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.
Come pick up a bingo card and do the many HARD tasks (like taking a nap or reading a book). One row gets you a fun sticker. Three rows and you’re entered for our grand prize drawing.
November 24, 25
December 2, 9, 16, & 23
Seatings: 8, 9:30, & 11:30am
Breakfast with Santa presented by Boyd Automotive will be hosted in the Legends Club select dates from 8am-1pm, with opportunities to interact with Santa himself while enjoying a delicious kid-friendly buffet of breakfast favorites as well as adult favorites. Reservations are required in advance for each time slot.
Adults: $39 | Kids 5-14: $18 | 4&U: FREE
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WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd., Farmers Truck Shed #1, daily, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Even though it’s getting colder, you can still find fresh, local food at area farmers markets. Nine markets in Buncombe County will offer extended seasons or special holiday dates in November and December. In addition to seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, eggs, and bread, these markets will feature local artists and handmade goods, such as wreaths, pottery, jewelry, and more.
- ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. Both programs offer participants free market tokens that can be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. That includes in-season fall produce such as root veggies (including carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips), tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes), brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), winter squash, greens, and fruits like apples and persimmons.
$10 | Ages 2-9 with adult, advance registration required
A holiday tradition for local families, Santa hosts a special breakfast with games, crafts, and a visit from the jolly man himself.
Even though it’s getting colder, you can still find fresh, local food at area farmers markets. Nine markets in Buncombe County will offer extended seasons or special holiday dates in November and December. In addition to seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, eggs, and bread, these markets will feature local artists and handmade goods, such as wreaths, pottery, jewelry, and more.
ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. Both programs offer participants free market tokens that can be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. That includes in-season fall produce such as root veggies (including carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips), tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes), brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), winter squash, greens, and fruits like apples and persimmons.
Living in Western North Carolina means there is always something to do in the garden, from preparing soil and pruning to fertilizing and transplanting. But when and how? You’ll find the answers in A Gardening Guide for Our Mountains.
Created by NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers of Buncombe County (BCEMG), the guide provides a complete month-by-month description of what to do (and not to do), along with tips on invasive species, mulching, composting, and creating bird- and pollinator-friendly habitats.
This quick reference makes the perfect holiday gift for the gardeners in your life, whether they are old hands, new to gardening, or new to gardening in the mountains. A Gardening Guide for Our Mountains will get them off to the right start and keep their gardens growing all year long. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that funds raised through this publication go to support the many educational and outreach programs provided by BCEMG volunteers.
How to order: Send $13 (checks payable to Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener) to N.C. Cooperative Extension, Buncombe County Center, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, N.C. 28806, ATTN: Buncombe County Master Gardeners. Include mailing address for shipping and a phone number, in case we have a question about your order.
Copies are available for pick up at the office for $10. Please call in advance. 828-255-5522.
To learn more about the NC State Extension Master Gardener Program in Buncombe County, go to: https://www.buncombemastergardener.org/
Whether you start decorating for the holidays before Thanksgiving or well into December, now is the best time to get into the holiday spirit by sponsoring a gift for kids or adults.
Being an adult without a support network, an adult with a disability, or a kid in foster care can be tough over the holidays; this is a great opportunity to let them know that the community cares for them.
Every year, Buncombe County hosts an Adult Wish Tree and a Foster Care Wish Tree that allows members of the community to sponsor a gift for someone this holiday.
Foster Care Wish Tree
Each year, children in foster care in Buncombe County submit a list of wishes they would like for the holidays.
To sign up to sponsor a child, click this link and select the person you would like to sponsor. You will receive an email confirmation that provides a copy of the wish list and all the instructions for drop-off.
A note from Health and Human Services:
Hello and thank you for your generosity this holiday season. We are grateful for your unwavering support for our foster youth. Here at Buncombe County Health and Human Services, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of our foster youth, and having your support means so much to us and our kids. You are not just providing gifts this holiday season; you are telling someone that they matter and that they are important! That is something to celebrate! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
If you have any questions about your sponsorship, please call Amber Cook at 828-772-5553 or email [email protected] during business hours of 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Adult Wish Tree
When you can’t drive a car or don’t have someone to bring you the things you might need, like a new nightgown or socks, it can be tough. The Adult Wish Tree is a Buncombe County program that works with agencies throughout the county to identify adults and adults with disabilities who don’t have access to a support network to help with these basic needs. The program also identifies young adults in our extended foster care program who will likely not receive a gift this year. Please consider selecting an adult to sponsor this holiday season.
To sign up to sponsor an adult, click this link and select the person you would like to sponsor. You will receive an email confirmation that provides a copy of the wish list and all the instructions for drop-off.
A note from Health and Human Services:
This holiday season we hope you will choose one of the many names that are submitted by Health and Human Services and our partner agencies for adults and adults with disabilities. It is such a joy to see the smiles on the faces of adults who have their wishes fulfilled, as these are adults who are not expected to have anyone else to provide them with a gift this year.
If you have questions, please email us at [email protected].
Happy Holidays and thank you for supporting those who need a little extra care this upcoming season.
– The Mills River Fire Department, in partnership with the Mills
River Parks and Recreation Department and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, will be bringing
Santa Claus to Mills River neighborhoods on Saturday, December 9. Santa will be traveling through
town on a big red fire truck bringing Holiday cheer to the boys and girls of Mills River. The Santa
ride-along will begin at 9:00 a.m. and Santa will return to the North Pole by 5:00 p.m. Due to Mills
River’s size and mountainous roads, the fire truck will not be able to travel up each road in Town,
but will pass through the Town’s main roadways and as many neighborhoods as possible.
For those not along Santa’s Route, you can catch a glimpse of the jolly old elf at one of the
designated “Santa Sightings.” Santa’s helpers will be on hand to give out candy canes to any
children they see along the way.
To find out when Santa will be in your neighborhood visit www.millsriver.org/santa to find out an
approximate time of arrival. On Saturday, December 9 beginning at 9:00 a.m., you will be able to
track Santa live via GPS on our website and on the “Mills River Parks & Recreation” Facebook
page. Please remember that all times are estimates and we cannot guarantee arrival times. The best
way to know Santa is coming to use the live tracker and to listen for the holiday music and sirens
and to look for the flashing lights coming down the street!
For all the details on the Mills River Santa Tour 2023 please visit our web site at
www.millsriver.org/santa or call Mills River Town Hall at 828-890-2901.
Celebrate Christmas at Connemara with demonstrations and craft making on three Saturdays in December. The free holiday activities and craft-making are supported by the non-profit Park Store managed by America’s National Parks.
Demonstrations and craft making will be offered in the garage adjacent to the Sandburg Home. Activities are free and visitors can come anytime during the event time to participate. A detailed schedule will be posted soon.
The Sandburg Home will be decorated in the simple style of the Sandburgs with poinsettias and a traditionally decorated Christmas tree throughout December until January 6th, 2024. Reserve a home tour at recreation.gov.
The Sandburg family enjoyed a simple holiday at home at Connemara. They handmade gifts and baked Swedish springerle cookies, gathered holly and greenery from the grounds to decorate mantels and tables, and cut a white pine from the woods as the Christmas tree. Favorite tree ornaments were glass or paper mache birds. The Christmas season was a time when the family was home and Carl Sandburg took a break from traveling. They gathered in the living room to listen to music, sing songs, and read stories.
An alternative to the ‘pop-up’ or a larger fair, COLLECT curates extraordinary warm and festive gifts for the holidays by regional artists and makers. In addition to gifts, COLLECT will feature food and drink from Crocodile Wine, Roll Up Herbal Bar, Botanist & Barrel, and Nibbly Onigiri.
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Do you want to build a snowman? Join us to create your very own snowperson using air dry clay! All materials will be provided. Open to children and teens ages 4 and up. |
Saturdays through Dec. 16,
8 a.m.–noon through Nov. 18;
10 a.m.–1 p.m. Nov. 24–Dec. 16
Even though it’s getting colder, you can still find fresh, local food at area farmers markets. Nine markets in Buncombe County will offer extended seasons or special holiday dates in November and December. In addition to seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, eggs, and bread, these markets will feature local artists and handmade goods, such as wreaths, pottery, jewelry, and more.
ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription. Both programs offer participants free market tokens that can be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. That includes in-season fall produce such as root veggies (including carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips), tubers (potatoes and sweet potatoes), brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage), winter squash, greens, and fruits like apples and persimmons.
Visit Asheville Outlets for FREE photos with Santa sponsored by the North Carolina Arboretum Winter Lights on Saturdays and Sundays, November 25 & 26, December 2 & 3, December 9 & 10, and daily from Friday, December 15 through Saturday, December 23, 2023. Located in the Food Court. Visitors will receive one FREE 4” by 6” photo and digital download of a single image from TapSnap Phototainment (while supplies last). Dates and time may vary, visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com for additional information.
Give the gift of holiday joy in the form of a unique, beautiful, locally made ornament! Handcrafted ornaments made by local artists will be for sale in our lobby on our Christmas tree through the middle of December. Gift the gift of art this year and support local artists in the process!
| $5 per bag. Must use bags provided by the Friends of the East Asheville Library. Cash, checks, and credit cards accepted. Also accepting Friends memberships and renewals for 2024. Free bag of books for each membership purchased during the sale! Membership fee $15.00 |
Featuring handmade gifts, accessories, clothing and art, the Holiday Market is the perfect place to complete your holiday shopping list. There will be more than a dozen vendors inside and outside of Local Cloth! And you can meet an alpaca! Bring your friends and family!
The Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt will take you on a fun-filled bear hunt through downtown Hendersonville looking for Peppermint Bear’s lost bear cubs, who are hiding out in the shops, Get your map at the Visitor Center, then head out to find all of the cubs and get a stamp at each location after you’ve found the bear, return completed entry forms to the Visitor Center to be eligible for great prizes!
$10 | Ages 2-9 with adult, advance registration required
A holiday tradition for local families, Santa hosts a special breakfast with games, crafts, and a visit from the jolly man himself.
Join us for a Holiday Pop Up Shop at Open Studio
Saturday, December 9th – 11-5
Sunday, December 10th – 11-5
115 Elk Mountain Road, North Asheville NC 28804
Shop pottery, art, vintage clothing, home goods, jewelry, teas, tinctures, gifts + more from:
@gennypopshop
@a13rattlesnakesandrainbows
@junopottery
@heilbronherbs
@loomimports
@yewocollective
Live art creation, demos, and more. Peer into the process of artists in their studios, working in ceramic, fiber, paint, and more. Featuring Art Garden studio artists, and occasional special guests.
Studios:
#314: Trish Salmon, hand-built ceramic sculpture
#324: Cynthia Llanes, landscape expressionism
#320 Canopy Suite:
320a: Emily Alley and Leviticus Moore, fiber sculpture and painting.
320b: Skwerl, painting and drawing
320c: UCB+Youth Arts Empowered, Cleaster Cotton and Tarah Singh, mixed media
320d: Jack Henry, painting and wheel-thrown ceramics
320e: Dillon Endico, oil painting, woodwork, murals
320f: Annie Kyla Bennett, Regenerative Nouveau. oil and mixed media
320g: Sierra the Moth Queen, apothecary and plant arts
320h: Alex Stilber, painting and mixed media
Join Guidon Brewing for their 5th Annual Christmas Market. Local
vendors, Santa, live music with Sunlight Drive, cookie contest and Glühwein will help you get into the Christmas spirit!
Outdoor German-style Christkindlmarkt.
Artisans & Crafters. Food. Drink. Music. Santa Claus. Children’s crafts. Make your own s’mores. Outdoor games. Fun For All Ages.
Featuring: Haus Heidelberg Food Truck, Guidon Brewing Co., 30 vendors, & more
December 9 – Ornaments
December 16 – Printing on Stockings
SART Presents “Christmas Time’s A Comin’, An Appalachian Christmas Revue”
Join us for a heartwarming Christmas revue like no other! This holiday season, we’re spreading the joy by offering pay-what-you-wish tickets. It’s our way of giving back to the community and ensuring that everyone can experience the magic of the season. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Get your tickets today at sartplays.com and celebrate the spirit of giving this Christmas!
From the bounty shores of England comes the Styckes-Upon-Thump Repertory Theatre Company, a stuffy old traveling troupe embarking on their fifteenth annual farewell tour of Dickens’ tale. The company includes Sir Selsdon Piddick, the consummate actor, in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, with Mrs. Bettina Salisbury, Dame Rowena Middleton-Lewis, Mrs. Cordelia ffoliet-ffolkes ffortescue Woods, Teddy Shub, and Elyot Crummels in multiple supporting roles. On this fateful Christmas Eve night, various forms of mayhem ensue as this professional company scrambles to keep the show going and everything that could go possibly wrong does, with hilarious, ridiculous results!
It’s beginning to look a lot like…you got it! Keep the family tradition going. Same great quality, all new show! Come celebrate the season here on ‘The Rock’ with the always popular A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas! Join in and sing along to some of your favorite holiday tunes like, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Jingle Bells,” “O Holy Night,” and many more. With an incredible cast
featuring dancers from Pat’s School of Dance and the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, there is truly no better way to kick off your holiday season!
Get ready to embrace the spirit of Christmas with Elf: The Musical, a heartwarming and hilarious adaptation of the beloved 2003 holiday film. This enchanting musical follows the journey of Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole who embarks on a journey to New York City to find his real father. Through catchy, uplifting songs and zany comedic antics, Elf: The Musical serves a healthy dose of holiday cheer, laughter, and life lessons about identity, family, and the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a magical, festive spectacle guaranteed to light up the holiday season for all ages!
A talkback with the cast & crew of Elf: The Musical will be held following the performances on December 3rd and 10th.
North Carolina’s oldest professional non-profit ballet company presents the full-length classical holiday tradition, with stars, story, and sugarplums. Clara’s magical journey to the Lands of Snow and Sweets featuring the traditional Tchaikovsky score has become a favorite holiday family tradition.