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.

Sunday, August 16, 2020
Vessels of Hope Fundraiser Chapter Two
Aug 16 all-day
Online

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.

The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.

Virtual Tour Asheville Art Museum
Aug 16 all-day
Online
Take a 3D Museum Tour: Even while we’re closed, we want to share the Museum and exhibitions with you and your family at home! Take a virtual walk through the galleries and explore each artwork. Within the 3D tour, click the smARTguide links on the yellow dots to hear audio information about selected works of art. Scroll down on the Museum From Home page to find tours of each level, and click here to learn more about the Museum’s exhibitions.
Animal Habitats VIP Tours
Aug 16 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Grandfather Mountain

See where the cougars and otters sleep overnight, meet black bears that are not commonly on display, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to care for the animals year-round, observe a training session and find out why the animals call Grandfather Mountain home.

Offered on weekends, April – October.

Bluegrass Brunch
Aug 16 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Bluegrass Brunch
hosted by Aaron Woody Wood & The Sufi Brothers

Pickin’ on the Porch w/ Chicken Coop Willaye 1030AM
Bald Mountain Boys 11AM – 12:30PM
Sufi Brothers 12:45PM – 3PM

Be sure to check out our Bloody Mary Bar, the BEST selection of pickled products and other additions in Asheville. The MOJO Kitchen will be serving a special Brunch menu until 3PM as well.

Food & music start at 10:30am
ADULT beverages at Noon.

Jeter Mountain Farm U-Pick Apple, Hard Cider Taproom + Grand Opening
Aug 16 @ 10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Jeter Mountain Farm

Jeter Mountain Farm is excited to invite the community to their Grand Opening weekend
August 15 & 16. Marking the official start to their U-pick apple season, guests will
quickly find there is more to enjoy during a visit than what one might expect.
Breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains are the backdrop to a variety of
activities that every age can enjoy. In addition to over 23 varieties of apples throughout
the harvest season, a visit to Jeter Mountain Farm offers fresh apple cider donuts, a
children’s play area, fresh slushies and apple cider pressed on-site, a farm market,
wagon rides, and now a brand new hard cider taproom.
The farm is pleased to be partnering with Flat Rock Cider Co. to bring a new hard cider
taproom to Western North Carolina. The taproom will feature six ciders on tap – all
made from local apples – and includes a special Jeter Mountain Farm original blend
made only from Jeter Mountain Farm apples, and available only at the taproom. Guests
will receive a free souvenir pint glass if they participate in a tasting, or they can take a
4-pack home for later.

Burlesque Brunch
Aug 16 @ 12:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Burlesque Brunch

Join us on the third Sunday of every month for Burlesque Brunch!
  • 18 +
  • SEATED SHOW
  • 11 AM DOORS/ 12 PM 

Burlesque Brunch is a monthly burlesque and belly dance show with a classic speakeasy feel. Join us every month and relax and enjoy our dancing dames and dandies in an up close and intimate setting. It’s a Sunday afternoon to delight the senses!

Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Aug 16 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m. (weather permitting), Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Garden Promenade.

The Salvage Station is Now Open!
Aug 16 @ 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Salvage Station

We are open with new rules and safety measures!

Founded in 2016, Salvage Station is Asheville, NC’s favorite riverfront bar, restaurant, concert hall, and special events venue located in the historic River Arts District along the French Broad River. From music shows and festivals, to community and private events, Salvage Station is an excellent place to hang out and have a truly great Asheville experience.

Less than one half mile from downtown, you can find the most spacious and safe place to social distance outside while enjoying refreshing adult beverages and delicious Creole and Southern soul food from Root Down Kitchen.

In an effort to keep our beloved patrons safe (and our doors open), our staff will have their temperatures checked before each shift, they will wear face masks at all times while at work, and will sanitize their hands and work areas often. You can also feel safe knowing that all employees have completed their Count On Me certification.

We also have new rules in place that we require our patrons to adhere to.

*Face masks required at all times unless seated at your table.

*Parties of 6 or fewer only.

*Ages 21+ only (this is temporary and we hope to allow all ages in again very soon).

*Social Distance! Stay 6 feet apart while standing in line and use our hand sanitizing stations often.

*Do not move any furniture under any circumstances. We have strategically placed our tables in a way that we can safely social distance our guests.

Let’s have fun and stay safe!

Highland Brewing Company‎ Reggae Sundays in the Meadow with Chalwa
Aug 16 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Highland Brewing Company‎

No photo description available.

Join us for Reggae Sundays every week in the Meadow for a cold beer and the sounds of the island with our friends from Chalwa.

Reggae Sundays are dependent on weather and will only occur outdoors in the Meadow.

Jam on, friends!

Join New Yorkers that live in Asheville: Reggae at Highland Brewery
Aug 16 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Highland Brewery

Listen to reggae at the Highland Brewery. They have a lawn that we could sit on at 6 feet apart. Its o the right side of the brewery. Buy beer, listen to music and meet great New Yorker (tri-state)! Please bring a folding chair.

Shakedown Sundays
Aug 16 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Every Sunday Except First of Month.

Music by the Lake: Featuring Pretty Little Goats
Aug 16 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Blue Ridge Community College

Music by the Lake is a free, monthly summer music concert series hosted by the lake at Blue Ridge Community College that is open to all people. This month’s performance features Pretty Little Goats, who plays Grassroots Old Time Music. In case of inclement weather, the performance will be moved indoors to the Technology Education Development Center

Lawn Concert w/ The Richard Shulman Trio (jazz)
Aug 16 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Isis Music Hall & Kitchen 743

 

Lawn Concert with Dinner on the patio and on the lawn – reservations highly recommended. Call the venue at 828-575-2737 for tickets and reservations

Compelling and delightful original jazz from The Richard Shulman Trio with Zack Page – bass, Rick Dilling – drums and Shulman – piano. Featuring CDs “Waltzing out of Town” & upcoming “Seasons” CD.

Pianist/composer Richard Shulman studied jazz with Chuck Mangione at Rochester NY’s Eastman School of music and was fortunate to attend biweekly master classes there with Marian McPartland when she would come to town for six week stints. “There was a moment in our improv class when Chuck pulled out his horn, and standing right next to the piano, demonstrated directly the focussed concentration necessary to master the music. This and other lessons in groove and honoring musical style has stood me in good stead throughout my musical career.” “Marian helped us learn to play standards such as ‘All the Things you Are.’ I still have a copy of her arrangement of ‘Here’s That Rainy Day.’”

Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at the Isis patio and lawn. Reservations are highly recommended.

Here’s the scoop on our Lawn Concert!!

Things are going to be a little different due to the “new norm” / COVID19 regulations. So we ask that y’all just bear with us!!

Unlike our previous lawn shows there will not be open free lawn seating (ie blankets, bring your own chairs, etc) – We have to follow strict distancing rules right now – When things get back to normal, we promise we’ll also get back to our usual lawn series vibe.

There will be tables throughout the patio and lawn – these tables will be specifically spaced to meet distancing regulations.

These tables will be the ONLY seating.

The tables are available for DINING only – unfortunately with the limited seating we can not offer tables to those that are only enjoying a beverage.

Seating is limited so we recommend calling and making dinner
We will be adding a musicians’ fee per person in order to help support the musicians and sound engineer..

Our same delicious food will be back on the menu in a more limited selection until we can get things up and running steadily again.

We hope that you understand and support these changes as we all are working through how to navigate these times!! We’re so excited to back open for live music and to see some familiar faces!!

Monday, August 17, 2020
Arts Business Buncombe County, please fill out Survey
Aug 17 all-day
Online
Arts organizations were among the first to have to close their doors, and many have suffered substantial losses. Americans for the Arts Impact Dashboard shows over $5.2 million in lost revenue so far from the 89 arts organizations in Buncombe County that have responded. For perspective, there are (were) almost 500 arts organizations and close to 10,000 creative jobs in Buncombe County before the pandemic.

If you are an arts business in Buncombe County, please take a few minutes to fill out this survey! This data is vital to our advocacy efforts on behalf of the Buncombe County arts sector. Help us, help you!

Asheville Art Museum Family Program Survey
Aug 17 all-day
Online

 

 

 

 

Calling all families! If you visit the Museum with children and/or participate in the Museum’s family programs (or might in the future!), we want to hear from you. As we transition family programs to virtual or small-group in-person formats, we need your feedback to create a model that will work for you this fall. We’re giving away a FREE guest pass to one of the first 50 people to fill out the survey.

Asheville Art Museum Now Offering Curbside Pickup
Aug 17 all-day
Asheville Art Museum

We’re excited to now offer curbside pickup on Monday and Saturday afternoons and Thursday mornings for your purchases from the Museum Store! Browse the selection of apparel, books, handcrafted jewelry and art, inspiring toys, and more online. Simply select “pickup” at checkout, and we’ll contact you to find a time that fits your schedule.

Grove Arcade Makers Market Accepting Vendor Applications
Aug 17 all-day
Online

The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.

It’s Time to Clean Up the French Broad River
Aug 17 all-day
Online

Call on Asheville City Council to do its part to clean up the French Broad River, starting with the establishment of a Stormwater Task Force to address the City’s water pollution problems. Not only does the City have a legal obligation to protect water quality, Council’s commitment to racial equity demands action to protect residents of the Southside neighborhood from the highest pollution levels in the city.

Our river is a public resource, and tens of thousands of people recreate on the French Broad every year. However, none of the testing sites within the City of Asheville pass the EPA’s safe limit on average, and the worst site that we test is Nasty Branch, which drains over half of downtown Asheville and flows through the historically African American Southside neighborhood, before discharging into the French Broad River in the River Arts District.

High levels of E. coli also indicate the presence of other, more harmful microbes, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and norovirus. Heavy rains and storms often result in spikes in E. coli contamination, increasing the risk to human health. Contact with or consumption of contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness and skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. The most commonly reported symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and low-grade fever.

Asheville City Council has a moral and legal responsibility under the Clean Water Act to protect our river and water quality for all city residents. Henderson County has already established a Stormwater Task Force, Asheville should too.

Museum From Home
Aug 17 all-day
Online
Now more than ever, we’re striving to provide you with inspiration, education, relaxation, and solace through art. Until we reopen to Members and visitors, we invite you to explore our Collectionvirtual programsvirtual Museum tourblog, and art activities through the Museum From Home page. Here’s a sample of our latest virtual offerings:
Work of the Week: Communications/External Affairs Assistant Devon Fero shares why Anne Lemanski’s Tigris T-1 is her favorite contemporary work in the Museum’s exhibition A Telling Instinct: John James Audubon & Contemporary Art. “As the tiger is positioned standing on what looks to be a circus ball, it feels performative—as if visitors to the exhibition hall are intended to stop and indulge in a long moment, awed by the dreamlike nature of the tiger.” Read more…
Take a 3D Museum Tour: Take a virtual walk through the galleries and explore each artwork. Within the 3D tour, click the smARTguide links on the yellow dots to hear audio information about selected works of art. Scroll down on the Museum From Home page to find tours of each level, and click here to learn more about the Museum’s exhibitions.
Fairy Trail at Bullington Gardens
Aug 17 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bullington Gardens

The Fairy trail is open Monday thru Saturday, 9am-4pm. We encourage all visitors to be patient as there will be limits to the number of people allowed on the trail at the same time. While the trail is outdoors, there are some small spaces and we want to ensure our guests and fairies are safe. Please practice appropriate social distancing and bring a mask in case. Masks are not required, but are considerate in a close area. Our restrooms are not open to the public at this time. Please make arrangements prior to visiting.

 

Rules of the trail:

Do not move or rearrange fairy displays. The fairies are very fond of their own decorating.

Do not leave trash on the trail. Fairies do not like litter in their town.

Please ensure children and pets are supervised at all times. Dogs and loud noises can scare the fairies into hiding.

Do not disturb wildlife or vegetation. The fairies depend on the vegetation to build their homes.

The trail is one way only. Please stay on the trail at all times.

 

The Fairies can’t wait to see you all here!

P.S. the Fairies would like us to remind you that we are a non-profit and donations are greatly appreciated. Help us keep the fairies living in the style with which they’ve become accustomed.

Bender Gallery presents artist Toland Sand
Aug 17 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Bender Gallery

Light Squared

When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.

Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!

MANNA Food Distribution
Aug 17 @ 2:30 pm
Leicester Community Center

Community members in need of food. Free food distribution by MANNA!

Monday Night Live! Concert Series Cancelled
Aug 17 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Visitor Center

Experience an array of talented music artists on a pleasant summer night at the Monday Night Live! concert series. The concert series features a diverse line-up of folk, country and blues. The eclectic line-up of free live performances happen every other Monday evening from July 20, August 3, 17 & 31  at the Visitor Center, 201 South Main Street, from 7pm-9pm.  Enjoy the fresh air, bring a chair and delight in the one-of-a-kind experience you’ll get from this unique outdoor music venue.

Bring a chair and sit back, relax and enjoy mountain heritage music and dancing from 7:00-9:00pm. Seating area opens after 5:30pm, early admission is prohibited. Admission is free. No alcoholic beverages, backpacks/tote bags or coolers allowed.

Please leave your pets comfortably at home. A Hendersonville City ordinance allows event organizers to exclude animals from the event space for the health, safety and welfare of the community, dogs, patrons, and vendors and their products.

In case of inclement weather the dance will be postponed until 8pm; if the weather does not cooperate by 8pm the performance will be cancelled.

For additional information call the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority at 828-693-9708The Monday Night Live concert series is coordinated, produced, and sponsored by Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.

Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Arts Business Buncombe County, please fill out Survey
Aug 18 all-day
Online
Arts organizations were among the first to have to close their doors, and many have suffered substantial losses. Americans for the Arts Impact Dashboard shows over $5.2 million in lost revenue so far from the 89 arts organizations in Buncombe County that have responded. For perspective, there are (were) almost 500 arts organizations and close to 10,000 creative jobs in Buncombe County before the pandemic.

If you are an arts business in Buncombe County, please take a few minutes to fill out this survey! This data is vital to our advocacy efforts on behalf of the Buncombe County arts sector. Help us, help you!

Asheville Art Museum Family Program Survey
Aug 18 all-day
Online

 

 

 

 

Calling all families! If you visit the Museum with children and/or participate in the Museum’s family programs (or might in the future!), we want to hear from you. As we transition family programs to virtual or small-group in-person formats, we need your feedback to create a model that will work for you this fall. We’re giving away a FREE guest pass to one of the first 50 people to fill out the survey.

Come To Leicester Studio Tour
Aug 18 all-day
Leicester, NC

We invite you to join us for the fourteenth annual Come to Leicester studio tour. We are excited to celebrate this annual event. The Come to Leicester studio tour is held every year on the third weekend in August; for 2019, that is 17-18 August. Our community of artists create in a variety of mediums, including painting, iron work, wood work, textiles, pottery, jewelry, and brooms.  They welcome you to their open studios so that you can enjoy their talented work. Come to Leicester to see for yourself!

Due to these extraordinary times, the Tour will look a little different this year. For this Tour,
we have 21 artists exhibiting along 11 stops. Most of them have chosen to participate both days, as usual, but a number of them are only going to be open on Saturday. This *Saturday Only* distinction will be noted on each artist’s info page on our website at www.cometoleicester.org. In our brochures and on our map, this will be denoted by color. Purple for Saturday only, orange for both.

Our artists will be showing outdoors or in areas where they can distance themselves and provide good ventilation. We ask that you please stay home if you feel sick and remember the three “W’s,” as we will all be following the recommended NCDHHS and Buncombe County public health guidelines of “Wear, Wait, and Wash.” Wear a mask, wait six feet apart, and wash your hands. Hand sanitizer will be available at every stop, and we encourage you to bring your own mask. We want this to be the same wonderful experience as always, but we also want it to be a safe event for all our customers and artists.

The thing that hasn’t changed is that visitors will still be able to view unique, hand-crafted
work, see how it’s made first hand, and even purchase a piece that can be taken home and treasured for years to come. Leicester Tour artists are comprised of both local and visiting artists from nearby communities, and make work in a variety of medium including clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, and wood.
Participating artists this year include Wesley Angel, Valerie Berlage, John Cummings, Raquel Egosi, Michael Forehand, Andy Gordon, Barbara Hebert, Cat Jarosz, Beth Hampton Jones, Matt Jones, Sandra Mason, Patrick McDermott, Nirado, Cindy Parks, Janet Renfro, Suzanne Saunders, Anita Walling, Doc Welty, Brad Worden, and Noel Yovovich.

Grove Arcade Makers Market Accepting Vendor Applications
Aug 18 all-day
Online

The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.

It’s Time to Clean Up the French Broad River
Aug 18 all-day
Online

Call on Asheville City Council to do its part to clean up the French Broad River, starting with the establishment of a Stormwater Task Force to address the City’s water pollution problems. Not only does the City have a legal obligation to protect water quality, Council’s commitment to racial equity demands action to protect residents of the Southside neighborhood from the highest pollution levels in the city.

Our river is a public resource, and tens of thousands of people recreate on the French Broad every year. However, none of the testing sites within the City of Asheville pass the EPA’s safe limit on average, and the worst site that we test is Nasty Branch, which drains over half of downtown Asheville and flows through the historically African American Southside neighborhood, before discharging into the French Broad River in the River Arts District.

High levels of E. coli also indicate the presence of other, more harmful microbes, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and norovirus. Heavy rains and storms often result in spikes in E. coli contamination, increasing the risk to human health. Contact with or consumption of contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness and skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. The most commonly reported symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and low-grade fever.

Asheville City Council has a moral and legal responsibility under the Clean Water Act to protect our river and water quality for all city residents. Henderson County has already established a Stormwater Task Force, Asheville should too.

Museum From Home
Aug 18 all-day
Online
Now more than ever, we’re striving to provide you with inspiration, education, relaxation, and solace through art. Until we reopen to Members and visitors, we invite you to explore our Collectionvirtual programsvirtual Museum tourblog, and art activities through the Museum From Home page. Here’s a sample of our latest virtual offerings:
Work of the Week: Communications/External Affairs Assistant Devon Fero shares why Anne Lemanski’s Tigris T-1 is her favorite contemporary work in the Museum’s exhibition A Telling Instinct: John James Audubon & Contemporary Art. “As the tiger is positioned standing on what looks to be a circus ball, it feels performative—as if visitors to the exhibition hall are intended to stop and indulge in a long moment, awed by the dreamlike nature of the tiger.” Read more…
Take a 3D Museum Tour: Take a virtual walk through the galleries and explore each artwork. Within the 3D tour, click the smARTguide links on the yellow dots to hear audio information about selected works of art. Scroll down on the Museum From Home page to find tours of each level, and click here to learn more about the Museum’s exhibitions.
Summer Virtual Fundraiser Asheville Art Museum
Aug 18 @ 12:00 am – 6:00 pm
Online
During this time of social distancing, we invite you to join us on the evening of Wednesday, August 12 for our first virtual fundraiser! Help us reach our fundraising goal of $15,000 while having some fun from the comfort of your home. You will want to get up off your couch and join in the dancing with music and entertainment from Room to Dance. Be sure to stick around to hear from our two featured artists, Shane Fero and Michael Hofman. Attendees will also have the chance to bid on some exciting items in our online auction and raffle!
Online auction and raffle tickets will be live from Wednesday, August 12, 6:30pm to Tuesday, August 18, 6pm. Stay tuned for more information on how to register for online bidding.