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.
Experience Asheville’s brightest holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Roast s’mores by the fire, listen to your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, cider or beer. Proceeds from the event will support the Arboretum’s educational programs, exhibit and facilities year-round.
Tickets range from $8-18 and must be purchased in advance online at www.ncwinterlights.com.
https://www.facebook.com/events/183329605927836/?event_time_id=183329632594500
This is a weekly event, and a guaranteed fantastic night of music, food, and good vibes!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1902009089834893/?event_time_id=1902009123168223
This is a weekly event, and a guaranteed fantastic night of music, food, and good vibes!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1902009089834893/
Our famous burger night featuring a delicious Foothills Local Meats double-cheeseburger, fries, and pint for $12 is getting a season long helping of football. Join us as we show every MNF game on the big screen at Big Top throughout the season.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1879912872105533/
Reclaimed Creations is a unique sculpture exhibit created by renowned artist Sayaka Ganz. Utilizing reclaimed plastic objects, such as discarded utensils, Ganz creates amazing sculptures that visually appear unified at a distance, but are in fact separated when examined up close. Described as using a “3D impressionistic” style, Ganz’s exhibit includes installations of animals in motion, which are in rich in color and energy, to create an illusion of form.
About the Artist
Born in Yokohama, Japan, Sayaka Ganz grew up living in Japan, Brazil and Hong Kong. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. A lecturer and teacher, Ganz’s work has been displayed at various institutions around the globe, including the Hermann Geiger Foundation in Cecina, Italy, the Isle Gallery in Isle of Man, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
My work is about perceiving harmony, even in situations that appear chaotic from the inside. When observing my sculptures up close, one might see gaps, holes and items being held on only by small points; step away, however, and the sculptures reveal the harmony created when the objects are aligned to the same general (but not identical) direction. Similarly, it is important to gain perspective by stepping back from current problems and look at the larger picture. Then one can perceive the beauty and patterns that exist.”
Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration*
Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Sunday, January 6, 2019 (daily)
*Included with estate admission.
*Does not include “Candlelight Christmas Evenings”
Experience the holidays wreathed with the wonder of Biltmore. Our celebration presents Christmas on a grand scale with more than 55 trees decorated by our talented staff, accented with miles of ribbon, garlands, and lights. Festive menus in our restaurants and holiday wine tastings make for a memorable visit.
Learn more about #ChristmasAtBiltmore or plan your visit: biltmore.com/Christmas
https://www.facebook.com/events/104655743803303/?event_time_id=104655840469960
When reflecting on the current state of the environment, it seems that we have entered into times of seismic sorrows. Carbon emissions, water pollution, fracking, and changing climate patterns all point to a troubling reality with serious consequences for human and non-human populations. Through weavings, installations, sculpture, and print, artists Rena Detrixhe and Tali Weinberg (Tulsa, OK) explore the complex relationship between humans and the planet, offering insights, expressing grief, and creating space for resilience and change.
In Time of Seismic Sorrows is curated by Marilyn Zapf and organized by the Center for Craft. The Center for Craft is supported in part by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The South has always been home to a blend of cultures — from Native Americans here by 14,000 years ago to Europeans 500 years ago, followed by Africans forced to migrate. By 1500, cultures in the South included Creek, Cherokee, Catawba, Choctaw, Chitimacha, and Coushatta, from Europe English, Scottish, Irish, and German, and Africans from Senegal to Congo. Baskets were integral in daily life, as agricultural equipment for gathering, sifting, storing, and serving the finished product or as receptacles for tools, clothes, sacred objects, and even infants.
Initially each culture had its own preferred basket material and method of manufacture — twilled rivercane for Native Americans, plaited oak for Europeans, and coiled grasses for Africans. Interaction between groups spurred adaptations to changing circumstances, such as the use of white oak by the Cherokee in the 1800s, as rivercane stands were decimated by European settlements. Native Americans also adopted the European picnic, flower, egg, and market baskets to sell in the 20th-century art market. Native and European Americans wove honeysuckle into baskets after 1854, when introduced from Japan. By the 17th century African Americans discovered bulrush along the coasts, coiling it into large, round “fanners” to winnow rice. Later bulrush was one medium among sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto, giving rise to the name “sweetgrass baskets” along the coast.
Baskets were woven not only for use in the fields and homes or for sale in art galleries but also as a connection to ancestors and spirits, as designs were said to come from inside one’s head, from memories of one’s mother’s motifs, or from the Creator. Indeed, working with one’s hands in nature to gather materials and to form them into a basket was considered spiritually and physically healthy, becoming a part of the practice of occupational therapy around World War I.
Today, basketweavers in the South from all three traditions are teaching the next generation to continue this art. Artists from across the region work with old and new materials in old and new forms, innovating for their legacy, for art’s sake, and for political causes, as embodied in the varied vessels in this gallery and epitomized in the virtuosic miniature examples in the case at right.
A collaboration of music from all AMC facilitators and former guests
Asheville Movement Collective is hosting a Holiday dance to benefit Our VOICE, an Asheville community nonprofit organization serving all individuals in Buncombe County affected by sexual assault and abuse, through counseling, advocacy and education.
All proceeds will benefit Our VOICE along with supplies collected. (See list bellow)
10:30 warmup 11:00 am circle
Price: $10-20+ Sliding Scale – Proceeds go to Our VOICE, feel free to pay up the sliding scale
Children are welcome. Childcare *NOT* provided for this event.
Dancers are invited to bring supplies for survivor kits that Our VOICE provides to people served by their programs. Their greatest need is for supplies listed in the Human Trafficking Backpack.
If you represent a supplier and are willing to donate supplies in bulk, please contact us!
The list of supplies you could donate follows:
Backpack Necessities
Must include:
● Blanket
● Condoms
● Toothpaste and Toothbrush
● Tampons and pads
● Water bottle
● Gift Card
● Soap
● Shampoo
● Conditioner
● Snacks
● Our contact information
OK to Include:
● Wash cloth
● Water bottle
● Underwear/clothes
● Roll of quarters
● Flash light
● Emergency phone
● Notebook and pens
● Approved books/reading material
● Wipes
● Lotion
● Hand sanitizer
NEVER Include:
● Razors/blades
● Personal notes
● Religious scriptures
● Other people’s contact or business cards
HIGH PRIORITY DONATION NEEDS:
● Flip phones
● Shampoo and conditioner for a diverse group of hair types
● Gift Cards
● Quarters
● Backpacks
Thank you!
AMC offers a shared experience and a shared place for spontaneous, free-form movement. What each of us brings to this shared place affects everyone, and we create this experience together with:
-Awareness of others and ourselves
-Permission from others and ourselves
-Participation through movement and presence
We practice moving in healthy community by:
-Arriving without strong scents (including perfumes, oils, and body scents)
-Dancing in bare feet, socks, or supportive footwear
-Maintaining a nonverbal dance space
-Encouraging a substance-free space
Children are welcome. Childcare provided for this event.
www.ashevillemovementcollective.org
AMC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization
https://www.facebook.com/events/1817669461679112/
As Virginia Woolf said, “one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Food and water are essential for survival, but mankind’s relationship to food has transformed over time from one of sustenance to one laden with personal and cultural significance.
A Matter of Taste explores depictions of food and drink in art and reveals how images of fruits and vegetables can function as complex metaphors for excess, status, memory, and politics. Drawn from southern museums and private collections, this exhibition showcases over 35 paintings, decorative arts, and works on paper by artists such as Andy Warhol, Wayne Thiebaud, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Claes Oldenburg.
This show spans 400 years and multiple continents, revealing the evolving role of food and drink in various media and cultural contexts. While depictions of fruit and vegetables appeared in ancient times, still life painting as an independent genre dates to 16th-century Holland.
In 19th-century America, still life paintings remained popular but evolved in terms of subject matter, media, and message. Painters such as Thomas Wightman, George Forster, and De Scott Evans embraced Dutch still lifes and used food as commentary on the current political climate and the transient state of the human condition.
Illustrated newspapers led to an increase of cartoons by artists such as Winslow Homer and William Hogarth, who utilized food and drink as social satire. The 20th-century modern art movement further changed the perception of food. The culture of mass production enabled Pop artists to elevate seemingly mundane foodstuffs to high art. Yet, other contemporary artists explored the symbolic and nostalgic role of food seen in works by Tim Tate, Linda Armstrong, and Laquita Thomson.
Visitors will also experience an elaborately set dining table fit for a sumptuous feast. Dining became its own art form over time and communicated one’s social standing and wealth. Each of the table’s six place settings represent a different culture and offer a glimpse into global dining customs. Selective drinkware will accompany this section revealing how tea sets and even punch bowls reflected an owner’s prestige.
The mission of the Bounty of Bethlehem is and has always been to provide a meal for anyone and everyone that comes through the doors by giving folks a place to gather for fellowship, togetherness and a warm meal, no matter who you are, how you worship, or from where you come. Join us as a single or as a family, and make lifelong friendships. We all share so much through the family style dinners and the shared seating. No one should be alone on Christmas Day. You are welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2243281702568931/
How about the stomach-friendly meal the day after Christmas dinner?
Dec 25th, Christmas night. We recommend buffet style meal.
You can eat little by little in a balanced state
It is also good to challenge dishes you have never ate before.
☆over 19yrs old $9.00
☆13yrs old to 18yrs old $7.00
☆Under 12yrs old $4.00
☆Under 4yrs old FREE
♥Plus tax
♥Except Beverages
Open at 4pm to 8pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/2208076902557544/
Open 5:00 – 10:00 p.m. Advance Tickets Required. Enjoy the wonder of the park dazzlingly lit for the holidays, with a nighttime train and more.
Candlelight Christmas Evenings*
Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Saturday, January 5, 2019 (Select Dates)
*Check website for availability/dates
*By reservation only.
*Pricing varies by date.
Candlelight, firelight, and live music bring holiday warmth to the extravagant holiday décor of Biltmore House, creating an evening to remember. Evening guests can also take advantage of Antler Hill Village & Winery to enjoy free wine tastings. Advance reservations are required for evening visits.
Learn more about #ChristmasAtBiltmore or plan your visit: biltmore.com/Christmas
https://www.facebook.com/events/1524627331014393/?event_time_id=1524627461014380
We will be opening late on Christmas Eve & Day (6pm) but we’re here for you <3 Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to everyone!
Bring your shitty xmas gift and trade it in for a new one!
https://www.facebook.com/events/413085225894758/
Experience Asheville’s brightest holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Roast s’mores by the fire, listen to your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, cider or beer. Proceeds from the event will support the Arboretum’s educational programs, exhibit and facilities year-round.
Tickets range from $8-18 and must be purchased in advance online at www.ncwinterlights.com.
https://www.facebook.com/events/183329605927836/?event_time_id=183329639261166
Where? Foothills Wellness Center, Inc. – Fitness Center
When? Tuesday & Thursday 6pm
Who? Mark Sawyer
Cost? $10.00/class, discounts available for advanced purchase of punch card with multiple classes
More information? 828-859-5004 or [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/events/338945186681233/?event_time_id=338945276681224
Ben’s Tune-Up is proud to present an up close and personal music series led by Leeda Lyric Jones featuring women who Rock the Asheville music scene.
Every tuesday night these talented women will be performing in Ben’s new indoor cozy music nook.This November and December we are featuring artists Eleanor Underhill and Peggy Ratusz rotating weekly with Leeda Lyric Jones.
Music Schedule Every Tuesday 7-9
Leeda Lyric Jones Solo show: 11/13, 11/27, 12/11 & 12/25
Eleanor Underhill Solo show: 11/6 & 12/4
Peggy Ratusz Trio: 11/20 & 12/18
Lyric is a Western North Carolina favorite and holds several Mountain Xpress “best of” awards including, best funk band,best vocalist, best lyricist, best r&b/soul, best singer-songwriter. Since taking to the streets, Lyric has shared the stage with legends such as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight, Booker T. Jones, Little Big Town, Dionne Warwick, Cedric Burnside, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Fred Wesley & the Lee Boys, Count M’Butu and Warren Haynes.
Peggy Ratusz has been pulling from the cream of the Asheville music crop since moving here in 2002. This “ruby throated” chanteuse has been a finalist in the International Blues Challenge in 2008, 2010 and 2016. A winner in three categories in the 2016 WNC’s “Best of” reader’s poll (Best Vocalist, Best in Blues and Artist Who Gives Back), she’s opened for Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Geoff Atchison, the Beach Boys and the recently departed Denise LaSall
Eleanor plays a variety of instruments including piano, trombone, guitar and banjo ukulele, but her discovery of the banjo has defined her sound and image. At 14, she composed her first song and has since written a large catalogue of music that has supported the creation of four albums: Gathering by the Barrel House Mamas, along with Underhill Rose’s self-titled debut, Something Real, an Americana Music Association Top 20 release, and The Great Tomorrow, which was named the #1 Progressive Bluegrass Album by the Roots Music Review. Her unique musical style and prolific writing ability has generated significant attention outside of her bands, as she has won top honors at Asheville’s Songwriting Idol Contest and played on the Grammy Award Winning Song “Mind Over Matter” by Kid-Hop artist, Agent 23 Skidoo..
https://www.facebook.com/events/1878318225599250/
Join us on Tuesdays for Open Mic Night in the taproom! 7:30PM signup, 8PM start. Poetry, comedy, and music welcome.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2525393477475362/
As is traditional, The Krektones will play rock n roll mush ups of holiday songs for Christmas day night! The only festive thing that’s cool other than hognog is these three kings.
It’s a really nice time every year
PLUS! Get your photo taken with the real Santa Claus. I know you’re all bad boys but can still ask him for that tickle me Elmo you been eyeing
https://www.facebook.com/events/279275752726806/
All Aboard THE POLAR EXPRESS! This memorable journey will take you on an incredible journey! Believe the magic this Holiday season!
Over 88,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2017 and we hope to see you in 2018! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.
THE POLAR EXPRESS begins November 9, 2018, and operates through December 31, 2018.
Reclaimed Creations is a unique sculpture exhibit created by renowned artist Sayaka Ganz. Utilizing reclaimed plastic objects, such as discarded utensils, Ganz creates amazing sculptures that visually appear unified at a distance, but are in fact separated when examined up close. Described as using a “3D impressionistic” style, Ganz’s exhibit includes installations of animals in motion, which are in rich in color and energy, to create an illusion of form.
About the Artist
Born in Yokohama, Japan, Sayaka Ganz grew up living in Japan, Brazil and Hong Kong. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. A lecturer and teacher, Ganz’s work has been displayed at various institutions around the globe, including the Hermann Geiger Foundation in Cecina, Italy, the Isle Gallery in Isle of Man, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
My work is about perceiving harmony, even in situations that appear chaotic from the inside. When observing my sculptures up close, one might see gaps, holes and items being held on only by small points; step away, however, and the sculptures reveal the harmony created when the objects are aligned to the same general (but not identical) direction. Similarly, it is important to gain perspective by stepping back from current problems and look at the larger picture. Then one can perceive the beauty and patterns that exist.”
Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration*
Saturday, November 3, 2018 – Sunday, January 6, 2019 (daily)
*Included with estate admission.
*Does not include “Candlelight Christmas Evenings”
Experience the holidays wreathed with the wonder of Biltmore. Our celebration presents Christmas on a grand scale with more than 55 trees decorated by our talented staff, accented with miles of ribbon, garlands, and lights. Festive menus in our restaurants and holiday wine tastings make for a memorable visit.
Learn more about #ChristmasAtBiltmore or plan your visit: biltmore.com/Christmas
https://www.facebook.com/events/104655743803303/?event_time_id=104655860469958
Join us for an after holiday, community sweat session with Eliza Sydney!
Free to sign up, it will be our only class that day so grab your spot before they’re all gone!
Enjoy!!
https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=99925&stype=-101&sTG=31&sVT=32&sView=day&sLoc=0&sTrn=20&date=12/26/18
https://www.facebook.com/events/588551064932175/
When reflecting on the current state of the environment, it seems that we have entered into times of seismic sorrows. Carbon emissions, water pollution, fracking, and changing climate patterns all point to a troubling reality with serious consequences for human and non-human populations. Through weavings, installations, sculpture, and print, artists Rena Detrixhe and Tali Weinberg (Tulsa, OK) explore the complex relationship between humans and the planet, offering insights, expressing grief, and creating space for resilience and change.
In Time of Seismic Sorrows is curated by Marilyn Zapf and organized by the Center for Craft. The Center for Craft is supported in part by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The South has always been home to a blend of cultures — from Native Americans here by 14,000 years ago to Europeans 500 years ago, followed by Africans forced to migrate. By 1500, cultures in the South included Creek, Cherokee, Catawba, Choctaw, Chitimacha, and Coushatta, from Europe English, Scottish, Irish, and German, and Africans from Senegal to Congo. Baskets were integral in daily life, as agricultural equipment for gathering, sifting, storing, and serving the finished product or as receptacles for tools, clothes, sacred objects, and even infants.
Initially each culture had its own preferred basket material and method of manufacture — twilled rivercane for Native Americans, plaited oak for Europeans, and coiled grasses for Africans. Interaction between groups spurred adaptations to changing circumstances, such as the use of white oak by the Cherokee in the 1800s, as rivercane stands were decimated by European settlements. Native Americans also adopted the European picnic, flower, egg, and market baskets to sell in the 20th-century art market. Native and European Americans wove honeysuckle into baskets after 1854, when introduced from Japan. By the 17th century African Americans discovered bulrush along the coasts, coiling it into large, round “fanners” to winnow rice. Later bulrush was one medium among sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto, giving rise to the name “sweetgrass baskets” along the coast.
Baskets were woven not only for use in the fields and homes or for sale in art galleries but also as a connection to ancestors and spirits, as designs were said to come from inside one’s head, from memories of one’s mother’s motifs, or from the Creator. Indeed, working with one’s hands in nature to gather materials and to form them into a basket was considered spiritually and physically healthy, becoming a part of the practice of occupational therapy around World War I.
Today, basketweavers in the South from all three traditions are teaching the next generation to continue this art. Artists from across the region work with old and new materials in old and new forms, innovating for their legacy, for art’s sake, and for political causes, as embodied in the varied vessels in this gallery and epitomized in the virtuosic miniature examples in the case at right.
Enjoy a visit to Christmas pasts from the 1840s to the 1890s. Each room contains antique and reproduction decorations and traditions. Four live trees, one of which will be decorated with traditional Appalachian decorations, hand made by our SMH over History club.
Admission at the door $9 adults, $5 children/students, free for WNC Historical Association members and A-B Tech students.
Group tours may be requested at 828-253-9231
Special 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt for children.
https://www.facebook.com/events/316661532481360/?event_time_id=316661569148023
During the month of December, local artist Scott Mills will be featured in the FW Gallery at Woolworth Walk.
Scott Mills was born in Detroit, MI in 1977. He works predominately in the mediums of oil and acrylic paints. Scott is completely self-taught in his artistic career and credits his study of music as a young child for opening his imagination and leading to his love for the visual arts. His work is derived from a deep love of nature and a desire to turn the feelings of awe, mystery, gratitude and love into visual depictions that can inspire the same feelings in the viewer. Scott has his artwork included in private collections across North America and Europe. He regularly takes part in group exhibitions and solo shows across the United States. He resides in the mountains of Asheville, NC with his wife and two children.
Come meet Scott and enjoy the opening reception on First Friday, December 7th from 5-7 pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/333772250534934/?event_time_id=333772350534924
As Virginia Woolf said, “one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Food and water are essential for survival, but mankind’s relationship to food has transformed over time from one of sustenance to one laden with personal and cultural significance.
A Matter of Taste explores depictions of food and drink in art and reveals how images of fruits and vegetables can function as complex metaphors for excess, status, memory, and politics. Drawn from southern museums and private collections, this exhibition showcases over 35 paintings, decorative arts, and works on paper by artists such as Andy Warhol, Wayne Thiebaud, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Claes Oldenburg.
This show spans 400 years and multiple continents, revealing the evolving role of food and drink in various media and cultural contexts. While depictions of fruit and vegetables appeared in ancient times, still life painting as an independent genre dates to 16th-century Holland.
In 19th-century America, still life paintings remained popular but evolved in terms of subject matter, media, and message. Painters such as Thomas Wightman, George Forster, and De Scott Evans embraced Dutch still lifes and used food as commentary on the current political climate and the transient state of the human condition.
Illustrated newspapers led to an increase of cartoons by artists such as Winslow Homer and William Hogarth, who utilized food and drink as social satire. The 20th-century modern art movement further changed the perception of food. The culture of mass production enabled Pop artists to elevate seemingly mundane foodstuffs to high art. Yet, other contemporary artists explored the symbolic and nostalgic role of food seen in works by Tim Tate, Linda Armstrong, and Laquita Thomson.
Visitors will also experience an elaborately set dining table fit for a sumptuous feast. Dining became its own art form over time and communicated one’s social standing and wealth. Each of the table’s six place settings represent a different culture and offer a glimpse into global dining customs. Selective drinkware will accompany this section revealing how tea sets and even punch bowls reflected an owner’s prestige.
I’m subbing for Cathy Keith this holiday week- join me for some Noontime Nia!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1970580943032668/