’s lap, families will sit 6 feet in front of Santa for photos. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)
Holiday Pet Supply Drive
Dec 7 @ 11:47 am – 12:47 pm
Wagbar

Drop off the items below at Wagbar in support of the Asheville Humane Society.

• Blankets
• Bath Towels
• Training pads/crate mats
• Dog or cat treats
• Cat toys that dangle
• Inexpensive loop leashes
• Clay kitty litter (non-clumping)
• Liquid laundry soap
• Dog food dry or canned
• Canned cat food (no fish flavors)
• Peanut butter
• “Easy cheese” canned cheese
• Science Diet cat, dog, kitten + puppy food
• Nylabone dog chews

5 Year Anniversary Celebration Sweeten Creek Brewing
Dec 7 @ 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sweeten Creek Brewing

Come join us for our 5 year anniversary celebration!!! We will be having live music and we are going to do a very special beer release! We’ll also have lobster dog food truck here from 2-9pm.
Pleasure Chest will be sending a duo for your listening pleasure from 3-5pm

Asheville Gallery of Art December Show 2020
Dec 7 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Asheville Gallery of Art

Asheville Gallery of Art’s December show, “#ArtSquared,” is amulti-artist show featuring a variety of original square paintings by gallery members. The show runs December 3-29 during gallery hours, 12-5 p.m. Thursday thru Sunday. You can also make arrangements for a private tour by emailing a request to [email protected].

Asheville Angel Tree
Dec 7 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Archetype Brewing - West Asheville

In an effort to meet an increased need due to COVID-19, Archetype will be a prime location for Angel Tree adoptions and Angel Tree gift deliveries.  The proximity of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs and Archetype brewing, both nestled on Haywood Road in the heart of West Asheville, creates ease for locals wanting to pour into their communities this holiday season.

This year, in light of the challenges posed by COVID-19, quarantine, and social-distance measures, the needs are greater than ever, and we can only meet this challenge with support from our community.

Our goal is to meet essential needs for our families that do not have the means to provide for themselves or for their children.

In order to #RescueChristmas we must stand in the gap of need and create resources for these children so they do not go cold, hungry, or without hope.

Candlelight Christmas Evenings at Biltmore
Dec 7 @ 5:00 pm
Biltmore

Candlelight, firelight and live music bring holiday warmth to Biltmore House’s extravagant holiday décor during these nighttime tours. Candlelight Christmas Evenings include a self-guided candlelight tour of Biltmore House, next-day visit to the gardens, Antler Hill Village and Biltmore Winery. Evening guests can also take advantage of Antler Hill Village & Winery to enjoy free wine tastings.

Tickets may be purchased at www.biltmore.com or by phone (800-411-3812).

Sand Hill Artists Collective Virtual Holiday Gallery Tours!
Dec 7 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Online with The Sand Hill Artists Collective

Ten Asheville area art galleries. A new gallery experience online daily from 5-6 pm each weekday beginning December 2nd through December 15th.