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.

Saturday, March 14, 2020
Seeking Nominations: Griffin Awards
Mar 14 all-day
Buncombe County
Each year, PSABC presents awards to outstanding projects and individuals that further our goals of historic preservation in Asheville and Buncombe County for our Griffin Awards.  Nominations for the 2020 awards to be held on May 28th are now open to individuals, companies and organizations in the following categories:
  • Restoration
  • Rehabilitation
  • Adaptive Re-use
  • In-fill Construction in Historic and Traditional Neighborhoods
  • Research, Publication and Education
  • Stewardship
  • Preservation
Tax Help at Libraries Runs Feb. 1-April 15
Mar 14 all-day
Buncombe County Libraries

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in cooperation with the I.R.S, N.C. Dept. of Revenue, Buncombe County Library System and Council on Aging, Inc. will again offer free tax Preparations for low and moderate income taxpayers, with special attention to those age 60 and older. Both Federal and N.C. State tax returns will be electronically filed for safe and accurate preparation with faster refunds.

This service will be available from Feb. 1-April 15, at sites listed below. Please note that some locations have different start dates as several libraries will be hosting early voting for the Presidential primaries in February.

Tax help for Weaverville will be held at the Brookstone Baptist Church and tax help for West Asheville will be held at the West Asheville Presbyterian Church. All tax help locations can be found at irs.gov.

UNCA ALL EVENTS CANCELLED
Mar 14 all-day

ALL posted UNCA events are CANCELLED

11th Annual Rotarians Against Hunger Volunteers needed
Mar 14 @ 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Reuter Family YMCA
rotarians
                                                          against
                                                          hunger

Volunteers are needed to help set up, package meals, and clean up throughout the day.
 Rotary clubs across the region are on a mission to improve food access. The public can help by volunteering for the 11th Annual Rotarians Against Hunger meal packing event on March 21 at the Reuter Family YMCA.
“The goal is to package 350,000 nutritious meals, consisting of black beans, brown rice, and white rice,” said Cory Jackson, executive director of Community Health at the YMCA of WNC. “The meals will be distributed at no charge throughout the area by MANNA FoodBank and at our 30 regional mobile markets.”
Volunteers are needed to help set up, package meals, and clean up throughout the day. The event is a fun, family-friendly, and immensely rewarding experience for people of all ages.
Volunteer slots:
First shift: 8-10 a.m.
Second shift: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Third shift: 1-3 p.m.
Take down and clean up: 3-6 p.m.
This year’s event is part of a week-long series of volunteering events in Western North Carolina hosted by PubCorps. For those unable to make the March 21 event, PubCorps will offer another meal packaging opportunity. Please visit www.pubcorps.com for more information.
Asheville Catholic School’s 14th Annual Shamrock 5K/10K/Fun Run
Mar 14 @ 8:30 am
Asheville Catholic School

Asheville Catholic School presents the 14th Annual Shamrock Run on Saturday, March 14. There are two races: a 5K and a 10K, both of which start and finish at ACS and run through the beautiful neighborhoods of North Asheville. A fun run will precede the start of the 5K and 10K.  The 10K will start at 9:00 AM and the 5K at 9:15 AM. The Fun Run will begin at 8:30 AM. All events benefit the O’Brien and William Edward Gibbs Memorial Scholarship Fund.  The event will be three days before St. Patrick’s Day this year giving everyone a perfect way to celebrate this fun holiday. There will be great food, beer, and a DJ before and after the races.

Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Mar 14 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions Exhibit
Mar 14 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center

Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center celebrated the opening of its newest traveling exhibit, “Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions” on Saturday, January 18, 2020. The exhibit will run through the July 4th weekend at MGM, located at 24 Water Street in Old Fort. Admission is free.

 

All About Growing Onions, Potatoes & Other Root Vegetables
Mar 14 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Black Mountain Library

On Sat., March 14, 10 to 11:30 am, the Sowing Circle Series will hold a free workshop on growing all sorts of root vegetables plus horseradish, asparagus, rhubarb, and others.

Experience is a great teacher and we have invited Chris Smith, author and executive director of The Utopian Seed Project, to share tips to get you started on growing a successful harvest of all sorts of root vegetables. Chris will also have his book, The Whole Okra, on sale and autograph it for you.

The seed library has a wide variety of free flower, herb and vegetable seeds for you to take home. The gardening series are held at the Black Mountain Library’s Education Room at 105 N. Dougherty Street. Our presentations are in partnership with Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library and Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers. Come join our gardening community and grow with us!

Annual Candler Cleanup
Mar 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
AB-Tech Enka Campus

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Join in the annual Candler cleanup with the Enka Candler Business Association and Asheville GreenWorks. Sign up with your family or work team and select a road to work on for the morning. Please dress appropriately for the weather, including long pants and closed-toe shoes. All other gear and supplies will be provided.

Nantahala Outdoor Center Work Hard, Play Hard Job Fair!
Mar 14 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoor Center

 

Join us on Saturday, March 14 for the first annual NOC Work Hard, Play Hard Job Fair!

Managers from NOC’s Adventure, Retail, Restaurant and HR Departments will be available for open interviews, giving you the opportunity to be hired on the spot! To register in advance, send your resume to our HR office by clicking “Register Now”! Browse a list of open opportunities at noccareers.com.

All offers will be conditional pending successful background and reference checks.

YWCA Free Community Family Swim CANCELLED
Mar 14 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
YWCA
Community Family Swim
Every Saturday, YWCA of Asheville, in partnership with City of Asheville Parks and Recreation, is offering free Community Open Swim to the public. Winter/Spring 2020 hours are: Saturdays 1:30-3:30 pm through May 16th, 2020. Join us in our solar-heated, indoor pool and bring a friend! You do not need to RSVP or be a member of the YWCA to enjoy community open swim.
UNC Asheville’s 2020 Pi(e) Run
Mar 14 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
UNCA starting on the Main Quad

Pi symbol, event basic information with running track in the background

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.

 

Mystical NIght Market
Mar 14 @ 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Violet Owl

Join us for a celebration of the mind, body, and spirit! Local readers, healers, and vendors offering: astrological readings, intuitive/psychic/medium readings, Reiki/energy healings, art, Reiki-infused jewelry, fairy hair, crystals, sacred tools, apothecary items, and more! 
No entry fees! Come join us for a night of fun!

Church Basement Ladies
Mar 14 @ 7:30 pm
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REPERTORY THEATRE

CBL Logo.png

CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES, a musical comedy about the women who work in the church kitchen, cooking meals for church events. The musical is inspired by the book Growing Up Lutheran by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. Characters range from an elderly matriarch to a young bride-to-be as they handle Christmas Dinner, a close-to-home funeral, a Hawaiian fundraiser, and hot July wedding. Our first thought about a church community may be that it is run by the male clergy, but this musical shows us that behind every strong church is a stronger group of women.

Sunday, March 15, 2020
Asheville Mall: cancel or postpone all planned events
Mar 15 all-day

Statement from Asheville Mall Regarding Planned Events and Easter Photo Operations

The health and well-being of the community we serve, our customers, employees, and retail partners is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution and based on guidelines for public meetings and events from the CDC and other governmental agencies, we have made the decision to cancel or postpone all planned events, which includes our seasonal Easter Bunny photo program.

We will continue to monitor updates from the CDC as well as local health officials and governmental agencies and will resume our event schedule as soon as it is appropriate.

 

Coach Needed at Hominy Valley Elementary Girls on the Run!
Mar 15 all-day
Hominy Valley Elementary
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We are in URGENT need of two assistant coaches at Hominy Valley Elementary on one or both program days (greater need on Wednesdays). The team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:15 pm to 3:45 pm.

With your support, 15 girls will grow their confidence, learn to stand up for themselves and others, and realize their voices matter. You don’t even need to like running!

LEAF Volunteers is now LEAF WeX
Mar 15 all-day
LEAF
We’ve opted to shift the name and give some different benefits.
WHAT is changing? The name, WeX Star Crew benefit, & Festival HQ
– Regular Volunteers are now WeX. Work 10 hours in exchange for Weekend (Fri to Sun) Ticket
– Plus Volunteers are now WeX Plus. Work 15 hours in exchange for a Weekend Plus (Thu to Sun) Ticket
– Star Volunteers are now WeX Star. Work 20 hours in exchange for a Weekend Plus (Thu to Sun) Ticket AND a Culinary Passport -OR- a Star Guest Pass Ticket (Thu to Sun). Guest passes are LIMITED.

We’ll update our Auto-Reply as well as make a note on the website when the guest pass is no longer an available option. Those who have submitted completed applications prior to the cut off will have the guest pass option.

WeX Headquarters (HQ) will now be located under the Ship with a designated lounging area for WeXs. Make sure to come by and say hello!! You’ll pick up official schedule cards and culinary passes here as well.

POSTPONED: Grand Opening Celebration for Mel Chin’s Wake
Mar 15 all-day
44 Collier Ave. Asheville, NC 28801

Join us for the grand opening celebration!

‘Wake’, Mel Chin’s giant animatronic sculpture, installed in New York City’s Times Square last summer, will be on view in Asheville, from March 15 to September 7, at 44 Collier Avenue. Chin, a WNC based conceptual artist, was named a MacArthur Fellow in September 2019.

This event is free and open the public.

Starting March 16th, visitors can experience Wake daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The full schedule of programs is available at ashevillearts.com/public-art

Registration open: Asheville Parks & Recreation spring break camps
Mar 15 all-day
Asheville City various locations

Spring Break Basketball Camp

April 6-10 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Location: Linwood Crump Shiloh Center

Fee: $25, and it includes a T-shirt.

This basketball camp is designed for girls and boys age 12 to 16 to sharpen fundamental, offensive, defensive, and team play skills.  Players of all abilities will improve their game with this focused one week training AND make new friends, increase self-esteem, and develop more passion for the game.  Click here to register now!

 

Spring Break Camp – Youth, Grades K-5

April 6-13 (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Locations: Tempie Avery Montford, Stephens-Lee, and Vance recreation centers

Fee: $50/child, City of Asheville residents receive a $10 discount

Come spend your vacation with us! Youth in grades K-5 will enjoy activities, crafts, exercise and all kinds of fun. Click here to register now!

 

Spring Break Camp – Middle School, Grades 6-9

April 6-13 (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Location: Stephens-Lee Recreation Center

Fee: $50/child, City of Asheville residents receive a $10 discount

Youth in grades 6-9 will play games, go on field trips and spend time in the Teen Room. Click here to register now!

 

For more information about these and all Asheville Parks & Recreation programs, call 828-259-5800, visit the website at www.ashevillenc.gov/parks or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/APRCA.

 

Seeds and Sprouts Kids Consignment Sale – Spring/Summer Event
Mar 15 all-day
Xcel Sportsplex

Come shop over 30,000 gently used children’s clothes, gear, and toys; and maternity clothes and accessories! Free admission and free parking. SASK supports WNC Foster Care through donations of unsold items at the end of the sale and through financial donations from a portion of sale profits.

Dates/Times:
March 13–9-8pm
March 14–9-5pm
March 15–12-4pm (most items 50% off)

UNCA ALL EVENTS CANCELLED
Mar 15 all-day

ALL posted UNCA events are CANCELLED

Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Mar 15 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

Return to the Green – Celtic Celebration
Mar 15 @ 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Fluor Field

Even if green isn’t really your color, you’ll want to get in on all the (free!) fun at Greenville’s longest-running Celtic celebration.

In an era when parents taking their kids downtown feel like walking ATMs, we have worked hard to make sure that this family-friendly event is not just a lot of fun, but also FREE. Yes, there is no admission charge, and all children’s activities are also free! We hope that you find your ‘Return to the Green’ to be festive, family friendly, and a memorable cultural experience. And of course you could be that extra lucky attendee who returns home $500 richer thanks to our cash prize giveaway.

1:00 ~ Event Start
1:00 ~ Live music by the Dunn Sisters  
2:00 ~ Children’s Area Opens (Runs from 2-4)
2:15 Opening Ceremonies: Céad Míle Fáilte
             City of Greenville Pipes & Drums:
          ~ Irish & American National Anthems
             John Hanson/Whitney Bradley
2:30 ~ Irish Youth Hurling/ Gaelic Football Exhibition 
2:30 ~ Irish Dance Performance – Westend Dance Company
3:00 ~ Live Celtic Music – ‘Keltic Kudzu’
5:00 ~ Irish Dance Performance 
5:30 ~ Grand Prize Drawing for $500 Cash Prize 
             Must be present to win
6:00 Return to your House    
CANCELLED: Pollinator Meadow Workday
Mar 15 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Beaver Lake Pollinator Meadow

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Asheville GreenWorks invites you to join Florrie Funk, of the Bee City Asheville Leadership Committee, for an afternoon to improve one of Asheville’s pollinator havens! The workday will consist of removing invasive species from the pollinator meadow at the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary.

PLEASE wear long pants and closed-toed shoes. There will be gloves, but please bring hand pruners, trowels, or other weeding tools if you have them!
We will primarily be removing Japanese Honeysuckle, Porcelain Berry and non-native Clematis vines, pulling them out and digging out the bigger roots. These are aggressive invasive vines that displace the native wildflowers and grasses that native pollinators depend on. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how to identify and manually remove some of our area’s most tenacious invasives.

Volunteers will receive a Bee City USA – Asheville window cling!

 

 

Monday, March 16, 2020
Asheville Mall: cancel or postpone all planned events
Mar 16 all-day

Statement from Asheville Mall Regarding Planned Events and Easter Photo Operations

The health and well-being of the community we serve, our customers, employees, and retail partners is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution and based on guidelines for public meetings and events from the CDC and other governmental agencies, we have made the decision to cancel or postpone all planned events, which includes our seasonal Easter Bunny photo program.

We will continue to monitor updates from the CDC as well as local health officials and governmental agencies and will resume our event schedule as soon as it is appropriate.

 

Moogseum Closed Through March 31st
Mar 16 all-day
Moogseum

 The Bob Moog Foundation announced today that it will temporarily close the Moogseum, located in downtown Asheville, NC, until March 31, 2020. The closure comes in response to a call for Americans to practice social distancing to help “flatten the curve” of an anticipated widespread Coronavirus outbreak.

“Given the critical importance of early self-isolation in stemming the spread of COVID-19, we believe it is our moral imperative to protect our staff, as well as our visitors and our community by temporarily closing the Moogseum to the public,” stated Executive Director Michelle Moog-Koussa. “During this time, the work of the Bob Moog Foundation will continue, with our staff working remotely to advance our projects. While the considerations around the spread of the virus remain fluid, we will continue to reassess when we will  reopen the Moogseum.”

The decision to close the Moogseum comes with considerable financial ramifications. During this time the Foundation encourages supporting its work through donations or a variety of other means, explained here: http://bit.ly/BMFWaysToSupport.

The Moogseum, which opened on May 23, 2019, is an interactive facility which brings the legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog alive for people of all ages to experience. It is the hallmark project of the Bob Moog Foundation, representing the convergence of its work in education and archive preservation.

UNCA ALL EVENTS CANCELLED
Mar 16 all-day

ALL posted UNCA events are CANCELLED

Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Mar 16 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

Itch to Stitch Weaverville Library CANCELLED
Mar 16 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Weaverville Library

Itch to Stitch

Bring your current needle project and work while socializing with other like-minded crafters

This Brilliant Darkness: A Book of Strangers
Mar 16 @ 6:00 pm
Malaprop's

THIS BRILLIANT DARKNESS is a dazzling, genre-defying work, blending memoir with immersion journalism, fusing late-night philosophical musings with an intimacy akin to the work of James Agee and Teju Cole. With radical empathy and striking candor, Sharlet brings attention to lives lived on the margins of society: the elderly, the homeless, the mentally ill, the disabled. Through these illuminating and thought-provoking encounters, Sharlet depicts a society full of suffering and regret—but one which when observed, casts a glimmer of light.

 

This event is free and open to the public. We ask that you purchase the books you want to be signed at our events from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are not only supporting the work it takes to run an events program, you are also telling the publishers that they should keep sending authors here. Can’t make it to the store for the event? Call us or order the book on our website in advance, and we’ll get it signed for you. Make sure you write your preferences in the comments if you purchase online.

Event date:
Monday, March 16, 2020 – 6:00pm
Event address:
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe
This Brilliant Darkness: A Book of Strangers Cover Image