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.
Blue Jean Ball is MANNA’s annual “party for a purpose,” with all proceeds benefitting MANNA’s daily work to provide food to thousands of families across Western North Carolina that are struggling to make ends meet. With every dollar raised, MANNA can provide the food for 3.5 meals… your very presence is valuable! So, come party with us. Whether you dress for our theme, wear jeans, or dress like a queen, you can have a great time knowing you are helping provide the most basic necessity in life: food!
Hang Loose with Friends at the Best Outdoor Party of the Year
This annual sell-out event on the sunny shores of MANNA’s waterfront campus along the Swannanoa River features small plate grazing from 20 favorite local restaurants, an open bar with great selections of beer and wine from Empire Distributing, and an amazing live band that keeps the dance floor packed all night long! Tickets move fast, so don’t wait!
Grab your Longboard and catch a wave to MANNA!
5-Day Workshop
June 4-8
Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm
Maquette making allows us to quickly see a form in its entirety, and develop proportions and gesture with minimal effort. This hands-on workshop will focus on the techniques for creating larger work by scaling up from a maquette. The first day will focus on creating a maquette between 6”-10”. The rest of the week, we will create a large-scale version of the maquette using rulers, calipers and a grid. Krista will share techniques for building in removable sections (which makes it both easier on the body and able to fit in the car on the ride home!) This workshop will be geared towards students with some clay experience who are interested in learning the special considerations surrounding large scale sculpting. Krista will offer advice on repairing cracks, maintaining consistent wall thickness and discuss appropriate weights.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Tuition $595 + $50 Lab Fee
Center for Honeybee Research has its Annual Black Jar Honey Tasting & Cocktail Event fundraiser on June 5, 5:30-7:30 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville (on Woodfin St.). Two ticket levels: Everyone gets to taste the 30 finalist honey entries from all over the world, enjoy appetizers, full bar, music, a silent auction, a raffle and more, surrounded by views from the top floor of the setting sun and the rooftop hives maintained by CHBR; VIP ticketholders also get to vote for the People’s Choice award. Tickets and info available at http://honeybeeresearch.org.
Conceived in 1969 as an audience participation work, John Cage’s original “score” simply stipulated that the gallery be filled with about a dozen record players and two- to three-hundred vinyl records. Museum visitors are encouraged to act as DJs and create a musical mix by playing records freely and thus performing the work. This realization will be performed by María Chávez and an open audience, with 300 records compiled by curator Jade Dellinger, including records chosen by Yoko Ono, Iggy Pop, Graham Nash, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music), Jack White (The White Stripes), Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Richie Ramone (The Ramones), Jad Fair (Half-Japanese), Alex James (Blur), Meredith Monk, Terry Allen, Irwin Chusid, Arto Lindsay (DNA & Lounge Lizards), Blixa Bargeld (Einsturzende Neubauten), Mike Kelley (Destroy All Monsters), S.A. Martinez (311), David Harrington (Kronos Quartet), Emil Schult (Kraftwerk), Pauline Oliveros, The Residents, Vito Acconci, The Art Guys, Martin Atkins (Public Image Ltd.), John Baldessari, Matthew Barney, Christian Marclay Joan LaBarbara, Jim Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha and William Wegman.
FREE
Born in Lima, Peru and based in NYC, María Chávez is best known as an abstract turntablist, sound artist, and DJ. Her work combines recorded sounds from vinyl records with the electroacoustic sounds of vinyl and needle in various deteriorating phases. Accidents, coincidence, and failures are themes that unite her sound sculptures, installations, and other works with her improvised solo turntable performance practice.
$5 for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $8 non-members
Advance Tickets available here: https://mariachavez.brownpapertickets.com
The English for Speakers of Other Langauges (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at the Literacy Council, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam.
Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of up to ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours once each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors.
Please join The North Carolina Arboretum for a fabulous and festive celebration of our newest exhibit, Making Scents: The Art and Passion of Fragrance. This special ticketed event will include:
-Live music
-“Sense Stations”
-Heavy hors d’oeuvres
-Beverages, including an aromatic cocktail
-Silent auction
Tickets are $100 for Arboretum Society members and $125 for non-members.You can purchase tickets online at https://www.ncarboretum.org/joingive/membership/events/ All proceeds from the event will benefit Youth Education at The North Carolina Arboretum.
WLOS News 13, Carolina Furniture Concepts, and Two Men & a Truck are hosting the sixth annual Break the Hunger food drive to help keep kids from going hungry during summer break. The station is asking viewers
to bring non-perishable food items on Friday, June 8 to Carolina Furniture Concepts at 100 Airport Road between 4:30AM to 7PM and in Waynesville from 9AM to 7PM.
Staff and volunteers from News 13 and Children First/Communities In Schools (CIS) will collect canned goods, rice, pasta formula, macaroni and cheese and other non-perishables. Other essential items like diapers, toothpaste, and toilet paper will also be accepted. All of the items donated will go to Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County, who will then distribute the food and items to the children and families they serve. A full shopping list of food pantry staples is on the Children First/CIS website at www.childrenfirstcisbc.org. Staff from Two Men & a Truck will load the boxes of donated goods onto their truck and deliver to the non-profit’s food pantry in the Emma Community.
Get involved: donate, advocate and volunteer. Go to www.childrenfirstcisbc.org
Camp Bow Wow, the Premier Doggy Day and Overnight Camp franchise and an Entrepreneur Franchise 500 company, is proud to announce the Grand Opening of its brand new location in in Asheville, North Carolina at 5 Airport Road. To celebrate, all members of the surrounding community are invited to the Camp’s Grand Opening Adoption Event on Saturday, June 9th from 12:00pm – 4:00pm for a fun-filled day of food, music, activities, and the chance to discover the premium pet care services that Camp Bow Wow is known for nationwide. All members of the community and media are welcome to attend. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to meet with adorable and adoptable dogs from shelters and rescues including Yancey County Humane Society, Blue Ridge Humane Society, Rusty’s Legacy and Foothills Humane Society, as well as join the on-site activities, including Jenga, Cornhole, and an inflatable water slide. Camp owner, Avery Griffin will be available for on-site interviews, photos/videos, Camp tours, etc. and our pet experts are also available to offer tips/insights on a number of pet topics, from the benefits of adoption to lifestyle tips and more. Come out to support local shelters and maybe even find your fur-ever friend!
Sierra Nevada and North Carolina Building Performance Association (NCBPA) welcome area homeowners and renters interested in learning how to save energy to attend a free one-hour workshop on June 11th at 5:30pm at Sierra Nevada in Mills River! Home energy experts will present a wealth of tips to help lower your home’s energy usage and describe how you, your friends and family, and the environment will benefit from doing so. Local companies will be on hand to demonstrate DIY projects and answer questions about your home. This event is free to attend but registration is required. Happy hour follows!
A demonstration will be given to 2 or 3 volunteers using the Biofield Tuning method. These sessions can help with physical, emotional and mental health.
What is the Biofield Tuning method?
The Human Biofield is shaped like a torus and contains a record of all our memories that is embedded as energy and standing waves. The tuning forks find these waves and we calibrate the energy into our chakras.
The Amazing Acro-cats Featuring Tuna and the Rock Cats are a troupe of REAL performing house cats. The Acro-cats experience all started with Chief Executive Human (CEH for short) and animal trainer Samantha Martin. She has not only rescued her own pets, but also has found happy homes for over 200 homeless cats and kittens. Using the magic of clicker training (a stress-free positive reinforcement method) Samantha and the cats take their newfound amazing abilities on the road, and tour the nation’s stages in the infamous Acro-cat bus! A portion of the proceeds always benefits our mobile foster and rescue efforts. They have cats riding skateboards, jumping through hoops, and Alley, our rising star, has even leapt into the Guinness Book of World Records, holding the record for the longest cat jump!
Showtimes
6/13 7PM
Tickets
VICP First Row $40
VICP Orchestra $25
Orcehstra $22
Discounts Available for Children, Seniors, and Military
An installation by Richard Devine in collaboration with visual artist Rachel Palmer.
This machine/modular system generates an infinite number of sounds, that evolve, grow and multiply into new organic forms. The piece will utilize a 4 channel quad speaker configuration. Each speaker will represent one audio element that will focus on various captured field recordings, synthesis, and manipulated digital audio fragments to make up an ever-changing music composition.
FREE
Mama Maisha and King Daddy’s Chicken and Waffles are teaming up to raise funds to promote healthy, safe pregnancies on June 21. From 3PM until 10PM, 20% of all proceeds from food and beverage purchases will be donated to Mama Maisha.
Asheville physicians Dr. Reta Graham and Dr. Jeff Graham, in affiliation with local and regional non-governmental services, founded Mama Maisha, the first Safe Motherhood Intervention Project in the Mara region of Tanzania. Mama Maisha works at the village level, providing essential prenatal care and delivery services, as well as education and resources to empower women to make wise decision regarding family planning, healthy pregnancies, and safe delivery for every child.
Learn more about Mama Maisha at http://mamamaisha.org.
Join us as local composer and writer Alec Sturgis introduces the Asheville Sound Survey, an ongoing, interactive project investigating the sounds in our community. Inspired by Josef Albers’ goal to open eyes, our hope is to open ears and expand our experience of place.
FREE for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $5 non-members
Join us for a day of family fun and the Grand Opening of the amenities at Watson Gap Village. Kawasaki USA and Brushy Mountain Motorsports will be providing free UTV tours of BRMC trails, there will be live music, local craft beer, food, and fun for every age, along with tours of the newly opened amenities at Watson Gap Village.
Just minutes from Blowing Rock, North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Parkway, there’s no better back drop for the longest day of the year than the sweeping views at Blue Ridge Mountain Club.
To learn more, visit brmcsoul.com or call us at 828-295-4667.
On June 23 and 24, over 20 Appalachian Grown™ family farms will welcome visitors to their farms during ASAP’s highly anticipated Farm Tour. This fun and educational weekend offers the public a chance to experience firsthand how food is grown and raised in the mountains, sample farm-fresh products, and meet the community’s local producers.
Farm Tour passes are on sale now at asapconnections.org. Passes are $30 in advance; $40 the weekend of the tour. One pass admits an entire carload. The tour runs 12-5 pm Saturday and Sunday.
ASAP will share details about the 10th anniversary activities leading up to the tour on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds. More information, including a list of where to pick up a tour guide (coming in May) and details on volunteering and attending the tour for free, can be found at asapconnections.org or by calling 828-236-1282.
Revelry Unique Downtown Events and Carolina Music Planner are excited to announce that Gracie and Rachel will be joining us for a night of live music on Saturday, June 23. The historic theatre at the Asheville Masonic Temple is an artistic, intimate space, and will be the perfect setting for this special evening.
Special guests STACE & Tina and Her Pony will help us to welcome Gracie and Rachel to Asheville, NC. A night filled with stringed instruments, powerhouse female vocals, and thought provoking original music, this is an event you’ll not want to miss.
80 Broadway St. Asheville, NC 28801
6:30pm Doors/7:00pm Show
Ticket Information:
Advance: $18/balcony & $22/floor
Door: $20/balcony & $25/floor
(plus tax/applicable online fees)
Gracie and Rachel are a study in duality: light and dark, classical training with a pop sensibility, Californians in New York. On their debut full-length, Gracie and Rachel pit anxiety and tension against an almost serene self-assurance. The duo announced the album via NPR alongside the introspective video premiere for “Only A Child.” The self-titled record (out June 23, 2017) quickly won the hearts of NPR fans who voted them to #4 on NPR’s Your Favorite New Artist, with Bob Boilen describing as having “a terrific tension in the sound, an underpinning of mystery set against a baroque, but modern, pop foreground.” The duo has since recorded an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and was named to NPR 100 Best Songs of 2017, Bob Boilen’s Top 10 Albums of 2017 and Slingshot 2018, public radio’s artist incubator program for emerging artists.
Their music is a compelling juxtaposition of Gracie’s piano and lead vocals and Rachel’s violin and voice, augmented with stark percussion. The nine orchestral pop songs on Gracie and Rachel tell a story that’s rooted in the truth —their truth — but retain an enigmatic air that makes them relatable to anyone who has ever found their heart racing with doubt and pushed forward regardless or triumphed in subverting expectations imposed from without. Seen on stages with Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Joseph, Ani DiFranco, Tall Heights, and San Fermin, the live experience displays a passionate, tangible quality to their deeply rooted bond, an intimate connection that is vibrantly apparent on stage and equally imprinted on their record.
Links:
Website: http://www.gracieandrachel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracieandrachel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracieandrachel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gracieandrachel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GracieandRachelMusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4jKFMEVOa9uon9utRFsLLX
Tiny Desk Concert session: https://n.pr/2yX5k0z
NPR Slingshot 2018: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/570751142/slingshot2018 – gracie-and-rachel
On June 23 and 24, over 20 Appalachian Grown™ family farms will welcome visitors to their farms during ASAP’s highly anticipated Farm Tour. This fun and educational weekend offers the public a chance to experience firsthand how food is grown and raised in the mountains, sample farm-fresh products, and meet the community’s local producers.
Farm Tour passes are on sale now at asapconnections.org. Passes are $30 in advance; $40 the weekend of the tour. One pass admits an entire carload. The tour runs 12-5 pm Saturday and Sunday.
ASAP will share details about the 10th anniversary activities leading up to the tour on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds. More information, including a list of where to pick up a tour guide (coming in May) and details on volunteering and attending the tour for free, can be found at asapconnections.org or by calling 828-236-1282.
Our next luncheon will be Tuesday, June, 25, 2018, Noon-1:30pm
Our guest speaker will be Steve Wyatt, County Manager.
We will hear about current county projects and future plans for Henderson County. Mr. Wyatt has been our county manager since 2006.
You don’t want to miss it……bring a neighbor…guests welcome!
LOCATION: The Cedars, 227 7th Ave W., Hendersonville, NC 28791
$15.00 per person
Make your check Payable to “The Cedars” and mail to:
HCRWC, P.O. Box 2734, Hendersonville, NC 28793
Please RSVP by the Thursday prior to the luncheon.
Presented in collaboration with the Asheville Percussion Festival, 51’15.657″ for a Speaking Percussionist is Bonnie Whiting’s realization of a solo simultaneous performance of John Cage’s 45′ for a Speaker and 27’10.554″ for a Percussionist. These are vintage pieces: music from the mid-50’s and part of a series of timed works that Cage enjoyed mixing together and referred to in notes and letters as “the ten thousand things.” A culmination of 14 months of work and study, Whiting is the first performer to execute both pieces in their entirety.
$8 for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID / $12 non-members
Advance Tickets available here: https://bonniewhiting.brownpapertickets.com
The 9th Annual Walk a Mile Asheville:
The People’s March to End Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence
This event consists of participants walking a mile, in the shoes of another, through the streets of downtown Asheville. It is a symbolic gesture of responsibility and solidarity, as well as a great way to raise awareness about a very serious issue in a fun, family-friendly environment. Walk a Mile Asheville has been voted in the top three fundraising events by the ” Best of WNC” four years in a row and is the top fundraiser for Our VOICE, Buncombe County’s Sexual Assault Services agency.
Be sure to follow our Facebook page for updates! 
On the heels of a wildly successful start to 2018, comedian, actor, author Sebastian Maniscalco continues his blockbuster “Stay Hungry” international tour. This fall, he will be kicking off the second leg of the tour making its way across the US and Canada with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Calgary. Maniscalco recently wrapped the spring leg of his tour with five sold-out shows at New York’s iconic Radio City Music Hall. People Magazine’s “The comedian’s comedian” broke the historic venue’s record with his appearances ranking him the highest grossing comedy weekend in their 85+ year history. Fans around the world hungry to see the performance will get their chance as the set was filmed for an upcoming Netflix special to air later this year. Details will be announced soon.
The tour title is appropriate as not only is “Stay Hungry” the name of his new 2018 book for Simon & Schuster, making the national best-sellers list, but it is also his personal motto. Visit https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Hungry-Sebastian-Maniscalco/dp/1501115979.
2018 will also see Maniscalco expand his major motion picture portfolio to include roles in “TAG,” starring alongside Jon Hamm, Ed Helms and Jeremy Renner as well as “Green Book” with Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini and Viggo Mortensen. Already hungry for 2019, Maniscalco will join a star-studded cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and more in Martin Scorcese’s upcoming film “The Irishman.”
Sebastian has made a deal with Lionsgate to develop a multi-generational comedy he will executive produce, cowrite with Austen Earl (The Great Indoors) and star in. Inspired by his stage routines, which touch on his Italian American family the script will follow two families from different worlds celebrating their first summer holiday together.
Maniscalco was included on Forbes’ 2017 list of “The World’s Highest Paid Comedians” where they praised, “thanks to his enthusiasm and willingness to work, Maniscalco will likely continue to be on Forbes’ list for years to come.” Dubbed “one of the hottest comics” by Newsday and “one of the funniest comics working stand-up today” by Esquire, Sebastian’s live performance has become a critically-acclaimed event, with the Los Angeles Times raving, “onstage, there’s an impatience to Maniscalco’s delivery as well, a hair-trigger exasperation with people and modern life, punctuated with baffled expressions, percussive thumps on the microphone and wide-swung leg kicks more associated with an Olympic speed-skater than a stand-up comic.”
Instead of asking questions – a theme that has served as the foundation for his previous comedy specials and shows like Aren’t You Embarrassed? and Why Would You Do That? – Maniscalco’s new tour has the affable performer instead encouraging fans to follow in his footsteps and “stay hungry.”
Check out his larger than life animated comedy style that elevated him to the top of his game https://vimeo.com/levityentgroup/sebastianmaniscalco.
Tickets starting at: $45, see website for VIP
The English for Speakers of Other Langauges (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at the Literacy Council, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam.
Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of up to ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours once each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors.
The English for Speakers of Other Langauges (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at the Literacy Council, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam.
Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of up to ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours once each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors.
On Friday, July 20th, the Asheville Comedy Community comes together to raise funds for the family of the late local comedian Michael Roach. The benefit will feature Asheville’s best comedians with shows at 7:00PM and 9:30PM
The Asheville Comedy Community comes together for the benefit of the family of local comedian Michael Roach. Michael passed away suddenly in April, leaving his partner, Genevieve, who is expecting their only child this summer. Please join us as the Asheville comedy community comes together to support this great cause with an evening of hilarious stand-up from Asheville’s best comics.
Featuring performances from Cary Goff, Tom Peters, Hilliary Begley, Ben Atkins, Blaine Perry, Art Sturtevant, Kelly Morgan, Chesney Goodson, Moira Gorey & Special Guests!
For more information or to donate directly, please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/michael-amp-gen039s-back-the-baby-fund
$10 advance / $12 at the door
Tickets @ http://www.ashevillefunnybusiness.com/best-of-asheville-comedy-benefit-tickets/
Buying tickets in advance is highly-recommended. Parking is available at the Grey Eagle’s parking lot and on Clingman Ave. and Haywood Road. The Grey Eagle offers full bar service, and food is available inside the club at The Grey Eagle Taqueria. http://www.thegreyeagle.com/
About Funny Business at The Grey Eagle: Funny Business at the Grey Eagle brings live, nationally-recognized stand-up comedians to Asheville on a regular basis. The Grey Eagle offers full bar service, food and a selection of Asheville’s locally-made craft beers.
On Your Mark, Get Centered, Throw! Clay Camp Ages 6-10 with Sara Ballek
July 23-27
Monday- Friday, 2-5pm
Your dreams of becoming a Clay DJ will come true in this week full of wheel throwing! Not only will students learn how to use the potter’s wheel, but they will also create fun, funky objects for daily use! After the pots come off the wheel, lively decorating and sculpting will add the finishing touches to their masterpieces!
On Your Mark, Get Centered, Throw! Clay Camp Ages 6-10 with Sara Ballek
July 23-27
Monday- Friday, 2-5pm
Your dreams of becoming a Clay DJ will come true in this week full of wheel throwing! Not only will students learn how to use the potter’s wheel, but they will also create fun, funky objects for daily use! After the pots come off the wheel, lively decorating and sculpting will add the finishing touches to their masterpieces!
On Your Mark, Get Centered, Throw! Clay Camp Ages 6-10 with Sara Ballek
July 23-27
Monday- Friday, 2-5pm
Your dreams of becoming a Clay DJ will come true in this week full of wheel throwing! Not only will students learn how to use the potter’s wheel, but they will also create fun, funky objects for daily use! After the pots come off the wheel, lively decorating and sculpting will add the finishing touches to their masterpieces!
On Your Mark, Get Centered, Throw! Clay Camp Ages 6-10 with Sara Ballek
July 23-27
Monday- Friday, 2-5pm
Your dreams of becoming a Clay DJ will come true in this week full of wheel throwing! Not only will students learn how to use the potter’s wheel, but they will also create fun, funky objects for daily use! After the pots come off the wheel, lively decorating and sculpting will add the finishing touches to their masterpieces!