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.
A world premiere! Written by Jason Phillips, Abby Auman, Eli Hamilton, and Mickey Poandl and directed by Dwight Chiles.
Maybe it’s much too early in the game, but I thought I’d ask you just the same, what are you doing New Year’s? New Queer’s Eve provides a glimpse into the struggle, absurdity, camaraderie, and joy around this holiday from a LGBTQIA+ lens. The show takes place in one location, and spans several decades of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Through interconnected stories told by a collaboration of queer writers, New Queer’s Eve invites audiences to share in the joys and struggles of queer life through the decades.
*Content notification: language; sensitive subject matter; talk of death; brief burlesque scene (no full nudity.)
December 1 – 16, 2023
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm
NEW QUEER’S EVE
Developed by a Collaboration of Queer Writers
Directed by Dwight Chiles
Maybe it’s much too early in the game, but I thought I’d ask you just the same, what are you doing New Year’s? Join us for a look at this holiday through a new lens. New Queer’s Eve takes place in one location over multiple New Year’s Eve celebrations and provides a glimpse into the LGBTQIA+ experience through time. Through interconnected stories told by a collaboration of queer writers, New Queer’s Eve invites audiences to share in the joys and struggles of queer life through the decades.
ROND has been playing their brand of humorous Rock n Roll in one incarnation or another around Asheville for the last 20 years.
The ROND live show aims to be chock full of danceable, knee-slapping anthems about some of life’s most embarrassing, human-type-situations.
Their high energy, self-deprecating original songs often end in rousing audience sing-a-longs, leaving their fans both sweaty and smiling.
ROND is looking forward to their annual holiday show at Fleetwoods complete with a local neighborhood feel and several special guest performances.
8pm doors $10 cover
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
NEW WEST RECORDS AND NORMALTOWN RECORDS PRESENT
The London Raffle is limited to just 250 tickets, giving you great odds to win a travel package value up to $9,000, including flights, hotel stays, and $500 to experience the sights and sounds of London. This raffle ends December 31, 2023 or when tickets sell out.
The London Raffle prize includes:
- Two (2) round-trip from Charlotte – Non-stop on British Airways Economy Plus
- Transfers to and from the airport to your hotel
- Accommodations for Five (5) nights at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in a Superior
Double with Breakfast daily - Up to $500 to spend on guided tours or additional theatre tickets
- Personal consultation with Foothills Travel to customize your trip
- On-site concierge provided through MyBucketListEvents
The winner of the Asheville Community Theatre London Raffle will work with David Lloyd of Foothills Travel to customize their London adventure.
Warren Haynes Presents Christmas Jam To Benefit the Asheville Area Habitat
Warren Haynes Presents Christmas Jam returns to Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, NC on SAT, DEC 9 to benefit the @Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and @Beloved Asheville. Artist line-up, on-sale info, and more coming soon. Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know. #ChristmasJam
We’re putting our build crew back together and we’d love to have you join us. Every 2 weeks, we’ll meet at 9 am for hands-on set construction! Whether your talents are building, painting, or you just want to learn, come out and join us every other Saturday for some creative fun. Tools and work gloves are helpful but not required
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
SART Presents “Christmas Time’s A Comin’, An Appalachian Christmas Revue”
Join us for a heartwarming Christmas revue like no other! This holiday season, we’re spreading the joy by offering pay-what-you-wish tickets. It’s our way of giving back to the community and ensuring that everyone can experience the magic of the season. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Get your tickets today at sartplays.com and celebrate the spirit of giving this Christmas!
From the bounty shores of England comes the Styckes-Upon-Thump Repertory Theatre Company, a stuffy old traveling troupe embarking on their fifteenth annual farewell tour of Dickens’ tale. The company includes Sir Selsdon Piddick, the consummate actor, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, with Mrs. Bettina Salisbury, Dame Rowena Middleton-Lewis, Mrs. Cordelia ffoliet-ffolkes ffortescue Woods, Teddy Shub, and Elyot Crummels in multiple supporting roles. On this fateful Christmas Eve night, various forms of mayhem ensue as this professional company scrambles to keep the show going and everything that could go possibly wrong does, with hilarious, ridiculous results!
It’s beginning to look a lot like…you got it! Keep the family tradition going. Same great quality, all new show! Come celebrate the season here on ‘The Rock’ with the always popular A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas! Join in and sing along to some of your favorite holiday tunes like, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Jingle Bells,” “O Holy Night,” and many more. With an incredible cast
featuring dancers from Pat’s School of Dance and the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, there is truly no better way to kick off your holiday season!

Get ready to embrace the spirit of Christmas with Elf: The Musical, a heartwarming and hilarious adaptation of the beloved 2003 holiday film. This enchanting musical follows the journey of Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole who embarks on a journey to New York City to find his real father. Through catchy, uplifting songs and zany comedic antics, Elf: The Musical serves a healthy dose of holiday cheer, laughter, and life lessons about identity, family, and the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a magical, festive spectacle guaranteed to light up the holiday season for all ages!
A talkback with the cast & crew of Elf: The Musical will be held following the performances on December 3rd and 10th.
Lionel Bart’s Oliver JRPrep ProgramDecember 8-9, 2023 Asheville Performing Arts Academy |
Experience the enchanting world of ‘Oliver Jr.’ a timeless story of resilience, hope, and the power of the human spirit in Victorian London.
Join Oliver as he seeks love and belonging amid hardship, with catchy tunes, memorable characters, and a heartwarming message. Let ‘Oliver Jr.’ sweep you off your feet with its magic, music, and unforgettable journey. |
Milton Crotts, Conductor
Program:
Rigby’s Escape for Flute, Clarinet, & String Orchestra by Andre Madatian (b.1992)
Bradford Malbon, flute ~ Justin Landry, clarinet
“Humours of Mallow” by Landon Walker
“Prism” by Jennie Walker Brunner
“The Ashebrook” by Scott Walker, arranged by Scott WalkerThe Walker Family Band
Soñando en Español for harp and orchestra, III. Baroque Flamenco, by Deborah Henson-Conant (b. 1953)
Tori Parrish, harp
“Call My Name” by Seth Walker
“Rewind” by Seth Walker, arranged by Scott Walker Seth Walker, vocals and guitar ~ Landon Walker, bass
“All of These Things” by Seth Walker, arranged by Scott Walker
Intermission
Gaelic Symphony, II. Alla siciliana – Allegro vivace – Andante, by Amy Beach (1867–1944)
The Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a
II. Danses caractéristiques
a. Marche
b. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
c. Russian Dance (Trepak)
d. Arabian Dance
e. Chinese Dance
f. Dance of the Reed-Flutes
III. Waltz of the Flowers
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1908–1975)
Guest Conductor, David Jamison
The Blue Ridge Orchestra welcomes the winter holidays with two performances of BRO Revels! 2023, featuring The Nutcracker Suite and introducing harpist Tori Parrish. Presented at 3:00 pm in Charles M. Beall Auditorium, Haywood Community College, on Saturday, December 9th, and in the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 10th, the program is an eclectic mix of old and new, familiar and surprising.
Music Director Milton Crotts begins the program with Rigby’s Escape, a light and cheery piece for flute, clarinet, and string orchestra composed by featured composer Andre Madatian. The BRO Strings then change gears to accompany The Walker Family Band performing its original music – a unique blend of traditional, old-time, Celtic, and classical – with a familial twist. The genre shifts again as Tori Parrish takes center stage to perform Deborah Henson-Conant’s invigorating Baroque Flamenco for harp and strings, a musical tour de force that defies the stereotype of this most fascinating of instruments.
The full orchestra takes over for the second part of the program, presenting the lyrical second movement of the “Gaelic Symphony” composed in 1894 by Amy Beach, the “dean of women composers”. The concerts conclude with the celebrated music of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, a perennial favorite of musicians and audiences alike.
With performances in Clyde and Swannanoa, the Blue Ridge Orchestra furthers its mission to share fine music with audiences across Western North Carolina, and is particularly proud to continue its association with Haywood Community College. Like Revels! past, BRO Revels! 2023 will usher in the holiday season with comfort and joy.
BRO Revels! 2023 is generously sponsored by Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty.
Details: Blue Ridge Orchestra’s Revels! 2023
Saturday, December 9th, 2023, 3:00 pm
Charles Beall Auditorium, Haywood Community College
185 Freedlander Drive, Clyde, NC
Tickets: $25 General Admission, $15 Students, Free under age 5
Sunday, December 10th, 2023, 3:00 pm
Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church
101 Chapel Lane, Swannanoa, NC
Tickets: $20 General Admission, $15 Friends, $5 Students, Free age 6 and under
Info: https://blueridgeorchestra.org/bro-revels-2023-dec-23
or call 828-782-3354.
Wanna hear the best local music and drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.
From the bounty shores of England comes the Styckes-Upon-Thump Repertory Theatre Company, a stuffy old traveling troupe embarking on their fifteenth annual farewell tour of Dickens’ tale. The company includes Sir Selsdon Piddick, the consummate actor, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, with Mrs. Bettina Salisbury, Dame Rowena Middleton-Lewis, Mrs. Cordelia ffoliet-ffolkes ffortescue Woods, Teddy Shub, and Elyot Crummels in multiple supporting roles. On this fateful Christmas Eve night, various forms of mayhem ensue as this professional company scrambles to keep the show going and everything that could go possibly wrong does, with hilarious, ridiculous results!
Lionel Bart’s Oliver JRPrep ProgramDecember 8-9, 2023 Asheville Performing Arts Academy |
Experience the enchanting world of ‘Oliver Jr.’ a timeless story of resilience, hope, and the power of the human spirit in Victorian London.
Join Oliver as he seeks love and belonging amid hardship, with catchy tunes, memorable characters, and a heartwarming message. Let ‘Oliver Jr.’ sweep you off your feet with its magic, music, and unforgettable journey. |
It’s beginning to look a lot like…you got it! Keep the family tradition going. Same great quality, all new show! Come celebrate the season here on ‘The Rock’ with the always popular A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas! Join in and sing along to some of your favorite holiday tunes like, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Jingle Bells,” “O Holy Night,” and many more. With an incredible cast
featuring dancers from Pat’s School of Dance and the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, there is truly no better way to kick off your holiday season!
Donna De Lory is one of the most well recognized and eclectic mantra and sacred music artists in the world. Her music is evocative, sublime, and will have you praying one moment and up on your feet in bliss the next. Donna’s voice is a rarity, and has been described as angelic and captivating.
Prolific, innovative and always inspiring, Donna De Lory’s recent work includes We Shine (2021), featuring transformative reinterpretations of songs by icons like Tracey Chapman and Allison Krauss, as well as Gone Beyond (also 2021), a meditative musical reflection on the challenges and opportunities for personal growth brought by pandemic isolation. In a time of global crisis, chaos and uncertainty, her music carries a heartfelt message of unity, strength and hope.
Donna has also toured with Madonna as one of her two main backup vocalists for 14 years.
Tickets: $30 Online Advance. $35 Day Of and At the Door.
Doors Open at: 6:30PM
All Ages are Welcome.
Today, two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle announces her much-anticipated US arena tour, set for fall 2023. The Kaleidescope Tour kicks off on September 6 in Memphis, TN with entirely new and innovative stage production. The 30-city run will take Daigle across the country – from New Jersey’s Prudential Center (October 20) to LA’s Crypto.com Arena (November 10), with stops in Boston, Atlanta, and Seattle as well as cities in which Daigle hasn’t performed in nearly four years, including Baton Rouge, Baltimore and Tulsa.
The Kaleidoscope Tour will feature many of Daigle’s #1s, including her groundbreaking smash “You Say,” “Rescue”, “Look Up Child,” her new single “Thank God I Do”, as well as music from her forthcoming self-titled album which will include 20 songs released in two parts this spring and later this year.
Register now at www.laurendaigle.com to access the Lauren Daigle pre-sale beginning Tuesday, March 28 at 12pm local time. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Wednesday, March 29 at 12pm local time until Thursday, March 30 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete presale details visit www.citientertainment.com. General on-sale is Friday, March 31 at 10am local time. Full routing below.
In addition, Daigle is also set to perform “Thank God I Do” on the Today Show next Thursday, March 30th – marking the song’s network television premiere. (Check local listings).
“Thank God I Do” is Lauren’s biggest first week streaming song across all DSPs, has been added to a record breaking 120+ radio stations across multi-formats in just it’s first week, and is her strongest single launch at radio to date. The song also received major acclaim with Billboard writing, “the piano ballad features the signature soar that fans have been waiting to return, but her voice has deepened with time, matching the epic sweep of the strings on the track and readying the masses for a prolonged showcase.”
“Thank God I Do” marks the launch of a new creative chapter for the multi-platinum selling, Louisiana-born artist, who just last month announced signing to Atlantic Records in partnership with longtime label home Centricity Music. With a creative team led by Grammy®-winning producer Mike Elizondo (Twenty One Pilots, Mary J. Blige, Fiona Apple, Carrie Underwood), and featuring co-writers Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Amy Wadge, Lori McKenna, Jason Ingram and Jon Greene, to name a few, Lauren Daigle comprises twenty soulful and uplifting songs to be released in two parts. The first ten arrives May 12, and the other ten release later this year.
Listen to “Thank God I Do” HERE– Daigle’s first release via Atlantic Records/Centricity Music – and pre-save Lauren Daigle album HERE.
With over a billion streams and years of sold-out US and international tours to her name, Lauren Daigle continues to cement her status as a modern vocal powerhouse with a global, ever-growing fanbase. Daigle is a two-time Grammy®, seven-time Billboard Music Award, four-time American Music Award, and ten-time GMA Dove Music Award winner.
Since the release of her GRAMMY® Award-winning, platinum-certified 2018 album Look Up Child – which includes the breakthrough hit single “You Say” – Daigle has been a mainstay on the Billboard charts. When Look Up Child debuted at No. 3 on the Top 200 Albums chart, Daigle became the first female artist in history to simultaneously hit the Top 10 on both Billboard’s Pop and Christian Album charts. She went on to break another record when the LP reached 100 weeks at No. 1 on the Top Christian Albums chart, which is the greatest number of weeks that any artist has spent at the top of any individual album chart. Similarly, the 5x platinum-certified “You Say” is the longest-running No. 1 to appear on any weekly Billboard chart.
Off stage, Daigle remains committed to investing her time to promote music education, work with at-risk youth, and provide care for children, the elderly, and those in need through The Price Fund, an organization she founded in 2018. To date, she has distributed over $2.4 million to 40 nonprofits around the world.
A world premiere! Written by Jason Phillips, Abby Auman, Eli Hamilton, and Mickey Poandl and directed by Dwight Chiles.
Maybe it’s much too early in the game, but I thought I’d ask you just the same, what are you doing New Year’s? New Queer’s Eve provides a glimpse into the struggle, absurdity, camaraderie, and joy around this holiday from a LGBTQIA+ lens. The show takes place in one location, and spans several decades of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Through interconnected stories told by a collaboration of queer writers, New Queer’s Eve invites audiences to share in the joys and struggles of queer life through the decades.
*Content notification: language; sensitive subject matter; talk of death; brief burlesque scene (no full nudity.)
December 1 – 16, 2023
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sundays at 4pm
NEW QUEER’S EVE
Developed by a Collaboration of Queer Writers
Directed by Dwight Chiles
Maybe it’s much too early in the game, but I thought I’d ask you just the same, what are you doing New Year’s? Join us for a look at this holiday through a new lens. New Queer’s Eve takes place in one location over multiple New Year’s Eve celebrations and provides a glimpse into the LGBTQIA+ experience through time. Through interconnected stories told by a collaboration of queer writers, New Queer’s Eve invites audiences to share in the joys and struggles of queer life through the decades.
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78S
- AGES 21+
- STANDING ROOM ONLY
- DOORS 8PM, SHOW 9PM
- LIMITED EARLY BIRD TICKETS
- FESTIVE ATTIRE ENCOURAGED
HOLIDAY LIQUOR & DANCE PARTY
Featuring DJ Marley Carroll on the main stage. Holiday drink specials + more!
DJ MARLEY CARROLL
What started as an epic, ramshackle house party in a garage in west Asheville has become the city’s favorite holiday dance event, and local superstar DJ Marley Carroll has been at the helm for every year of its 16-year run. At the aptly-named Holiday Liquor Dance Party, DJ Marley guides costumed partygoers through a marathon holiday DJ set that is frequently surprising and always satisfying. From classic hip-hop and soul to contemporary house and disco, DJ Marley shines by combining the inclusive energy of surefire party selections with an expert level of skill in mixing, sequencing and execution.
The London Raffle is limited to just 250 tickets, giving you great odds to win a travel package value up to $9,000, including flights, hotel stays, and $500 to experience the sights and sounds of London. This raffle ends December 31, 2023 or when tickets sell out.
The London Raffle prize includes:
- Two (2) round-trip from Charlotte – Non-stop on British Airways Economy Plus
- Transfers to and from the airport to your hotel
- Accommodations for Five (5) nights at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in a Superior
Double with Breakfast daily - Up to $500 to spend on guided tours or additional theatre tickets
- Personal consultation with Foothills Travel to customize your trip
- On-site concierge provided through MyBucketListEvents
The winner of the Asheville Community Theatre London Raffle will work with David Lloyd of Foothills Travel to customize their London adventure.
Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) is pleased to welcome 4 regional school choral groups to the airport during the holidays. The choirs will perform holiday music for the enjoyment of passengers, visitors and employees. AVL is also pleased to have five local musicians and one local trio as part of the Music in the Airport program performing throughout the month.
“It is a joy to invite our community to participate in the Sounds of the Holidays program at AVL,” said Alexandra Ingle, brand and experience designer. “This program highlights the talent of our region and is a festive way to liven up the halls of the airport during this holiday season.”
Following is a schedule of choral performances:
Thursday, December 7 CANCELLED
11:30am North Henderson High School Advanced Choir
Wednesday, December 13
12:05pm Clyde A. Erwin Combined Choirs
Friday, December 14
11:40am Smoky Mountain High School Choir
Wednesday, December 20
11:30am Candler and Pisgah Elementary School Choruses
Following is a schedule of Music in the Airport performances:
Mike Andersen
Mondays in December at 11am (except 12/25)
Friday December 29 11am
Phil Okrend
Thursday, December 7 at 12pm
Thursday, December 14 at 12:15pm
Thursday, December 21 at 12pm
Thursday, December 28 at 12pm
Bill Cozzens-Bryant
Wednesday, December 6 at 10:30am
Wednesday, December 13 at 9:45am
Wednesday, December 20 at 9am
Wednesday, December 27 at 10:30am
Mari Hashimoto
Tuesday, December 12 at 11am
Tuesday, December 26 at 11am
Jack Victor
Thursday, December 14 at 9:30am
Industrial Coffee Pot
Sunday, December 10 at 10:00am
– LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED
12/10: Liliana Hudgens & Erika Lewis
1/14: Vaden Landers
2/11: Hearts Gone South
3/10: Julia Sanders
Show runs 12-3pm on the indoor music room stage. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Kids get in free. Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
