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.
Join us for the 2nd Annual Creative Market benefitting The SPARC Foundation. Our home office – literally, we’re in a big house on Chestnut Street – will be filled with local artists in every room. From sweets and savories to paintings and pottery, you’re bound to find an original treat with your name on it. Metal and wood designs, succulent plant arrangements, jewelry, photography, paintings and more!
Come shop in our warm home office Saturday, March 7th from 10am-2pm and benefit the work of the SPARC Foundation. SPARC ignites connections to education, employment and mentorship to strengthen the well-being and personal freedom of people and families in need.

Registration is open for UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run, an annual fun run that celebrates all things Pi(e). This year’s event will be held on Pi Day, Saturday, March 14, at Pi time, 3:14 p.m. Runners will run 3.14 miles around UNC Asheville’s campus and celebrate with pie at the finish line. The event is open to the public with an early-bird rate of $15 before Feb. 15. Runners who sign up before March 1 will receive a t-shirt and swag bag, and registration continues through March 14 at a cost of $20, with on-site registration and check-in starting at 2 p.m. the day of the race. Visit unca.edu/pi-run to sign up.
The 2020 Pi Day Run will start from UNC Asheville’s Quad and circle University Heights three times, via campus sidewalks, concluding with pie at the finish line. The fun run includes a pie baking contest, judged by Math Leaders from the Marvelous Math Club, with prizes awarded, and this year will feature a raffle. Registration includes a raffle entry for each runner. Registration also is available for the pie contest, without the run, by filling out the interest form at unca.edu/pi-run.
Proceeds from the annual Pi(e) Run will benefit the Asheville Initiative for Math at UNC Asheville and its Marvelous Math Club at Pisgah View Community Center. Marvelous Math Club is a partnership between UNC Asheville, Asheville Housing Authority, and Asheville City Schools. The Club uses math as a catalyst to build leadership skills, create community and provide a space for individualized academic support and social-emotional growth.
Yedoye Travis is a stand up comedian, actor, and writer from Atlanta, GA. He is the creator and host of the Dark Tank podcast, which AV Club called “one of the most deliciously daring shows of the moment.” He was named a New Face at the Montreal Just For Laughs festival in 2017 and has since headlined festivals around the country and appeared on Comedy Central, TBS, CBS, and Netflix and written for MTV, IFC, Viceland, Crunchyroll, and Frederator. His debut album, OK, produced by Comedy Dynamics, was released January 2018.
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $14 day of
FRIDAY Doors at 7:30, show at 8pm: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-yedoye-travis-friday-tickets-90845544469
SATURDAY doors at 9, show at 9:30: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-yedoye-travis-saturday-tickets-90847568523
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

Registration is open for UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run, an annual fun run that celebrates all things Pi(e). This year’s event will be held on Pi Day, Saturday, March 14, at Pi time, 3:14 p.m. Runners will run 3.14 miles around UNC Asheville’s campus and celebrate with pie at the finish line. The event is open to the public with an early-bird rate of $15 before Feb. 15. Runners who sign up before March 1 will receive a t-shirt and swag bag, and registration continues through March 14 at a cost of $20, with on-site registration and check-in starting at 2 p.m. the day of the race. Visit unca.edu/pi-run to sign up.
The 2020 Pi Day Run will start from UNC Asheville’s Quad and circle University Heights three times, via campus sidewalks, concluding with pie at the finish line. The fun run includes a pie baking contest, judged by Math Leaders from the Marvelous Math Club, with prizes awarded, and this year will feature a raffle. Registration includes a raffle entry for each runner. Registration also is available for the pie contest, without the run, by filling out the interest form at unca.edu/pi-run.
Proceeds from the annual Pi(e) Run will benefit the Asheville Initiative for Math at UNC Asheville and its Marvelous Math Club at Pisgah View Community Center. Marvelous Math Club is a partnership between UNC Asheville, Asheville Housing Authority, and Asheville City Schools. The Club uses math as a catalyst to build leadership skills, create community and provide a space for individualized academic support and social-emotional growth.
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Hello Flat Rock Playhouse Patrons, Donors, Friends, and all-around ‘Peeps!’
Please take a few minutes to take the survey and help us as we begin planning for the 2021 season and beyond. We’ve listed a pretty large range of shows because we want to know what you’re interested in seeing on the stage. Please choose your TOP 10 favorites in each category; Musicals and Plays. You will also have the opportunity to write in a title or author that may not otherwise be listed. Please only choose ten of each so we can narrow down your preferences.
As an added note, we endeavor to give you exactly what your heart most desires. That said, there are many factors that go into selecting shows. Are the rights available? Can we afford to produce it properly? Does it align with our Union obligations? These questions and many more are all part of the process and influence what productions we select. It’s important to everyone at Flat Rock Playhouse that we deliver as much of what the audience desires as we can whenever we can.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your preferences with us. We are hugely grateful for the insight!
Sincerely,
The Artistic Team
Flat Rock Playhouse
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
ASHEVILLE!
Get glammed up with Magical Fairy Hair!
You can wash, brush, comb, curl, flat iron, (up to 450°!), color, perm, blow it dry, get your haircut, etc.
Do whatever you normally do to your hair -but most of all; ENJOY IT!
Lasts until your hair sheds!
Space is limited. Sign up now for your Fairy Hair Sparkles!
Sign up at FairyKimSparkles.com/calendar
Hello Flat Rock Playhouse Patrons, Donors, Friends, and all-around ‘Peeps!’
Please take a few minutes to take the survey and help us as we begin planning for the 2021 season and beyond. We’ve listed a pretty large range of shows because we want to know what you’re interested in seeing on the stage. Please choose your TOP 10 favorites in each category; Musicals and Plays. You will also have the opportunity to write in a title or author that may not otherwise be listed. Please only choose ten of each so we can narrow down your preferences.
As an added note, we endeavor to give you exactly what your heart most desires. That said, there are many factors that go into selecting shows. Are the rights available? Can we afford to produce it properly? Does it align with our Union obligations? These questions and many more are all part of the process and influence what productions we select. It’s important to everyone at Flat Rock Playhouse that we deliver as much of what the audience desires as we can whenever we can.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your preferences with us. We are hugely grateful for the insight!
Sincerely,
The Artistic Team
Flat Rock Playhouse

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in cooperation with the I.R.S, N.C. Dept. of Revenue, Buncombe County Library System and Council on Aging, Inc. will again offer free tax Preparations for low and moderate income taxpayers, with special attention to those age 60 and older. Both Federal and N.C. State tax returns will be electronically filed for safe and accurate preparation with faster refunds.
This service will be available from Feb. 1-April 15, at sites listed below. Please note that some locations have different start dates as several libraries will be hosting early voting for the Presidential primaries in February.
Tax help for Weaverville will be held at the Brookstone Baptist Church and tax help for West Asheville will be held at the West Asheville Presbyterian Church. All tax help locations can be found at irs.gov.
Bring the whole family and come join us and over a thousand runners in celebrating St. Paddy’s Day weekend by running in Downtown Greenville, SC. This fun, festive, and competitive race benefits Palmetto Children’s Charities 2020 beneficiaries: Camp Spearhead, Compass of Carolina, Meyer Center for Special Children, and Pendleton Place.
Come for the Dash, but stay for the Bash!!!

Asheville Catholic School presents the 14th Annual Shamrock Run on Saturday, March 14. There are two races: a 5K and a 10K, both of which start and finish at ACS and run through the beautiful neighborhoods of North Asheville. A fun run will precede the start of the 5K and 10K. The 10K will start at 9:00 AM and the 5K at 9:15 AM. The Fun Run will begin at 8:30 AM. All events benefit the O’Brien and William Edward Gibbs Memorial Scholarship Fund. The event will be three days before St. Patrick’s Day this year giving everyone a perfect way to celebrate this fun holiday. There will be great food, beer, and a DJ before and after the races.
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center celebrated the opening of its newest traveling exhibit, “Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions” on Saturday, January 18, 2020. The exhibit will run through the July 4th weekend at MGM, located at 24 Water Street in Old Fort. Admission is free.

Hundreds of Dealers & collectors. Thousands of electric and acoustic guitars, amps, effects and accessories.
NEW, OLD, VINTAGE AND USED
.
Join us on Saturday, March 14 for the first annual NOC Work Hard, Play Hard Job Fair!
Managers from NOC’s Adventure, Retail, Restaurant and HR Departments will be available for open interviews, giving you the opportunity to be hired on the spot! To register in advance, send your resume to our HR office by clicking “Register Now”! Browse a list of open opportunities at noccareers.com.
All offers will be conditional pending successful background and reference checks.

Registration is open for UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run, an annual fun run that celebrates all things Pi(e). This year’s event will be held on Pi Day, Saturday, March 14, at Pi time, 3:14 p.m. Runners will run 3.14 miles around UNC Asheville’s campus and celebrate with pie at the finish line. The event is open to the public with an early-bird rate of $15 before Feb. 15. Runners who sign up before March 1 will receive a t-shirt and swag bag, and registration continues through March 14 at a cost of $20, with on-site registration and check-in starting at 2 p.m. the day of the race. Visit unca.edu/pi-run to sign up.
The 2020 Pi Day Run will start from UNC Asheville’s Quad and circle University Heights three times, via campus sidewalks, concluding with pie at the finish line. The fun run includes a pie baking contest, judged by Math Leaders from the Marvelous Math Club, with prizes awarded, and this year will feature a raffle. Registration includes a raffle entry for each runner. Registration also is available for the pie contest, without the run, by filling out the interest form at unca.edu/pi-run.
Proceeds from the annual Pi(e) Run will benefit the Asheville Initiative for Math at UNC Asheville and its Marvelous Math Club at Pisgah View Community Center. Marvelous Math Club is a partnership between UNC Asheville, Asheville Housing Authority, and Asheville City Schools. The Club uses math as a catalyst to build leadership skills, create community and provide a space for individualized academic support and social-emotional growth.
Join us for the grand opening celebration!
‘Wake’, Mel Chin’s giant animatronic sculpture, installed in New York City’s Times Square last summer, will be on view in Asheville, from March 15 to September 7, at 44 Collier Avenue. Chin, a WNC based conceptual artist, was named a MacArthur Fellow in September 2019.
This event is free and open the public.
Starting March 16th, visitors can experience Wake daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The full schedule of programs is available at ashevillearts.com/public-art
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
Hundreds of Dealers & collectors. Thousands of electric and acoustic guitars, amps, effects and accessories.
NEW, OLD, VINTAGE AND USED
.
On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.
Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching.
Parking Fees
- Members: Free
- Personal Vehicles: $14
- Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
- Buses: $100
There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.
This Discovery Channel documentary released in 2015, is full of beautiful and horrifying images that are not easily forgotten. From majestic whale sharks to slaughtered manta rays, the subjects of this new documentary reveal nature’s beauty and force viewers to confront the detrimental effects of human activity on the planet.
The documentary introduces its viewers to the Anthropocene, the geological age that began when human activities became a driving force for major geological changes. The film mixes cogent scientific facts with captivating images to convey the urgency of the crisis facing our planet—an emergency stemming from global climate change and mass species extinction.
Scientists predict that within the next 100 years, 50 percent of Earth’s species will become extinct if we continue down this path. Species go extinct regardless of human interference, but in the next decade alone, humans will drive other species to extinction ten times faster than normal.
Most of the film is dedicated to ocean quality because oceans are crucial to global stability. “When carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, between a third and a half gets absorbed by the oceans, making them more acidic,” said Louie Psihoyos, director of Racing Extinction, in the documentary. This increased acidity kills phytoplankton—the organisms responsible for producing half of the world’s oxygen supply—and harms many other oceanic creatures.
The film highlights recent and massive decreases in shark populations. The film also highlights the illegal market for shark fins in China, which claims the lives of 1.3 to 2.7 million sharks every year. Sharks have survived four mass extinctions in the earth’s history, but now human activity has decreased the shark population by 90 percent in one generation.
The documentary exposes specific ways that humans contribute to the changing geochemistry of the planet. According to Psihoyos, our livestock contribute more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than all direct emissions from the transportation sector. However, the film also recognizes our ability to solve these problems by providing pathways for people to live more sustainably: “If every American skipped meat and cheese just one day a week for a year, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road,”
The film concedes that large-scale geological changes are not simple problems to solve, but it advocates for people to find a way to help alleviate the problem. Overall, Racing Extinction drives home the message that saving the planet is worthwhile by unveiling the hidden beauty of the earth. The film inspires its viewers to maintain hope and convinces them to see and hear the beauty and vibrancy of the world that surrounds them.
http://www.yalescientific.org/2016/03/documentary-review-racing-extinction/
Join Dr. Neal Barnard on Mon., Mar. 16, 2020 at The Collider in Asheville to celebrate the release of his new book, Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health. Guests will hear remarks from Dr. Barnard about food’s effects on hormones and health.
Books will be available for purchase, and Dr. Barnard will be available to sign books.
Space is limited for this free event—reserve your spot now!



