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.
2025 THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride (GSMR)
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Bryson City, NC
Mark your calendars — December 5, 2025, through January 5, 2026 — the beloved Deck the Trees holiday tradition is back, bigger and brighter than ever!
Now celebrating 15 years, Deck the Trees will once again bring holiday wonder to Black Mountain and Swannanoa, all for a great cause. This cherished fundraiser benefits the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry (SVCM) Fuel Fund, which helps neighbors in need to keep their homes warm during winter.
This year’s theme, “Christmas in Music & Song,” will inspire more than 50 beautifully decorated trees across town. You’ll find many of them at Peri Social House, Tyson Furniture Company, and White Horse Black Mountain, plus dozens of other local businesses decked out for the season.
How It Works:
From December 5 to January 5, you can vote for your favorite tree(s) by donating $1 per vote. Vote as many times as you’d like. Every dollar goes directly to the SVCM Fuel Fund. Voting is easy:
-Scan the QR code at each tree to donate online
-Or drop cash or checks in the donation box next to the tree
(Online donations encouraged.)
Can’t Visit in Person?
A full list of locations — plus photos of every tree — will be posted soon on the SVCM Deck the Trees website so you can vote from anywhere.
Follow the Festivities:
Stay updated on this year’s dazzling displays and special moments by following SVCM on Facebook (facebook.com/svcmcares) and Instagram (@svcmwnc).
This holiday season, let your heart and your votes warm homes across our valley!
Step into the magic of the season at the Holiday Ice Rink at Asheville Yards – the destination for ice skating in Asheville, NC. Glide across our real, outdoor ice rink, surrounded by twinkling lights, festive music and holiday vibes.
Whether you’re planning a family outing, a festive date night or a weekend adventure, we have something for everyone to enjoy including holiday-inspired craft cocktails and hot chocolate, festive photo ops, a winter market and weekly theme nights.
Don’t miss your chance to create unforgettable memories this holiday season.
Admission to Asheville Yards is FREE to all non-skaters, all season long.
Magic of Lights is a dazzling, drive-through holiday lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Experience Magic of Lights from the comfort and safety of your own car as you wind through the sparkling path of Greenville’s best holiday tradition. Be sure to stop by Santa’s Village and the Enchanted Deer Forest for extra holiday magic! Kids 2 and under are free!
Step into the magic of Santa’s Village, where holiday cheer meets hands-on fun for the whole family. Feed and interact with gentle miniature horses, camels, Watusi cattle, pigs, sheep, alpacas, goats, waterfowl, antelope, and more—and don’t forget to purchase animal food to treat the many residents. Cuddle with bunnies, have your photo taken with a baby kangaroo, snap pictures with Santa in his animal barn, and visit the Grinch at his festive Grinch House.
Savor fresh coffee and pastries at Santa’s Sweet Delights, or enjoy hot cocoa, drinks, snacks, and food from our concession stand. Visit the souvenir shop for fun, colorful, and festive items, and leave your mark on the “feel good” graffiti board. Warm up by a crackling fire pit or the grand bonfire, roast marshmallows and s’mores, and steal a kiss under the mistletoe tree. Pose inside the giant lighted present, then find a picnic table to relax and take it all in.
Santa’s Village is more than a visit, it’s a memory in the making.
Included with admission
Capture that classic Christmas moment you and your children will never outgrow. Afterward, explore all that Antler Hill Village has to offer: ice cream at The Creamery, friendly animals at our Farmyard, plus Pisgah Playground, shops, restaurants, and an award-winning Winery.
Dates available:
November 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 28-30
December 6-7, 13-14, 17-24
Celebrate Christmas Eve with an elegant three-course prix fixe dinner featuring seasonal dishes and an optional wine pairing, accompanied by live piano music. This exclusive evening offers refined dining and festive charm in the heart of the Blue Ridge foothills. Reservations required. $95 per adult, $55 per child.
The Omni Grove Park Inn invites guests to experience the 33rd Annual National Gingerbread House Competition, showcasing over 45 extraordinary edible creations from bakers of all ages. Entries will be displayed throughout the resort from November 18, 2025, to January 4, 2026. The competition, held on November 17, offers more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. While judging is closed to the public, the public is welcome to view the displays after 6 p.m. on Sundays and anytime Monday through Thursday, excluding certain holidays and dates. Free but there is a parking fee.
Winter Lights is excited to provide an all-new premium trolley experience, in partnership with Biltmore Park Town Square and Gray Line Trolley Tours! Skip the lines and ride the Winter Lights Trolley!
Enjoy dinner and shopping at Biltmore Park Town Square before hopping on the Winter Lights Trolley to experience Winter Lights!
Ride the Winter Lights Trolley Friday November 28 and select Fridays and Saturdays in December. Trolleys depart from Biltmore Park Town Square every half hour, beginning at 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $50 per-person and available select dates only.
The day after Christmas, we’re keeping the celebration rolling with Anne Coombs and Company Funk!—the powerhouse, female-centric ensemble formerly known as Company Swing. Get ready to peel back the wrapping paper and reveal a night stacked with funk-a-licious grooves, soaring vocals, and the kind of infectious energy that’ll have you moving and grooving from the first beat to the last.
Bringing a fresh, dynamic spin to funk classics from the late ’60s to today, Company Funk! showcases the exceptional talents of seasoned musicians who know how to light up a stage. Their chemistry is electric, their rhythms tight, and their sound unmistakably their own. With vibrant presence and impeccable musicianship, they turn every show into an immersive, high-vibe experience.
If you love funk, blues, swing, or just great music played with passion, this is the show you don’t want to miss. Come unwrap the funk—and keep the holiday spirit going strong!
Winter Lights is excited to provide an all-new premium trolley experience, in partnership with Biltmore Park Town Square and Gray Line Trolley Tours! Skip the lines and ride the Winter Lights Trolley!
Enjoy dinner and shopping at Biltmore Park Town Square before hopping on the Winter Lights Trolley to experience Winter Lights!
Ride the Winter Lights Trolley Friday November 28 and select Fridays and Saturdays in December. Trolleys depart from Biltmore Park Town Square every half hour, beginning at 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $50 per-person and available select dates only.
5:00-7:00 pm at Historic Courthouse on Main Street
A family-friendly celebration to ring in 2026. Hendersonville pays homage to its status as North Carolina’s Apple Capital by raising a giant apple on the plaza of the Historic Courthouse.
The free event features New Year’s Eve swag giveaways, a DJ dance party, hot cocoa, games and craft vendors. All leading up to the apple rise countdown at 7 p.m. Perfect for families with young children or those who wish to enjoy an early, alcohol-free celebration.
New Year’s Eve party starts at 7:30 pm with 3WB playing and will end after midnight with house music. 3WB is a multi piece band with a horn section. One of the NC’s most entertaining and unique bands. 3WB mixes a tight rhythm section, soulful horn arrangements, vocal harmonies, artistic solos to entertain you, playing a mix of Rock and Roll, Blues, Funk, and Soul.
🌟 Begin Your New Year in Sacred Intention + Self-Love 🌟
Step into 2025 by nourishing your spirit and opening your heart through the healing vibrations of a Serenity Sound Bath. Allow the frequencies to wash over you, realign your energy, and awaken the peaceful wisdom within. ✨💖🌙
Join your host Kristin Hillegas, for a one-hour sacred sound immersion, where crystal tones and soothing vibrations gently clear what no longer serves you and invite harmony, clarity, and divine connection. 🎶💜✨
Experience the stillness. Feel the light within. Return home to yourself.
🧺 What to Bring:
A yoga mat, pillow, and/or blanket for comfort as you rest on the floor. Come in warm, cozy, flexible clothing that supports deep relaxation. 🧘♀️💫
📍 Location:
Upstairs in the Education Building at the Center for Spiritual Living Asheville.
Arrive beginning at 12:45 PM to choose your space. Doors will close promptly at 1:00 PM to honor the sacred container we create together. 🔔✨
💰 Sliding Scale: $10–$20
Accessible parking is available in the upper parking lot off S. Bear Creek Rd. A boardwalk walkway leads directly to the entrance. 🚗💫
✨ Give your soul the gift of presence.
✨ Let the sound gently reset your energy.
✨ Step into the New Year aligned, open, and renewed.
Spirited Improv is a 5-week expressive arts and spiritual development experience that invites you to play, heal, and reconnect with your creative essence. Unlike traditional improv, this series isn’t about comedy or performance techniques, it’s about presence, expression, and connection.
Guided by creator Jessica Chilton, a seasoned performer, expressive arts therapist, and spiritual practitioner, you’ll step into a welcoming space where vulnerability is met with love, creativity is encouraged, and every emotion has room to breathe. You’ll explore spontaneous movement, sound, character work, song, storytelling, ritual, and group co-creation. Each session includes grounding meditation, heart-centered intention, and spacious improvisational activities that awaken joy, courage, and curiosity.
Throughout the series, you practice releasing control and trusting the unknown, an experience participants often call “both liberating and deeply healing.” As the group’s trust and connection deepen, a final performance is created. It’s not scripted or rehearsed; instead, it emerges from the collective heart and the spiritual aliveness of the moment.
The closing performance becomes a celebration of everything you’ve reclaimed: your voice, your playfulness, your presence, your courage, and your connection to community.
Slice Standup Comedy Pageant Winter Finale
Thursday January 15, 2026
7:30p-9:00p, doors at 6:30p
The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge, 103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $18 (available at door or website)
These shows sellout!
Hosted by Hilliary Begley from Netflix & Amazon Prime!
Cocktails available while you laugh the night away to some of the area’s best Stand Up Comics in a ridiculously fun adult environment!!
Free snacks while availability lasts! You may bring your own food in (no drinks)!
Participants are 4 WINNERS of Fall/Winter Contests 8/21 & 10/16
Pageant Winner gets title and $150 cash prize.
Audience votes thru ballot!
Contestants:
8/21 winner Ryan Gordon
8/21 winner Derek Boskovich
10/16 winner Min McWilliams
10/16 winner Zakiya Bell-Rogers
Plus a runners-up battle for the wild card featuring comics who had the most votes but didn’t win a spot:
10/16 1st runner up Josie Beers
10/16 2nd runner up Zach Stephens
8/21 2nd runner up Aaron Naylor
The final pageant is more than just great standup! Contestants must vie for the title through games & questions from our celebrity judges. Audience votes thru ballot.
More info contact Michele at [email protected]
Wortham Presents The Comedy Zone: Sid Davis
Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm
Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm
Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Wortham Presents The Comedy Zone: Sid Davis
Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm
Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Fri & Sat, Jan 16 & 17 • 8 pm
Sid Davis impressed A-list comics with his unique style, earning “Best in Fest” honors at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival for three years. Discovered by Joan Rivers in 2014, he skyrocketed with ComedyTime TV. Candid about the medical condition that delayed his start, his 2020 Dry Bar Comedy special earned millions of views.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
They’ve graded the papers, survived the staff meetings, and lost their last ounce of patience… and now they’re taking it out on stage! Bored Teachers is BACK with brand-new jokes, bigger laughs, and the most relatable teacher comedy you’ll ever hear. For nearly a decade, Bored Teachers has been the #1 voice of teacher humor—racking up over 1 billion views, amassing 10 million+ followers, and hosting the #1 teacher-comedy podcast on the planet.
Since 2022, they’ve performed for 200,000+ teachers worldwide, and sold out 200+ theaters across 49 states, 5 countries, and 3 continents. Their BRAND NEW “Is It Friday Yet?!”” Tour starting January 2026 is more than a comedy show—it’s the ultimate night of laughter and solidarity for anyone who’s ever worked in education, taught a lesson, or just survived parent-teacher conferences.
Get ready to laugh until you cry as the funniest teacher-comedians in the world share their side-splitting stories, savage truths, and hilarious classroom confessions. Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, or just someone who’s been in school, this show will have you nodding, clapping, and hollering, “That’s SO TRUE!”
Warning: May contain PG-13 language, teacher truths, and uncontrollable fits of laughter.
They’ve graded the papers, survived the staff meetings, and lost their last ounce of
patience… and now they’re taking it out on stage!
Trae Crowder first gained international attention (or notoriety depending on your politics) in 2016 for his hugely viral series of “Liberal Redneck” comedic “porch rant” videos. Since then, Trae has written a best-selling book, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta The Dark, toured the country thrice over playing sold out theatre shows under the WellRED Comedy Tour banner, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), Nightline (ABC), The View, Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (MSNBC), NPR, WTF with Marc Maron, MTV, CNN, Huffington Post and in the Veronica Mars reboot, as “Chattanooga Charlie”, among many others. Initially from rural Celina, TN, Trae now lives in Los Angeles, CA and has developed and sold five scripted pilots for Warner Bros TV, ABC, and FOX and continues to work as a writer. Trae stars in and produces regular sketches for Comedy Central, Funny or Die, ATTN, Facebook Watch, New York Daily News which have garnered tens of millions of views online.
With more than 20 years as a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa is one of the top comedic voices in the country, finding success as an actor, host, and author, in film, TV, radio and podcasts as well as on the live stage.
The comedian has had 5 highly rated stand-up specials over the years, and he has recently released his 6th stand-up special, Tom Papa: Home Free as a Netflix Original on October 29, 2024. Papa holds nothing back in his third Netflix special as his kids are finally out of the house and it’s just him, his wife, and a bunch of animals ready to return to their glory days. Tom has seen a lot over the years from close calls with a pachinko ball to late night 7-Eleven runs and he’s sharing all his thoughts as he parties on into the next stage of life. His other critically acclaimed specials include What A Day!, Tom Papa: You’re Doing Great!, Human Mule, Freaked Out, and Tom Papa Live in New York City, two of which were directed by Rob Zombie.
Garrison Keillor will be bringing his one-man show to Spartanburg, SC for an evening of storytelling, poetry, and sing-alongs.
Staten Island native Sal Vulcano is best known for creating and starring in truTV’s long-running hit “Impractical Jokers,” and for “The Misery Index” on TBS. In addition to performing as part of The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe to sold-out arenas, Sal founded the No Presh Network in 2020, hosting “Hey Babe!” and “Taste Buds” podcasts. Sal’s debut solo comedy special ‘Terrified’ was released in May 2024 on YouTube.
Wortham Presents Joshua Lozoff: Life is Magic
Fri, Feb 20 • 7 pm
Awe-inspiring illusions. Mind-boggling mental demonstrations. Captivating storytelling. Prepare to be astonished as Joshua Lozoff includes audience members of all ages in this highly interactive show. As seen on Clueless, Cheers, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us, this enchanting performer will ignite your imagination.
Wortham Presents
The Comedy Zone: Michael Palascak
Fri & Sat, Feb 27 & 28 • 8 pm
Michael Palascak, featured on The Late Show and The Late Late Show, was a Top 5 Finalist on Last Comic Standing. Known for his sharp, personal material and likability, his specials 1984 and The Internet Live reflect his optimistic humor, including his YouTube series The Bright Side.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Fri & Sat, Feb 27 & 28 • 8 pm
Michael Palascak, featured on The Late Show and The Late Late Show, was a Top 5 Finalist on Last Comic Standing. Known for his sharp, personal material and likability, his specials 1984 and The Internet Live reflect his optimistic humor, including his YouTube series The Bright Side.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Wortham Presents
The Comedy Zone: Michael Palascak
Fri & Sat, Feb 27 & 28 • 8 pm
Michael Palascak, featured on The Late Show and The Late Late Show, was a Top 5 Finalist on Last Comic Standing. Known for his sharp, personal material and likability, his specials 1984 and The Internet Live reflect his optimistic humor, including his YouTube series The Bright Side.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Fri & Sat, Feb 27 & 28 • 8 pm
Michael Palascak, featured on The Late Show and The Late Late Show, was a Top 5 Finalist on Last Comic Standing. Known for his sharp, personal material and likability, his specials 1984 and The Internet Live reflect his optimistic humor, including his YouTube series The Bright Side.
The Comedy Zone: Back with a fresh lineup of powerhouse talent, this hit comedy series features comics seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, The Tonight Show, and more. Smart, fast, and fiercely funny—get ready to laugh out loud and leave smiling.
VIP table upgrades available.
Wortham Presents
Jane Lynch & Kate Flannery: The Trouble with Angels
Tue, Mar 3 • 7 pm
Join Emmy Award-winner Jane Lynch (Glee, Only Murders in the Building) and the hilariously charming Kate Flannery (The Office) for a raucous night of classic tunes, live comedy, and devilish charm. It’s part cabaret, part stand-up, and all sass—because when these angels get together, heaven can wait.