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.
Sandburg Home Tours – Thursday to Sunday at 11am, 1pm, 2pm.
*As of April 2022, tours are free until further notice. See rates below if they change before your visit. Online reservations are available at recreation.gov.
The Sandburg Home is a great place to start your visit! The ground floor of the home contains visitor information, exhibits, tour ticket sales, the park store, and you can watch the park video. The main and top level of the home are furnished with the Sandburg family belongings. Visitors may only access the furnished ares of the home on a guided tour.
- Tour Reservations: Reserving in advance lets you pick your preferred house tour time. Tours fill up quickly. Last-minute, in-person tickets may not be available on the day you visit. Plan ahead and reserve house tour tickets at recreation.gov.
- Passes: The park does not currently sell the America the Beautiful– National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes.
*These passes do not waive the house tour fee, but do provide a discount.
*You can purchase a pass online at America the Beautiful – National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass | USGS Store. - 30-minute house tours are offered year-round, schedule varies by season. Visit recreation.gov for the current schedule.
- Visitors may only tour the Sandburg Home on a guided tour.
- Tours are limited to 6 persons.
- Strollers are not permitted on the house tour, but there is a place to leave them for storage. Infants and small children should be carried through the house while on tour.
Sandburg Home Guided Tour Fee
*Tours are free until further notice, this chart is the rate when fees resume.
(credit card only)
$10.00 for Adults 16 and older
$6.00 for Adults age 62 and older and all interagency pass holders
Free for Children age 15 and under
Save a Life. Donate Blood.
Giving blood is a simple thing to do, but it can make a big difference in the lives of others. Asheville Outlets is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a mobile blood drive.
The American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held Friday, May 26, from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in the parking lot located behind the food court. May is Trauma Awareness Month for the Red Cross. Blood need rises as Trauma needs rise in summer months, with more travel, Auto accidents, and when outdoor activities increase so does physical injury. Your help collecting much needed blood supply is valued. Thank you!
Donors are asked to register in advance by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/give and entering the sponsor code AshevilleOutlets.
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.
In the past 50 years in the United States and beyond, artists have sought to break down social and political hierarchies that include issues of identity, gender, power, race, authority, and authenticity. Unsurprisingly, these decades generated a reconsideration of the idea of pattern and decoration as a third option to figuration and abstraction in art. From 1972 to 1985, artists in the Pattern and Decoration movement worked to expand the visual vocabulary of contemporary art to include ethnically and culturally diverse options that eradicated the barriers between fine art and craft and questioned the dominant minimalist aesthetic. These artists did so by incorporating opulence and bold intricacies garnered from such wide-ranging inspirations as United States quilt-making and Islamic architecture.
Too Much Is Just Right: The Legacy of Pattern and Decoration features more than 70 artworks in an array of media from both the original time frame of the Pattern and Decoration movement, as well as contemporary artworks created between 1985 and the present. The artworks in this exhibition demonstrate the vibrant and varied approaches to pattern and decoration in art. Artworks from the 21st century elucidate contemporary perspectives on the employment of pattern to inform visual vocabularies and investigations of diverse themes in the present day.
Artworks drawn from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection join select major loans and feature Pattern and Decoration artists Valerie Jaudon, Joyce Kozloff, Robert Kushner, and Miriam Schapiro, as well as Anni Albers, Elizabeth Alexander, Sanford Biggers, Tawny Chatmon, Margaret Curtis, Mary Engel, Cathy Fussell, Samantha Hennekke, John Himmelfarb, Anne Lemanski, Rashaad Newsome, Peter Olson, Don Reitz, Sarah Sense, Billie Ruth Sudduth, Mickalene Thomas, Shoku Teruyama, Anna Valdez, Kehinde Wiley, and more.
This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and guest curated by Marilyn Laufer & Tom Butler.
Join us at Eliada Home’s campus for a small group guided walking Farm Tour. Tours last approximately 1 hour. Participants will learn about outdoor and greenhouse growing practices, aquaponics, hydroponics, market gardening, corn maze production, and about our equine therapy program.
Reservations required. There is no cost, but donations to the non-profit agency are greatly appreciated.
We recommend bringing the following: comfortable shoes for walking on pavement and grass, hat, sunglasses, and water. This tour is not handicap accessible and will require participants to climb stairs and walk on uneven ground.
Do you have an overactive Spider Plant? Is your Aloe Plant giving you the stink eye? Maybe it’s time to mix things up! Bring any & all unwanted houseplants to the Weaverville Library in May and swap them out for something new. Houseplant Exchange is available and self serve during all open hours.
Distance: 3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate. Several steep inclines are present on the trail.
Cost: Free for Members. $10 for non-members.
Join the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy on our beautiful Community Farm to hike along our Discovery Trail!
Our Community Farm is a 140-acre educational and working farm just outside Asheville. The farm is a continually evolving home for conservation projects and agricultural production. Highlighted by our stream restoration project, shortleaf pine reforestation project, farm incubator program, and education center, there is always something new to see.
Participants will hike The Discovery Trail in a 3-mile loop allowing us to view all of the amazing farm projects before returning to the parking area. Participants are welcome to bring a packed lunch to enjoy while overlooking the farm and surrounding mountains.
Please note that our Community Farm is an active farm not open to the public unless accompanied by SAHC staff. To ensure safety, staff capacity, and a positive experience for everyone involved it is critical that ALL hike participants pre-register for events before visiting the farm. You will receive an email with specific information about where to meet on the farm and other necessary details. If you do not receive this email, as well as a confirmation email following your registration, we do not have you registered for the hike. The majority of this hike is not disability accessible.
If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].
RTS: Office Hours
By Norm Foster
Friday and Saturday performances are held on the Mainstage at Asheville Community Theatre; Sunday performances are held at the Reuter Center on the campus of UNCA.
Office Hours is presented as readers theatre by The Autumn Players.
It’s a Friday afternoon in the big city and, in six different offices, six different stories are unfolding at the same time. Unrelated, and yet somehow still linked, these stories show six people trying to get by in a modern world, in a madcap race towards quitting time.
2022 Market Season: Every Friday April – October
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Lego Club resumes in January at the Fairview Public Library. The library provides the Legos and you provide the creativity! Perfect for ages 6 and up. Lego Club is on the last Friday of every month through May. |
-Featuring Breweries just “outside” of Asheville such as Big Pillow, HomePlace, Innovation, & Newgrass
-All breweries featured on tap
-Breweries invited to table and pour samples, sell merch, and share their passions for brewing and what makes them unique
-live music
Come join us most Friday evenings, 5-6 for a happy hour yoga class at Rabbit Rabbit in downtown Asheville!
Don’t forget to bring your own mat!
Free Class- Tips Appreciated
The schedule is constantly changing, please follow Asheville Wellness Tours on instragram @ashevillewellnesstours for updates!
Wanna hear the best local music and drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.
- Join us for an evening of live Jazz and our Featured Monthly Wine Tasting!
Jazz Guitar w/ Chris Norred
About the musician: Chris Norred is a multifaceted guitarist who received a BA in Jazz Performance from VCU. Originally from Virginia, he now resides in Asheville, NC where he continues to develop a unique solo guitar style. Chris writes his own arrangements of select titles by Japanese composers of popular video games such as The Legend of Zelda and Chrono Trigger amongst others. He performs exciting takes on popular Swing and Bossa songs from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. His repertoire is not limited to Jazz as he will also tap into the realm of Appalachian Fiddle Tunes and Folk music.
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This week we have Ayanna Dookie from NYC!
Ayanna Dookie is a stand-up comedian, writer, and storyteller. The daughter of immigrants, Ayanna’s humor is reflective of growing up Brown, Black, woman, and first generation American.
She has been featured on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, truTV’s Laff Tracks, 2 Dope Queens on WNYC, NPR’s Snap Judgement, Fox’s Laughs, and AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live. Her writing can be seen on BET’s 50 Central and MTV’s Wild n’ Out.
featuring TBA
ages 18+
Early show doors at 6:30, show at 7pm
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This week we have Jenny Zigrino from Los Angeles!
With the sweetness of the midwest and the sharp edge of the east coast, Jenny Zigrino brings a powerful comedic performance to any stage. She combines hilarious anecdotes and sharp, witty observations with a cheeky style that challenges social norms and what it means to be human. Her brutal honesty and undeniable charm create a compelling comedic experience you won’t forget.
She made her late night debut on Conan with Conan O’Brien and performed a total of three guest appearances. She was a Just For Laugh’s New Faces in 2016 and since then has been featured on Comedy Central, MTV, TBS, and many others. She starred in films such as Bad Santa 2 along Billy Bob Thornton and in the horror comedy Too Late in 2021. She’s headlined festivals like Moon Tower, New York Comedy Festival, and High Plains Comedy Festival. She’s written and performed several comedy specials including Comedy Central Presents the Half Hours. Her latest appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2023 was met with rave reviews. Her brand new hour, Jen-Z, is available now on Comedy Central’s
featuring Good Cop/ Rad Cop
ages 18+
Early show doors at 6:30, show at 7pm
Late show doors at 9, show at 9:30pm
Ages 18+ FULLY SEATED SHOW
Ostensibly a hilarious stand-up show about the blowjob, Get on Your Knees is also an unexpectedly philosophical, coming-of-age tale of triumph. A break-out hit off-Broadway, audiences returned for repeat viewings across multiple sold out runs in NYC. This New York Times “Critic’s Pick” earned Jacqueline a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. Jacqueline has since toured the show nationally and internationally. This tour is the very last chance to see Get on Your Knees live.
“Brilliant…”- The New York Times
“Clearly her masterwork.” – New York Magazine
“An overthinker’s delight… – The New Yorker
“The true subject of Get on Your Knees is language and its beautiful, delusional attempts to make amends for human finitude.” – New York Review of Books, by Andrea Long Chu
“In a moment when the boundaries between high and low culture have all but dissolved, Novak has found one of the few remaining tensions to play with.” – Paris Review
“The jokes are tremendous.” – Natasha Lyonne for Interview Magazine
“It was a staggering show.” – Miranda July
“…as if Andrea Dworkin and Spaulding Gray had a child they made listen to only Moms Mabley and read only Mary Oliver.” – Jeremy O. Harris
“I howled the whole time.” – Amy Sedaris
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have seen the Muhammad Ali of comedy.” – John Mulaney
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.
Womansong, Asheville’s longest-running women’s community chorus, invites you to join us in our spring concert, “Love Your Mother (Earth)” a tribute to the beauty of our world. Under the direction of Artistic Director Dr. Allison Thorp, along with Assistant Director Claire Lemke and former Director Althea Gonzalez, this concert will focus on songs celebrating, caring for, and advocating for Mother Earth. The first half of our program will highlight music that expresses love for the earth – appreciation, reflection, connection and joy. The second half will feature music that expresses love for the earth in action – doing, moving, and making change. Among the many inspiring songs are Carrie Newcomer’s If Not Now, Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, Elise Witt’s My Salsa Garden, and the world premiere of Lytingale’s call-to-action composition, Together We Can Change the World. From choral anthems to contemporary pop tunes, there’s
something for everyone – music to make you laugh, cry and dance. Accompanying the choir on piano, flute, violin, and percussion will be Lytingale, Georgia Pressman, Jane Snyder, and Sarah Rubin. Womansong concerts are accessible to the hearing impaired through musical sign language interpretation by Shiner Antiorio.
The concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, One Edwin Place, Asheville 28801, on Friday, May 26, at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, May 27, at 3:00 PM. Womansong celebrates the unity diversity, and empowerment of women through musical expression as we sing for joy, social justice, and community. Our concerts help fund the operation of our nonprofit organization, including the choir’s New Start Fund, a provider of scholarships and emergency funds to women in need.
Hendersonville Theatre proudly presents Asheville Americana band, Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters as May’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. The band’s nuanced music brings insight and wit to the stories Platt tells through songwriting. Lyrically driven, the band’s country roots music often inspires introspection, whether it be about life on the road, heartache or hope. There is an empathetic and charming wit ingrained in Platt’s songwriting. She has a knack for accessing a deep well of emotion and applying it to her story-telling, whether she is writing from her own experiences or immersing herself into the melody of emotions in another person’s life.
Performing along with Platt, The Honeycutters are Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitars), Kevin Williams (keys/vocals), Rick Cooper (bass/vocals), and Evan Martin (drums/vocals). The band is currently on tour supporting their sixth studio album – “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” – released 2/25/2022 on Organic Records.
By Andrew Lippa and John August
On the Steve Lloyd Stage
Directed by Candice Dickinson
What tall tales will we tell to be the hero of our own stories?
When Will finds out his father is dying of cancer, he is on a mission to find the truth behind the tall tales his father has always told him. Audiences will be in awe as they travel back and forth from Will and Edward’s stark reality to the beautiful and larger than life fantasies of Edward Bloom’s past. This charming, warm hug of a musical features Southern-fried music from Andrew Lippa and is based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace that also inspired the 2003 big-screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton. A musical for dreamers, this show has sweeping melodies, gorgeous dance numbers, and celebrates the imagination, culminating in a thrilling theatrical experience. Full of giants, witches, mermaids, and, of course, an exceptionally large fish, Big Fish is about what’s real and what’s fantastic, what’s true and what’s not true, what’s partially true and how, in the end, it’s all true.
Suitable for all audiences.
Established in the Shenandoah Valley, Palmyra explores the fusion of traditional folk string instruments, three part harmonies and foot percussion. In 2022, Palmyra made their Newport Folk Festival debut, were named the FloydFest 2022 On The Rise Winner, and performed over 200 tour dates on acclaimed stages up and down the East Coast. The trio captures the collective spirit of three Virginia natives, Teddy (he/him), Manoa (he/him), and Sasha (they/them). Palmyra’s songs are intimate and contemplative, with arrangements that allow them to create the illusion of a full, larger-than-three ensemble. The trio’s sound is a nod to Appalachia and Midwestern Americana, apparent through their stirring craftsmanship and dedication to a folk-driven, innovative experience throughout each live performance.
Earleine (Ashley Wright) is a native of Nashville, TN. Her most recent singles and self-titled EP were released on Carrboro, NC-based Sleepy Cat Records. She has been making a home in Durham, NC and playing shows all around the Southeast.
Andy Ferrell is an Asheville based musician and songwriter playing music inspired by the southern Appalachians he calls home. Folk, blues, bluegrass, country and old time music all collide to make up a body of true Americana sounds that he loves to share with listeners across the region.
All shows will be at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater in the Montford District of Asheville, and all will be presented absolutely FREE of charge!
Written and Directed by Skyler Goff
This World Premiere was penned by local playwright Skyler Goff and tells of the continuing adventures of our favorite Lost Boy. A fantastical way to kick off our season!
All shows will run Fridays through Sundays and all will be presented at 7:30pm and prime seats can be reserved.
Montford Park Players has been bringing some of theater’s greatest works to Western North Carolina for over 50 years. Montford Park Players continues its mission of bring free theater to the community. The summer season allows everyone to come spend an evening under the stars, seeing some of the best live performances presented in Asheville.
Montford Park Players allows patrons to bring their favorite food and beverages to their shows and sells beer, wine and concessions at the shows. If you’ve never been to the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre for a Montford show, there’s no better season than this one. If you have been, you know why you should come back and catch everything we have to offer!
By Lauren Gunderson
Produced by Immediate Theatre Project
Four badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection…that ends in a song and a scaffold.
From the people who brought you Silent Sky comes this grand and dream-tweaked comedy about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.
Discretionary Content: Adult themes and badass ladies
Our spring theme is Love Your Mother (Earth)!
Under the direction of Artistic Director Dr. Allison Thorpe, along with Assistant Director Claire Lemke and former Director Althea Gonzalez, this concert will focus on songs celebrating and caring for Mother Earth.We are embracing the beauty of our world in this concert with tributes to our planet, including the songs, Mini Wiconi (Water is Life) and What a Wonderful World; fun songs (you know we always have fun): Compost and My Salsa Garden; and songs that call us to action: most notably, a beautiful new arrangement of Carrie Newcomer‘s If Not Now, and the world premiere of Lytingale’s inspiring composition,Together We Can Change the World (which will later be performed by a mass choir at Sister Singers Network Festival in Cleveland.) Composers include Joni Mitchell, Elise Witt, Vida, and many others. You definitely will want to be in the room for this concert.
Lytingale, Georgia Pressman, Jane Snyder, and Sarah Rubin will accompany the choir on piano, flute, violin, and a variety of percussion instruments. And for this concert, we welcome several new singers to our village. (Come sing with us !)
From choral anthems to contemporary pop tunes, there’s something for everyone — music to make you laugh, cry, and dance.
Immerse yourself in the magic of twilight and experience the wonders of nighttime in the Blue Ridge Mountains. From sunset and starry skies to fireflies, we’ll marvel at Mother Nature’s light show as we explore the forest, hoping to encounter the elusive Blue Ghost firefly species!
This is a unique opportunity to unplug in a peaceful setting with a series of invitations led by a certified forest therapy guide that invite you to connect more deeply to the environment around you. Quiet your mind and awaken your senses as we sink into the heightened awareness of this special evening experience. Together, we’ll deepen our relationship with nature, community and ourselves. The best part: there’s no right or wrong way to forest bathe; just bring an open heart, adventurous spirit and be yourself. All is welcome in the forest.
This special offering takes place on only 4 evenings in 2023 with group sizes limited to 12 for a more intimate experience.
FAQ & Important Info:
?? Is this experience family friendly? This tour lasts until approximately 10:30pm. If this isn’t too late for your littles, we welcome children 12+ for both public and private firefly tours. The Blue Ghost habitat is very fragile so children won’t be able to roam freely & will need to stick closely to the group. Please keep this in mind when deciding if this tour is right for your family.
????Though we’ll walk less than a mile along a gentle, easy path, you’ll be navigating the trail at night and will need heightened awareness of roots, uneven terrain, and obstacles. Because of these parameters, this walk is not appropriate for anyone with mobility issues, medical concerns, or injuries.
Crisp Comedy takes place once a month in Leicester, NC at Noble Cider and hosted by Leicesters own Clay Jones! A fresh batch of comics each month so no two shows are the same!
ages 21+ (must have ID with you)
Free show with a suggested $12 donation