Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
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.


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).
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.


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.
I’ve done part of this hike and it’s nice but I haven’t done the Pump Gap section. So I don’t know what this part of the trail is like other than it will be downhill and probably rocky. It should be about 3.5 miles one way but could be more.
This is a car shuttle hike meaning we leave cars at each end of the trail head. The hike is located in the Hot Springs so we could possibly have a meal after (but would be based upon COVID restrictions).
Let’s meet at the Ingles in Weaverville (the one across the street from Publix) at 9:45 with a departure at 10 a.m. Park near the gas station, road side. I have a white Hyundai. Suggested car pool donation is $5 each. If you carpool please wear a mask in the car and bring hand sanitizer.
We will drive out to the trailhead in Hot Springs, leave a car and then drive back up to the other trailhead. This part will involve carpooling so please make sure you are ok with that.
Once hiking, we immediately start uphill and this is one of the hardest parts of the hike but it’s short. We will travel along the AT with a gentle uphill most of the way, but it is scenic.
Eventually we will come to the intersection with the Pump Gap trail and take it back down to the trail head. Who knows what the trail holds? It’s about 1 mile down this section.
Please wear proper hiking shoes, hiking poles are recommended. We won’t be stopping for lunch so bring a snack if you want. Don’t forget the water.
I don’t put attendee limits on my hikes so you don’t have to worry about having a spot. Therefore, you can sign up a day before the hike.

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).
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
November 6, 2020 – January 10, 2021
A daytime visit to Biltmore is a feast for the senses, featuring wreaths, garlands, and the sparkle of thousands of ornaments, from Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village!
Check with us for hours of operation.


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.
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.

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.

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.

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.

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.
ONLINE CELEBRATION: JANUARY 15 – 22, 2021
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville + Buncombe County, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) entity, is currently planning for our annual MLK, Jr. Celebration events. The format for the 2021 Celebration will be different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we commemorate forty (40) years of service and celebrations, we will move most of our programming to online platforms utilizing YouTube and Zoom. The 2021 programming will be expanded to a week-long list of events, and the speaker for the Prayer Breakfast will be Dr. Oralene Simmons, President, MLK Association. She will be sharing some of the forty-year struggles of not only the Association, but the 400 years of struggles of the Black race in the United States.
How to Watch: Programming Will be available starting 1/15/21 on YouTube. Subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive a notification each time a video is published for MLK Week!
“SAY THEIR NAMES”

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.
ONLINE CELEBRATION: JANUARY 15 – 22, 2021
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville + Buncombe County, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) entity, is currently planning for our annual MLK, Jr. Celebration events. The format for the 2021 Celebration will be different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we commemorate forty (40) years of service and celebrations, we will move most of our programming to online platforms utilizing YouTube and Zoom. The 2021 programming will be expanded to a week-long list of events, and the speaker for the Prayer Breakfast will be Dr. Oralene Simmons, President, MLK Association. She will be sharing some of the forty-year struggles of not only the Association, but the 400 years of struggles of the Black race in the United States.
How to Watch: Programming Will be available starting 1/15/21 on YouTube. Subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive a notification each time a video is published for MLK Week!
“SAY THEIR NAMES”

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.
ONLINE CELEBRATION: JANUARY 15 – 22, 2021
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville + Buncombe County, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) entity, is currently planning for our annual MLK, Jr. Celebration events. The format for the 2021 Celebration will be different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we commemorate forty (40) years of service and celebrations, we will move most of our programming to online platforms utilizing YouTube and Zoom. The 2021 programming will be expanded to a week-long list of events, and the speaker for the Prayer Breakfast will be Dr. Oralene Simmons, President, MLK Association. She will be sharing some of the forty-year struggles of not only the Association, but the 400 years of struggles of the Black race in the United States.
How to Watch: Programming Will be available starting 1/15/21 on YouTube. Subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive a notification each time a video is published for MLK Week!
“SAY THEIR NAMES”

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.
MLK Day Concert Bundle
Enjoy both the afternoon and evening concerts along with an intimate conversation with Sweet Honey, which will take place at 7:15 PM ET and is only available to bundle ticket holders. During this moderated dialogue, the artists will gather onstage and respond to your questions. Members of the group will share reflections from nearly five decades of activism and performance. Bundle ticket holders will also have extended access to re-watch the concerts for 1-week after the live broadcast.
Sweet Honey In The Rock
MLK Day Celebration Reclaiming the Beloved Community
MLK Day Afternoon Concert
Join Washington, D.C.-based, African-American a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey in the Rock®, as they mark this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a celebration of hope, resilience, and new beginnings. The ensemble will once again take the stage at the historic Lincoln Theatre, where they will look out to an audience of thousands from around the world who have joined via Zoom so that they can be seen by the artists. The concert will feature an exciting lineup of special guests including Kiki Shepard, Keith David, Mumu Fresh, Azar Lawrence, and Wycliffe Gordon who reflect the life of Reverend King and offer words of inspiration for the future.
Since 1973, Sweet Honey has empowered and inspired with songs about a range of social issues, blending potent themes with gorgeous artistry to stir the mind and the soul. Throughout their sterling career, the ensemble has raised their voices to defend civil rights, social justice, equality, and freedom for all.
The three-time Grammy® Award-nominated and internationally renowned group currently consists of members Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Rochelle Rice, Christie Dashiell, and features Romeir Mendez on upright acoustic bass and electric bass. This performance will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, Barbara Hunt.
Sweet Honey In The Rock
MLK Day Celebration Reclaiming the Beloved Community
ONLINE CELEBRATION: JANUARY 15 – 22, 2021
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville + Buncombe County, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) entity, is currently planning for our annual MLK, Jr. Celebration events. The format for the 2021 Celebration will be different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As we commemorate forty (40) years of service and celebrations, we will move most of our programming to online platforms utilizing YouTube and Zoom. The 2021 programming will be expanded to a week-long list of events, and the speaker for the Prayer Breakfast will be Dr. Oralene Simmons, President, MLK Association. She will be sharing some of the forty-year struggles of not only the Association, but the 400 years of struggles of the Black race in the United States.
How to Watch: Programming Will be available starting 1/15/21 on YouTube. Subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive a notification each time a video is published for MLK Week!
“SAY THEIR NAMES”


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.

JOIN US for an engaging program with dynamic performances, presentations by local Community organizations, reflections from community representatives and an inspirational keynote address by Dr. Brenda Thames, Prisma Health Chief Academic Executive Officer and Provost.
This year’s theme “Where do I go from here?” is based on Dr. King’s last book: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE: CHAOS OR COMMUNITY?
Today we find ourselves still grappling with the same question.
Our goal is to mobilize our viewers to personally contribute to moving America towards unity. The theme is a self-reflective question that pushes us to consider how we, as individuals, can make our society better now and for coming generations. Through our program we want to help bring clarity to the uncertainty surrounding our future by promoting specific tools for empowerment, inspiration and guidance.
The YouTube Link to join the program will be provided in your Registration Confirmation E-mail.





