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.
Sobremesa, literally “over the table,” is a word that describes the ritual of families and friends
lingering over a meal to chat — often into the early morning hours. It’s when the food coma
kicks in, but you just want to relax and be in each other’s company, occasionally picking at
leftovers or refilling your glass. In honor of Asheville’s vibrant Latinx/Hispanic community,
this event will celebrate the rich and diverse food traditions that stretch from Mexico to the
Southernmost tip of Argentina. The meal will be accompanied by a thoughtful conversation
highlighting the role of immigration in our region’s foodways with guests Marianne
Martinez, executive director of Vecinos; and Sergio Fernandez, executive director of El
Centro.
The presence of diverse and healthy pollinators like butterflies, bees, moths,
hummingbirds, and beetles is a signal that a landscape is functioning in beautiful harmony,
at its highest expression of health and diversity. Pollinators ensure the continued existence
of millions of plant species, as well as the animal species that depend on those plant
species, including humans. Many pollinator populations are in decline, attributed to the
mismanagement of the dynamic ecosystems that support our planet—pollution, the
misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climatic patterns are all examples of what
is causing shrinking and shifting pollinator populations. It’s time for a metamorphosis in
the way land is honored as a whole. Join Chow Chow and Kim Bailey, founder of Milkweed
Meadows Farm and Phyllis Stiles, founder and director emerita of Bee City USA for a
pollinator centered experience. From the farm fields to the forested mountaintops we
invite you to an inventive dining experience that imagines the bravery of metamorphosis,
and the synergy and abundance of intricate life that is supported when we honor the
ecology of the land.
Jackson Arts Market is WNC makers and music festival every Saturday rain or shine on Main street in downtown Sylva 1 – 5. Connect with local creators where everything for sale is handmade. Learn their artistic processes with demonstrations and workshops with live music.
more info at jacksonartsmarket.com
From bread to beer, pastry to pasta, and rice to spirits, grains are central to much of what we
eat, drink and enjoy. Great Grains celebrates and educates about our regional grain shed,
which connects farmers, millers, maltsters, chefs, bakers, brewers, distillers and you. Learn
about our vibrant grain community from Jennifer Lapidus – Carolina Ground, David Bauer –
Farm and Sparrow, Sebastian Wolfrum – Epiphany Craft Malt, and others, all while enjoying a
delicious array of grain-based goodness
From the farm to the butcher to the kitchen to your plate–join Chow Chow for a multi-course
feast showcasing local pasture raised meats and dairy products. This immersive event will also
include live-fire cooking and a whole animal butchery demonstration by Andrew Magazine,
applied anatomist–butcher by trade, dancer by training, and homesteader by permacultural
necessity. Author and activist Meredith Leigh and Rhyne Cureton, AKA “Pork” Rhyne, pork
evangelist and international swine educator, will lead a fascinating discussion of the benefits of
locally grown, pasture-raised meat and dairy, covering topics including land recovery, natural
fertilizer, soil integrity, rotational grazing, carbon sequestration, and reduction of food waste
Namaste Beautiful Souls! I’m excited to announce that I’ll be presenting at LoveShinePlay Festival (previously known as Asheville Yoga Festival) for yet another incredible year, and would be so honored to have you join me!
I’m excited to offer 15% OFF of your 3-or-4 Day Pass! Simply enter the promo code TARA2021 at checkout.
♡ About The Festival ~
The name has changed but the Love is always here…
Since 2016, The LoveShinePlay Festival (formerly Asheville Yoga Festival) has been working to bring the gift of yoga to Asheville through a weekend filled with world-class instructors, dynamic musicians, motivating speakers and a diversity of vendors. Alongside co-owners Amanda Hale and Sara LaStella, we invite you for another year of conscious connection and compassion, through practice, discussion, communion with nature & celebration.
♡ So much to explore… Teachers, musicians, and speakers from all over the country and from just down the street! See who I will have the honor of joining, and check back often for schedule updates and offerings the closer we get here!
Vendors and more music, workshops, and other fun events happening all weekend long at the Mountain Air Market! Discover all of the exciting details on the festival’s website! https://www.loveshineplay.com/tickets
~ My offerings will be announced soon! ~
The 62nd annual NC Mineral & Gem Festival located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. One of the oldest running and most popular mineral and gem festivals in the country. Hours are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday Hours are 12:00 to 5:00 PM.
Mountain Makers Craft Market is a monthly indie art fair designed to cultivate community in Western NC. Located in Downtown Waynesville, we bring together 20+ artisans selling handmade and vintage goods that’ll make you smile! Join us on the first Sunday of each month from 12p-4p at 308 N. Haywood Street, and visit MountainMakersMarket.com
From sofrito to “soccarat” (those delicious crispy bits!), Chef Katie Button of Cúrate: Tapas
Bar, La Bodega, Wine Club and Trips will guide virtual guests through the timeless process
of building layers of flavor, culminating in a glorious one-pan meal that’s as perfect for
entertaining as it is a weeknight treat. Order a paella starter kit today from Cúrate, and take
it for a few test runs before the main event! $50 from every paella kit sold to ticket holders
will be donated to Chow Chow. Additional ingredient and recipe details will be shared prior
to the event
Are you ready to be part of the 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival®? On August 5, 6, 7, 2021, a different show will be presented live on stage each evening allowing you to appreciate the talent and dedication of the hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. These traditions involve not only the hand-clapping, toe-tapping rhythms of Bluegrass, the style and stories of century-old ballads, the high energy of clogging, the elegance of Big Circle Mountain Smooth Dance, the fun and entertainment of storytelling, but also include an awareness of the hardships and trials that have brought us to this place and time.
This 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival® has been made possible through the generosity of our music community volunteering their time and talent to preserve and promote the Southern Appalachian music, dance and storytelling heritage.
A listing of performers who volunteer their time and talent to make our events possible can be found on Our Performers page. Please visit their websites and support their generosity by purchasing music, merchandise, making a contribution to virtual tip jars where available or just to tell them you enjoyed their performance. Our artists especially need our support during these difficult times.
The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as a means for people to share and understand the beauty and dignity of the Southern Appalachian music and dance traditions that have been handed down through generations in western North Carolina. He saw the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival grow to be the oldest gathering of its kind in the nation and it continues in this way, a platform for the talented of the high country lying between the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has served a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of the vitality and importance of Southern Appalachian culture throughout the region, nation and world. Bascom Lunsford’s mission was to present the finest of the Appalachian ballad singers, string bands and square dance teams for education and entertainment. The songs and dances shared at this event echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lunsford’s was the first dubbed a folk festival, and he later consulted with many communities across the country interested in organizing similar festivals.
If you like Shindig on the Green, you’ll love the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival!
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.
Click here for more history of the Festival.
Click here if you are interested in performing.
Click here if you are interested in becoming a Corporate Sponsor.
Community is central to the human experience, giving us a sense of belonging to something
greater than ourselves. Connecting with others through shared experiences directly impacts
our physical, emotional and mental health. Join Chow Chow for a delicious meal and
discussion celebrating how community is created and nourished in our region, specifically
around the essential element of food. As you dine, you’ll hear from neighbors Sunil Patel,
who created the village-scale Patchwork Urban Farms in West Asheville; April Jones, founder
of Pinehurst Farmers Market, which addresses food sovereignty in Columbia, SC; and
Jeremy French and his team at Making Whole, a fine furniture studio and addiction recovery
program built into the framework of a traditional apprenticeship program, where every day
includes preparing and enjoying a shared meal around a communal dining table.
Learn to add a special touch to your dinner or cocktail napkins with an embroidery
demonstration and class with Echoview Fiber Mill. Attendees will also learn about natural
dyes, including dyes that can be made from kitchen scraps and plants in your own
backyard. Attendees will receive a kit with naturally dyed threads (five colors), one cloth
napkin, one embroidery needle and stitch templates from Echoview Fiber Mill in the mail
prior to the class. (Must register by August 1 to receive kit).
For the 16th year in a row, artists in this small community will open their studios to the public for the annual Come to Leicester Studio Tour. This free, self-guided event is held every third weekend in August, with this year’s tour dates being August 21st and 22nd, 10 AM to 6PM each day.
Visitors choose their own tour stops using a printed brochure with a full-color map of the area, and bold signs direct to the individual studios. The tour route travels through some of the most scenic rural countryside in Western North Carolina. Along the way, visitors can view beautiful, hand-crafted work and meet the artists who create it. The variety of arts and crafts includes brooms, pottery, painting, furniture, iron work, fiber art, and stained glass. Come join the tour on August 21 & 22!
Explore the world of fermented foods with us! Fermentation is transformation. Fermentation
preserves both our food and our cultural diversity and connects us to thousands of years
of hands-on knowledge and ingenuity. The Southern Appalachian culinary and beverage
community includes many devotees of this time-honored process. Join us for a delicious
and informative dinner that showcases the many creative fermentation processes that are
practiced in our region: kimchi, beer and kombucha, cheeses, chocolates, breads, coffee, sake,
charcuterie, kefir, sour beers, hot sauces, natural wines, miso and pickled Appalachian produce.
Meg Chamberlain of Fermenti will lead an engaging discussion, and guests will enjoy the
opportunity to meet and shop with local makers, to bring some fermented goodness home!
Experience Asheville’s premiere independent film festival! We are a non-profit, competitive festival with the mission to cultivate a spirited collective of homegrown filmmakers. We uplift up-and-coming filmmakers of Asheville and the Southeast with screenings, workshops, music performances and after parties throughout the weekend.
BYOF – Bring Your Own Film
8pm at Fleetwood’s Chapel
496 Haywood Rd
West Asheville, North Carolina
It’s like an open mic, but movies. Bring a USB drive with a film 7 minutes or less and share with the community. First come, first service.
Open to the public and donations go to future festival screenings.
WORKSHOP #1 – INQUEERY
10am-11:30am at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
INQUEERY is a creative workshop designed for LGBTQIA2S+ people to connect and reflect on their lived experiences through visualizations, creative writing and story. This offering also includes time to read an excerpt from and discuss Asheville-based feature film script Whistle Down Wind, which is currently in development.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
WORKSHOP #2 – Comrades Help Comrades Make Movies
12pm-3pm at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
Running an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable set on a hyper indie budget.
Private Work in Progress screening of the feature film E IS FOR with the Co-Writer/Director, Writer/Producer/Lead, DP and EP in attendance with discussion and feedback opportunities.
Pull up a seat at the table and we’ll deep dive into how we made a feature film during the time of COVID and how our intention to honor the insight and labor of our comrades shaped everything from the budget, size of the crew and much of the creative while preserving and sustaining the mental health and experience of everyone on set. We’ll outline resources, cover funding hurdles, pre-production workflow, paperwork and set ethics.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
SCREENING – Opening Night
Doors at 7pm, Screening at 8pm at The Barrelhouse at the Funkatorium
147 Coxe Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Arrive dressed to impress in (encouraged) black tie attire to witness the “best of” in indie drama, comedy, and documentary short films.
AFTER DARK
Doors at 10pm at Cultivated Cocktails Tasting Room
25 Page Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Keep the party going into the night. Featuring a local DJ and exclusive Cat Fly projection installation and living gallery highlighting local and regional animated films.
Included with purchase of any screening.
Rooftop Pool Party
12pm-5pm at Aloft Air Level
51 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina 28801 USA
Present your VIP badge or ticket to any screening to hotel check-in for a key to access the pool.
Included with purchase of any screening.
WORKSHOP #3 – Gillybear Presents: “Garbage Monsters”
3pm-5pm at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
A look at low-budget, big-impact Special Effects for filmmakers who ain’t got two nickels to rub together.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
SCREENING – Community Night
Doors at 7pm, Screening at 8pm at The Orange Peel
101 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Weird, experimental and off-the-beaten path shorts from up-and-coming filmmakers of Asheville and the Southeast.
Experience Asheville’s premiere independent film festival! We are a non-profit, competitive festival with the mission to cultivate a spirited collective of homegrown filmmakers. We uplift up-and-coming filmmakers of Asheville and the Southeast with screenings, workshops, music performances and after parties throughout the weekend.
BYOF – Bring Your Own Film
8pm at Fleetwood’s Chapel
496 Haywood Rd
West Asheville, North Carolina
It’s like an open mic, but movies. Bring a USB drive with a film 7 minutes or less and share with the community. First come, first service.
Open to the public and donations go to future festival screenings.
WORKSHOP #1 – INQUEERY
10am-11:30am at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
INQUEERY is a creative workshop designed for LGBTQIA2S+ people to connect and reflect on their lived experiences through visualizations, creative writing and story. This offering also includes time to read an excerpt from and discuss Asheville-based feature film script Whistle Down Wind, which is currently in development.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
WORKSHOP #2 – Comrades Help Comrades Make Movies
12pm-3pm at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
Running an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable set on a hyper indie budget.
Private Work in Progress screening of the feature film E IS FOR with the Co-Writer/Director, Writer/Producer/Lead, DP and EP in attendance with discussion and feedback opportunities.
Pull up a seat at the table and we’ll deep dive into how we made a feature film during the time of COVID and how our intention to honor the insight and labor of our comrades shaped everything from the budget, size of the crew and much of the creative while preserving and sustaining the mental health and experience of everyone on set. We’ll outline resources, cover funding hurdles, pre-production workflow, paperwork and set ethics.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
SCREENING – Opening Night
Doors at 7pm, Screening at 8pm at The Barrelhouse at the Funkatorium
147 Coxe Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Arrive dressed to impress in (encouraged) black tie attire to witness the “best of” in indie drama, comedy, and documentary short films.
AFTER DARK
Doors at 10pm at Cultivated Cocktails Tasting Room
25 Page Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Keep the party going into the night. Featuring a local DJ and exclusive Cat Fly projection installation and living gallery highlighting local and regional animated films.
Included with purchase of any screening.
Rooftop Pool Party
12pm-5pm at Aloft Air Level
51 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina 28801 USA
Present your VIP badge or ticket to any screening to hotel check-in for a key to access the pool.
Included with purchase of any screening.
WORKSHOP #3 – Gillybear Presents: “Garbage Monsters”
3pm-5pm at Asheville School of Film
45 S French Broad Ave #120, Asheville, NC 28801
A look at low-budget, big-impact Special Effects for filmmakers who ain’t got two nickels to rub together.
Open to the public and 100% of donations go to the instructors.
SCREENING – Community Night
Doors at 7pm, Screening at 8pm at The Orange Peel
101 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Weird, experimental and off-the-beaten path shorts from up-and-coming filmmakers of Asheville and the Southeast.
Hendersonville is the official home of the North Carolina Apple Festival, a four-day celebration to recognize the importance of the apple industry to Henderson County and North Carolina. The Apple Festival is always held during the Labor Day weekend (Friday through Monday). Festival-goers can choose from a variety of events that feature a street fair on Historic Main Street and surrounding event venues.
Some of the other festivities happening during the Apple Festival include apple breakfasts, Gem & Mineral Spectacular, children’s activities, the Western North Carolina Air Museum Open House and
Please leave your pets comfortably at home.
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state. The County grows more than 40 varieties of apples including; Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Stayman, Fuji and Galas.
Asheville’s Goombay Festival has celebrated African & Caribbean heritage here in Western North Carolina. This year, celebrating 40th Goombay Anniversary!
The festival celebrates the richness and diversity found in the food, music, and art across the African Diaspora.
Goombay is free and open to anyone and everyone who wishes to attend!
Hendersonville is the official home of the North Carolina Apple Festival, a four-day celebration to recognize the importance of the apple industry to Henderson County and North Carolina. The Apple Festival is always held during the Labor Day weekend (Friday through Monday). Festival-goers can choose from a variety of events that feature a street fair on Historic Main Street and surrounding event venues.
Some of the other festivities happening during the Apple Festival include apple breakfasts, Gem & Mineral Spectacular, children’s activities, the Western North Carolina Air Museum Open House and
Please leave your pets comfortably at home.
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state. The County grows more than 40 varieties of apples including; Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Stayman, Fuji and Galas.
Asheville’s Goombay Festival has celebrated African & Caribbean heritage here in Western North Carolina. This year, celebrating 40th Goombay Anniversary!
The festival celebrates the richness and diversity found in the food, music, and art across the African Diaspora.
Goombay is free and open to anyone and everyone who wishes to attend!
Hendersonville is the official home of the North Carolina Apple Festival, a four-day celebration to recognize the importance of the apple industry to Henderson County and North Carolina. The Apple Festival is always held during the Labor Day weekend (Friday through Monday). Festival-goers can choose from a variety of events that feature a street fair on Historic Main Street and surrounding event venues.
Some of the other festivities happening during the Apple Festival include apple breakfasts, Gem & Mineral Spectacular, children’s activities, the Western North Carolina Air Museum Open House and
Please leave your pets comfortably at home.
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state. The County grows more than 40 varieties of apples including; Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Stayman, Fuji and Galas.
Asheville’s Goombay Festival has celebrated African & Caribbean heritage here in Western North Carolina. This year, celebrating 40th Goombay Anniversary!
The festival celebrates the richness and diversity found in the food, music, and art across the African Diaspora.
Mountain Makers Craft Market is a monthly indie art fair designed to cultivate community in Western NC. Located in Downtown Waynesville, we bring together 20+ artisans selling handmade and vintage goods that’ll make you smile! Join us on the first Sunday of each month from 12p-4p at 308 N. Haywood Street, and visit MountainMakersMarket.com
Hendersonville is the official home of the North Carolina Apple Festival, a four-day celebration to recognize the importance of the apple industry to Henderson County and North Carolina. The Apple Festival is always held during the Labor Day weekend (Friday through Monday). Festival-goers can choose from a variety of events that feature a street fair on Historic Main Street and surrounding event venues.
Some of the other festivities happening during the Apple Festival include apple breakfasts, Gem & Mineral Spectacular, children’s activities, the Western North Carolina Air Museum Open House and
Please leave your pets comfortably at home.
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state. The County grows more than 40 varieties of apples including; Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Stayman, Fuji and Galas.
The Town of Canton Mayor and Board of Aldermen/women are excited to announce that the 114th Canton Labor Day Festival will take place September 5th and 6th! This event will be bigger and better than ever and we hope that you make your plans to join us!
The forests of Appalachia can host an incredible diversity of delicious foods, making our region
ideal for the practice of forest farming–a sustainable production system which helps keep a
forest healthy by introducing more biodiversity. This practice introduces cultivated crops into
forest settings by integrating trees and shrubs, offering up inventive ingredients to the food
system while also offering environmental, economic and social benefits. Almost any plant or
fungus that needs shade can be grown in a forest farming system. Join Chow Chow for
mouth-watering tastes of the forests as you learn from Craig Mauney, local forest farmer and paw paw
ambassador, and Bill Whipple, of the Acornucopia Project and Asheville Nuttery.
Dive in with us for a tasting feast exploring sustainable seafood and fish from the mountains
to the sea. Learn about the best choices you can make to ensure you are eating seafood and
fish that are well managed and caught or farmed responsibly. Conversation will address the
challenges and opportunities in the fish and seafood industry, and how we all, from the water
to the plate, can work together for a more sustainable future.