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.

Sunday, January 10, 2021
Organic Growers School Apprentice Link database for Farming
Jan 10 all-day
Online w/ Organic Growers School

The Apprentice Link database connects people who are serious about learning the sustainable farming trade with farmers who are willing to teach them in an apprenticeship setting. Our programs’ emphasis is specifically in the Southern Appalachians, with a focus on farms that participate in local Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) programs.

To be included in this listing, Organic Growers School has vetted each farm to determine of the following criteria has been met:

  • Farms are actively engaged in the local community.
  • Farms are using organic and/or sustainable production methods. Organic Certification and other certifications are not required, but we do ask that farms and farmers are “in-the-know” and conscientiously practicing organic standards.
  • Farms are dedicated to training new farmers by providing education as a pinnacle element of their apprenticeship program.
Organic Growers School Cuba Trip 2021
Jan 10 all-day
Online

Another Cuba Trip!

We’re excited to announce we have scheduled a second trip to Cuba for June 22nd – July 1, 2021
In the case of trip cancellation, a full refund or roll over of funds paid to future trips will be offered to all registered participants. Flexible payment plans are available.
Pardee UNC Health: CDC Guidance on Who Should Get Tested for COVID-19
Jan 10 all-day
Online
Pardee UNC Health Care recently shared CDC guidance on who should get tested for COVID.
Considerations for Who Should Get Tested for COVID-19
  • People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Click here for a Coronavirus Self-Checker
  • People who have had close contact (link to help you determine your risk) (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
  • People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, links to local or state ​health departments.
Not everyone needs to be tested. If you do get tested, you should self-quarantine/isolate at home pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.
Registration Opens for ASAP’s 2021 Business of Farming Virtual Conference
Jan 10 all-day
Online w/ ASAP

The conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by farmers and regional professionals, including several that address the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry, such as Direct Marketing in the Time of COVID, Optimizing Your Online Store, and Planning for Meat Sales in 2021. The conference also includes a business planning track in collaboration with Mountain BizWorks. The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting will return in a virtual format, giving farmers the chance to meet individually with grocers, distributors, and chefs. Farmers can receive one-on-one support on legal, recordkeeping, marketing, and production planning issues.

Show Some Love with Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 8th – 13th
Jan 10 all-day
Henderson NC
Show Some Love with Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 8th – 13th
The partners behind #LoveHendo are happy to announce that the week of February 8th through February 13th will be known as Random Acts of Kindness Week. The initiative will be in support of Hendersonville’s non-profit community. Local Businesses will be able to select a non-profit to support during Random Acts of Kindness week.
Businesses will be able to choose how they support the non-profit by setting out a donation jar, collecting items, or coming up with other unique ways to support the non-profit of their choice. Community members can participate by either finding a local business that is participating or doing their own random acts of kindness around the community.
Random Acts of Kindness Week was started one year ago by Shelby Caruso, Mind Your Business (MYB) and Carrie Ann Chandler, Smart Start Partnership for Children. Shelby wanted a way for her fellow colleagues to celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving back and spreading kindness at MYB’s Office. Shelby chose Smart Start as the non-profit they would support that week and they were able to raise over a hundred dollars for the organization by donating a dollar for every act of kindness completed by MYB employees. For the 2021 celebration, organizers reached out to the partner organizations behind the #LoveHendo effort, the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Downtown Hendersonville to include Random Acts of Kindness Week in the #LoveHendo efforts
South Arts Southern Prize + State Fellowships
Jan 10 all-day
Online

Apply by Jan. 11 | Visual artists, applications are now open for the 2021 Southern Prize & State Fellowships. $80,000 in cash awards and residencies at The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences will be awarded to celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the South.

Staff Picks Brevard Music Center: Articulate: 8 Tasty Art + Music Pairings
Jan 10 all-day
Online w/ Brevard Music Center

Articulate:
8 Tasty Art & Music Pairings

Savor eight iconic paintings paired with music that is sure to enhance your artistic palette!

Staff Picks Brevard Music Center: TED-Ed: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Jan 10 all-day
Online w/ Brevard Music Center

TED-Ed:
Four Seasons

Discover the underlying narrative of one of the most familiar and beloved 18th century works.

UNC Asheville Courses for Community Residents Great Smokies Writing Program
Jan 10 all-day
Online

The GSWP, now celebrating its 20th year of workshops with some of Western North Carolina’s finest authors, is offering five-week, 10-week and 15-week courses including poetry, prose, feature-writing, editing and revision. These Spring 2021 Semester courses have start dates ranging from late January to mid March. Registration is now open, with course descriptions, instructor bios, cost information and more, available at greatsmokies.unca.edu.

Elizabeth Lutyens teaches a group of students.

Virtual Field Trips: Science for Kids
Jan 10 all-day
Online

Buncombe County Public Libraries have partnered with Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) to provide a series of virtual field trips that target NC Curriculum standards this fall and winter. These free virtual programs will be available on BiblioBoard from the library for two weeks at a time through January 2021.

Join our virtual field trips anytime here.

Forces and Motion: Using the Force!
Nov. 15- 30; Jan. 1- 15

We will be discussing the forces that exist around us and take a look at what forces are manipulated to make DRONES work! Students can then utilize the scientific method to test new designs for some of our challenges seen in the video. Challenges include making poppers, designing helicopters, testing airplane velocities, and more! Join us to become masters of using the force. This virtual field trip is designed for 3rd graders, but all are invited to check it out!

Rocky Roads!
Nov. 15- 30; Jan. 1- 15

Have you ever thought about how we use the rocks around us??? Why do we use different sized rocks for different things? Take the rocky road and learn all about rocks. We will be discussing the physical properties of soil and rocks. We will also discuss ability for different soil types to have different characteristics or properties, including: water retention, structural support, etc . We will also demo a fun activity on particle size and water movement. This virtual field trip is designed for 1st graders, but all are invited to check it out!

Weather Makers!
Dec. 1-15; Jan. 16-31

How do we study the weather?? Why do we study the weather?? Become a weather maker and shaker when you learn all about weather. We will be discussing the Weather! We will look at why it’s important to collect information about the weather, and describe the different types of weather tools. We will conduct a short demo and game. This virtual field trip is designed for 2nd graders, but all are invited to check it out!

Mineral Detectives!
Dec. 1-15; Jan. 16-31

How do we classify rocks? Become a rock star when you understand the rock cycle. Determine characteristics of certain minerals using our scientific detective work! We will be discussing the rock cycle, the different types of rocks, and some physical properties of rocks and minerals (including hardness). We will demo the Moh’s Hardness Scale and the rock cycle. This virtual field trip is designed for 4th graders, but all are invited to check it out!

You Put An AmazonSmile On Our Face Flat Rock Playhouse
Jan 10 all-day
Online
Flat Rock Playhouse. When
                    you shop at AmazonSmile.com, Amazon donates.

You Put An AmazonSmile On Our Face

Sign up for AmazonSmile today and support FRP at no cost to you. Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchase price directly to FRP. Participation is easy, and, once you’re set-up, you shop online and Amazon takes care of the rest. To register, visit http://smile.amazon.com/Make sure to select Vagabond School Of The Drama Inc!

Putumayo’s Featured Kids Musicians Video. Precious!
Jan 10 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Online w/ LEAF

Putumayo’s Featured Kids Musicians Video. Precious!

 

Summer 2021 applications are open! Brevard Music Center
Jan 10 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Online w/ Brevard Music Center

Immerse Yourself in Music

Become part of the BMC community. Experience the thrill of performing with the world’s most celebrated artists. Practice your craft and develop your skills in a picturesque rehearsal studio – in nature, beside the lake, amongst the white pines, alongside the stream. Share a communal lunch or an impromptu conversation with faculty and guest artists in our cafeteria. Interact with patrons who fill our auditoriums and love to hear your music.

We welcome you, the next generation of musicians and artists. We encourage you, and challenge you, to experience the magic of the Brevard Music Center. In a community of musicians, you will be transformed. On the stage and in the classroom, you will be inspired. In just one summer, you will make new friendships that will last a lifetime.

This is Brevard. Be inspired. Be here.

Christmas at Biltmore Daytime Celebration
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Biltmore

Buy tickets online to save up to $8 per admission. Check website for hours of operation.
Treat yourself to the beloved estate tradition known as Christmas at Biltmore, when America’s Largest Home®, Antler Hill Village, and the entire estate are at their most enchanting.
A daytime visit to Biltmore is a feast for the senses, featuring wreaths, garlands, and the sparkle of thousands of ornaments, from Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village!
Flat Rock Playhouse 2021 calendar!
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

2021 year calendar with photo of the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage covered in snow.

Start the year off right with a Flat Rock Playhouse 2021 calendar! This beautiful image of our Mainstage was taken by longtime Vagabond and Flat Rock Playhouse favorite, Scott Treadway. Enjoy the view of the Rock all year round in your office, on the kitchen wall, or above your desk. This quality printed calendar is 20″x16″ and supports the arts in North Carolina.

 

Flat Rock Playhouse/Studio 52 Scholarship Applications Due for Virtual Winter Classes
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Online w/ Flat Rock Playhouse/Studio 52

Dave Hart giving direction to a
                group of student actors. Text reads Dave Hart
                Scholarship. Learn more at frpstudio52.org.

The Dave Hart Scholarship Fund was created in memory of Studio 52’s friend, artist, and educator Dave Hart. Dave believed that all students, no matter their background or resources, benefit from participating in theatre. Studio 52 is now accepting scholarship applications for Virtual Winter Classes. Full and partial need-based scholarships are available and applications are due January 11!

Free Online Courses: More Than 100 Languages Now Available
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
online w/ Buncombe County Libraries

Planning a trip to Italy to celebrate a special anniversary? Have a child in school that needs extra practice in a foreign language? Just want to brush up that language you studied for four years in school, but somehow can’t seem to remember at all? We’ve got you covered.

Buncombe County Public Libraries now offers Transparent Language Online free to all library cardholders. Whether you’re starting at the very beginning or you’re an intermediate learner looking to enhance your vocabulary, Transparent Language Online can help. With over 110 languages to choose from, including English for non-native speakers, there is something for every learner. With mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, learners can enjoy the freedom to learn at home, in the library, or on the go.

Transparent Languages includes learning for kids of all ages. KidSpeak introduces children to English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese. The program teaches words and phrases suitable for learners’ age, needs, and interests. More than 40 activities, puzzles, and songs guide young learners through the basics, along with a cartoon friend who speaks the language.

Transparent Language will be available on NC LIVE beginning Jan. 1, 2021. For all library services, your ID is your library card number and your PIN is the last four digits of your phone number. Contact your library with any questions.

LEAF Global Arts center CLOSED for the month of January
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts center
If the last ten months has taught us anything, it’s the fact that we must be willing to make hard decisions in the present so that we can have a brighter future. And with that said, out of an abundance of caution and with respect to Governor Cooper’s new executive order, LEAF has decided to close our LEAF Global Arts center for the month of January.

We hope that this will allow the COVID-19 numbers in our community to decrease and restrictions to be lifted. We encourage everyone who can to stay home, wear a mask, wash your hands, and practice social distancing. In standard LEAF fashion, music & arts won’t stop. We will continue to offer virtual programming and resources to our community. To stay up to date with all things LEAF, be sure to follow our Instagram and Facebook and catch up on all our past videos on our YouTube page.

Meet Biblioboard, Buncombe Library’s Newest Digital Resource
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
online w/ Buncombe County Libraries

Create, share, and discover with Buncombe County Public Library’s newest resource, Biblioboard.

BiblioBoard Library is an easy-to-use platform of high-quality digital content. Biblioboard offers books, articles, documents, images, audios, and videos. BiblioBoard Library is host to content from traditional publishers, indie authors, cultural institutions, and local thought leaders. Users can access BiblioBoard Library through the library’s website or on the device of their choice.

Some features of Biblioboard:

  • No waitlists or holds
  • Streaming audio and video are available on a wide variety of topics
  • Check out curated collections of the best indie authors.
  • Available for desktop, iOS, and Android devices

Local authors can submit their work for inclusion in the library catalog or publish books with Press Books. You can submit and share your work locally or nationally.

Interested? Check it out, and access Biblioboard today by clicking here.

Mel Chin’s Wake Sculpture
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Downtown Asheville

Wake, Mel Chin’s giant animatronic sculpture, installed in New York City’s Times Square last summer, will be on view in Asheville through March 15, 2021, at 44 Collier Avenue. Chin, a WNC based conceptual artist, was named a MacArthur Fellow in September 2019.

Wake was commissioned as part of Mel Chin: All Over the Place, a multi-site survey of his works from across many decades that took place in several New York City locations. A collaborative group, led by UNC Asheville’s STEAM Studio and The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, formed to plan and raise funds for the sculpture to be seen locally.

Wake – 60 feet long, 34 feet wide and 24 feet high, conceived and designed by the artist – was engineered, sculpted and fabricated by an interdisciplinary team of UNC Asheville students, faculty, staff and community artists led by Chin. The sculpture is interactive and features decks and places to sit and contemplate.

Wake evokes the hull of a shipwreck crossed with the skeletal remains of a marine mammal. The structure is linked with a carved, 21-foot-tall animatronic sculpture, accurately derived from a figurehead of the opera star Jenny Lind that was once mounted on the 19th century clipper ship, USS Nightingale. Jenny Lind moves subtly as she breathes and scans the sky.

Visitors can experience Wake daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 44 Collier Avenue. For more details and a schedule of programming, visit ashevillearts.com.

Mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC National Mentoring Month
Jan 10 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC various branches

January is National Mentoring Month, and this year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina is celebrating it by recruiting more adult and high school volunteers, as well as children and youth who need an extra someone on their side.


“One truth I know,” said Lelia Duncan, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North
Carolina, “is that we are all called to take care of one another, to encourage, to uplift, to hold a space for
others to be listened to and valued. There is nothing more important, nothing closer to the divine, than
to be present and to take a moment to nurture those around us, especially children and youth.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC is especially effective in helping young people feel valued and heard.
Surveys of school personnel in the 2018-2019 school year show that, among BBBSWNC Littles in
community- and school/site-based programs

National Mentoring Month is the time of year where engagement from community members interested
in becoming a mentor is highest. This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina is
encouraging the public to go beyond just digital engagement – and become involved in real life.
Mentoring relationships are at their best when connections are made between a caring adult and a
young person who knows that someone is there to help guide them through real-life decisions.

To learn more about becoming a Big Brother or a Big Sister in Henderson County, contact Program
Coordinator Morgan Harris at (828) 507-6644 or email [email protected]. You can learn more
about serving across the 18 county region by visiting www.bbbswnc.org.

Breed Meetup: Poodles + Doodles at the Wagbar
Jan 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Wagbar

Calling all Poodle + Doodle owners + lovers! Come on out to Wagbar for our Breed Meetup on January 10th from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. 21+
We will be hosting a breed meetup twice a month, so stay tuned! Sign up your dog for one of our memberships before hand for a quick + easy check-in.
Wagbar is taking COVID-19 precautions including heavily sanitizing, staying 6 feet apart + wearing masks at the bar area, for a full list, check out our COVID-19 rules post or on the info highlight tab on Instagram @wagbar.dogpark.
Sunday Fun Day at Kolo
Jan 10 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
KOLO Bike Park

Sunday Fun Day at Kolo

EVERY SUNDAY THROUGH THE WINTER!

Kolo Bike Park access is just $10 for the entire day every Sunday

Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture Asheville Art Museum
Jan 10 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Left: Virginia Scotchie, Object Maker Series, 2020, glazed stoneware. Asheville Art Museum. © Virginia Scotchie. Right: Jane Palmer, Untitled, circa 1990, glazed stoneware, 41 × 14 ¼ × 21 ½ inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Estate of Jane Palmer.

The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.

North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.

Weekly Sound Therapy Meditations Skinny Beats Drum Shop
Jan 10 @ 11:00 am – 11:45 am
Skinny Beats Drum Shop

Weekly sound healing sessions are held here at Skinny Beats Sound Shop (4 Eagle St – Asheville, NC) every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM. We lay yoga mats on the floor and lower the blinds to create a meditative space that helps you clear your mind and relax to our unique soundscape of crystal singing bowls, expansive gongs, handpans, didgeridoos, rainsticks, and more. We are currently limiting public sessions to 10 people. Please call for info regarding private sessions.

Bringing in the Light Asheville Gallery of Art
Jan 10 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Asheville Gallery of Art

Asheville Gallery of Art’s January show, “Bringing in the Light”, features four new artists to the gallery: Olga Dorenko, Rebecca Gottesman, Donny Luke, and Susan Voorhees.
The variety of work displayed contains common themes of light, joy, and optimism for the year ahead.
December 31-January 31
Gallery Hours: Thurs-Sun Noon-5pm
Marco Reichert “Man and Machine” Art Exhibit
Jan 10 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Bender Gallery
untitled
2020
78.8 x 59
Marco Reichert
“Man and Machine”, is a solo exhibition featuring new and pivotal works by European painter, Marco Reichert. Berlin-based Reichert is an emerging abstract painter whose current work challenges our ideas of what contemporary art is by using traditional painting techniques in conjunction with experimental “painting machines” to create multi-layered artworks. Reichert’s concept is new and unique, and his paintings exhibit a singular recognizable style. “Man and Machine” opens at the gallery on January 2, 2021 and runs through February 28, 2021.
There are convenient public parking garages located
nearby. The largest is under the Aloft Hotel with an
entrance to the garage on both S Lexington Ave
at the rear of the hotel as well the front of the hotel
on Biltmore Ave. The is also an open air parking lot
at the corner of Aston St and S Lexington Ave.
COVID-19 Testing in Buncombe County
Jan 10 @ 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Allied Health Parking Lot AB Tech

Testing Site Locations in Buncombe County: Appointment required at these sites

A-B Tech, Genevieve Circle, Asheville (Allied Health Parking Lot)
Every Sunday
1:30-5:30 p.m.

Tai Chi Easy Practice Group
Jan 10 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Online

Tai Chi Easy Practice Group

Eight week course to learn Tai Chi Easy! Meeting outdoors, Sundays 2:00PM at Highland Park (corner of Zillicoa and Montford Ave.) Jan. 3 – Feb. 21. Start with gentle Qigong warm ups to boost immune function. Learn essential Tai Chi principles in five Yang-style movements that enhance balance and flexibility. Explore the martial applications, or just learn to de-stress and enjoy freedom of movement. Bring water, dress warmly, wear sunblock, and be ready to shed layers. Highland Park offers no shade. Here is a video of Dr. Roger Jahnke, doing the Tai Chi Easy form he developed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dijBCf8GUVs

Food Truck Sundays
Jan 10 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Archetype Brewing

In conjunction with Sunday Sessions Live (and virtual) music: Food Truck Sundays will bring a new or rotating “staff favorite” cuisine each week to the Beechams Curve offerings.
Gan Shan West, our main culinary provider 6 days a week, is closed on Sundays. Enjoy the convenience, delicious variety and the music – all in one Sunday Funday stop!