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, July 16, 2023
THE ASHEVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Jul 16 @ 7:30 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

A very special evening featuring The Asheville Jazz Orchestra playing a variety of Big Band, Swing, and Jazz favorites !!!!

The mission of the Asheville Jazz Orchestra is to preserve and advance the big band jazz tradition, through jazz education, performance, and composition.

The Asheville Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2006 and was headed by Dr. David Wilken (trombonist, educator, composer, and arranger) who served as the band’s musical and artistic director for 18 years. In 2023 Dr. Wilken stepped back from his position and a new staff was installed to continue the band’s mission. Although no longer serving as musical/artistic director Dr. Wilken continues to play with the band and continues to arrange and compose exciting original music for the orchestra. Long-time jazz drummer, Rick Dilling has taken the helm as new musical director.

 

The AJO is a proud partner of the Asheville Jazz Council, a 501c3, and through their work with the Council, the AJO has performed at many educational music festivals, including the City of the Arts Jazz Festival, Patton High School Jazz Festival, Western Carolina University Trumpet Festival, the NC NCMEA Conference, and the Our World Festival.

 

The AJO can be heard throughout western North Carolina performing swing dances, on stage at clubs, and in formal concert settings. The AJO’s repertoire ranges from the dance classics of the Swing Era through original charts by area composers.

Visit The Artists Website

Watch a Past Performance of The Asheville Jazz Orchestra at White Horse.

Monday, July 17, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 17 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

United Way School Supply Drive
Jul 17 all-day
online

Support Students And Families

There are three simple ways you can support local students to ensure they’re prepared to enter the classroom in August.

  1. Shop Online! Purchase supplies or a fully stocked backpack at Roonga for less than $32.
  2. Make a donation and we’ll shop for you:
    • Donate online (follow the prompts in the form below)
      • If making your donation from a mobile phone click HERE
    • Mail your check to:
      • United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
        50 S. French Broad Avenue Ste. 100
        Asheville, NC 28801
        *Please write 2023 School Supply Drive in the memo.
    • Call our office with your credit card information, 828.239.1153
  3. Host your own virtual drive by creating a team on Roonga and encouraging your coworkers, friends, and family to get involved. Watch this short video tutorial on how to create your own drive.

*PLEASE NOTE: To ensure each student receives the same quality supplies, we are not accepting loose supplies.

Questions? Contact Audrey Blackburn, 828.239.1123.

 

PARENTS LOUNGE LEAF Global Experience
Jul 17 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Experience

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

(Local Live) JAY BROWN, WALTER FINLEY, APRIL DAWN
Jul 17 @ 7:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

Acoustic guitarist, JAY BROWN hosts our bi-weekly Local Live series featuring a variety of talented local musicians. Jay grew up playing folk guitar with his parents and has continued to pursue a career in music as a singer-songwriter and roots musician.

BMC ARTIST FACULTY: DVORAK SERENADE
Jul 17 @ 7:30 pm
Parker Concert Hall at Brevard Music Center

 

Inspired by a performance in Vienna of Mozart’s Gran Partita, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák wrote his own Wind Serenade in just two weeks upon his return home. Dramatic in character and striking in nature, the Wind Serenade stands as a significant contribution to the chamber music repertoire for wind instruments.


PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS

Auditorium seating is reserved.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 18 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

United Way School Supply Drive
Jul 18 all-day
online

Support Students And Families

There are three simple ways you can support local students to ensure they’re prepared to enter the classroom in August.

  1. Shop Online! Purchase supplies or a fully stocked backpack at Roonga for less than $32.
  2. Make a donation and we’ll shop for you:
    • Donate online (follow the prompts in the form below)
      • If making your donation from a mobile phone click HERE
    • Mail your check to:
      • United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
        50 S. French Broad Avenue Ste. 100
        Asheville, NC 28801
        *Please write 2023 School Supply Drive in the memo.
    • Call our office with your credit card information, 828.239.1153
  3. Host your own virtual drive by creating a team on Roonga and encouraging your coworkers, friends, and family to get involved. Watch this short video tutorial on how to create your own drive.

*PLEASE NOTE: To ensure each student receives the same quality supplies, we are not accepting loose supplies.

Questions? Contact Audrey Blackburn, 828.239.1123.

 

PARENTS LOUNGE LEAF Global Experience
Jul 18 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Experience

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

Learn to Love Opera at the Weaverville Library
Jul 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Weaverville Public Library

Curious about about Opera? Join us for a two part mini workshop to explore and learn more.  Both sessions will be led by retired educator & local opera lover, James Tucker.

Tuesday, July 18th @ 6 PM: An introduction to the basics of understanding and appreciating opera.
Tuesday, July 25th @ 6 PM: A viewing of “I Pagliacci” (The Clowns) by Composer Ruggero Leoncavallo with Q & A

Join us for either or both sessions. No registration is necessary. This program was designed for adults but all ages are welcome. Come learn to love opera @ the Weaverville Library! 

JUST BRASS
Jul 18 @ 7:30 pm
Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium

 

A brass-travanganza with BMC faculty and students.


PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
BMC Brass Artist Faculty
College and High School Brass Ensembles

Please note: All seating is general admission.

SIX the musical
Jul 18 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is a global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! Featuring an all-woman cast and all-woman band, SIX has won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. The New York Times says SIX “TOTALLY RULES!” (Critic’s Pick), and The Washington Post hails SIX as “Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for!”  The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed 6 Million streams in its first month.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 19 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

United Way School Supply Drive
Jul 19 all-day
online

Support Students And Families

There are three simple ways you can support local students to ensure they’re prepared to enter the classroom in August.

  1. Shop Online! Purchase supplies or a fully stocked backpack at Roonga for less than $32.
  2. Make a donation and we’ll shop for you:
    • Donate online (follow the prompts in the form below)
      • If making your donation from a mobile phone click HERE
    • Mail your check to:
      • United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
        50 S. French Broad Avenue Ste. 100
        Asheville, NC 28801
        *Please write 2023 School Supply Drive in the memo.
    • Call our office with your credit card information, 828.239.1153
  3. Host your own virtual drive by creating a team on Roonga and encouraging your coworkers, friends, and family to get involved. Watch this short video tutorial on how to create your own drive.

*PLEASE NOTE: To ensure each student receives the same quality supplies, we are not accepting loose supplies.

Questions? Contact Audrey Blackburn, 828.239.1123.

 

PEACE TALK: SIX the musical
Jul 19 @ 10:00 am
Peace Center--Ramsaur Studio

Broadway Peace Talks give audiences a deeper dive into the history, inspiration and people who bring our shows to life on stage.  Join Dr. Kristin Pressley (Dr. Broadway) and other Broadway lovers every month at the Peace Center for these presentations.

A Chorus Line
Jul 19 @ 2:00 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

The “One Singular Sensation,” A Chorus Line, is coming to Flat Rock Playhouse for the first time and we are thrilled to share this award-winning musical with everyone! A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. The show follows 17 would-be dancers in their quest to make the cut for a new Broadway Musical. One by one, the dancers come forward to share the stories of their lives, giving it their all and putting themselves on the line to make the cut. Only eight will remain. Capturing the spirit, tension, and hope of an audition, A Chorus Line is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all out there to make it come true!

A Chorus Line once held the record as the longest running show on Broadway with over 6000 performances, and heralds nine Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.

Intro to Rhythm and Drumming with TRAP of Asheville
Jul 19 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Pack Memorial Library
Sign Up

Join us for this educational and fun guided drum session. This class is super fun and no drumming experience is needed. In this hour long session we will establish the foundations of rhythm and experiment with various concepts from there.

Registration is required to use one of the provided djembes. Registration will be limited to 12 people to ensure we have enough drums for everyone. Feel free to bring your own drum or percussion instrument. If you are bringing your own drum you do not need to register.

This class is best suited for adults and kids older than 12.

PATIO: Sara Jean Kelley
Jul 19 @ 5:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

SARA JEAN KELLEY
A lover of wild things— plants, animals, people, and music— Nashville native Sara Jean Kelley crafts songs that combine upbeat, pop-inspired country hooks with thoughtful, often philosophical lyrical themes that explore our human connection to the natural world. Due to her dark sensibility and slightly melancholic sense of humor, Kelley’s particular brand of alternative country is multidimensional, with one foot firmly rooted in her Nashville Country/Americana background, another foot exploring the realms of alternative rock, rock and roll, pop, and even hip hop influences. Her voice, at times husky, dark and sultry, at times floating light-as-a-feather, has been compared to celebrated female country stars Brandi Carlisle, Patti Griffin, and Lucinda Williams. She’s opened for country music icons Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, and her songwriting reveals a clear, intuitive understanding of what makes a song work. Her latest EP Black Snake, is about life and death, transformation and rebirth, strength and resilience; all the things you experience in your early thirties that you wish you had known a decade earlier.

A Chorus Line
Jul 19 @ 7:30 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

The “One Singular Sensation,” A Chorus Line, is coming to Flat Rock Playhouse for the first time and we are thrilled to share this award-winning musical with everyone! A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. The show follows 17 would-be dancers in their quest to make the cut for a new Broadway Musical. One by one, the dancers come forward to share the stories of their lives, giving it their all and putting themselves on the line to make the cut. Only eight will remain. Capturing the spirit, tension, and hope of an audition, A Chorus Line is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all out there to make it come true!

A Chorus Line once held the record as the longest running show on Broadway with over 6000 performances, and heralds nine Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.

BMC Artist Faculty Brahms Piano Quartet
Jul 19 @ 7:30 pm
Parker Concert Hall at Brevard Music Center

The Brahms G minor Piano Quartet is a relatively early chamber work, yet embodies an outsized orchestral scope of range, expression, and color. Throughout the piece Brahms refers obliquely to his beloved friend Clara Schumann, as well as to his favorite Hungarian melodies and rhythms. Indeed it was Clara Schumann herself who premiered the Quartet in Hamburg in 1861.


PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS

Auditorium seating is reserved.

SIX the musical
Jul 19 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is a global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! Featuring an all-woman cast and all-woman band, SIX has won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. The New York Times says SIX “TOTALLY RULES!” (Critic’s Pick), and The Washington Post hails SIX as “Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for!”  The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed 6 Million streams in its first month.

Gideon 
Jul 19 @ 8:00 pm
Salvage Station

Metal fans! Gideon will be performing LIVE on the Indoor Stage at Salvage Station on Wednesday, July 19th, 2023! Doors open at 7PM and the music starts at 8PM. This is a General Admission, 18+ show (no exceptions). FREE PARKING!

Thursday, July 20, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 20 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

United Way School Supply Drive
Jul 20 all-day
online

Support Students And Families

There are three simple ways you can support local students to ensure they’re prepared to enter the classroom in August.

  1. Shop Online! Purchase supplies or a fully stocked backpack at Roonga for less than $32.
  2. Make a donation and we’ll shop for you:
    • Donate online (follow the prompts in the form below)
      • If making your donation from a mobile phone click HERE
    • Mail your check to:
      • United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
        50 S. French Broad Avenue Ste. 100
        Asheville, NC 28801
        *Please write 2023 School Supply Drive in the memo.
    • Call our office with your credit card information, 828.239.1153
  3. Host your own virtual drive by creating a team on Roonga and encouraging your coworkers, friends, and family to get involved. Watch this short video tutorial on how to create your own drive.

*PLEASE NOTE: To ensure each student receives the same quality supplies, we are not accepting loose supplies.

Questions? Contact Audrey Blackburn, 828.239.1123.

 

A Chorus Line
Jul 20 @ 2:00 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

The “One Singular Sensation,” A Chorus Line, is coming to Flat Rock Playhouse for the first time and we are thrilled to share this award-winning musical with everyone! A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. The show follows 17 would-be dancers in their quest to make the cut for a new Broadway Musical. One by one, the dancers come forward to share the stories of their lives, giving it their all and putting themselves on the line to make the cut. Only eight will remain. Capturing the spirit, tension, and hope of an audition, A Chorus Line is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all out there to make it come true!

A Chorus Line once held the record as the longest running show on Broadway with over 6000 performances, and heralds nine Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.

Billy Jonas-Family Music Concert
Jul 20 @ 4:00 pm
North Asheville Library

For 25 years, Billy Jonas, performer, singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator, has perfected the art of the neo-tribal hootenanny around the globe – original songs performed with a generous dose of audience participation. Jonas performs using voice, guitar, and industrial re-percussion – homemade creations of buckets and barrels, keys and cans, bells and body percussion. Each concert is a soul-spelunking, heart healing, joy-filled journey of spirited music that is accessible to anyone and everyone, regardless of age or cultural background.  Space is limited, pick up your tickets at the North Asheville Library circulation desk.

Intro to Ukulele
Jul 20 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts

Students will receive a solid foundation in beginner Ukulele skills for vocalists. Chords, Rhythm patterns, and basic theory will be introduced through songs with an uplifting message. Students will also learn to play the song that the Songwriting Class will be writing and get to record it in the One Mic Studio.

Fundraiser for School Supply Drive!
Jul 20 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
The Mule, Devil’s Foot’s-- South Asheville

Looking for a unique way and fun way to donate?

Through its community partnership “Doing Good Through Business,” Mosaic Realty is teaming with Devil’s Foot Beverage Company to host a series of gatherings aimed at supporting various local nonprofit organizations.

Thursday, July 20th you can support United Way from 5-8 p.m. at

Fifteen percent of all drink sales will be donated to a local nonprofit organization, with a Mosaic broker and partner of that organization matching the donation.

PATIO: Miami Gold
Jul 20 @ 5:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

MIAMI GOLD

Miami Gold is based in Asheville, NC. It is known for playing tight, energetic, and convicted rock n roll; an ability to musically style-shift while remaining true to its core rock sound; and a deep musical chemistry featuring lead guitar and a hard hitting rhythm section. The power trio have played with respected musicians and producers in a variety of live settings and recording studios.

Miami Gold is led by Joel Schantz, a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who fuses smart phrasing and intensity to create an emotionally and sonically engaging guitar style. As a frontman, Joel’s conversational musings and deadpan humor quickly establish a rapport with audiences. Joel has played with some of the luminaries of the rock world, as well as recorded 2 albums under the tutelage of legendary producer Tom Dowd (Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, Eagles, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Thelonious Monk, etc.) Joel’s brother, Ari, is the band’s drummer. His thunderous drive, skillful technique, keen sense of song construction, and attuned ear are a rare combination among rock drummers. Didier Rubio, the band’s bass player, writes heavy riffs that focus the band and lay a solid foundation for its guitar-centric sound.

Queer Music Exploration
Jul 20 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts

Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.