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.
Spoonin’: A Showcase of Handcrafted Spoons will open at Grovewood Gallery in Asheville on Saturday, September 14, with a reception from 2-5pm (free and open to the public). This group exhibition will include both functional and sculptural works from 18 notable artists from across the country, whose mediums range from wood to sterling silver and copper. Spoonin’ will remain on view through Sunday, October 13, 2019.
The program will explore different approaches of writing for two clarinets
and piano from all around the world. Italian music is showcased by
Amilicare Ponchielli’s “IL CONVEGNO,” which is a technically flashy and
enchanting piece for two clarinets and piano. Felix Mendelssohn provides
German music with his “CONCERT PIECE #1,” illustrating his whimsical
ideas and bold Germanic writing. French music is represented by Francis
Poulenc’s “SONATA” for two clarinets, where the listener is captivated by
hauntingly beautiful melodies. Czech music is featured in Franz Krommer’s
delightful “DUO CONCERTO” for two clarinets and piano. Finally, Clarinet
& Friends will feature a world premiere of a new piece by American
composer Donald Wheelock. The piece is called “SONATINA” and it is an
elegant work for solo clarinet.
The concert will feature pianist Vance Reese, clarinetist Eric Taylor and 16-
year-old clarinetist and founder of Clarinet & Friends, Aaron Lipsky.
Weekly tour to learn more about us and our production process. Tickets are $12 (no reservation needed)
https://www.facebook.com/events/242724763258957/?event_time_id=242724769925623
Walk a mile (plus) in the shoes of women who helped sow the seeds of the city’s vibrant cultural life on a guided tour of the Asheville Urban Trail, a series of sculptures spread throughout downtown that reveals the multifaceted story of this unique mountain town. Enjoy old-fashioned ladies’ luncheon fare at the iconic S&W Cafeteria, an Art Deco masterpiece where shoppers once gathered after hitting the downtown department stores, and learn about the region’s original farmer’s markets at the French bistro Bouchon. Then clink cocktail glasses on the porch of Julia Wolfe’s historic boarding house—the home where this shrewd businesswoman raised her son, the famed author Thomas Wolfe.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2699646356777210/
Save the date for our End of Summer Pop Up Market featuring some of Asheville’s finest artisans. Celebrate our Indian summer with shopping, bubbly, and tasty treats on Saturday, September 14th from 4-6pm!
Atlas Beauty will be hosting a market like no other that will feature local makers including Rachel Weisberg Apparel and Natalie Ray Fine Art, Sleep Swag, and Robin Lee Essentials, among other exciting brands!
At this all-encompassing festival, even humble clay gets its day. Playing an essential supporting role in the culinary world since 10,000 B.C., clay holds the power to impart flavor and character and retain moisture and temperature when molded into a vessel to store, carry, and cook food and drinks. Go straight to the source—the working ceramics factory of East Fork Pottery—for a fascinating dinner experience shaped by North Carolina’s deep pottery heritage. Learn how pots are made and try your hand at cooking in clay.
https://www.facebook.com/events/446216166176915/
This event is on fire! At one of Asheville’s most alluring hot shops, Lexington Glassworks, a 2,000-degree furnace keeps the party roaring. Get blown away by the colorful artistry of handcrafted glass and the food it inspires, with pops of color and fire inspiring a lineup of creative dishes crafted by talented local chefs. Savor the intersection of culinary arts, handcrafted glass mastery and performance at this highly curated experience.
https://www.facebook.com/events/957108917797567/
Live Music at NOC!
https://www.facebook.com/events/266144917466581/
Join us for “Saturday Night Lights,” a family-friendly event at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC, happening every Saturday evening May through October featuring FREE carousel rides, pony rides, bounce house, face painting, entertainers and live music, plus horse show competition. General admission and parking are also free and open to the public. With onsite dining options, concessions, shopping, and lodging, come for the night or for a vacation getaway! Learn more at Tryon.com/SNL.
Phone: 828-863-1000
Email: [email protected]
Four years into their healing journey from scars carried over half a century, Vietnam veterans from the Charles George VAMC Creative Writing Program, return for their third staged reading of Brothers Like These.
Please join us in affirming and celebrating the courage, selflessness, and reclaimed humanity of these veterans, as we at long last welcome them home. The evening is sponsored by the newly formed North Carolina Veterans Writing Alliance and hosted by former North Carolina Poet Laureate and Appalachian State University professor, Joseph Bathanti.
Join us for family fun and dancing as we host Queen Bee and the Honeylovers at Biltmore Park Town Square! Queen Bee and the Honeylovers hail from Asheville, NC and bring us upbeat jazz and swing music. Please join us on the green at Cecil Park in Biltmore Park Town Square, located in front of Hickory Tavern and Brixx Pizza. Music will begin at 7pm and last until 9pm. Beer, wine and Dippin’ Dots for sale on the yard.
We invite you to bring your family, friends and neighbors and enjoy a musical evening in Biltmore Park Town Square. Grab a blanket and join us in Cecil Park, the green space near Hickory Tavern and Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, for Concerts in the Park. The annual Concerts in the Park are held once a month, May – September, from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Concerts are FREE and open to the public. Come enjoy two full hours of live music, dancing and fun for the whole family.
***Concerts in the Park will be held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather the concert will be moved inside Hickory Tavern***
Excitement, spiritual anointing, family-emphasis, and musical excellence are what you can expect to find when you step across the threshold of the auditorium for an Evening of Family Worship and Praise with The Collingsworth Family. Since their first engagement together as musicians for a church camp in Petersburg, Michigan in August, 1986 until now, the ministry God has given Phil & Kim has expanded and flourished until it is a full-time livelihood that involves their entire family.
Ticket Prices: $20, $25, $30 Priority Seating
These two one act plays, twinned in theme, display the struggles of sexual abuse, and the aftermath; which is healing. The stories of two different persons are speaking the truth – or a truth – their truths – about going through this harsh and mind blowing journey. This powerful show has a bold message with a light at the end of the tunnel. Truth Be Told is written and directed by Monica McDaniel.
Truth Be Told will open the 2019-20 35below season and is also the inaugural play in Asheville Community Theatre’s Artistic Horizons program, a program that gives local artists the opportunity to pursue new creative paths in the theatre.
Jake Marshall Head is a southern stand-up comedian living in New York City. Jake made his television debut on Fox’s “Laughs.” He has been a regular guest on SiriusXM, and he’s appeared at numerous festivals around the country, including Comedy Central’s South Beach Festival, Laughing Skull Fest, & Seattle International Comedy Competition.
Featuring Mimi J Benfield
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-jake-head-tickets-67294889827
For the French aristocrat in all of us, this rough-cut, crown-emerald of a race sweeps participants through a mystical journey, back to a time, when the estate might have resembled an 15th century countryside plantation, complete with a game-stocked forest, working vineyards, and a cold mountain river rushing by. Racers on this day will be lords of the land they claim under fast plowing feet & spokes.
The Asheville off-road series of multi-sport events at Biltmore Estate consists of 3 main events, each come with various privileges for participation.
All three of the off-road events in September are entirely on the historic grounds of the Biltmore Estate property. The Asheville Duathlon and Gravel Grinder events both get to explore the west side of Biltmore Estate, which is typically off-limits to guests. Join endurance athletes of all abilities and step to the start line, hearts booming in anticipation, to challenge mind and body while competing in the Annual Multi-Sport event series held at Biltmore Estate.
Event is limited to 750 spots. We expect the 6th Annual Event to sell out prior to race day! Sign up as an individual, or a 2—3 person relay team for the AVL Duathlon.
Fast Track Your Nonprofit Career!
This extremely hands-on Leadership Development Program is proven to position professionals for long-term employment success.
How it Works
After completing the core requirements, students are awarded the CNP credential, which gets uploaded to LinkedIn and other digital platforms. Throughout the program, students receive career support and assistance connecting to nonprofit employers.
CNP Course Modules (approximately 12 months to complete)
The following courses makeup the curriculum required for the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP). Each course starts with a one-day workshop at the WCU Biltmore Park Instructional Site, that will be held on a Thursday or Friday, and is followed by 4 weeks of online content with discussion boards, presentations, and weekly assignments. There is approximately one week in between each course and a holiday break after the third course.
Festival Overview
In early Appalachia, chow chow, a crunchy pickled relish traditionally put up each summer, brought welcome sunshine to dinner plates during cold months. The condiment added color, brightness, nourishment, and a bright piquant zest that transformed the seemingly ordinary. By fermenting the garden’s final summer harvests, chow chow was a creative way to harness the earth’s resources in a jar for future culinary inspiration. Its ingredients were determined by the creative maker filling each crock, no two chow chow recipes quite the same.
Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, presented by Kimpton Hotel Arras, celebrates the area’s unique community of makers, each adding singular ingredients to the city’s recipe for culinary identity. From nationally recognized chefs to multi-generational farmers to millers, bakers, potters, weavers, and brewers, Chow Chow shines a light on the ancient creative spirit of the region that continues to make the Blue Ridge Mountains a delicious place to taste, to see, to explore and to experience through immersive culinary experiences.
Discover the alluring alchemy of mountain traditions, heirloom ingredients, and urban energy that inspire the James Beard-nominated chefs, sustainable farmers, innovative brewers, artisans, and foragers who commune at Asheville’s collaborative table.
Much like its namesake condiment, this unique festival is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Homework Diners take place weekly (except on school holidays or early release days). Families are invited to the cafeteria of the middle school during the scheduled time each week. No pre-registration is required to attend. Homework Diners currently take place at four area middle schools: Asheville, Enka, Erwin and Owen Middle. All are open to any family with a K-12 student in the surrounding school district with an adult family member in attendance with the participating student.
The 2019-20 Homework Diner schedule:
- Erwin Middle on Monday nights starting September 23, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
- Asheville Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5-7:00 p.m.
- Enka Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
- Owen Middle on Thursday nights starting September 26, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Buncombe County Recreation Services has opened the 2019-2020 cycle of Community Recreation Grants. The grants focus on supplemental funding for qualified organizations to promote innovative, inclusive, and sustainable recreational, fitness, and health and wellness initiatives within Buncombe County as well as community-based activities and capital improvements that increase recreational opportunities for the communities served. Grants may range in amount from $500-$6,000, depending on funding available and the number of qualifying applicants.
Eligible entities include Buncombe County non-profits focused on recreational, fitness, and health and wellness activities. These funds are intended to be a leveraging tool that promote partnerships between the County and area non-profits and are not a donation, funding stream, or sponsorship opportunity. Programs applying for funding should assist Buncombe County Recreation Services in achieving its mission and are required to provide clear timelines and explanations regarding funding requests. The objective of the grants is to extend the reach of the County in its recreation focus areas; grant applicants are required to articulate the estimated impact the grants will have on the community.
Want to Apply?
The grant application deadline is Friday, October 18, 2019. Late applications will be rejected. The Community Recreation Grant Committee will review applications in October and November with all organizations receiving an email notification no later than November 15, 2019.
ends on September 23, 2019 at 11:59pm ET, or when all 4,500 tickets sell out, whichever comes first.
Bob Moog Foundation announces its fall raffle featuring a coveted, fully restored vintage Memorymoog Plus synthesizer, formerly owned, played, and signed by Dr. Fink of The Revolution. The Memorymoog was part of The Revolution’s touring rig on the Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Parade tours.
Funds raised from the raffle will be used to expand the Foundation’s hallmark educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, currently inspiring over 3,000 elementary school students per year through the science of sound. The raffle will also help support the Foundation’s newest project, the Moogseum, an immersive, experiential facility that brings Bob Moog’s legacy and the science of sound and synthesis alive for people of all ages. The newly opened Moogseum is located in downtown Asheville, NC.
The Junior League of Asheville, Inc. (JLA) will hold its third annual Volunteer Expo, on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the Crowne Plaza Expo Center from 10am to 3pm. Modeled after a job fair, this free event will feature more than 70 local nonprofits looking to fill ongoing and future volunteer needs. Nonprofits in almost every area of community concern will be present at the event: health, poverty, legal aid, environmental stewardship, women’s issues, arts, civic leadership, technology, education and animal welfare.
Excitement for the Volunteer Expo continues to grow, with nonprofit participation growing year over year. The 2019 event featured over 70 non-profits with attendance at well over 1,000 community members coming to network and sign up to volunteer with nonprofit organizations.
The 2020 Volunteer Expo will be accepting applications starting in September. Due to the increase in interest for booths at the Expo, this year the League plans to review all applications received instead of awarding booths on a first come first serve basis. They hope this will ensure a good mix of volunteer opportunities in a variety of service areas as well as allow new nonprofits the chance to have a booth at the event. There will be a silent auction fundraiser, Cheers to Volunteers, the evening before the Volunteer Expo from 6pm to 9pm at the Masonic Temple in downtown Asheville. All community members are invited to attend both events. If you are a nonprofit interested in participating in the 2020 Volunteer Expo, please email us at [email protected].
The big North Carolina Mountain State Fair in Asheville is the official “state fair” of the western part of NC. More than 180,000 people attend the 10-day event that celebrates our people, agriculture, art and tradition. It’s fun for all ages, with plenty of exhibits, animals, food, rides and more. The fair is held at the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center, near the Asheville Regional Airport (I-26 East, exit 40). It’s a big place, so wear comfy walking shoes and allow time to see it all. Tip: Bring cash since credit card use is limited.
Hours
- Friday: Gates open 9 AM; Rides open 10 AM, close 1 AM
- Saturdays: Gates open 9 AM; Rides open 10 AM, close Midnight
- 1st Sunday: Gates open 9 AM; Rides open 10 AM, close 11 PM
- 2nd Sunday (Closing Night): Gates open at 9 AM; Rides open 10 AM, close 9 PM
- Monday-Thursday: Gates open at 3 PM; Rides open 4 PM, close 11 PM
Parking
FREE parking is available on fairground property and satellite property. Parking is located on Highway 280 at Gate 6. Satellite parking is located 1 mile South of Gate 6 (follow the signs) with free bus transportation to the fairgrounds (shuttle runs every 10-15 minutes).
Roots + Wings School of Art and Design is 10!!
Flock Together to celebrate 10 years of creating, connecting, playing, building, dreaming, laughing, making, learning, growing + loving! We’re throwing another party with a purpose to raise funds for our Community Outreach Programs in underserved Asheville Communities!
$10 admission: includes 3 tokens for activities, food + beer
$5 general admission: tokens for activities, food + beer for sale a la carte
3 free tokens if you bring in a book for the Colorful Pages Coalition (learn more Colorful Pages Coalition
More at rootsandwingsarts.com/flocktogether
Mojomatic is a funk-a-fied rockin’ blues band out of Asheville, NC.
Butch Giusto (keyboards/vocals)
Heather Landreth Wallen (vocals)
Lee DeVico (guitar/vocals)
Charlie Rapp (bass/vocals)
Josh Wellman (drums)
https://www.facebook.com/TheMojomaticBand/
http://www.mojomatic.net/
https://www.facebook.com/events/282802492438836/
Hola Carolina and THE BLOCK off biltmore Present: CommUNITY Salsa
Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia, Merengue, Kizomba y mucho mas!!
with DJ Edi
$5
beginner dance lesson begins at 9:00, DJ begins at 9:30
Todos los Sabados de 9-2
https://www.facebook.com/events/1043582389166757/?event_time_id=1043582509166745
Sinkane
w/ TBA
at The Mothlight
Saturday, September 14th
Doors 8pm, Show 9pm
Tickets: $15adv, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sinkane-tickets-61329545321
The following by Ahmed Gallab
……….
It’s easy to be angry in moments like now. And that’s OK. But it takes courage to turn that anger into productive energy. The previous Sinkane album, 2017’s Life and Livin’ It, was released at a very crazy time: things like the Muslim ban, police shooting unarmed people of color, massive corruption in my native Sudan, fake news, Donald Trump, Brexit and so many other calamities all really forced me to think about my place in the world as a musician. I began to think about how I could use my music in a constructive way — not only to help myself but to help others who feel frustrated and powerless.
I’m not a newbie to hate: I’m black, Muslim and even though I’m an American I’m often made to feel like a foreigner in my own country. And sometimes I do feel like a foreigner — in fact, I once made a whole album, 2012’s Mars, about that feeling. I’ve made a lot of music out of my life story but I’ve always kept things vague enough that anyone listening to my music could relate to it on their own terms. And yet I have to admit that I never truly felt satisfied with that. I eventually realized that, in order to truly connect with other people, I first needed to connect with myself on a deeper level than before.
Throughout the making of my new album I kept asking myself the same question: “As an immigrant to America, where do I belong?” So, during the writing process, I worked mainly by myself so that I could ensure the most honest and personal answers to that question. I read books by Joseph Campbell, the late novelist/cultural theorist Daniel Quinn, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid, and the late African-American memoirist Philippe Wamba, hoping they’d guide me to some kind of answer. Then, one day when I was wandering around the fertile desert of the internet, I stumbled upon an amazing word: dépaysé.
Dépaysé is a French word that basically means “to be removed from one’s habitual surroundings.” By extension, it means to be disoriented, homeless. That’s a feeling I relate to very much in these times — and I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way. That word gave me clarity and made the journey inward that much more exciting.
After I finished writing the album I brought the music to my band. Sinkane is an American band comprised of people from all over the world: I am Sudanese, guitarist Jonny Lam is Chinese, keyboardist Elenna Canlas is Filipina, drummer Chris St. Hilaire is Trinidadian, and bassist Michael “Ish” Montgomery is Black American. Our collective experience as children of the diaspora helped bring the music to life in the most honest way possible.
So here we are. Dépaysé is the story of an immigrant’s journey of self-discovery in the Trump era. The music is loud and raw, and it’s bursting with energy unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It starts with a call to arms: “Everybody,” a rock & roll song in the spirit of Sly Stone and funky early-’70s Afro-rock bands like the Funkees and the Hygrades. Every day we wake up to another horror story about racism, and it’s left many of us angry, confused and frustrated. But we can change the news for the better. We can show people that a multicolored world is a beautiful one. Celebrating our differences yields beauty in life. And that takes… everybody.
The second song of the album, the desert blues/dancehall-tinged “Everyone,” continues that line of thought to its logical conclusion: love is the key to helping us understand one another.
The psychedelic, groovy East African-inspired title track came to me in a dream: I dreamed I was walking the streets of Omdurman at night, a city along the Nile in my native Sudan, when I heard someone playing guitar and singing in Arabic. It turned out to be my father! He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, under a streetlight in front of my childhood home. His voice sounded hypnotic, raw and powerful as he sang: “I am your life/And all of our lives/From within the city until our uprising/Our days have left us in the city and, with our imagination, we move forward.” He sang that over and over, and I sing those same words in my song. This, along with the rest of Dépaysé, has given me peace. I am no longer afraid of the unknown. I’m no longer confused about my duality of my Sudanese and American identities. Now I accept it. And it’s made me feel new.
“Ya Sudan” and “The Searching” explore that duality. In “Ya Sudan” I pay homage to my country of origin and in “The Searching” I discuss what it means to move forward from that. Truly understanding one’s duality means seeing beyond where you came from: let go of any definition that others put on you and then you can truly see the beauty of your life experience. “Stranger” and “Be Here Now” address one of the most confusing aspects in the diaspora experience: religion. Lots of people have questions about their faith: What does this all mean? After all this work why do I still feel uncertain? What about all the bad people who are like me? And the good who are not? Those questions loom larger when you grow up with people different from you. I wanted to bring this up and let people like me know that they’re not alone in questioning their faith. I also thought it would be funny to spitefully ask God to take accountability for his actions. The Arabic lyrics translate to “Oh God, aren’t you our protector? Help me through these murky waters that seem part of your master plan.”
As always, I’m inspired by Sly Stone, Fela Kuti, George Clinton and Bob Marley, as well as the beautiful music of east Africa (especially the Dur Dur Band from Somalia, Mulatu Astatkefrom Ethiopia, and Mohammed Wardi from Sudan). These people all spoke their minds confidently in front of a beat that made you dance. They welcomed every kind of person into their worlds with open arms. We live in an often terrible time but that shouldn’t silence our desire to have a good time. To dance. To dream. To love. To be one with the world. To realize that we’re not alone.
I want Sudanese kids to see a person like them as a positive role model in the arts. I want Sudanese people, all over the world, to know that the world accepts us even when our own leaders, such as Omar El-Bashir or Donald Trump, do not. And ultimately, I want to make it clear that the world is a better place because of our differences. We’re all strangers in this ever-stranger land of America. We are all the American Dream. Dépaysé is a place we can all know as home, with elements of all our homes. It’s an act of imaginary cartography — on Mars, I called that place “Caparundi,” a place where Africa, North America, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean all meet in joyous harmony. The music is playing there all night long. Come in and dance and sing. And stay for the conversation.
Sincerely,
Ahmed Gallab
https://www.facebook.com/events/425086574950853/
Shake what yo momma gave ya, every Saturday 11pm-2am. Dance Party. No cover. Do it.
https://www.facebook.com/events/341354513259016/?event_time_id=341354629925671
September,13&14, 2019
Book direct for a rate of $144.00 before tax!
Experience the movie-inspired dancing, music, arts and entertainment with us Friday and Saturday. Friday starts with the Dance tents, entertainment, food trucks, wine and beer tent and then as the sun sets get nostalgic with a lakeside screening on Friday of the iconic film, Saturday learn dance steps, enjoy more entertainment, attempt the watermelon race or the famous lake lift. Rumbling Bald Resort does a great Dinner and Dancing under the stars on Saturday evening.
https://www.facebook.com/events/397498187689000/