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.
We are Asheville’s Community Blood Center.
We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.
Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.
You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.
Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!

Starting this weekend, we’ll be selling local heirloom and edible pumpkins from Sandy Mush, NC, and decorative gourds from Union Grove, NC!
Come join us at the farm as we get into the fall spirit & celebrate the harvest 

Experience The Time of Your Life at the 12th annual Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure, NC!
Whether you have been coming for years, or always wanted to see what the hype is all about, we have a chance for you to WIN a weekend getaway to the namesake film’s backdrop where It’s all Crazy for Swayze.
Join us for singalongs, watermelon carrying, Lift Scenes, lots and lots of dancing, and much more on September 24-25, 2021. Proceeds benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and festival organizers, The Chamber of Hickory Nut Gorge.
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Show-stopping Dance Performances
Live Music by The Soul Psychedelique OrchestraThe return of Hot Lake Lure Nights dance lessons A Message from PanCAN Nighttime Lakeside Screening of Dirty Dancing |

Guest Appreciation Festival is our annual celebrating bringing together guests, visitors, paddlers, and staff for a weekend festival of incredible sales, whitewater, outdoor fun, and gratitude!
Snag the best in outdoor gear and apparel at stunningly low prices from our new and used gear sale with names including The North Face, Chaco, Dagger Kayaks, KEEN and more. Boaters can take advantage of free shuttles for the Cascades and Upper Nantahala recreational releases. Shop crafts and handmade goods from regional and local vendors. Join in on the fun with our family-friendly riverside games and activities including giant Jenga, face painting, and more! Dance the night away to live music on the banks of the Nantahala River. Enjoy a weekend of fun and community in the Nantahala Gorge!
Experience The Time of Your Life at the 12th annual Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure, NC!
Whether you have been coming for years, or always wanted to see what the hype is all about, we have a chance for you to WIN a weekend getaway to the namesake film’s backdrop where It’s all Crazy for Swayze.
Join us for singalongs, watermelon carrying, Lift Scenes, lots and lots of dancing, and much more on September 24-25, 2021. Proceeds benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and festival organizers, The Chamber of Hickory Nut Gorge.
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Professional Dance Lessons to the Original
Movie Soundtrack Film-Inspired Dance Performances by the Asheville Ballet Top-notch Live Music by DJ Michael Sprouse, Envision, and ACE Party Band. Watermelon Races for PanCAN Selfie Portraits with scenes from Dirty Dancing filmed here in Lake Lure A Car Show featuring the 1957 Chevy Bel Air “Swayze” look-alike car A variety of Movie-inspired Games The Lake Lift Competition And much more! |

Starting this weekend, we’ll be selling local heirloom and edible pumpkins from Sandy Mush, NC, and decorative gourds from Union Grove, NC!
Come join us at the farm as we get into the fall spirit & celebrate the harvest

Enjoy one of the top 20 events in the Southeast with live entertainment, 130+ food and craft vendors, tons of family-friendly activities, interactive kids area, along with performances and demonstrations celebrating the Southern Appalachian mountain culture. Mountain Heritage Day is diligently working to create a safe environment for everyone, whereby booths and seating are spaced for physical distancing.

The past, present, and future of African-Americans in Asheville is a story of resilience. Join
DeWayne Barton and Hood Huggers International for a Garden Gathering in the Peace Gardens
& Market in West Asheville. Hood Huggers builds greater communication, connection and
wealth in systematically marginalized neighborhoods in the Affrilachian region through
the arts, environment, and social enterprise. The Peace Gardens & Market–a labor of love in
the heart of the Burton Street Community–is a sanctuary for positive action, designed to
create neighborhood food security, community cohesion, and a vibrant, sustainable local
economy. The Gardens are also a vibrant sculpture park, featuring installations created by
DeWayne Barton and other artists, telling a compelling story of social and environmental
justice and black history. The Gardens will be activated with food, drink, art, music, poetry and
performance

Guest Appreciation Festival is our annual celebrating bringing together guests, visitors, paddlers, and staff for a weekend festival of incredible sales, whitewater, outdoor fun, and gratitude!
Snag the best in outdoor gear and apparel at stunningly low prices from our new and used gear sale with names including The North Face, Chaco, Dagger Kayaks, KEEN and more. Boaters can take advantage of free shuttles for the Cascades and Upper Nantahala recreational releases. Shop crafts and handmade goods from regional and local vendors. Join in on the fun with our family-friendly riverside games and activities including giant Jenga, face painting, and more! Dance the night away to live music on the banks of the Nantahala River. Enjoy a weekend of fun and community in the Nantahala Gorge!


COVID AGREEMENTS
We are practicing Covid-conscious protocols which follow North Carolina law.
Per NC guidelines.
Please respect each other’s choices.
Physical distancing is encouraged.
Please no alcohol, weapons, tobacco, or shaming!
Individuals, or pods of 2-10 people, will be asked to mark out their space with string, rope, blankets etc. Bring these items if you want !
Honor your needs and take care of yourself. Respect individual and energetic boundaries of whatever distance other folks need – check in and seek consent!
If you have symptoms in the 5 days before the event, please stay home and take care of yourself, and come to the next one! Let us know.

Starting this weekend, we’ll be selling local heirloom and edible pumpkins from Sandy Mush, NC, and decorative gourds from Union Grove, NC!
Come join us at the farm as we get into the fall spirit & celebrate the harvest

Food is universal and central to all our lives. Chow Chow brings together diverse community
leaders who will be paired with chefs to tell their stories through food. Each lived experience
will inspire a multi-course, paired beverage tasting dinner, interpreting the personal stories
through food. The Chefs & Narrators will share with us their stories, and the process for
transforming a life story into a meal
We are Asheville’s Community Blood Center.
We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.
Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.
You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.
Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!
We are Asheville’s Community Blood Center.
We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.
Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.
You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.
Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!
We are Asheville’s Community Blood Center.
We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.
Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.
You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.
Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!

The Asheville Holiday Parade, presented by Bojangles, rolls, dances and marches through downtown Asheville on Saturday, November 20 beginning at 11am. The parade features more than a variety of entries including marching bands, dance and cheer squads, youth sports, nonprofits and businesses. We will be consulting with local public health officials and follow any guidelines in place at the time. Entries will be limited to allow for spacing and we’ll incorporate other safety measures.
Find the 2021 rules for parade applicants here. It’s imperative that you carefully read the rules and regulations prior to filling out your application. Find the 2021 parade application here. Please be creative, parade entries must be entertaining and family friendly, not all entries will be accepted.Thanks to Bojangles, Explore Asheville, Ingles Markets, Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum, Apple Tree Honda, WLOS, Star 104.3, 99.9 Kiss Country, Go Minis, Kimpton Hotel Arras, Aloft Asheville Downtown and Asheville Color & Imaging.

Starting this weekend, we’ll be selling local heirloom and edible pumpkins from Sandy Mush, NC, and decorative gourds from Union Grove, NC!
Come join us at the farm as we get into the fall spirit & celebrate the harvest 
We are Asheville’s Community Blood Center.
We’re proud to call Western North Carolina home. Our dedicated staff work and live in the area, just like you. Whether you’re here for the breath-taking mountain views or the cooler weather, we’re glad you’re here to help us save the lives of your neighbors.
Our centers are the perfect places to give back and kick back. Open every day, yes weekends too, makes it easy to fit donating into your schedule.
You could probably use a little peace, and every Blood Connection center offers that. Clean, spacious, and comfortable, a center getaway may be exactly what you need…it’s exactly what 3 blood recipients need too.
Every donation has the power to save up to 3 lives. Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. is in need of a life-saving blood transfusion. You’re 1 person who can make a difference!

The Asheville Holiday Parade, presented by Bojangles, rolls, dances and marches through downtown Asheville on Saturday, November 20 beginning at 11am. The parade features more than a variety of entries including marching bands, dance and cheer squads, youth sports, nonprofits and businesses. We will be consulting with local public health officials and follow any guidelines in place at the time. Entries will be limited to allow for spacing and we’ll incorporate other safety measures.
Find the 2021 rules for parade applicants here. It’s imperative that you carefully read the rules and regulations prior to filling out your application. Find the 2021 parade application here. Please be creative, parade entries must be entertaining and family friendly, not all entries will be accepted.Thanks to Bojangles, Explore Asheville, Ingles Markets, Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum, Apple Tree Honda, WLOS, Star 104.3, 99.9 Kiss Country, Go Minis, Kimpton Hotel Arras, Aloft Asheville Downtown and Asheville Color & Imaging.

Starting this weekend, we’ll be selling local heirloom and edible pumpkins from Sandy Mush, NC, and decorative gourds from Union Grove, NC!
Come join us at the farm as we get into the fall spirit & celebrate the harvest 

The Asheville Holiday Parade, presented by Bojangles, rolls, dances and marches through downtown Asheville on Saturday, November 20 beginning at 11am. The parade features more than a variety of entries including marching bands, dance and cheer squads, youth sports, nonprofits and businesses. We will be consulting with local public health officials and follow any guidelines in place at the time. Entries will be limited to allow for spacing and we’ll incorporate other safety measures.
Find the 2021 rules for parade applicants here. It’s imperative that you carefully read the rules and regulations prior to filling out your application. Find the 2021 parade application here. Please be creative, parade entries must be entertaining and family friendly, not all entries will be accepted.Thanks to Bojangles, Explore Asheville, Ingles Markets, Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum, Apple Tree Honda, WLOS, Star 104.3, 99.9 Kiss Country, Go Minis, Kimpton Hotel Arras, Aloft Asheville Downtown and Asheville Color & Imaging.




