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.
Join us in-person at Malaprop’s or live online when NC-based author Kayla E. presents her debut graphic memoir, Precious Rubbish, in conversation with local author Tessa Fontaine.
A landmark graphic novel debut and groundbreaking work of trauma recollection told in the style of post-war children’s comics. “If an exorcism can ever be slow and quiet, then every panel I’ve finished has felt something like an exorcism. The gutters give me space to make sense of things: to connect dots and close gaps. To remember.” Kayla E.’s Precious Rubbish is an experimental graphic memoir drawn in a style that references the aesthetics of mid-century children’s comics and tells the story of a childhood shaped by maternal emotional dysregulation, rural poverty, and incest. The author’s childhood is portrayed as a collection of short-form comics and gag panels punctuated by interactive elements like paper dolls, satirical advertisements, games, and puzzles.
The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds Present: THE MOTH Presents: Asheville StorySLAM – “BLOOM”
All Ages
Doors: 6:30pm // Show: 7:30pm
Grey Eagle Music Hall
The Moth StorySLAM is an open-mic storytelling competition in which anyone can share a true, personal, 5-minute story on the night’s theme. Sign up for a chance to tell a story or sit back and enjoy the show! Tonight’s theme is…
BLOOM: Prepare a five-minute story about growth. Rising from the concrete or blossoming late in life tell us about the journey to reach your full potential. From peaking early to flourishing after years of careful nurturing, bring us stories of new beginnings, perseverance, and those moments when everything finally came to fruition. April showers bring May flowers, but the path to blooming is rarely straightforward.
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
Show Starts: 7:30 PM
The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds Present: Golden Folk Sessions
Everyone is welcome to share a few poems (3-5 min. each), or just sit back and have a drink for a good cause.
$1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to the Friends of the Black Mountain Library!
Come see the Reptiles available.
Come see the Reptiles available.
The North Carolina Writers Network-West and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails presents H.R. (RANDY) SPENCER &
RICHARD ALLEN TAYLOR
as next in their series
“In the Company of Writers.”
The program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets followed by an open mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending. The guest author speaks from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. Sign-ups for the open mic will be located at the entrance to the reading.
For more info visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrandyBar/events
Join us at the Greenville Convention Center on July 24-27th, 2025 for the Carolina Foothills Cluster Dog Show.The Greenville Kennel Club and The Piedmont Kennel Club will each be hosting two all-breed shows.
Many Vendors and Other Attractions
Event will be held in Hall 1, Parking will be located on Exposition Drive. Parking will be $10, cashless. Plenty of RV Parking Available On-Site
The North Carolina Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails present
JENNIFER McGAHA as next in their series “In the Company of Writers”
The program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets, followed by an open-mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will both enlighten and entertain those in attendance. The guest author speaks from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. The original music of John Longbottom welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. Sign-up for the open mic sheet is posted at the entry.
Jennifer McGaha is the author of three works of creative nonfiction, including The Joy Document, a collection of fifty essays celebrating midlife, Flat Broke with Two Goats, a 2018 OverDrive Big Library Read, and Bushwhacking: How to Get Lost in the Woods and Write Your Way Out, a Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award finalist. Her work has also appeared in many magazines and literary journals including Image, The Huffington Post, The New Pioneer, Lumina, PANK, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Brevity, Bitter Southerner, Crab Creek Review, River Teeth, and others. An Appalachian native, Jennifer lives in a wooded North Carolina hollow with her husband, two cats, four unruly dogs, eight relatively tame dairy goats, and an ever-changing number of chickens
Co-sponsored by the North Carolina Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails, the program, “In the Company of Writers” is featured the 2nd Wednesday of each month. https://www.facebook.com/events/581466841671943
WED 8/10/25 – 7-9 PM – The North Carolina Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails present as next in their series “In the Company of Writers.” Kate Crawford
The program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets, followed by an open mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending. The guest author speaks from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. The Chicago blues music of “John Longbottom” welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. You are welcome to sign up for the open mic with the sign-up sheet at the entrance.
Katherine Scott Crawford is the award-winning author of The Miniaturist’s Assistant and Keowee Valley. A former backpacking guide, adjunct professor, and recovering academic, her newspaper column appeared weekly across the country and abroad, including in USA Today, The Detroit Free Press, The Herald Scotland, and more. Winner of a North Carolina Arts Award in fiction, she holds an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She’d rather be in the woods with her dog than anywhere else, enjoys curious people, adventure, and snow, and believes historical fiction the best way to time travel. An eleventh-generation Southerner, she directs writing retreats at a remote mountain lodge near Brevard, North Carolina, where she lives with her family.
For more info visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrandyBar/events
Join writers and storytellers from Western North Carolina to celebrate, cry, and connect through stories about bodily autonomy. Think stories of birth, abortion, miscarriage, transition, gender identity, race, and all their intersections—stories that center the essential nature of bodily autonomy to our humanity.
The North Carolina Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails present VIVIAN I BIKULEDGE & MICHAEL HETTICH as next in their series “In the Company of Writers”
The program offers a series of personal and conversational dialogues featuring guest writers/poets followed by an open mic forum. These inspirational gatherings will elucidate and entertain those attending. The guest authors speak from 7-8 PM with an open mic from 8 -9 PM. The original music of Bob Sherrill welcomes you, continues during intermission, and closes the evening. Sign-ups for the open mic sheet are posted at the entry.
Vivian I. Bikulege is a poet and essayist. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared in the North Carolina Literary Review, The Fourth River, and Broad River Review. A semi-finalist for the 2023 James Applewhite Prize, she also earned honorable mention in the 2022 Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition. Vivian was the 2022 Gilbert-Chappell emerging adult poet for western North Carolina under the mentorship of Ken Chamlee.
Introducing Paws & Pumpkins at Biltmore Park Town Square
Calling all ghouls, goblins, and four-legged friends! Looking for a pet-friendly activity in Asheville this fall? Mark your calendar for Paws & Pumpkins on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 3:00–6:30 PM. This festive celebration takes place at the Biltmore Park Farmers Market and throughout the vibrant shops along Town Square Boulevard, bringing together families, neighbors, and furry companions for an afternoon of seasonal joy.
🎃 Fall Festivities Include:
Trick-or-Treating Trail, where you can collect sweets and treats at Town Square shops. Be sure to stop by Printville’s booth, where kids can decorate their very own trick-or-treat bag. And don’t forget to visit the Biltmore Park table to pick up a full list of participating stores on the trick-or-treat trail.
Pumpkin Patch Fun at the market in partnership with local farms, perfect for picking the season’s best pumpkins.
Festive Face Painting to complete your Halloween look.
Dog Adoption Station with Mountain Pet Rescue, giving you the chance to learn about their mission and meet adoptable pups.
Spooky STEM Activities with Zaniac Learning Center, blending science and seasonal fun.
Halloween Storytime with Barnes & Noble, a cozy stop for little ghosts and goblins.
Learn about the South Asheville Turkey Trot with the iDaph crew and get ready for this epic fall tradition at Biltmore Park.
🐾 Dog Costume Contest—Presented with Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming!
We are so excited to host a dog costume contest this year.
Join us for Paws & Pumpkins on Thursday, October 23, from 3:00–6:30 PM at Biltmore Park Town Square! This family- and pet-friendly fall festival will feature a dog costume contest, trick-or-treating, a pumpkin patch, local vendors, and even pet adoptions. Celebrate the season with festive activities, delicious market finds, and plenty of fun for kids, adults, and furry friends alike.
Be sure and mark your calendars for SAFF 2025!
There are classes on Thursday. No shopping, no selling. We are setting up.
Friday, October 24- (9 am – 5 pm)
Saturday, October 25 – (9 am – 5 pm)
Sunday, October 26- (9 am – 4 pm)
The event is located at the WNC Agricultural Center, in Fletcher, NC, across Hwy 280 from the Asheville Regional Airport. (Exit 40 off I-26).
Admission will be $5/person per day. $10 pass for 3 days. Youth under 13 yrs. old will be free. Bring cash! Only at gate..no early ticket sales
Animal Haven of Asheville Annual Fall Fundraiser
📅 Sunday, October 26 | 2–6 PM 📍 65 Lower Grassy Branch Rd, Asheville, NC
Celebrate compassion and community at our annual fundraiser! Enjoy a full vegan buffet, drinks, live music by Southern Style Band, a silent auction, and interactive animal stations. All proceeds support our animals and help build a memorial barn honoring co-founder Barb Bellows.
🎟️ Early-bird tickets: $37.50 (until Oct 19) | $45 after 👧 Kids under 12 attend free 🚐 Parking and shuttle service provided
Ticket URL: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fall-fundraiser-5
Reserve your spot and help us raise the barn!\
The Black Mountain Library is excited to welcome Redhawk Publications to the Community Room on Wednesday, October 29th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. for an evening of poetry readings from their new anthology “Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets On The Helene Flood”
This anthology features over eighty poets from our region who contributed poems on their perspectives of Helene. Several poets from the anthology will be reading their works at this free event.
Redhawk Publications will be selling copies of the anthology for $20 each.
Signup begins 6pm / Perform 6:30-8:30.
Everyone is welcome! Any genre…song, music, spoken word, poetry, storytelling, comedy, short films, demos, etc. Supportive listening room in an art gallery setting. Each performer gets up to 12 minutes each. All performances will be livecast.
Everyone is welcome! Any genre…song, music, spoken word, poetry, storytelling, comedy, short films, demos, etc. Supportive listening room in an art gallery setting. Each performer gets up to 12 minutes each. All performances will be livecast.
Signup begins 6pm / Perform 6:30-8:30.
Everyone is welcome! Any genre…song, music, spoken word, poetry, storytelling, comedy, short films, demos, etc. Supportive listening room in an art gallery setting. Each performer gets up to 12 minutes each. All performances will be livecast.
Join us for the Woven Word Retreat – a cozy bohemian winter writing retreat for women nestled in the tranquil beauty of House Boheme. This is a transformative, creative, all-inclusive gathering designed to awaken your inner storyteller.
This 4-day, 3-night experience weaves poetry, movement, ritual, nourishment, and embodied storytelling to stir the creatrix within.
Guided by skilled and popular local facilitators who will help you explore your voice and connect deeply with yourself and others, you’ll have the space to write, reflect, and express your truth in a supportive, welcoming space.
Expect soul-nourishing practices like Yoga Nidra, writing workshops, yoga, and more, plus time to ground into nature and connect with a community of women.
Whether you’re new to writing or a seasoned storyteller, you’ll leave feeling inspired, empowered, and more aligned with your creative spirit.
Learn more and secure your spot at www.wovenwordretreat.com
Magic of Lights is a dazzling, drive-through holiday lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Experience Magic of Lights from the comfort and safety of your own car as you wind through the sparkling path of Greenville’s best holiday tradition. Be sure to stop by Santa’s Village and the Enchanted Deer Forest for extra holiday magic! Kids 2 and under are free!
Step into the magic of Santa’s Village, where holiday cheer meets hands-on fun for the whole family. Feed and interact with gentle miniature horses, camels, Watusi cattle, pigs, sheep, alpacas, goats, waterfowl, antelope, and more—and don’t forget to purchase animal food to treat the many residents. Cuddle with bunnies, have your photo taken with a baby kangaroo, snap pictures with Santa in his animal barn, and visit the Grinch at his festive Grinch House.
Savor fresh coffee and pastries at Santa’s Sweet Delights, or enjoy hot cocoa, drinks, snacks, and food from our concession stand. Visit the souvenir shop for fun, colorful, and festive items, and leave your mark on the “feel good” graffiti board. Warm up by a crackling fire pit or the grand bonfire, roast marshmallows and s’mores, and steal a kiss under the mistletoe tree. Pose inside the giant lighted present, then find a picnic table to relax and take it all in.
Santa’s Village is more than a visit, it’s a memory in the making.

