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.

Saturday, March 7, 2020
Asheville Downtown Eats and Drinks Tour
Mar 7 @ 3:30 pm
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours

Downtown Asheville is known for its eclectic arts and culture and a vibrant food and drink scene that celebrates independent restaurants and locally-sourced ingredients. Learn about this gorgeous city on a Taste Carolina walking tour and discover why Asheville was hailed by National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine as one of the top 15 places in the world to “treat your taste buds”!

Asheville Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour – Asheville’s Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour is a spirited and delicious way to explore the city! You’ll enjoy substantial bites and sips on this guided walking tour, sampling savory and sweet favorites, most paired with small drink pairings. This tour visits Asheville’s hidden gems, including eclectic restaurants and bars, and specialty food stores. You’ll also learn about the history of the city, the architecture, and the incredible culinary scene from your tour guide. By the end of this tour, you will feel like a local!

Private and custom tours can be arranged for any day or night of the week for groups.

The Merrell Adventure Dash CANCELLED
Mar 7 @ 4:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Age: All Ages

The Merrell Adventure Dash is all about getting outside and challenging yourself to work hard for your good time. Suitable for families as well as adults, participants will negotiate a series of natural and man-made obstacles along the 5K course, including balance components, climbs and nets, a river-run, and raft crossing. This holiday weekend, enjoy a fun, family-friendly adventure run in the beautiful Nantahala Gorge. Merrell Adventure Dash participants can choose between the 5K dash or a 1K fun run. Kids aged 12 and under race free with a participating adult.

Registraion opens March 1, 2020. Check back for more details.
Onsite Registration is available from 1pm – 3:30pm day of. The race starts promptly at 4PM on 5/23/2020.

Remember to wear anything you don’t mind getting dirty!

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Mar 7 @ 5:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

 

RSVP: https://book.peek.com/s/50ebbb3e-2b93-4669-8868-b0e3f44b793d/6XVp?gaClientId=25825328.1537970504&pbf=_pbf_2&mode=embedded&xp=widget

Saturday Social: A Free Party!
Mar 7 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery

Join us at the Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery, right near campus, for some social time and the chance to network with the OGS community. Kick back and relax with your fellow farmers and gardeners with local brews (alcoholic & non-alcoholic options available) and snacks! Keep the conversation flowing and farm inspiration growing.

Sunday, March 8, 2020
2020 Spring Conference Kid’s Program
Mar 8 @ 8:30 am – 5:45 pm
Mars Hill University

Growing Wild Forest School is excited to provide a dynamic, nature-based Kids Program at this year’s OGS Spring Conference. Our talented staff educators believe in nurturing kids outdoors to help them grow and reach their full potential.  We believe in supporting and engaging the whole child, inside and out. We will offer crafts, science experiments, outdoor activities, and indoor and outdoor play opportunities on the Mars Hill University campus during the conference hours. Children should be dressed to go outside and be comfortable for outdoor play activities. Snacks and water bottles should be brought each day. We will break for lunch from 12:45-1:45 for children to eat with their parents or caregivers.

  • March 7th and 8th, 2020, 8:30-5:45 (lunch break, children eat with parents 12:45-1:45)
  • Location: Check in and headquarters will be in Spilman Parlor at Mars Hill University, though kids will be out and about exploring the campus throughout the day!
  • Cost: $40/day for single day registration, $60 for two day registration
  • Ages: potty-trained to 12 years old

Parents, please provide daily snacks and water bottles, along with a change of clothes for younger aged children. Please have children dressed for outdoor play, as we do plan to go outside

 

Asheville Downtown Eats and Drinks Tour
Mar 8 @ 11:00 am
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours

Downtown Asheville is known for its eclectic arts and culture and a vibrant food and drink scene that celebrates independent restaurants and locally-sourced ingredients. Learn about this gorgeous city on a Taste Carolina walking tour and discover why Asheville was hailed by National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine as one of the top 15 places in the world to “treat your taste buds”!

Asheville Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour – Asheville’s Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour is a spirited and delicious way to explore the city! You’ll enjoy substantial bites and sips on this guided walking tour, sampling savory and sweet favorites, most paired with small drink pairings. This tour visits Asheville’s hidden gems, including eclectic restaurants and bars, and specialty food stores. You’ll also learn about the history of the city, the architecture, and the incredible culinary scene from your tour guide. By the end of this tour, you will feel like a local!

Private and custom tours can be arranged for any day or night of the week for groups.

9th Annual Wing War
Mar 8 @ 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Crowne Plaza Hotel

The tickets sell out in literal minutes, so be sure to sign up for our mailing list and be the first to have receive Early Bird offers and first access when tickets go on sale. SIgn up at www.ashevillewingwar.com

This year, the event benefits My Daddy Taught Me That. My Daddy Taught Me That is a program designed to support the development, uplift, and education of youth and young males. The organization’s focus is to teach young men how to transition from the young teen adolescent time in their lives into responsible young men; focusing on good decision making, accepting responsibility, and being accountable for their actions

How Much: $50 VIP (includes wings and beer)

$25 General Admission (includes your first ten cluck bucks)

How it Works:

150 VIP Tickets available for purchase which include wing samples, unlimited beer, early admission and a pint glass

500 General Admission tickets

General admission tickets holders can purchase wings for between $1 – $2/piece

 

UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run
Mar 8 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
UNCA starting on the Main Quad

Pi symbol, event basic information with running track in the background

Registration is open for UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run, an annual fun run that celebrates all things Pi(e). This year’s event will be held on Pi Day, Saturday, March 14, at Pi time, 3:14 p.m. Runners will run 3.14 miles around UNC Asheville’s campus and celebrate with pie at the finish line. The event is open to the public with an early-bird rate of $15 before Feb. 15. Runners who sign up before March 1 will receive a t-shirt and swag bag, and registration continues through March 14 at a cost of $20, with on-site registration and check-in starting at 2 p.m. the day of the race. Visit unca.edu/pi-run to sign up.

The 2020 Pi Day Run will start from UNC Asheville’s Quad and circle University Heights three times, via campus sidewalks, concluding with pie at the finish line. The fun run includes a pie baking contest, judged by Math Leaders from the Marvelous Math Club, with prizes awarded, and this year will feature a raffle. Registration includes a raffle entry for each runner. Registration also is available for the pie contest, without the run, by filling out the interest form at unca.edu/pi-run.

Proceeds from the annual Pi(e) Run will benefit the Asheville Initiative for Math at UNC Asheville and its Marvelous Math Club at Pisgah View Community Center. Marvelous Math Club is a partnership between UNC Asheville, Asheville Housing Authority, and Asheville City Schools. The Club uses math as a catalyst to build leadership skills, create community and provide a space for individualized academic support and social-emotional growth.

 

The Merrell Adventure Dash CANCELLED
Mar 8 @ 4:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Age: All Ages

The Merrell Adventure Dash is all about getting outside and challenging yourself to work hard for your good time. Suitable for families as well as adults, participants will negotiate a series of natural and man-made obstacles along the 5K course, including balance components, climbs and nets, a river-run, and raft crossing. This holiday weekend, enjoy a fun, family-friendly adventure run in the beautiful Nantahala Gorge. Merrell Adventure Dash participants can choose between the 5K dash or a 1K fun run. Kids aged 12 and under race free with a participating adult.

Registraion opens March 1, 2020. Check back for more details.
Onsite Registration is available from 1pm – 3:30pm day of. The race starts promptly at 4PM on 5/23/2020.

Remember to wear anything you don’t mind getting dirty!

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Mar 8 @ 5:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

 

RSVP: https://book.peek.com/s/50ebbb3e-2b93-4669-8868-b0e3f44b793d/6XVp?gaClientId=25825328.1537970504&pbf=_pbf_2&mode=embedded&xp=widget

Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Early Bird tickets: 23rd annual French Broard River Festival
Mar 11 all-day
Hot Springs Campground & Spa

INTRO-IMAGE_1024px

Kick off spring in the mountains at the 23rd annual French Broad River Festival.  It’s part outdoor adventure, part music festival with whitewater rafting, biking, hiking, kid’s village, camping, great music, and much more.  Painter John, a popular FBRF musician, compares the atmosphere to “a big potluck at your best friend’s house”.  If you’ve been you know . . . what better way to enjoy spring in these mountains?

Weekend passes include camping

$120 online by 3/31/20
$125 online by 4/30/20
$140 at gate
$65 Saturday only
$45 whitewater rafting

Guinness Pint Night!
Mar 11 all-day
Jack of the Wood

Jack of the Wood

Scoop: Guinness Pint Night! FREE Commemorative Pint Glass when your buy a $8 Guinness!
Kelly Hoppenjans w/ Lavender Blue + Lo Wolf
Mar 11 @ 7:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Scoop: Kelly Hoppenjans w/ Lavender Blue + Lo Wolf at The Grey Eagle

Nashville singer-songwriter Kelly Hoppenjans creates empowering rock, combining the spirit of riot grrrl tinged with folky introspection. Despite being her debut full-length album, music has long been the crux of Hoppenjans’ existence, and OK, I Feel Better Now encapsulates a lifetime of physical and emotional healing, breaking vicious cycles, and the power of femininity.

Coming-of-age stories typically pinpoint a teenager’s transition from awkward, naive highschooler to empowered, capable adult. However, these narratives tend to leave out the fact that, because of societal pressure to be small and delicate, women tend to take longer to feel comfortable taking up space within society. This theme of coming of space threads throughout OK, I Feel Better Now — asserting a need to break the cycle of society’s gendered expectations.

After learning to play the guitar at a young age, Hoppenjans began writing songs around the age of 12. At the same time, the budding musician picked up a copy of a popular music magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists issue and was disappointed to find only two women, Joan Jett and Joni Mitchell, listed among 98 men. Disheartened, she thought this meant women couldn’t be rockstars. Now, with OK, I Feel Better Now, Hoppenjans is making strides to become one of those guitar-wielding role models her younger self regularly sought out — while inspiring young women to ignore toxic stereotypes, embrace their identity, and claim their space in the world.

Thursday, March 12, 2020
Guinness Pint Night!
Mar 12 all-day
Jack of the Wood

Jack of the Wood

Scoop: Guinness Pint Night! FREE Commemorative Pint Glass when your buy a $8 Guinness!
Lunch of a Lifetime Elida Homes
Mar 12 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Crowne Plaza Expo Center

Be a lifeboat for children in WNC

Join us for the most exciting Annual Lunch!

There is no charge to attend. A RSVP is required.

To RSVP, email Nora Scheff at [email protected] or call (828) 254-5356 Ext. 303

If applicable, include the name of your table captain, or who you are sitting with.

During this action-packed hour, we will weave together an array of Eliada stories, milestones, and successes. Once again, all donations will go to benefit the children and youth of Eliada, now in its 116th year of helping children succeed.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing our lifesaving work!
Asheville CSA Fair
Mar 12 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
New Belgium Brewing co

Meet local farmers and learn more about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs with pickup locations in Asheville and Buncombe County. The CSA Fair is an opportunity to talk with farmers and learn about the products they offer, their growing practices, any opportunities to get involved on the farm, and when and where they deliver. The fair allows the community to learn about CSAs in a relaxed environment or is a chance to purchase a CSA membership. This free, family-friendly event is presented by ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project).

Asheville Downtown Eats and Drinks Tour
Mar 12 @ 3:00 pm
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours

Downtown Asheville is known for its eclectic arts and culture and a vibrant food and drink scene that celebrates independent restaurants and locally-sourced ingredients. Learn about this gorgeous city on a Taste Carolina walking tour and discover why Asheville was hailed by National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine as one of the top 15 places in the world to “treat your taste buds”!

Asheville Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour – Asheville’s Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour is a spirited and delicious way to explore the city! You’ll enjoy substantial bites and sips on this guided walking tour, sampling savory and sweet favorites, most paired with small drink pairings. This tour visits Asheville’s hidden gems, including eclectic restaurants and bars, and specialty food stores. You’ll also learn about the history of the city, the architecture, and the incredible culinary scene from your tour guide. By the end of this tour, you will feel like a local!

Private and custom tours can be arranged for any day or night of the week for groups.

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Mar 12 @ 5:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

 

RSVP: https://book.peek.com/s/50ebbb3e-2b93-4669-8868-b0e3f44b793d/6XVp?gaClientId=25825328.1537970504&pbf=_pbf_2&mode=embedded&xp=widget

Seafood Basics
Mar 12 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The Chop Shop Butchery

In this two-hour class our seafood wizard, Rob Jones, will teach you the secrets of buying, preparing, and cooking some of the most amazing fish from our coastal waters.

What to Expect:

  • MIX & MINGLE: Before we go into the cut room, you’ll get to sample local and house-made charcuterie and sip on beer from a local brewery (TBA) or a glass of wine while mingling with other students in the class.
  • FILET, DEBONE & PREP: Next, we’ll head into the cut room. (Dress warmly — it’s chilly in there!) Rob will show you how to filet, gut and debone a fish. You’ll get to practice hands-on while working alongside other students in the class.
  • During the class, you’ll learn about the different tools used in fish butchery to maximize yield and provide the best value for the whole fish. We’ll also discuss how to prepare and cook different types of fish.
  • TAKE IT HOME: At the end of the class, you’ll take home fresh fish and PDF notes.

Where does our seafood come from?

We work closely with Abundant Seafood from Charleston to get the freshest, most sustainably-caught seafood in the Southeast.

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia
Mar 12 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Scoop: Mitch's Totally Rad TRIVIA

Mitch Fortune brings you an irreverent and nostalgia filled night of pop culture trivia every Thursday night 7-9 pm at the One Stop in Downtown Asheville. A potpourri of movies, music, TV show trivia just for you!

Friday, March 13, 2020
EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems: food and farm help/resources in WNC
Mar 13 all-day
WNC

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 

Guinness Pint Night!
Mar 13 all-day
Jack of the Wood

Jack of the Wood

Scoop: Guinness Pint Night! FREE Commemorative Pint Glass when your buy a $8 Guinness!
Asheville Downtown Eats and Drinks Tour
Mar 13 @ 3:00 pm
Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours

Downtown Asheville is known for its eclectic arts and culture and a vibrant food and drink scene that celebrates independent restaurants and locally-sourced ingredients. Learn about this gorgeous city on a Taste Carolina walking tour and discover why Asheville was hailed by National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine as one of the top 15 places in the world to “treat your taste buds”!

Asheville Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour – Asheville’s Downtown Eats & Drinks Tour is a spirited and delicious way to explore the city! You’ll enjoy substantial bites and sips on this guided walking tour, sampling savory and sweet favorites, most paired with small drink pairings. This tour visits Asheville’s hidden gems, including eclectic restaurants and bars, and specialty food stores. You’ll also learn about the history of the city, the architecture, and the incredible culinary scene from your tour guide. By the end of this tour, you will feel like a local!

Private and custom tours can be arranged for any day or night of the week for groups.

Elderberry Wise Happy Hour
Mar 13 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Urban Orchard Cider Company West

Urban Orchard Cider Company West

I hope you’ll join the Dogwood Alliance crew to celebrate the return of Elderberry Wise at Urban Orchard’s West Asheville location this Friday. Meet fellow forest lovers and taste this delicious cider infused with local elderberries.

In support of the forests that give us so much, Urban Orchard is donating $1 to Dogwood Alliance for each pint of Elderberry Wise sold until it runs out!

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Mar 13 @ 5:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

 

RSVP: https://book.peek.com/s/50ebbb3e-2b93-4669-8868-b0e3f44b793d/6XVp?gaClientId=25825328.1537970504&pbf=_pbf_2&mode=embedded&xp=widget

Free Dead Fridays
Mar 13 @ 5:30 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Join us at The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall every Friday at 5:30PM for our FREE Acoustic Grateful Dead series Featuring members of Phuncle Sam and great drink and food specials.

Image

Saturday, March 14, 2020
Early Bird tickets: 23rd annual French Broard River Festival
Mar 14 all-day
Hot Springs Campground & Spa

INTRO-IMAGE_1024px

Kick off spring in the mountains at the 23rd annual French Broad River Festival.  It’s part outdoor adventure, part music festival with whitewater rafting, biking, hiking, kid’s village, camping, great music, and much more.  Painter John, a popular FBRF musician, compares the atmosphere to “a big potluck at your best friend’s house”.  If you’ve been you know . . . what better way to enjoy spring in these mountains?

Weekend passes include camping

$120 online by 3/31/20
$125 online by 4/30/20
$140 at gate
$65 Saturday only
$45 whitewater rafting

EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems: food and farm help/resources in WNC
Mar 14 all-day
WNC

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 

Guided Hikes: Grandfather Mountain
Mar 14 all-day
Grandfather Mountain

Interpretive Rangers are available to lead guided hikes, bird walks and wildflower walks for families and groups that visit Grandfather Mountain. To see the mountain in this whole new way, you can schedule an appointment by calling the interpretive ranger office at (828) 737-0833 or emailing [email protected].

Please note that walks and hikes are available for all ability levels, but hikes that take you into Grandfather Mountain’s backcountry require careful footwork, proper footwear and the ability to handle heights. All backcountry hikes require participants to traverse ladders and use cables to navigate steep sections of the trail.

Interpretive Rangers are available year-round (weather permitting) to lead guided hikes to:

MacRae Peak ($15 + park admission)
Attic Window ($25 + park admission)
Calloway Peak ($35 + park admission)

Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance, and a minimum of two participants per hike are required. For more information, please call (828) 737-0833.

Guinness Pint Night!
Mar 14 all-day
Jack of the Wood

Jack of the Wood

Scoop: Guinness Pint Night! FREE Commemorative Pint Glass when your buy a $8 Guinness!