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.

Thursday, October 5, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 5 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Crime and Politics Book Club
Oct 5 @ 4:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

Crime and Politics Book Club

Crime and Politics is a book club for people who want to explore the overlap between true crime and public affairs. We will explore scandals, malfeasance, murder, corruption, and cover-ups. We will alternate months, beginning with a work of true crime, then a book on politics or public affairs. Crime, from the most personal to the global, is the theme. We meet the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. Contact [email protected].

Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across true crime and public affairs. The club meets in Asheville and offsite, usually at a restaurant, on the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. Please email [email protected] for info and instructions to attend. See the list of upcoming dates above and click here to learn more about the club, view important news, and find the pick for this month!

Friday, October 6, 2023
16th Annual HEAL Conference
Oct 6 all-day
MAHEC Education Building

Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders Annual HEAL Conference addresses disordered eating and eating disorders recovery by presenting experts from various sectors of the industry. HEAL offers professional development and networking opportunities as well as education for the general public. This program, now in its 16th year, is expanding through collaboration with MAHEC.

16th Annual HEAL Conference
Oct 6 all-day
Mountain Area Health Education Center

Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders (CRC for ED) and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) are pleased to present the 2023 HEAL Conference. This program addresses disordered eating and eating disorders recovery by experts speaking on the most current research and practices. HEAL offers professional development and networking for providers as well as education for the general public. The annual conference, now in its 16th year, is expanding through collaboration between CRC for ED and MAHEC.

The 2023 program includes educational sessions, a networking event, and a care-for-the-provider retreat after lunch Friday!

Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 6 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Saturday, October 7, 2023
Triad LUNGe Forward 5K Run, Walk, + Celebration
Oct 7 all-day
Country Park

Join us for the 16th Annual Triad LUNGe Forward 5K Run, Walk & Celebration! It will be a day of celebration and remembrance, as well as a day to take action and provide hope to those impacted by lung cancer, fueling Lung Cancer Initiative’s research, education and access programs right here in our community. Your support will make an impact in the fight against lung cancer.

Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 7 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Free Healing Event
Oct 7 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Peace Gardens
Contact Hekmat for more details a[email protected]
Sound Healing Concert inside the Salt Cave
Oct 7 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Join us for a beautiful sound healing concert inside the Salt Cave. The concert will be preformed by Billy From @Skinny Beats Sound Shop. Come enjoy the sounds of the handpan, gong, crystal bowls as well as many other various instruments. The music will vibrate through the walls of the salt cave and reach to the deepest part of your soul. These two treatments combined create wonderful space for deep healing.

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Sunday, October 8, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 8 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Black Bear Half Marathon + 8k
Oct 8 @ 8:00 am
Jackson Park

Western North Carolina’s most popular, scenic, fall half marathon & 8k, mostly flat, lots of fun, and spectator-friendly!

The 4th Annual Black Bear Half Marathon & 8k presented by Hunter Subaru, both wind through Hendersonville, NC (near Asheville) on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. A Virtual Half Marathon and 8k running option is also available for runners who want to be part of the race weekend experience, but are not able to attend the in-person event.

The Black Bear Half & 8k both offer a scenic, mostly flat course along the Oklawaha Greenway during peak leaf season in the fall. The Half Marathon has less than 400 feet of elevation gain and you won’t want to miss it! We’d like to give a huge thanks to our 2023 Half Marathon & 8k presenting sponsor: Hunter Subaru, for all that they do to help create this amazing event.

Both races finish at the same location in Hendersonville, North Carolina at Jackson Park.

EXCITING NEWS!!

The Black Bear Half Marathon & 8k presented by Hunter Subaru is now USATF sanctioned and certified!

Half Marathon USATF Certification Number – NC22016DF
8k USATF Certification Number – NC22015DF

Monday, October 9, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 9 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Virtual | Poverty, By America Discussion Group
Oct 9 @ 12:00 pm
online

Join us for a virtual bookclub-style discussion of Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond at noon on Monday, October 9th.

Registration is required for attendance. Please CLICK HERE to register. A link will be emailed to you on the morning of the event.

Copies of Poverty, by America will be 10% off at Malaprop’s through October 9th. If you order through our website, click on “coupon discount” and enter JUSTICEFORUM in the “coupon code” field. If you are purchasing in-store or by phone, mention the book discussion and request a book club discount.

The paperback is released on April 18th and can be pre-ordered now. The discount does not apply to pre-orders.

Desmond will be the keynote speaker at the Pisgah Legal Justice Forum on October 17th at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Tickets to the forum are free but registration is required. Click here to learn more about the forum and pre-event reception.

About Poverty, by America:

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.
Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.

Matthew Desmond is the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the founding director of the Eviction Lab. His last book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, among others. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, Desmond is also a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 10 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 11 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Puppet Playtime
Oct 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
East Asheville Library
Every Wednesday morning, we open up the children’s activity room to give kids time for free play with puppets. Children must be under the supervision or a parent or guardian.
Pack Library Book Club
Oct 11 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Pack Memorial Library
  The Pack Library Book Club is a book discussion group that meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30AM at the library.
Read to Puptart!
Oct 11 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

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

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

Thursday, October 12, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 12 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Antique and Collectible Book Sale
Oct 12 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Pack Library
  • Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, 250-4700

The Friends of Pack Library will have their Annual Antique and Collectible book sale the second weekend in October at Pack Library in downtown Asheville.

The Oct. 12-13 sale will feature antique and collectible books on the lower level of the library, along with comic books and music CDs. Bookends Used Book Store will have ½ price sale both days and children’s books will be 10 cents each. On the second day of the sale, Oct. 13, everything in the sale will be half off.

On Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be a box sale with a box of books for only $25. Boxes will be provided. Prices in Bookends Used Book Store will return to regular pricing.

For more info, call Pack Library at 250-4700 or email the Friends of the Library.   Proceeds benefit Buncombe County Public Libraries.

An Evening with David Sedaris
Oct 12 @ 7:30 pm
Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University

An Evening With David Sedaris: The best-selling author and well-known NPR humorist, playwright, and comedian, David Sedaris returns to Cullowhee for An Evening With David Sedaris. With more than 16 million copies of his books in print, Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The October 12th event includes a live reading of new material, time for audience members to ask questions of the author, and book signings before and after the event. Sedaris’ books will be available for purchase at the event through the City Lights Bookstore of Sylva, NC.

Friday, October 13, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 13 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Antique and Collectible Book Sale
Oct 13 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Pack Library
  • Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, 250-4700

The Friends of Pack Library will have their Annual Antique and Collectible book sale the second weekend in October at Pack Library in downtown Asheville.

The Oct. 12-13 sale will feature antique and collectible books on the lower level of the library, along with comic books and music CDs. Bookends Used Book Store will have ½ price sale both days and children’s books will be 10 cents each. On the second day of the sale, Oct. 13, everything in the sale will be half off.

On Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be a box sale with a box of books for only $25. Boxes will be provided. Prices in Bookends Used Book Store will return to regular pricing.

For more info, call Pack Library at 250-4700 or email the Friends of the Library.   Proceeds benefit Buncombe County Public Libraries.

Saturday, October 14, 2023
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 14 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Pack Library
Oct 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Pack Library
  • Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

 

The Friends of Pack Library will have their Annual Antique and Collectible book sale the second weekend in October at Pack Library in downtown Asheville.

The Oct. 12-13 sale will feature antique and collectible books on the lower level of the library, along with comic books and music CDs. Bookends Used Book Store will have ½ price sale both days and children’s books will be 10 cents each. On the second day of the sale, Oct. 13, everything in the sale will be half off.

On Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be a box sale with a box of books for only $25. Boxes will be provided. Prices in Bookends Used Book Store will return to regular pricing.

For more info, call Pack Library at 250-4700 or email the Friends of the Library.   Proceeds benefit Buncombe County Public Libraries.

Sunday, October 15, 2023
Club de Lectura en Español
Oct 15 @ 6:00 pm
tba
Sunday, July 16, 2023 – 6:00pm
Sunday, August 20, 2023 – 6:00pm
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – 6:00pm
Sunday, October 15, 2023 – 6:00pm

Join the Club de Lectura and read novels written by Central and South American authors. The club meets at a restaurant or cafe with food related to the monthly pick. The main goal is to connect with each other, enjoy a good read, and ask each other questions. Everyone is welcome! Please CLICK HERE to view the Club’s main page for the pick of the month, and be sure to email: [email protected] for the location of the meeting!

Monday, October 16, 2023
Celebrating Relationships: Open House + Community Appreciation
Oct 16 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Mobile Wellness Center

Our NEW Mobile Wellness Center is pulling into town Monday, October 16th, and we want everyone to see it! Please come AmeriHealth Caritas and our local vendors as we dance, tour the centers, and celebrate! EVERYONE IS INVITED!

2PM: Vendor Showcase & Activities, Center Tours, Feed Me Foam Recycling Starts

2:30PM: ZUMBA! Under the Mobile Center Awning

3PM: Center Tours and Vendor Activities: Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

3:30PM Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

4PM: Feed Me Foam Recycling Ends

4:30PM: Member Advisory Meeting

We hope to see you at 216 Asheland Avenue! Bring a friend :)

Kids 7+ are welcome to join. Younger kids can play in our kids room equipped with toys, a chalk wall, coloring books, books and Disney plus.

Our ACNC m?embers can receive free transportation to and from any wellness center event by calling ModivCare for a reservation: 1-833-498-2262

Let’s do better together!

Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Revisiting the Classics Book Club
Oct 17 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Weaverville Public Library

Join Librarian and Friend Jill Totman this Fall to discuss, “Books I Swore I’d Never Read Again!” Re-read classic titles will fresh perspective & new conversations.

  • Tuesday, October 17th @ 6 PM: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
  • Tuesday, November 21st @ 6 PM: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

This group will meet in person at the Weaverville Library on the third Tuesday evening of the month at 6 PM. Copies of each title will be available at the Weaverville Library while supplies last.  No reservations are necessary & newcomers are always welcome.

 

Thanks to the Friends of the Weaverville Library for sponsoring this series!

Weaverville library book club: “Books I Swore I’d Never Read Again! Revisiting the Classics
Oct 17 @ 6:00 pm
Weaverville Public Library

Join Librarian and Friend Jill Totman this Fall to discuss, “Books I Swore I’d Never Read Again!” Re-read classic titles will fresh perspective & new conversations.

  • Tuesday September 19th @ 6 PM: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
  • Tuesday, October 17th @ 6 PM: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
  • Tuesday, November 21st @ 6 PM: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

This group will meet in person at the Weaverville Library on the third Tuesday evening of the month at 6 PM. Copies of each title will be available at the Weaverville Library while supplies last.  No reservations are necessary & newcomers are always welcome. 

Thanks to the Friends of the Weaverville Library for sponsoring this series!

Bookmarked: Online Library Book Club discusses Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
Oct 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
online w/ Fairview Library

A young poet tells the inspiring story of his migration at the age of nine from El Salvador to the United States in this “gripping memoir” (NPR) of bravery, hope, and finding family.

The library’s moderated online book discussion group meets on the third Tuesday of each month, September through May. You can join by emailing [email protected] at least one hour prior to the meeting.