Skip to content

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.

Monday, March 18, 2024
Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection
Mar 18 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. Begun in 1962 in Wisconsin, it was a student of Littleton’s that first came to the area in 1965 and set up a glass studio at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. By 1967, Mark Peiser was the first glass artist resident at the school and taught many notable artists, like Jak Brewer in 1968 and Richard Ritter who came to study in 1971. By 1977, Littleton retired from teaching and moved to nearby Spruce Pine, North Carolina and set up a glass studio at his home.

Since that time, glass artists like Ken Carder, Rick and Valerie Beck, Shane Fero, and Yaffa Sikorsky and Jeff Todd—to name only a few—have flocked to the area to reside, collaborate, and teach, making it a significant place for experimentation and education in glass. The next generation of artists like Hayden Wilson and Alex Bernstein continue to create here. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. Exhibitions, including Intersections of American Art, explore glass art in the context of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum’s Collection.

Weaverville Elementary School – Spring Musical Finding Nemo Kids
Mar 18 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Weaverville Elementary School

Spring Musical

Finding Nemo KIDS

2nd-4th Grades

Mondays

2:30pm-4:00pm

2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29

*No Class 4/1/2024

Dress Rehearsal: 4/22 2:30-4:00pm

Performance: 4/29/2024 3:30pm

Tuition: $270

Students will learn all about teamwork as they work together with their classmates and a professional Teaching Artist to perform scenes and songs from a short musical. Each actor will receive their own part with lines and songs to learn. Class time will be used for rehearsal and a performance complete with costumes and props will take place on the final class day.

In Person at Weaverville Elementary School

129 S Main St, Weaverville, NC 28787

 

BCDP Phone Banking
Mar 18 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Buncombe County Democratic Party HQ

Bring your laptops and fully-charged cellphones for this in-person phone bank session! We will be making calls to increase voter participation throughout Buncombe County during these regularly scheduled phone banks on Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings.

If you don’t have a laptop, we have several at HQ, so just be sure to bring your email login information so we can get you started. If you already have an Action ID User ID & password, bring those as well. (If you don’t have one, we’ll help you get set up with one after you arrive.)

After making calls at HQ, you’ll be encouraged to continue making calls from the comfort of your home afterwards.

We will have plenty of refreshments on hand, and we hope you’ll keep coming back, because this phone banking community is growing and having lots of fun!

Who should attend: Democrats and left-leaning unaffiliated voters welcome!

Common Word Community Read: “Political Violence as Terrorism”
Mar 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
UNCA--OLLI Reuter Center, Manheimer Room 102

Free

On March 18, Mark Gibney, Carol G. Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science at UNC Asheville, will discuss the link between politics, violence, and terror, relating the events of this semester’s Community Read book, “Wilmington’s Lie,” to contemporary crises around the globe.

The event will be from 6-8 p.m.in the OLLI Reuter Center, Manheimer Room 102. It is free and open to the public. Register to attend here. Live streaming will be available.

“Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy,” by David Zucchino, is the most complete and in-depth account of the massacre of Wilmington’s Black community as well as the violence and the political and media campaign that followed.

Since 1984, Gibney has directed the Political Terror Scale (PTS), which measures levels of physical integrity violations in more than 185 countries. He is also one of the founding members of the Extraterritorial Obligations (ETO) Human Rights Consortium, which in November 2011 produced the Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In 2011, Gibney was recognized by the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association as a Distinguished Human Rights Scholar and in 2006 he received the International Human Rights Award from the North Carolina Coalition on Human Rights.

This is the second of a three-event series, the Common Word Community Read, which brings the UNC Asheville community together each semester around a shared text to engage in a collective educational experience that features lectures and discussions in a welcoming and respectful environment. The program is curated by Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author, alumnus of the class of 2000, and UNCA’s Executive Director of Literary Arts.


Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event, please contact the Event Organizer (see below). Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may park in faculty/staff and All Permit lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.
Prior to 5pm, any visitor (regardless of their reason for visit) need to adhere to the current practices listed on the parking website. Get your visitor parking permit here

Community Reparations Commission
Mar 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Harrah's Cherokee Center- Asheville

Free and open to the public

Mission

The members of the Reparations Commission were appointed by Asheville City Council on March 8, 2022, and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on March 15, 2022.

The Reparations Commission is empowered to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism. The task of the Reparations Commission is to issue a report in a timely manner for consideration by the City and other participating community groups for incorporation into their respective short-term and long-term priorities and plans.

Follow the Community Reparations Commission’s progress as they work to make short, medium, and long-term recommendations to Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Commissioners.  You can access the Reparations Project Page at PublicInput.com/avlreparations.


Background

On July 14, 2020, the Asheville City Council passed a resolution supporting community reparations for Black Asheville.  The resolution calls for the city manager to, “establish a process within the next year to develop short, medium and long term recommendations to specifically address the creation of generational wealth and to boost economic mobility and opportunity in the black community.”

Definitions of reparations include:

”The action of repairing something”

“The making of amends for wrong or injury done”

“The making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged”

In an effort to repair the harm done by decades of discrimination, the city manager and city staff have recommended a 3 phase process that includes:

  1. Information Sharing and Truth-Telling;
  2. Formation of a Reparations Commission; and
  3. Finalize and Present the Report.

Regular Scheduled Meetings

The regular meeting schedule is the third Monday at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall located at 87 Haywood Road, Asheville (downtown) unless otherwise noted.  Members of the public are welcome to attend.

All meetings will be streamed on the City’s YouTube PageBuncombe County’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/buncombeGov, and the City’s Engagement HUB.


Impact Focus Area Meetings

Commission members will serve on at least one of the five Impact Focus Area workgroups based on the charge in the City Council’s resolution:

  • Criminal Justice
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health & Wellness
  • Housing

The schedule for 2023 is HERE.  Please check this page for any updates to the schedule.

The work groups are responsible for:

  • Analyzing detailed information on the impact focus area and reporting key findings to the full commission.
  • Each work group will be comprised of fewer than 13 voting members.
  • Commission members may serve on more than one work group.
French Broad Democrats Precinct 41.1 Monthly Meeting
Mar 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
online

Get acquainted with your Democratic neighbors and our candidates. Help build our Get Out The Vote actions to elect Democrats locally, state-wide and nationally in 2024, while building more connections in our own neighborhood. JOIN US!!

Who should attend: Democrat and Dem leaning unaffiliated neighbors in Alexander French Broad Pct 41.1.

Healing Sound Bath + Meditation
Mar 18 @ 6:30 pm
Happy Body

Join us as we embrace the arrival of spring with our Sound Bath and Meditation Workshop. Awaken your senses, align your spirit, and embrace the renewal of the season. Reserve your spot now for an evening of deep relaxation and inner harmony.

· Cacao Ceremony

· Meditation and Journaling

· Healing Sound Bath

Happy Body Biltmore Village – 25 Reed St. Suite 210 – $49pp

22nd Asheville Fringe Festival: Film Shorts
Mar 18 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Grail Moviehouse
Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia
Mar 18 @ 7:00 pm
DSSOLVR

TRIVIA-post-super-rob-banner

DSSOLVR PRESENTS:

ROBERT’S TOTALLY RAD TRIVIA

Every Monday, at 7:00 PM, come on down

Trivia with Billy
Mar 18 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The River Arts District Brewing Company

Trivia with Billy

prizes and more

QUIZZO PUB TRIVIA Hosted by Jason Mencer
Mar 18 @ 7:30 pm
Jack of the Wood


Hosted by the witty & sagacious Jason Mencer, our epic pub trivia night runs every Monday from 7:30-9:30pm! Plus $5.00 well drinks all night!

Come test your brain power with tasty pub fare, an adult beverage or two — and a team of your smartest friends! Win prizes each round and crow a little about what a smarty-pants you are!

TURNOVER with MSPAINT, Drook, Lawn Enforcement
Mar 18 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

ALL AGES
STANDING ROOM ONLY

TURNOVER
The title track of the band’s new album, Myself in the Way, speaks to this mindset. “I can’t put myself in the way of love again,” sings Getz, “I promise I’m going to go all the way with you,” is specifically about Getz getting engaged to his longtime partner, but applies to the general outlook he had toward life in lockdown. “I was living in Sebastopol, California at the time and felt like I truly lived there for the first time since I wasn’t leaving for tour. I was able to go meditate at the Zen Buddhist dojo down the road, run and bike around the hills in Sonoma county, learn about plants and gardening, take some Spanish and arboriculture classes, and get involved with the volunteer fire department. Just do a bunch of new things to challenge and inspire me in a natural way.”

 

Turnover’s other members also used the time to deepen interests they hadn’t been able to fully explore before covid. Bass player Dan Dempsey was in New York City and responded to lockdown by spending more time practicing his visual art in drawing and painting. He painted the album’s cover during this period and developed a style that has become a central theme for the band in its current iteration. Drummer Casey Getz found work at a Virginia Beach state park as touring continued to be postponed. He was in search of and inspired by having a work-life balance different than he’d experienced since he was younger. Through this, he was able to nurture current relationships more and find new ones, something touring made much more difficult. This led to Casey playing drums with a group of longtime friends in Virginia Beach and further developing his drumming style – adding a new prowess for fluidity and improvisation through lengthy jam sessions with the group. Guitarist Nick Rayfield was focused on sharpening his guitar and piano playing and was able to devote energy to skateboarding and his retail business more than he had been able to for the last few years. This was also the band’s first album with Rayfield making songwriting contributions after touring with them for years as a live member, adding a new creative element to the songs.

MSPAINT
It’s exceedingly rare to hear something truly original. Something that’s actually breaking new ground, something that maybe we don’t even have words for just yet. Something like MSPAINT. In a time when so much musical territory feels well-trodden, MSPAINT are the exception. On their debut full-length Post-American, the Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based four-piece draw on everything from hardcore, to hip hop, to synth-punk, and beyond to make an unabashedly weird amalgam that sounds as fresh and compelling as it is instantly satisfying.

DROOK
Drook is a pop band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 2019, the group splices together elements of indie, rock, and electronica, focusing them all to a single point on their recordings. Drook’s live show puts this synthesis on full display, bringing energy and dynamism to the band’s musically diverse catalog.

LAWN ENFORCEMENT

Monday Night Dance: Community contra dance
Mar 18 @ 8:15 pm – 10:30 pm
St. George's Center for Art and Spirit

Welcome to our weekly community contra dance in West Asheville!  The Monday Night Dance has been around for decades, and we are carrying the torch forward! We are a loving, kind, and safe dance community and highly encourage masking during the dance. No derogatory comments in relation to masking will be tolerated! We encourage non-maskers to mask while partnering with a dancer wearing a mask, or to at least ask if the person would like them to mask while they dance with them.

Practicalities

Time: Contra dancing 8:15–10:30pm, with a beginner lesson starting at 7:45 and a waltz session ending the evening.

Location: St. George’s Center for Art and Spirit, 1 School Rd., Asheville, NC 28806

Cost: $12–$45 sliding scale, CASH ONLY. Please pay as much as you can afford to cover the cost of the wonderful live music, the caller, sound person, rent, and other expenses! ATMs are available at banks on Patton Ave., as well as cash back options at local gas stations and grocery stores.

Requirements: Face masks and sign-in agreeing to the dance’s Safety Guidelines.

Please enter through the front red doors to the sanctuary. Extra parking available in the lots between Moore’s Foot and Ankle and St. George’s (please avoid parking in front of their practice.) This is a scent-free dance. Please bring your own water and water bottle. Beginners are encouraged to attend! Beginner-friendly dances start the contra dancing in lieu of a lesson.

Community Focus

The Monday Night Dance is more than just a dance; the community is deeply rooted. Folks are welcome to sell their wares, like jewelry, dance shoes, dance clothes, pottery, etc. They are also welcome to leave business cards and help wanted or work needed ads. Additionally, the Take Some Leave Some Closet is a new feature of the MND. You can take any clothes, food, produce, feminine products or first aid supplies that we have, and as you are able you can also leave some to replenish. Private times to receive from the closet can also be arranged during the week depending on to the dance organizer’s availability.

Safety

We emphasize safety here at the MND. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged, and courtesy to those choosing to mask is required. No discrimination to those wearing masks will be tolerated! In addition, this is a family and LGBTQ-friendly dance and a safe event for ALL races, ethnicities, genders, ages, shapes, and sizes. Accordingly, no discrimination, inappropriate sexually predatory behavior, racist or discriminatory comments, bullying, or verbal or physical abuse of ANY kind will be tolerated. See our Safety Guidelines for more info.

Volunteers and Donations

Ours is a dance built on volunteerism, and we need your help to survive! Please consider volunteering or becoming a patron by giving a monetary gift. Opening, door and closing help are some of the volunteer jobs available. Those completing their entire shift dance free! Email [email protected] for more info and to sign up. 

Finally, please follow, like and join us on Facebook!

Thanks so much and see you on the dance floor!

Tuesday, March 19, 2024
2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle
Mar 19 all-day
online

TAKE THE WHEEL & WIN BIG

Mosaic Realty and United Way invite you to take the wheel
and win big while doing good in the 2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle

 

AAAOne lucky winner will walk away with the keys to a new 2024 Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent). Your purchase is both transactional and transformative with each ticket purchase going to support the work of 15 high-impact local nonprofits.

Don’t miss this opportunity to fuel community change! Purchase your ticket today (or come back and purchase additional tickets, you can purchase as many as you want up until the date of the drawing).

AAA

Benefiting Nonprofits

 

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville on Bikes

Asheville City Schools Foundation

Asheville Humane Society

Beloved Asheville

Blue Ridge Orchestra

Bountiful Cities

LEAF Global Arts

MANNA Food Bank

Mountain Housing Opportunities

Sparc Foundation

Thrive Asheville

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

YMI Cultural Center

 

AAA

The drawing for the winner of the Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent) will be held at Mosaic Realty’s Art Walk & Benefit event on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Asheville Art Museum at 9:00 PM. Raffle ticket purchasers do not have to be present to win. For more information about the Art Walk & Benefit, visit Mosaic Realty’s event page.

 

2024 Flex Passes Parkway Playhouse
Mar 19 all-day
online w/ Parkway Playhouse
Accepting Nominations for Clean Air Excellence Awards
Mar 19 all-day
online

The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency (AB Air Quality) is now accepting nominations for our twentieth annual air quality awards program. The goal of the Clean Air Excellence Awards is to recognize businesses and organizations that have truly gone above and beyond regulatory requirements to improve air quality for the residents of our area. Past years’ award recipients have included Dynamite Roasting Company, Eaton Corporation, and Western North Carolina Veterans Affairs Health Care System; each initiated voluntary efforts that improved air quality in the Asheville-Buncombe County Area.

Award guidelines explain the criteria for the awards and different categories of awards apply to different types of permitted facilities, organizations, and individuals that would like to nominate themselves or another entity for consideration.

To submit a nomination for a Clean Air Excellence Award, please download the application form online and include a brief summary describing what was done to improve air quality for Buncombe County.  Examples of voluntary pollution prevention measures include:  significant energy efficiency upgrades, switching to more environmentally friendly and lower-emitting solvents and cleaners, installing renewable energy systems, and upgrading fleet vehicles to more fuel-efficient or lower-emitting models. We ask that nominations be submitted to our Agency by April 12, 2024. We encourage you to submit any and all efforts your company (or another company or organization) has undertaken to reduce emissions. Agency staff are available to assist with emissions-related questions.

More information and the application form are available at abairquality.org. Please contact Ashley Featherstone at 828-250-6777 or [email protected] with questions.

Art Walk + Benefit RAFFLE
Mar 19 all-day
online

TAKE THE WHEEL & WIN BIG

Mosaic Realty and United Way invite you to take the wheel
and win big while doing good in the 2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle

 

AAAOne lucky winner will walk away with the keys to a new 2024 Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent). Your purchase is both transactional and transformative with each ticket purchase going to support the work of 15 high-impact local nonprofits.

Don’t miss this opportunity to fuel community change! Purchase your ticket today (or come back and purchase additional tickets, you can purchase as many as you want up until the date of the drawing).

AAA

Benefiting Nonprofits

 

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville on Bikes

Asheville City Schools Foundation

Asheville Humane Society

Beloved Asheville

Blue Ridge Orchestra

Bountiful Cities

LEAF Global Arts

MANNA Food Bank

Mountain Housing Opportunities

Sparc Foundation

Thrive Asheville

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

YMI Cultural Center

 

AAA

The drawing for the winner of the Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent) will be held at Mosaic Realty’s Art Walk & Benefit event on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Asheville Art Museum at 9:00 PM. Raffle ticket purchasers do not have to be present to win. For more information about the Art Walk & Benefit, visit Mosaic Realty’s event page.

Asheville Performing Arts Academy Summer Musical Theatre Camps: Registration Open
Mar 19 all-day
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

We’re offering TWO grade levels this summer for our workshops:

  • Younger Ages (Rising 1st – 3rd Grade)
  • Older Ages (Rising 4th – 10th Grade)

Camps run Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm

Finding Nemo Workshop

June 17-21, 2024

July 8-12, 2024

July 29- Aug 2, 2024

Moana Workshop

June 24-28, 2024

July 15-19, 2024

August 5-9, 2024

Pirate Palooza Workshop

July 1-5, 2024

The Little Mermaid Workshop

July 22-26, 2024

Our Musical Theatre Workshop camps center around favorite stage musicals, where students will learn musical numbers and perform a shortened production at the end of each week. Campers will not only perform in many dance numbers and scenes but will work on the technical aspects that all productions need, like sets, props, and costumes.

Brevard Music Center’s 2024 Summer Festival Subscriptions
Mar 19 all-day
online

2024 Subscription Packages

One of America’s premier music festivals, Brevard Music Center’s 2024 summer lineup features a diverse offering of symphony, opera, chamber, jazz, bluegrass, and Broadway performances. The season will be highlighted by Legendary Artist Wynton Marsalis, who will appear with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in three extraordinary concerts in late June. Additional festival highlights include classical masterpieces Prokofiev 5Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in FStrauss’s Ein Heldenleben, and world premiere concertos by two of today’s top composers; Janiec Opera Company productions of The Threepenny OperaFlightLa Bohème, and An Evening of Jerome Kern and Friends; a family-friendly film with live orchestra presentation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™ in Concertand BMC Presents lighter concert fare featuring Bryan SuttonDavid SanbornAoife O’Donovan, and Béla Fleck.

Led by Artistic Director Keith Lockhart, Brevard’s hallmark is the powerful sense of community that re-emerges every June as faculty and students work together to present over 100 performances and events to more than 40,000 enthusiastic fans from across the country. Primary BMC performance venues include the 1800-seat, open-air Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium and the 400-seat Parker Concert Hall.

Package List

  • Golden Ticket (Thursday)

    Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Thursday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

    Save 25% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Golden Ticket (Saturday)

    Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Saturday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

    Save 25% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Symphony Series

    Description: Receive all sixteen (16) symphony events at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium.

    Save 20% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Compose Your Own

    Description: Purchase at least eight (8) eligible* events from our summer season.

    Save 15% on single ticket prices.

    *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, and Legendary Artists Series are not eligible for inclusion.

  • Opera Lovers (Thursday)

    Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Thursday night events: FlightLa BohèmeThe Threepenny Opera, and An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

    Save 10% on single ticket prices.

    Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Opera Lovers (Saturday)

    Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Saturday afternoon events: FlightLa BohèmeThe Threepenny Opera. Includes one (1) ticket to the following Thursday evening event: An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

    Save 10% on single ticket prices.

    Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Parker Concert Hall Summer Series

    Description: Receive all twelve (12) Parker Concert Hall Summer Series events.

    Save 15% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Flex

    Description: Purchase at least three (3) eligible* events, and receive a 5% discount off single ticket prices.

    Flex tickets cannot be purchased during the subscription renewal/purchase phase and will be available during the donor presale to qualifying purchasers.

    *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, Legendary Artist Series are ineligible for this discount package.

    This discount will activate automatically once you add the required number of eligible events to your cart.
Buncombe Extension Master GardenerSM Helpline Opens for 2024 Gardening Season
Mar 19 all-day
NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener

Have your garden and plant questions answered. There are three ways to contact the Master Gardener Helpline:

Call 828-255-5522

Email questions and photos to [email protected] or stop by the extension office hours:

Mondays – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesdays – 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Thursdays – 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Code Purple: Emergency Weather Program
Mar 19 all-day
Asheville
Code Purple illustration
code purple

As cold weather moves into the region, many in our community turn their thoughts to the unhoused population and the additional hardships they face during winter months.

One of the most immediately responsive assets is the Code Purple program.

Driven by community organizations, this effort provides emergency shelter to people experiencing homelessness during freezing weather.

 

The Code Purple program kicks off this year on October 15, 2023 and runs through April 30, 2024. During that time members of the Homeless Coalition will determine when a Code Purple will go into effect. You can find details about the program in the Code Purple Manual

 

Exciting news about the expansion of services this year.

 

When a Code Purple Can be called. 

Code Purple emergency shelters and services are typically available at 32 degrees or below. A Code Purple may also be enacted this year when temperatures are 33-40 degrees with precipitation.

 

Additional Beds

ABCCM has 75 beds available between their Veterans Restoration Quarters and Transformation Village sites.

The Salvation Army will also participate this year, adding 16 new Code Purple beds for  people who are unhoused to seek shelter in extreme weather

A recorded message will be available at 828.398.6011 confirming that Code Purple is operational and providing information about shelter locations.

How is the City continuing to support this community-driven initiative?

  • The City of Asheville, once again, agreed to fund 50-thousand dollars of the Code Purple from this year in their annual budget.
  • ART buses will continue to over free rides to shelters for those in needs
  • Community Responders will assist in the transport of individuals on an “as needed” basis
  • The marquee at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center will post messaging indicating when a Code Purple will be or is in effect.

 

Stay Connected

To join the Homeless Coalition’s distribution list to receive notifications about when Code Purple is called, email [email protected].

Community Recreation Grants
Mar 19 all-day
online

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation will open its Community Recreation Grants application on February 5, 2024. The application window will remain open until March 29, 2024. The project application and supporting guidelines will be posted on the Buncombe County Grants webpage, located at www.buncombecounty.org/grants.

Eligible projects must:

  • Belong to a nonprofit organization.
  • Improve the quality of life within our community through the promotion of recreational initiatives that emphasize health and wellness, outdoor recreation, environmental education, athletics, and/or cultural experiences.
  • Operate in Buncombe County serving primarily Buncombe residents.

Preferred applications will:

  • Foster an atmosphere of inclusivity by extending recreation opportunities to underserved or underrepresented populations such as BIPOC and rural communities.
  • Promote goals highlighted within the Buncombe County Strategic Plan.
  • Promote recreational opportunities that emphasize health and wellness, outdoor recreation, environmental education, athletics, and/or cultural experiences.

For any questions, email [email protected].

Growing Minds Farm to School Mini-Grant
Mar 19 all-day
online

Farm to School Funding

Growing Minds Farm to School Funding Opportunities

We want to help fund your farm to school project in Western North Carolina! Mini-grants are available for schools to engage children in the following farm to school experiences:

  • Local food taste tests & cooking demonstrations
  • Incorporating local food into meals or snacks
  • Farm field trips or farmer visits to preschools and classrooms
  • Growing edible gardens

Funding can be used to start new projects, or to expand upon existing activities.

Pre-k through 12 schools and homeschool groups are eligible to apply. Schools must be located throughout our 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina. 

  • Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain
  • Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania
  • Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey
  • Foothills, NC: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Rutherford
  • High Country, NC: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes

Growing Minds 2023-24 Farm to School / Preschool Funding

Applications are due by: March 31, 2024 and recipients will be selected by April 15, 2024.       

ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.

Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Receive up to $500! The amount awarded will be based on availability of funding, number of applicants, and the scope of your project. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.

If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. 

Hey Asheville: City Comedy Tour • Ages 13+ Only
Mar 19 all-day
LaZoom Room Bar & Gorilla

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

Duration

1 hour and 30 minutes

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Historical and hysterical, The Hey Asheville tour features outrageously entertaining tour guides, outlandish comedy skits complete with special appearances and loads of Asheville information. You’ll get to see the best of downtown Asheville and the rarely seen but stunningly beautiful Montford neighborhood, not to mention the burgeoning River Arts District! You’ve never had a ride like this. It’s like a vaudeville show on wheels!

Find out what makes Asheville so unique on LaZoom’s City Comedy Tour. It’s the perfect mix of history, comedy, and entertainment. Our guides are trained professional actors working with an original script. It’s like a theatre on wheels! The tour highlights downtown Asheville, historic neighborhoods, the South Slope, and the River Arts District.

Age Restrictions

13 and up. No exceptions.

Stops

10 minute beer & bathroom break at Green Man Brewery

What’s Included

Guided tour of Asheville on a Purple Bus
Funny actors, fun bits
Actual History about Asheville
Green Man Brewery Stop

What’s Not Included

Beer/Wine (Must be purchased from LaZoom or the Brewery Stop)
Cash! You’ll want to tip the guides for changing your life for the better.

Hop-on/Hop-off SIGHTSEEING TOUR
Mar 19 all-day
Asheville Area

There is no better way to DISCOVER and EXPLORE Asheville!  Hop-on board one of Gray Line’s nostalgic trolleys for a fully narrated day tour, highlighting the history, homes, hang-outs and hot spots of this “city of surprises.”

Tour Highlights include  .  .  .  Downtown Asheville  |  Montford Historic District  |  The Grove Park Inn and Grove Park Historic District  |  Thomas Wolfe District  |  Pack Square and Asheville Art Museum  |  Grove Arcade  |  River Arts District  |  Biltmore Village

Hop-On and hear the story of a city rich in architecture, history and the arts  . . .

Hop-Off and experience its eclectic shops and galleries; its world class culinary and craft brew scenes.

Tour Duration:  The complete tour (one loop) lasts approximately 90 to 100 minutes.  There is an additional 15 minute stop at the Asheville Visitor Center.  The Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour ticket is valid for TWO consecutive days.

Departure Points: Join the Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour at any of the 10 stops.  If you’re driving in to join the tour, Stop 1, the Asheville Visitor Center may be your best option.  The Visitor Center, located at 36 Montford Ave. just off I-240 at Exit 4C, offers free parking (on a first come-first served basis) and restrooms. The Asheville Visitor Center is the ONLY place to join the Overview Tour.

Parkway Playhouse 2024 Season Tickets
Mar 19 all-day
online

2024 Flex Pass

The 2024 Flex Pass gets you 4 tickets to use as you’d like for the 2024 Mainstage Season.

2024 Flex Pass Plus

The 2024 Flex Pass gets you 5 tickets to use as you’d like for the 2024 Mainstage Season.

 

2024 Mainstage Season

 

Minister of Sorrow
Written by Pam Kingsley
Directed by Noah Stout
Showing May 17-19, 2024

It is 1937. Emma is a pack-saddle librarian who came to her calling by way of a painful route. We learn of her life as she shares some of her favorite people in stories. Our 2023 Appalachian Playwriting Festival Winner.

 

Little Women
Written by Kate Hamill
Adapted From the Novel by Louisa May Alcott
Directed by Erika Tyner
Showing June 7-16, 2024

Based on the literary classic, this play explores what it means to be a woman, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. We follow the story of Jo March and her reckoning with society, growing older, and finding her way as a writer with her sisters by her side. Each one exploring similar but different struggles and wins. Set to a backdrop of the Civil War, this play is a reflection of the waves of change that bookmarked author Louisa May Alcott’s life.

Almost, Maine
Written by John Cariani
Directed by Michael Lilly
Showing June 28-July 7, 2024

One night, a place that’s not a place, and six actors collide for this heartwarming play. A collection of vignettes, Almost, Maine shows us a story of falling in and out of love, bearing through life, and the magic of the unknown. Northern lights shine on these nine short plays and show us the beauty of Almost.

Ordinary Days
Written by Adam Gwon
Directed by Jeff Catanese
Music Direction by Lynda Shuler
Showing August 9-18, 2024

Connections are all around us in this impactful play. Lost items, missed taxis, tragedy, they’re all red strings that tie us to one another. Comedic at times, poignant at others, this musical features four characters whose stories are just a handful in the 8.3 million others that create the vibrance of the New York City landscape.

Vanities
Written by Jack Heifner
Directed by Marci Bernstein
Showing September 6-15, 2024

Chronicling the lives of three best friends from Texas, this show follows our cast from girlhood to adulthood and explores their differentiating opinions on life, experiences, and the future. Beginning in 1963 Texas and landing in New York in 1974 this play is an honest and real reflection of the impact of a changing world through a bittersweet comedic lens.

SINGLE SHOW TICKETS

Non-Musicals

Adults: $24
Seniors (60+), Students (18+ with ID), Military (active or retired): $22
Children (under 17): $12

Musicals

Adults: $26
Seniors (60+), Students (18+ with ID), Military (active or retired): $24
Children (under 17): $15

Junior Productions

Adults: $15
Children (under 17): $10

Registration for Tanglewood Youth Theatre Classes
Mar 19 all-day
online w/ Asheville Community Theatre

Tanglewood Summer has long been a successful and inspirational part of children’s creative education in Western North Carolina. Our theatre camp has been extremely popular and is well-suited for any young person interested in exploring the exciting world of theatre. Our faculty represents some of the finest talent in the area, and we are thrilled to have them at Tanglewood Summer.

We have something for every kid this summer – whether it’s your first or one-hundred-and-first time trying theatre, Tanglewood Summer is the place for YOU!

Spring Break Day Camps registration open
Mar 19 all-day
Buncombe County Parks

Spring Break Day Camps: This year, Buncombe County Parks & Recreation is offering a new spring break day camp program for youth ages 8-12. These day camps will take place on April 2 at Charles D. Owen Park and on April 4 at Lake Julian Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. These nine-hour days will be filled with various workshops and skills courses by Asheville Sailing Club, Buncombe County’s Environmental Educators, and Parks & Recreation staff. Workshops vary by location and date. The cost per day camp is $10. Pre-registration is required. While snacks and beverages are provided, students must bring their own lunch. Registration opens on March 4 and closes on March 27.

Spring Homeschool Classes + Summer Camps
Mar 19 all-day
Forest Floor

What is Forest Floor?

Forest Floor is a place where kids:

  • Are free to be kids; to play, laugh,  shout, and run wild the way we did when we were kids.
  • Can find others who love nature as much as they do and find support and friendship in peers.
  • Can spend time with adults who really care about their developmental journey and want to hear their stories.
  • Can explore who they really are and be celebrated for being themselves.

Forest Floor provides high quality Nature-Connection Mentoring programs with lasting benefits for health, concentration, and emotional well-being.

We  get your kids outdoors to think, connect, learn, make, and move.

And most importantly, to have fun!

We use a proven mentoring system and have small classes with mentor-camper ratios of just 1 to 7. Your kids will get more than just outdoor activity, they will be subtly coached and encouraged to reach their greatest potential.

New to Forest Floor? Check out our must-see videos below to get a sense of what we’re all about: A Day at Forest Floor, and Why Nature Connection? 

Upcoming Asheville Camps & Homeschool Programs

Summer Camps

Summer Camp registration will proceed under a limited lottery system thru February 5. On  February 6, open enrollment without limits will commence.

Summer Camps are back for another big season in the field, forest, and smithy. Camps fill quickly and we suggest you pre-register and take part in the lottery system. We have a new shuttle van registration system as well.

Summer campers playing archery games posing with bows on top of big boulder near Asheville

Spring Homeschool Programs

Spring Homeschool programs are now open for registration.

We’re back with a full slate of varied weekday programs for Ages 6-16 running Monday-Friday, beginning February 26.  And we have added a 2nd program location, in the Leicester/Sandy Mush area.

 

Jedi training at forest-based homeschool program children holding poses on rock formations

Spring Blacksmithing Saturdays

Blacksmithing Saturdays Spring sessions are now open for registration, and Parent/Child Blacksmithing is back! The Winter session is now in progress and registration is closed.

Our Spring 2024 season includes a five week session in March/April for teens, and a Parent & Child session meeting four times in April/May.

 

Blacksmithing project under way with glowing curled metal on anvil
Stormwater: TAKE ACTION
Mar 19 all-day
WNC

Introducing RiverLink’s year-long campaign to recruit absolutely everyone to help restore the health of the French Broad River.

Untreated rainwater (also known as stormwater) flows off hard surfaces such as parking lots and roofs, and carries sediment, pollutants and bacteria with it, negatively impacting water quality. The sheer volume and velocity of rain runoff is the biggest threat today to the French Broad River.
Our campaign includes educational resources and action steps everyone can take to protect our rivers and streams here in Western North Carolina. You’ll also find real-life stories of local people taking action to reduce rain runoff at their homes and businesses. We want YOU to join us!

As a resident or business owner in WNC, you can be part of the solution. Here are four ways to take action to reduce rain runoff and protect our rivers and streams:

  • Disconnecting Your Downspout
  • Installing Rain Barrels
  • Implementing Rain Gardens
  • Other Green Infrastructure

Rain Garden Guide

Interested in creating an eco-friendly oasis? Read more about the benefits and steps to set up your rain garden.

Downspout Disconnect Guide

Learn how to disconnect your downspout and its benefits for sustainable stormwater management.

Rain Barrel Guide

Discover an affordable and easy-to-install solution for collecting rooftop runoff.

WaterRICH Guide

The FREE WaterRICH Guide will teach you how to harvest rainwater, create garden features which promote water seeping into the soil (stormwater features), and reduce outside water needs.

Ready to spread the word about river health and reducing rain runoff?