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, December 21, 2023
Connect Beyond’s Holiday Fundraiser
Dec 21 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
The Mule at Devil's Foot Beverage

Join us for our 2023 Holiday Fundraiser featuring a silent auction and raffle as well as live DJ set from Mad Mike Martinez, and a dance party for all attendeees.

VIP TICKET // $35 // 6pm – 7:30pm: VIP Hour includes light appetizers and beverages.

General Admission Tickets // $5 // 6pm – 10pm: Includes your suggested donation to non-profit, Connect Beyond Festival.

*Proceeds from this event will be directly donated to Connect Beyond Festival. This is an all ages event.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Foodie Book Club
Dec 27 @ 7:00 pm
online

Foodie Book Club

A book club for home cooks, foodies, industry folks, and anyone in-between.  We will be focusing on all sorts of food writing. Somethemes will be (but not limited to): food critics, chef memoirs, wine, food history, and food politics.

The Foodie group meets virtually on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. (EST), beginning in June 2022.  Please email [email protected] for the Zoom meeting info.

Thursday, December 28, 2023
StoryWalk®: Outside In
Dec 28 @ 6:00 am – 10:00 pm
Weaver Park

Enjoy the fresh air reading and walking along the StoryWalk® trail during regular hours at Weaver Park.

OUTSIDE IN, a Caldecott Honor Award Winner written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby, is a mindful contemplation on the world’s connectedness and the many ways nature affects our everyday lives — even when we’re stuck inside, reminding emerging readers of ways nature creates and touches our lives in homes, apartments, and cars.

Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. This thought-provoking picture book poetically underscores our powerful and enduring connection with nature, not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors.

Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made and the many ways Outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a much greater universe. Emotive illustrations evoke the beauty, simplicity, and wonder that await us all . . . outside.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.

Book Discussion: Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Dec 28 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
West Asheville Library

We will be discussing Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  All are welcome!

City Dance
Dec 28 @ 7:30 pm
Landmark Hal

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Saturday, December 30, 2023
New Year’s Freakout
Dec 30 @ 8:00 pm
DSSOLVR

Get ready to bid farewell 2023 a day early. That’s right y’all, we are doing a New Year’s Eve, Eve Party. 24 hours till 2024, get ready for New Year’s Freakout! 🥳 DJ ABUDISARRAY is cranking up the beats starting at 8 PM, and we’ve got a night of non-stop celebration planned just for you.

The party kicks off at 8 PM, and guess what? Free entry!
We’ll also have signature Jello Shots, Specialty Lil Thankies cocktails, and Peppermint Mocha hot drinks!
As the clock inches closer to midnight, we’re treating you to a complimentary champagne toast to ring in the New Year’s.(who parties on a Sunday?)

Bring your party spirit, dancing shoes, and get ready to freak out as we say goodbye to the old and welcome the new in the most epic way possible. See you there!

Sunday, December 31, 2023
New Year’s Eve Party at Point Lookout Vineyards
Dec 31 @ 6:30 pm
Point Lookout Vineyards

Fine dining, music from The Super 60’s, and good times

Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Malaprop’s New Year’s SALE
Jan 2 @ 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

024 is here! And to celebrate, we are hosting our annual sale!

We will be open from 10 am to 7 pm and almost every item in the store will be 25% off! 

Happy New Year!

The fine print:

  • Discount applies only to in-store purchases of in-stock bookstore merchandise. Phone orders, web orders, special orders (books not on hand), gift cards, and cafe items are excluded.
  • Discount applies only to purchases made during store hours on January 2, 2024.
  • Discount cannot be combined with other discounts, markdowns, or coupons. (For example: You can’t use your GoLocal card for an additional discount; A book that is already 50% off won’t be 75% off.)
  • Items cannot be held without payment prior to the sale day in order to be purchased with a discount on the sale day.
Consent Book Club
Jan 2 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
TBA

Register so we can reach out and contact you as we prepare for our first meeting! Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.

Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)

Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th

December – January Consent Book Club
Jan 2 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
tba

Our VOICE will be hosting a book club beginning this winter! Fill out the form to sign up as we have a limited amount of space!. Our first book selection will be Creating Consent Culture by Erica Scott and Marcia Baczynski. Books will be distributed at the first meeting and bus passes will be provided. This club will be offered in English, but we are looking to provide more opportunities in the future!

Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.

Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)

Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th

Weaverville Library Evening Book Club: Normal People by Sally Rooney
Jan 2 @ 6:00 pm
Weaverville Public Library

Join us this month as we discuss, Normal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney.  We’ll meet in person at the Weaverville Library. Copies of this title are available at the Weaverville Library while supplies last. Newcomers are always welcome!

Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Wednesday Night Book Group
Jan 3 @ 7:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

The Wednesday Night Book Group, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM and alternates between meeting via Zoom and in-person at a private Asheville location.

To join the club, please email the host at  [email protected].

Westie Wednesdays at Continuum ft. Ryan Pflumm
Jan 3 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
CONTINUUM ART

Help us relaunch the Westie scene in a premier venue showcasing spacious dance floors, high ceilings, and a vintage vibe. If you are new to West Coast Swing, come check out for yourself the popular dance style that can be done to a wide variety of music, including pop, country, blues, and contemporary music! For those looking to advance their skills, the Hendersonville WCS community is excited to welcome Pro Instructor Ryan Pflumm to Continuum!

As always, the dress is casual and no partner is needed. Join us for an incredible night of connecting and dancing with our MONTHLY event every FIRST Wednesday!

PRIVATE LESSONS
If you would like to book a private lesson with Ryan for $75 per hour, please message Continuum with the following:

  1. Which timeslot(s)
  2. number of people attending
    Times:
    3:30-4:30pm
    4:30-5:30pm
    5:30-6:30pm
    first come, first served

CLASSES
7:00-8:00pm Intermediate w/ Ryan Pflumm!
7:00-8:00pm Beginner w/ Rachel Harris
8:00-10:00pm Social Dance

Each class is $10 and includes a pass to the social dance. The social dance is $7 without a lesson. Music will be DJ’d by Pro Instructor Ryan Pflumm.

Bring your own beer/wine. Liquor and other beverages above 16% alcohol content are strictly prohibited.

Masks are encouraged but, not required.

Cash, cards, Venmo, PayPal, and Cash app are accepted.

Thursday, January 4, 2024
Weaverville Library Afternoon Book Club
Jan 4 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Weaverville Public Library

Join us this month as we discuss, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy.  We will meet in person at the Weaverville Library. Copies of this title are available at the Weaverville Library while supplies last. Newcomers are always welcome!

Wild Woman Archetype Discussion Circle– La Loba
Jan 4 @ 4:00 pm
157 S Lexington Ave

Join us for a women’s circle discussion based on the timeless wisdom of ‘Women Who Run with the Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Whether you’re diving into the book for the first time or already well-versed in the wild woman archetype, this group is designed to inspire you to reconnect with your wild integrity. We will unlock the symbolic language of the ancient tales in each chapter and reignite courage, intuition, and authenticity. This will be a recurring weekly circle examining a story per week in individual 1.5-hour meetings. Attend one, all, or pick and choose as you please.

This week’s story is from Chapter One: La Loba (the one who knows). Reading the chapter beforehand is recommended but not mandatory.

The meet-up will start promptly.

Live Stream | Crime and Politics Book Club Presents: Free Joan Little with Christina Greene
Jan 4 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Virtual - Malaprop's Bookstore/Café

You are invited to join the Malaprop’s Crime and Politics Book Club for this conversation with Christina Greene. The event is free but registration is required.

Saturday, January 6, 2024
KID HOP HOORAY! Open Floor Dance Party for Kids with Live DJ: DJ Oso Rey!
Jan 6 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Open Floor Dance Party for Kids with Live DJ: DJ Oso Rey!
Drop in anytime.
Playing family-friendly dance music for family wintertime fun/
There will be FREE Glow accessories for your little dancers, plenty of room to run, dance, and get their sillies out while it’s cold outside, and snacks for purchase the Hop Ice Creamery!  And of course, The Orange Peel bar will be open for mom and dad’s refreshments (and/or kids‘ juice boxes)
Padded area available for crawlers and new walkers to play and explore.
12 and under are only $2 (babies under 2 years old are free) and everyone else is $6.

Ticket price includes applicable sales tax.

Sunday, January 7, 2024
Hybrid | Poet Quartet: Kathy Nelson, Nicole Farmer, Kenneth Chamlee, Stevie Edwards
Jan 7 @ 4:30 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore/Café

Join us at 4:30 pm for our monthly poetry reading series coordinated by Mildred Barya. This month’s event features Kathy Nelson, Nicole Farmer, Kenneth Chamlee, and Stevie Edwards.

This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online. The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

Monday, January 8, 2024
Hybrid | UNC Press Presents Elizabeth Engelhardt and Diane Flynt
Jan 8 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore/Café

This is a hybrid, dual-author event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online. Join Elizabeth Engelhardt for her book, Boardinghouse Women: How Southern Keepers, Cooks, Nurses, Widows, and Runaways Shaped Modern America, and Diane Flynt for her book, Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South.

Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Leicester Library Book Discussion Group
Jan 9 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Leicester Library

This month we’re discussing Homecoming by Kate Morton.   The Leicester Library Book Discussion Group meets the second Tuesday of each month at 1 pm in the Community Room at the library. Newcomers welcome!
A Zoom link is available for those who want to attend but cannot make it in person. Email [email protected] for the link.

Consent Book Club
Jan 9 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
TBA

Register so we can reach out and contact you as we prepare for our first meeting! Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.

Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)

Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th

December – January Consent Book Club
Jan 9 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
tba

Our VOICE will be hosting a book club beginning this winter! Fill out the form to sign up as we have a limited amount of space!. Our first book selection will be Creating Consent Culture by Erica Scott and Marcia Baczynski. Books will be distributed at the first meeting and bus passes will be provided. This club will be offered in English, but we are looking to provide more opportunities in the future!

Books will be distributed at the first meeting. This book club is for adults 18+.

Meetings will be on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7pm (meeting location will be emailed once attendance is finalized)

Below are all the meeting dates:
December 5th
December 12th
December 19th
Skipping December 26th
January 2nd
January 9th
January 16th
Skipping January 22nd
January 30th

Live Stream | AMA with Lauren Harr of Gold Leaf Literary
Jan 9 @ 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Virtual w/ Malaprop's Bookstore
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – 5:30pm to 6:00pm
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 – 5:30pm to 6:00pm

Join Lauren Harr, co-founder of Gold Leaf Literary Services, to ask burning questions about the book world, author events, and the business of writing.

This event is scheduled to occur monthly at the dates and times listed above.

To join, email [email protected] with the subject “I have a question!” and you’ll receive the Zoom link for the upcoming event.

Founded by two long-time booksellers in 2016, Gold Leaf Literary Services is dedicated to educating and assisting authors in various stages of their careers. For more, visit www.goldleafliterary.com.

Hybrid | Idiot Men: Scott Gould in conversation with Sebastian Matthews
Jan 9 @ 6:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online.

The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. 

Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event. 

Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.

This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, you may order a signed copy online below. If you would like to have your book personalized, please order online or call the store at least two hours before the start of the event. When ordering online, use the comments field to provide a name for personalization, e.g. “To Paul.” NOTE: We do our best to get books personalized when requested but personalization is not guaranteed.

If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!


Idiot Men provides the stage for wayward characters who make poor choices in life and love against a backdrop of elegant prose. These tales recalibrate morality and convention as readers will grow to love the characters despite—and perhaps because of—their flaws. These diverse, rich stories are ultimately connected by the spellbinding voice of a true Southern storyteller.

You’ll meet a truck driver whose wife flees to Jamaica with her lover, leaving him to babysit her hairless tomcat, Princess Di; a male nurse who discovers a trailer full of counterfeit NASCAR paraphernalia during a home health visit; an amateur arsonist sentenced to a year in a Smokey the Bear suit; a disgruntled roofer with a bad back and a meth-dealing twin brother…these are just a few of the idiot men you’ll encounter in a collection of stories that will appeal to readers who relish literature with a Southern flavor.

Scott Gould was born, raised and still lives in South Carolina. His first book, Strangers to Temptation—a linked story collection the Atlanta Journal Constitution called “a compulsive read” and Foreword Reviews dubbed “funny, often poignant, and not easily forgotten”—was published by Hub City Press in 2017. Of his debut novel, Whereabouts (Koehler Books), the Atlanta Journal Constitution said, the book is “distinctly Southern but gritty, without a whiff of moonlight and magnolias.” Gould’s memoir, Things That Crash, Things That Fly (Vine Leaves Press), was released in March of 2021, and a second novel, The Hammerhead Chronicles, was published by the University of North Georgia Press in early 2022. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Kenyon Review, New Stories from the South, Black Warrior Review, Carolina Quarterly, Pithead Chapel, Garden & Gun, New Ohio Review, Crazyhorse and The Bitter Southerner, among others. He is a two-time winner of the S.C. Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose and the S.C. Academy of Authors Fiction Fellowship. He lives in Sans Souci, South Carolina with a cat and a dog, and teaches creative writing at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities. He is always pulling for the Braves.

Sebastian Matthews is the author of the memoir In My Father’s Footsteps (W.W. Norton & Co.) as well as two collections of poetry, We Generous and Miracle Day, both published by Red Hen Press. A third collection, Beginner’s Guide to a Head-on Collision, came out from Red Hen Press in 2017. Along with Stanley Plumly, Matthews is the co-editor of three volumes: The Poetry Blues: Essays and Interviews of William Matthews (University of Michigan Press), Search Party: The Collected Poems of William Matthews (Houghton Mifflin), a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, and New Hope for the Dead: Uncollected Matthews (Red Hen Press). His poetry and prose have appeared in or on, among others, American Poetry Review, The Atlantic, Blackbird, The Common, From the Fishouse, Georgia Review, Massachusetts Review, New England Review, Poets & Writers, storySouth, The Sun, Tin House, Virginia Quarterly Review, Writer’s Almanac, and Writer’s Chronicle.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Pack Library Book Club
Jan 10 @ 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. We read and discuss a variety of book genres. The book for January 2024 is “Solito” by Javier Zamora.

Newcomers are always welcome! If you have any questions about book club, you can email [email protected] .

Learn Libby with the Experts
Jan 10 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
online w/ Pack Memorial Library

Join a one-hour Getting Started with Libby ONLINE webinar, and learn Libby with the Experts!

From downloading the app & signing in, to searching & borrowing titles, placing holds, adjusting reading settings, and more, our Libby experts are here to get you started. The session will close with a mini-quiz and live Q&A.

Want to learn Libby, but can’t attend one of our monthly sessions live? Sessions will be recorded and emailed to everyone registered 24 hours after the webinar. Please register to receive the recording.

To register go to this link:
overdrive.zoom.us…

If you don’t have the Libby app downloaded on your device already, you can download the Libby app on most iOS and Android devices. Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play store and search for Libby. Your result should be Libby, by OverDrive, and the app is FREE! You can also use Libby in your web browser by going to libbyapp.com. Webinar is set in Eastern Time. If you would like to show the time in your zone, click on “Time shows in Eastern Time (US and Canada)” and choose your time zone.

AVL Tech Connect
Jan 10 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
The Track at Asheville

Join the growing tech scene in Asheville and connect with fellow developers and designers in town. Each event will include a presentation (or two) and the opportunity to discuss technical, design, and product challenges with our talented community of creators and engineers.

Interested in presenting? Apply here: https://forms.gle/bJyj9AK9ruJpXzYX6

AVL Tech Connect starts at 5:30 with 30 minutes of socializing and presentations start at 6:00.

Event series supported by: AVL Digital Nomads, Venture Asheville, and the NC Biotech Center

Hosted at The Track at Asheville, there will be an opportunity to experience the thrill of SIM racing toward the end of the event.
Sign up and help us spread the word!

Hybrid | Old Crimes with Jill McCorkle
Jan 10 @ 6:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 – 6:00pm

This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online.

The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. 

Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event. 

Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event. Note the important event details on the RSVP form.

This event includes a book signing. If you would like a signed book but can’t attend in person, you may order a signed copy online below. If you would like to have your book personalized, please order online or call the store at least two hours before the start of the event. When ordering online, use the comments field to provide a name for personalization, e.g. “To Paul.” NOTE: We do our best to get books personalized when requested but personalization is not guaranteed.

If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!


Old Crimes delves into the lives of characters who hold their secrets and misdeeds close, even as the past continues to reverberate over time and across generations. And despite the characters’ yearnings for connection, they can’t seem to tell the whole truth. In “Low Tones,” a woman uses her hearing impairment as a way to guard herself from her husband’s commentary. In “Lineman,” a telephone lineman strains to connect to his family even as he feels pushed aside in a digital world. In “Confessional,” a young couple buys a confessional booth for fun, only to discover the cost of honesty.

Profoundly moving and unforgettable, for fans of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Lily King, the stories in Old Crimes reveal why McCorkle has long been considered a master of the form, probing lives full of great intensity, longing and affection, and deep regret.

Jill McCorkle has the distinction of having published her first two novels on the same day in 1984.  Of these novels, the New York Times Book Review said: “one suspects the author of The Cheer Leader is a born novelist.  With July 7th, she is also a full grown one.” Since then she has published five other novels—most recently, Hieroglyphics—and four collections of short stories. Five of her books have been named New York Times notable books and four of her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories.  McCorkle has received the New England Booksellers Award, the John Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Thomas Wolfe Prize; she was recently inducted into the NC Literary Hall of Fame. McCorkle has taught at Harvard, Brandeis, and NC State where she remains affiliated with the MFA Program in creative writing and she is core faculty in the Bennington Writing Seminars.

Thursday, January 11, 2024
Mindfulness guided reading with children’s author Jennifer Fae
Jan 11 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library
Would you love to teach mindfulness to your kids but haven’t had the time or been able to get in a regular routine? Join children’s author Jennifer Fae in a guided meditation reading of her book, My Big Heart.  A book signing will follow. Books can be purchased after the program or online at jenniferfae.com. The author has even created a free audio that goes along with the book that you can play before bed each night. Grades k-5 and their caregivers are welcome.
Code with Asheville Monthly Meeting
Jan 11 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
online

Are you curious or even passionate about using advocacy, technology and sensible design to create more equitable social and civic structures in Western North Carolina?
Whether you call yourself an organizer, a technologist, a designer, planner, concerned resident, all of the above or something else entirely, we want to be in relationship and build community together with you.
Check out a list of our current projects: https://github.com/CodeForAsheville/projects
What to expect:
Since project work takes place asynchronously—individually and in smaller squads—the goals of our monthly gatherings are to:

  • build relationships and learn about each other’s skills, interests and goals,
  • learn what we are doing across the organization (project updates),
  • provide opportunities to get involved with and/or initiate projects, and
  • shape where we are going as an organization, co-creating the culture and course of our work together.

In this meeting, we will:

  • gather virtually using Zoom for group video chat,
  • do brief introductions, with a prompt,
  • share updates about the projects that we’re working on, highlighting deliverables for the next month and areas where additional resources would be useful, and
  • discuss proposals and new opportunities to engage with local government and community organizations.

It isn’t all glamorous, but the stakes are low for showing up and we’d be delighted to join together with you in this work.