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, October 30, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Oct 30 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

  • Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
  • 90-Minutes – tours run daily
  • 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
  • $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Freshen Up Comedy Showcase
Oct 30 @ 6:30 pm
Noble Cider Downtown

Freshen Up Comedy Showcase is the first monday of every month. The showcase highlights the best local comics from the Freshen Up Open Mic that happens every Monday at Noble Cider downtown.

Local comics come out each week to try all of their new material and the best come back for the showcase.

Ryan Gordon hosts Freshen Up and this month we also feature secret guests!

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no cover, but $10 donation is encouraged

Haints in the Holler – Haunted Hike!
Oct 30 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Shope Creek Trailhead

Join a spooky storyteller as they guide you into the Appalachian woods with chants of folklore.

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Oct 30 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Asheville Holiday Parade Volunteers w/ Asheville on Bikes
Oct 31 all-day
Pack Square Park
Co-founders Rachel Reeser and Mike Sule ride the Holiday Parade in 2008
Asheville on Bikes is coordinating with the Asheville Downtown Association to support the Asheville Holiday Parade on Nov. 18 with Bike Marshall volunteers. The “Bike Marshall In Parade” option is a great way to experience the event because you get to pedal the parade route and take in the spectacles and participants. If you’re interested, sign up to volunteer!
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Oct 31 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

  • Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
  • 90-Minutes – tours run daily
  • 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
  • $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
All Hallow’s Eve Purrrty
Oct 31 @ 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
House of Black Cat Magic

Who would we be if we didn’t have a party for celebrate Samhain/ Halloween?!

We know you’ll be in West Asheville on the spookiest night of the year, so fly on by and purrrty with us! The cat lounge and shop will be open late, and we’ll have tons of family-friendly activities including:

-Britt’s Sweet Treats ice cream truck
-backyard bonfire
-bobbing for apples
-tarot and intuitive readers
-trick-or-treat trail
-local vendors with oddities, art, & more

PLUS we’re having 3 COSTUME CONTESTS where you can win awesome prizes like a 1-month Panther Pass to the black cat lounge!

This event is FREE to attend so don’t miss it!

All Hallows Eve Purrrty
Oct 31 @ 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
House of Black Cat Magic

 Britt’s Sweet Treats ice cream truck, backyard bonfire, bobbing for apples, tarot and intuitive readers, trick-or-treat trail, vendors with oddities, art and more. Free.

Online Zoom: West Asheville Library Book Discussion. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery  
Oct 31 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
West Asheville Library
  West Asheville Library Book Discussion group will discuss Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. This is an online Zoom event. Please join us! Email [email protected] for the Zoom information.
Treat Street
Oct 31 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Downtown Hendersonville

: 5-8 p.m., Main Street, Hendersonville. Kids Fun Zone, trick or treating, DJ dance party, costume contest, games.

Treats on the Street
Oct 31 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Downtown Waynesville

Treats on the Street: 5-7 p.m. in downtown Waynesville

Trick or Treat on Main Street Canton
Oct 31 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Main Street, Downtown Canton

The Canton Merchant Partnership will be hosting its annual spooktacular night of fun and Trick-or-Treating on Main Street, so bring your little ghosts and goblins for this safe family event.

HAYRIDES in the Academy Street Lot
MERLIN AND THE FORTUNE TELLER at the Southern Porch
COSTUME CONTEST and selfie portrait wall, between Papertown Coffee and Grateful Table (see more details below about entering the contest)
SPOOKY DJ MUSIC with DJ Jason Wyatt at the Southern Porch
PUMPKIN ARTS & CRAFTS next to JRO’s
HALLOWEEN CORNHOLE CONTEST next to JRO’s
FOOD TRUCKS in Smather’s Parking Lot (Ben’s Backdraft BBQ and Sticky 8’s)
CANTON FIRE AND RESCUE TRUCKS in Champion Mortgage Parking Lot
HATTON’S TOW TRUCKS in Smather’s Law Parking Lot
PRGC SCARECROW TRAIL CONTEST at participating merchants

MONSTER MOVIE MADDNESS

Don’t forget to head down to Sorrells Street Park afterward for MONSTER MOVIE MADNESS! We will be showing Monster House at 7:00 p.m. (after dark). Ben’s Backdraft BBQ and Sticky 8’s will be moving down from Main St. to provide food for purchase at the movie! Feel free to bring your own movie snacks as well!

COSTUME CONTEST INFORMATION

This year there will be a selfie station set up between Papertown Coffee and Grateful Table with a QR code to scan and submit your photo to the Canton Merchant Partnership Facebook page. There will be prizes awarded for best family, best adult, best teen 12-17, best kid 7-11, best child 2-6, and best infant.

PARKING INFORMATION

The Academy Street, Champion Mortgage, and Smathers lot will be blocked off for event use. You will find parking available across from Sorrells Street Park on Main St and Park St.

—————————
Presented by the Canton Merchant Partnership in cooperation with the Town of Canton.

Halloween Bingo
Oct 31 @ 6:00 pm
Burton Street Community Center

Halloween Bingo: Free but registration required. Visit www.avlrec.com or call 828-254-1942.

Halloween Bingo 
Oct 31 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Burton Street Community Center

 

FREE | All ages (under 14 must be with adult)

Prizes and fun await as you play for great prizes in your costume. For more info, call 828-507-9003.

Eclipse: Stories of Light + Dark
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm
Weaverville Community Center

Join Connie Regan-Blake & Kim Weitkamp for spooky tales this All Hallows Eve at the Weaverville Community Center.
Sponsored by Town & Mountain Realty, Hopscotch Health & Weaverville Center for Creative & Healthy Living.
Recommended for adults & youth 13+
Free event with tips suggested.

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Pinhead’s Graveyard
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Pinhead's Graveyard

I would like to add my two cents to the reviews you’ve received so far regarding your new location and what it offers the horror fans when they visit the Graveyard. You have improved your haunt by miles. Yes, outdoors is unique and fun. But what you offer here is a chance to re-live scenes out of some of the best horror films ever made such as Nightmare On Elm Street with Freddy in person and Jason at Crystal Lake. You will not be disappointed when you make the trip to Canton to see for yourself. What the visiting folks don’t know is how much you put into making this new indoor haunt and what was developed in a very short time. The scenes you created like the Michael Myers house and the Pennywise scene is out of sight! I just viewed that scene clearly depicted to a “T”. It is truly a great place to visit. Congratulations to all of the cast that made it special. Especially the Michael Myers scene….after all, I know it well. Can’t wait to come back!

– Dick Warlock (Michael Myers from Halloween 2) (11-17-21)

Pinhead’s Graveyard
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm
Pinhead’s Graveyard
Romance Book Club
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm
online w/ Malaprop's Bookstore
The Romance Book Club is a space to celebrate love in literature. Whether it’s set in early 1800s London, a distant planet years into the future, a fantasy world of magic, or our own contemporary universe, we are here for the stories that end with a happily-ever-after (or at least a happily-for-now). Meetings will take place the last Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Please email Samantha at [email protected] for the link to join.

The club will meet virtually for now. 

Meetings will take place at 7:00 PM ET on the last Tuesday of each month via Zoom. Please visit the Romance Bookclub page for the monthly selection, and email Samantha at [email protected] for the link to join.

The Haunted Farm
Oct 31 @ 7:00 pm – 11:30 pm
The Haunted Farm

The Haunted Farm is Western North Carolina’s Scariest Attraction, and has been Voted Best Haunted House in NC! Located in rural farmland near Hendersonville, The Haunted Farm sits on a mysterious, blood-soaked stretch of land where the locals claim an age-old Blood Feud between the Lively and Tate families has devastated the local farming community. The Haunted History of Curses, Derangements, Undead, Ghosts, and terrible Bloodshed brings visitors from near and far – hoping to survive The Haunted Farm.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Asheville Holiday Parade Volunteers w/ Asheville on Bikes
Nov 1 all-day
Pack Square Park
Co-founders Rachel Reeser and Mike Sule ride the Holiday Parade in 2008
Asheville on Bikes is coordinating with the Asheville Downtown Association to support the Asheville Holiday Parade on Nov. 18 with Bike Marshall volunteers. The “Bike Marshall In Parade” option is a great way to experience the event because you get to pedal the parade route and take in the spectacles and participants. If you’re interested, sign up to volunteer!
Sponsor a child for the holidays
Nov 1 all-day
Eliada Homes
Help Make a Child Smile this Holiday Season!
Eliada works hard to make the holidays a special time for the children in our care. You can help bring a smile to their face by fulfilling their holiday wishes!

 

Sponsor a Child:

When you sign up to sponsor a child for the holidays, you’ll receive a Wish List that a young person created. Wish Lists include their favorite things, clothing sizes, and most needed and wanted items. The value of a Wish List is around $200. You can divide that cost with friends, or even sponsor several children.

 

For most of Eliada’s children and youth, the gifts they receive from sponsors are the only gifts they will get during the holiday season.

To sign up to sponsor, please contact Rebecca Boline by email at [email protected].

Sponsor Multiple Children:

We also have Wish Lists which include items that children will need here at Eliada depending on what program they are in.

 

Cottage wish lists for youth living at Eliada, for example, include toiletries, bedding and towels, books, games, art supplies, suitcases and kitchen utensils. Many children come to Eliada with a few clothes in a garbage bag. Together we can provide them things that every home should have!

 

Other wish lists are for our Child Development programs, Foster Care program, Farm program, Summer Camp program, and Recreation programs. Our Equine Therapy program also has some needs this holiday season! We never know when we’ll get a call for a child in Foster Care who needs a home immediately. Let’s help Foster Parents provide these children everything they deserve!

 

Sponsor a last minute wish:

Some youth living at Eliada won’t arrive until right before the holidays! We won’t receive their wish lists until mid-late November. Can you sign up to help one of these teens at the last minute?

If you don’t have time to shop, Eliada will use your donation to purchase gifts for children who may arrive at Eliada very close to Christmas or right after Christmas. It shouldn’t matter when you arrive at Eliada–your wishes should be fulfilled! You can make a donation here. In the comment field, write “holiday wishes.”

 

To sign up to sponsor multiple children or a teen at the last minute, please contact Rebecca Boline by email at rboline@eliada.org or by phone at (828) 254-5356, ext. 306.

LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Nov 1 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

  • Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
  • 90-Minutes – tours run daily
  • 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
  • $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Read to Puptart!
Nov 1 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

Puptart is a tail wagging robot dog who sits and stays, pants when listening, and responds to someone talking to and petting it. It will not jump up or run away, plus it’s fur free, so no sneezes and runny noses coming your way!

Every Wednesday afternoon, Puptart will be available for reading practice in the children’s picture book room. Help establish a joy of reading and develop early literacy skills. Sign up at the front desk, pick a book and practice reading for up to 15 minutes.

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Nov 1 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Malaprop’s Book Club
Nov 1 @ 7:00 pm
online w/ Malaprop's Bookstore

The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The club will meet virtually until further notice. To join the club, please email [email protected]

Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge Comedy Open Mic
Nov 1 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Asheville Music Hall

Asheville’s longest running comedy open mic happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 8:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform can sign up starting at 7pm, and will get four minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

Thursday, November 2, 2023
Asheville Holiday Parade Volunteers w/ Asheville on Bikes
Nov 2 all-day
Pack Square Park
Co-founders Rachel Reeser and Mike Sule ride the Holiday Parade in 2008
Asheville on Bikes is coordinating with the Asheville Downtown Association to support the Asheville Holiday Parade on Nov. 18 with Bike Marshall volunteers. The “Bike Marshall In Parade” option is a great way to experience the event because you get to pedal the parade route and take in the spectacles and participants. If you’re interested, sign up to volunteer!
Sponsor a child for the holidays
Nov 2 all-day
Eliada Homes
Help Make a Child Smile this Holiday Season!
Eliada works hard to make the holidays a special time for the children in our care. You can help bring a smile to their face by fulfilling their holiday wishes!

 

Sponsor a Child:

When you sign up to sponsor a child for the holidays, you’ll receive a Wish List that a young person created. Wish Lists include their favorite things, clothing sizes, and most needed and wanted items. The value of a Wish List is around $200. You can divide that cost with friends, or even sponsor several children.

 

For most of Eliada’s children and youth, the gifts they receive from sponsors are the only gifts they will get during the holiday season.

To sign up to sponsor, please contact Rebecca Boline by email at [email protected].

Sponsor Multiple Children:

We also have Wish Lists which include items that children will need here at Eliada depending on what program they are in.

 

Cottage wish lists for youth living at Eliada, for example, include toiletries, bedding and towels, books, games, art supplies, suitcases and kitchen utensils. Many children come to Eliada with a few clothes in a garbage bag. Together we can provide them things that every home should have!

 

Other wish lists are for our Child Development programs, Foster Care program, Farm program, Summer Camp program, and Recreation programs. Our Equine Therapy program also has some needs this holiday season! We never know when we’ll get a call for a child in Foster Care who needs a home immediately. Let’s help Foster Parents provide these children everything they deserve!

 

Sponsor a last minute wish:

Some youth living at Eliada won’t arrive until right before the holidays! We won’t receive their wish lists until mid-late November. Can you sign up to help one of these teens at the last minute?

If you don’t have time to shop, Eliada will use your donation to purchase gifts for children who may arrive at Eliada very close to Christmas or right after Christmas. It shouldn’t matter when you arrive at Eliada–your wishes should be fulfilled! You can make a donation here. In the comment field, write “holiday wishes.”

 

To sign up to sponsor multiple children or a teen at the last minute, please contact Rebecca Boline by email at rboline@eliada.org or by phone at (828) 254-5356, ext. 306.

United Way’s Holiday Book Drive
Nov 2 all-day
online

We need your help and the help of your network to make this holiday drive as successful as possible in putting new books into the hands of Buncombe County elementary and middle school students during the holiday break.

What better way to spread holiday cheer than by donating books? Imagine the joy on a child’s face when they receive a brand-new book. It’s like sprinkling a little bit of magic into their lives!

We’ve partnered with over a dozen local organizations serving K-12 students throughout the county. They’re eagerly waiting for book drop-offs like kids waiting for the first snowfall! ❄️

You can make a positive impact right now by donating directly using the button below, or why not turn giving back into an outing?

Holiday Book Drive 2023 (givebutter.com)

Visit the Barnes & Noble on Tunnel Road at the Asheville Mall to shop in-store and donate them on the spot.