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.

Signaling recent activist and aesthetic concepts in the work of Kara Walker, Childish Gambino, BLM, Janelle Monáe, and Kendrick Lamar, and marking the exit of the Obama Administration and the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, this anthology explores the role of African American arts in shaping the future, and further informing new directions we might take in honoring and protecting the success of African Americans in the U.S. The essays in African American Arts: Activism, Aesthetics, and Futurity engage readers in critical conversations by activists, scholars, and artists reflecting on national and transnational legacies of African American activism as an element of artistic practice, particularly as they concern artistic expression and race relations, and the intersections of creative processes with economic, sociological, and psychological inequalities. Scholars from the fields of communication, theater, queer studies, media studies, performance studies, dance, visual arts, and fashion design, to name a few, collectively ask: What are the connections between African American arts, the work of social justice, and creative processes? If we conceive the arts as critical to the legacy of black activism in the United States, how can we use that construct to inform our understanding of the complicated intersections of African American activism and aesthetics? How might we as scholars and creative thinkers further employ the arts to envision and shape a verdant society?
Discussion Bound
Meeting each second Tuesday at 12pm, this monthly discussion is a place to exchange ideas about readings that relate to artworks and the art world, and to learn from and about each other. Pick up some tasty local fare at the Malaprop’s Café to make the most of your midday break! Books are available at Malaprop’s for a 10% discount. To add your name to our Discussion Bound mailing list, email Kristi McMillan, adult programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x122.
based on the game show “The Newly Wed Game” in which couples would take turns answering
questions about one another and seeing if their answers matched up. Craft Centric’s version is
open to pairs of any kind and also takes place in a brewery, which makes it even more fun!
Tickets are $20 per pair and proceeds will be donated to Hearts with Hands, a disaster relief
charity.
Hearts With Hands was founded following Hurricane Andrew in 1992 by Pastor Dr. Ralph
Sexton, Jr. (Trinity Baptist Church) in Asheville, North Carolina. Hearts With Hands is currently
directed by Evangelist Dr. Greg Lentz (Greg Lentz Ministries) and is a Christian,
nondenominational, humanitarian, non-profit 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. Hearts With
Hands provides physical, spiritual, medical, economic and other necessary aid to victims of
poverty, natural disaster, or famine.
The night will be hosted by Lane Snipes and Dale Murphy who run the regular themed trivias
every Tuesday.
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/
Adopters are invited to share photos of their rescue pet and what a second chance at happily-ever-after looks like. Photo submissions are accepted online at www.blueridgehumane.org through Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2020. Submissions are kindly asked to include a $15 donation per photo entered with 100% of the entry donation going directly to veterinary services for animals at the Blue Ridge Humane Adoption Center. Winners will be notified by February 17, 2020 and an opening reception displaying the winning photos will be held on Thursday, February 20, at 5:30pm at Dry Falls Brewing.
For full contest rules and entry please visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/cant-buy-love-can-rescue-photo-contest-2020/ Questions may be directed to [email protected].
The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.
Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.
Please join us at Casual Pint on Feburary 12th for a fun paint night with Robin Arramae. She will teach us to paint a beautiful canvas. Great drinks and food will be available for purchase. Please join us for a night of fun, community, and fighting cancer.
Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge is the longest running comedy open mic in Asheville happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 9:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform needs to sign up by 9pm, and will get five minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/
Adopters are invited to share photos of their rescue pet and what a second chance at happily-ever-after looks like. Photo submissions are accepted online at www.blueridgehumane.org through Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2020. Submissions are kindly asked to include a $15 donation per photo entered with 100% of the entry donation going directly to veterinary services for animals at the Blue Ridge Humane Adoption Center. Winners will be notified by February 17, 2020 and an opening reception displaying the winning photos will be held on Thursday, February 20, at 5:30pm at Dry Falls Brewing.
For full contest rules and entry please visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/cant-buy-love-can-rescue-photo-contest-2020/ Questions may be directed to [email protected].
The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.
Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.

View all works acquired from the Appalachia Now! exhibition here.
The Asheville Art Museum is pleased to share that seven artists from the opening exhibition Appalachia Now! An Interdisciplinary Survey of Contemporary Art in Southern Appalachia have entered the Museum’s Collection of American Art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Appalachia Now! was the inaugural exhibition of the newly renovated Museum that celebrated contemporary artists living and working in Southern Appalachia.
Considering available funds, the Museum’s curatorial team selected a range of works that reflect the diversity of Appalachia Now! These works were then presented to the Collectors’ Circle who voted to acquire them.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of the Asheville Art Museum’s expansion into new media,” says Lei Han, who is an associate professor and director of new media at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. “My collaborators and I are grateful for this recognition and we look forward to future collaborations with the Museum.”
“The Museum looks forward to following the careers of all the Appalachia Now! artists,” says Asheville Art Museum Executive Director Pamela Myers. “We are also very thankful for the Collectors’ Circle—for their generosity and ongoing support of the Museum, and their dedication to building the Museum’s important Collection for the enjoyment of all of our visitors.”
Love, Hate and Standup Comedy Revue,
featuring 12 of Asheville’s Sexiest Comics
Thursday February 13, 8p (doors 7p)
Where: The Orange Peel
Cost: $10/$12
Hosted by Cody Hughes, featuring some of Asheville’s funniest and up-and-coming-comics:
Cary Goff
Petey Smith McDowell
Tom Scheve
Hilliary Begley
Moira Goree
Morgan Bost
Justin Blackburn
Jess Cooley
Lilly Campbell
Cory Thompson
Corey Smathers
Brought to you by Slice of Life Comedy. For more info contact Michele Scheve at [email protected]
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation
The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.
Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.
Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/

Each spring, hundreds of locals 50+ years-old enjoy participating in the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts. This year’s program will be held at locations throughout Buncombe County from Tuesday, April 14-Friday, May 15. Registration is $5 before March 9 or $10 after that date. Military veterans may register for free.
To register, fill out a registration form (see documents below) or register online at ncseniorgames.org. Archery and pickleball have registration deadline dates.
Sports include basketball, bocce, croquet, football throw, softball throw, golf, cycling, track and field, archery, cheerleading, bowling, swimming, billiards, badminton, cornhole, horseshoes, pickleball, racquetball, shuffleboard, tennis, and table tennis. Miniature golf, rowing, and team softball and basketball are new this year. Age categories start at 50 and increase at five year intervals.
Silver Arts categories are classified as Heritage (quilting, woodwork, crochet, basket weaving, jewelry, needlework, tole painting, weaving, knitting, pottery, stained glass, woodcarving, and woodturning), Visual (solo, small group, and large group), Performing, Literary (poem, short story, essay, and life experience), and Contemporary. Art pieces will be displayed at Buncombe County Libraries in April and May.
A full schedule can be accessed below as a PDF.
Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram.
| File Name | Size | Type | Date & Time Added |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | 209 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM | |
| Schedule | 45 KB | 02/04/2020 7:52 AM |
Adopters are invited to share photos of their rescue pet and what a second chance at happily-ever-after looks like. Photo submissions are accepted online at www.blueridgehumane.org through Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2020. Submissions are kindly asked to include a $15 donation per photo entered with 100% of the entry donation going directly to veterinary services for animals at the Blue Ridge Humane Adoption Center. Winners will be notified by February 17, 2020 and an opening reception displaying the winning photos will be held on Thursday, February 20, at 5:30pm at Dry Falls Brewing.
For full contest rules and entry please visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/cant-buy-love-can-rescue-photo-contest-2020/ Questions may be directed to [email protected].
The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.
Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.
Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.
The Museum, with the assistance of its volunteer docents and support from the Asheville Area Section of the American Institute of Architects, is proud to sponsor the WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards. Students in grades 7–12 from across our region are invited to submit work for this special juried competition. The Museum works with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to facilitate regional judging of student artwork and recognition of our community’s burgeoning artistic talent.
In early spring each year, award winners are featured in an exhibition, and are honored at a ceremony. Regional Gold Key recipients’ work is sent to the National Scholastic Art Awards hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.
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Celebrate Valentine’s Day this Friday, February 14th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Vineyard Vines at Asheville Outlets. Enjoy complimentary sips + snacks while you shop, along with DIY Valentine’s day cards to color in-store or take home! Visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com for more information. Free and open to the public.

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.
We invite you to an evening of music & dance with powerful performances from Free Planet Radio & members of Toubab Krewe, featured music by Nex Millen & Adama Dembele, hip hop dance showcases by Otto Aquaboogy Vazquez & Goldilocks, and special surprises from New Orleans Legends, Dirty Dozen Brass Band! Join us for an exploration of this new bridge from our community to the world!
Tickets $75 (includes drinks & light dinner)
Syracuse native, Jessimae Peluso, from MTV’s “Girl Code”, can be heard weekly podcasts on her Sharp Tongue & Highlarious podcasts. Both available on iTunes, Stitcher, Sound Cloud and Google Play. She has a weekly Facebook live show called “Weedsday” every Wednesday that raises awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.
You may have seen Jessimae on MTV’s “Girl Code” and “Safe Word”, TBS’s “Deal With It”, NBC’s “Last Call w/Carson Daly”, E!’s “Chelsea Lately”, FOX’s “World’s Funniest Fails”, VH1’s “Hip Hop Squares”, AXS’ “Gotham Live”, TruTV’s “Comedy Knockout” , and multiple appearances on Comedy Central’s “@Midnight. Chick be workin’!
Jessimae was featured in the Moontower Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy & Arts Festival, Women in Arts Comedy Festival, and Just For Laughs and featured on Kevin Hart’s LOL Live network. She has contributed to Cosmopolitan Magazine, High Times Magazine, DOPE Magazine, Self Magazine, GQ.Com, Playboy.com, MadeMen.com, and was highlighted in the Huffington Post as ‘one of the funniest comics to follow on twitter’.
Television:
- MTV’s Girl Code
- TBS’ Deal With It
- NBC’s Last Call With Carson Daly
- E!’s Chelsea Lately
- Comedy Central
Festivals:
- Just For Laughs, Montreal
- New York Comedy Festival
- Boston Comedy Festival
- North Carolina Comedy & Arts Festival
- Women in Comedy Festival

One of the funniest musicals ever written. Sondheim’s joyous musical romp through Rome has desperate lovers, scheming neighbors and secrets behind every toga. This unforgettable, hysterical musical allows a terrify ensemble of comedic actors to shine!
GILBERT LAWAND is a Brooklyn based comedian by way of Atlanta. You can see him performing all over the New York City area at some of the best shows such as Night Train, the Knitting Factory, and Bar Matchless as well as comedy clubs like Caroline’s, Gotham, New York Comedy Club, and the Creek and the Cave. He also produces the annual Red Clay Comedy Festival which takes place in Atlanta every September. Gilbert has performed in several festivals including Bridgetown, High Plains, and the Laughing Skull Festival where he was a finalist in 2015. He’s a frequent opener for Rory Scovel and has also opened for Dave Chappelle.
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-gilbert-lawand-friday-tickets-89416522225
SATURDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-gilbert-lawand-saturday-tickets-89418100947
Syracuse native, Jessimae Peluso, from MTV’s “Girl Code”, can be heard weekly podcasts on her Sharp Tongue & Highlarious podcasts. Both available on iTunes, Stitcher, Sound Cloud and Google Play. She has a weekly Facebook live show called “Weedsday” every Wednesday that raises awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.
You may have seen Jessimae on MTV’s “Girl Code” and “Safe Word”, TBS’s “Deal With It”, NBC’s “Last Call w/Carson Daly”, E!’s “Chelsea Lately”, FOX’s “World’s Funniest Fails”, VH1’s “Hip Hop Squares”, AXS’ “Gotham Live”, TruTV’s “Comedy Knockout” , and multiple appearances on Comedy Central’s “@Midnight. Chick be workin’!
Jessimae was featured in the Moontower Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy & Arts Festival, Women in Arts Comedy Festival, and Just For Laughs and featured on Kevin Hart’s LOL Live network. She has contributed to Cosmopolitan Magazine, High Times Magazine, DOPE Magazine, Self Magazine, GQ.Com, Playboy.com, MadeMen.com, and was highlighted in the Huffington Post as ‘one of the funniest comics to follow on twitter’.
- MTV’s Girl Code
- TBS’ Deal With It
- NBC’s Last Call With Carson Daly
- E!’s Chelsea Lately
- Comedy Central
Festivals:
- Just For Laughs, Montreal
- New York Comedy Festival
- Boston Comedy Festival
- North Carolina Comedy & Arts Festival
- Women in Comedy Festival



