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.

Sunday, May 19, 2024
Flat Rock Backpack Program: Empty Bowls Benefit
May 19 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness

 

Local ceramic artists will once again fire up their kilns for the seventh
year to help hungry children in the greater Flat Rock area.
Advance tickets are recommended for the two seatings: 12:00pm-2:00pm and 4:00pm-
6:00pm. Each ticket includes one hand-crafted bowl donated by area potters, a soup-based
meal, with soups and breads donated by local restaurants and bakers, plus homemade cookies
baked by church members. For those wishing to eat at home, take-away is an available
option.
Tickets are $30 per person or $50 for a family of two adults and children under 12. Tickets
are available for purchase online at www.stjohnflatrock.org/empty-bowls.
Please join us for this fun community event. Donations are gratefully accepted throughout the
year. The Flat Rock Backpack Program has 501c-3 status. 100% of the money collected goes
to feeding at least 150 children in eight schools every weekend.
“The Backpack Team is so very appreciative of the support from the potters, the food
providers, and the community, who make this such a successful event,” said Debby Staton,
Flat Rock Backpack Program Coordinator.
The Parish Hall is located across the street from the church at 1905 Greenville Highway. For
more information write to [email protected] or visit www.stjohnflatrock.org.

Flat Rock Backpack Program: Empty Bowls Benefit
May 19 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness

7th Annual Empty Bowls
Supporting the Flat Rock Backpack Program

Sunday, May 19, 2024
Two Seating Windows: 12:00-2:00pm | 4:00-6:00pm

Local ceramic artists will once again fire up their kilns for the 7th year to help hungry children in the greater Flat Rock area. On Sunday, May 19, Empty Bowls, a community meal benefiting the Flat Rock Backpack Program, will take place inside the Parish Hall at the Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness.

Advanced tickets are strongly recommended for the two seatings: 12:00pm-2:00pm and 4:00pm-6:00pm. Attendees of the event may come any time

NEW EMPTY BOWLS PHOTO_reduced size.png

during their seating window. Each ticket includes one hand-crafted bowl (all donated by area potters) and a soup-based meal (a variety of soups, breads, and homemade cookies). For those wishing to eat at home, take-away is an available option.

Tickets are $30 per person or $50 for a family of two adults and children under 12. Limited tickets may be available at the door on the day of the event.

The Parish Hall is located across the street from the church building, at 1905 Greenville Highway. For more information, write to [email protected].

Monday, May 20, 2024
Volunteer: Grace Covenant Community Garden
May 20 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Spring has sprung, and at the YWCA that means that our talented Nutrition team is cooking up new ways to serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to the children in our Early Learning and Empowerment Child Care programs. We are so grateful to be partnering with the wonderful volunteers who operate Grace Covenant’s Community Garden to receive produce grown specifically for our kitchen! The YWCA has been partnering with Grace Covenant for three years, and we have received over 1000 pounds of healthy, local produce from the garden.

YWCA Nutrition Specialist Melinda Aponte works hard to make the most of the bounty from Grace Covenant, and she also nurtures our own YWCA garden to teach kiddos in our childcare programs healthy habits and get them in the garden. Love the idea of helping to feed children fresh, healthy foods? Volunteer with the YWCA Nutrition team this spring and summer to help out in the YW garden space.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 20 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Tools to Support Liberation
May 21 all-day
online w/Bountiful Cities

Liberation Tools is a cooperative subset of the 501c3 nonprofit Soul & Soil Project based in the unceded Tsalagi (Cherokee) territory of Western North Carolina.
Our mission is to build a collective that sustainably and skillfully crafts quality tools used for growing food, and freely distributes them to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To support these efforts, we sell these tools for twice the cost of producing one, thereby allowing people with accumulated wealth to access high quality tools by also paying for an identical tool to be sent to a BIPOC land steward.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/o/tickets/forms/edit?ticketingId=d65860b2-f8dc-4438-bef5-191cf74bb9dc&#advanced-parameters

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 21 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Kids Deserve Justice RESCHEDULED May 21
May 21 @ 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Rabbit Rabbit

Make a difference in the lives of local children! Join Pisgah Legal Services at Rabbit Rabbit in downtown Asheville for an evening of live music, featuring Jane Kramer and the band Rooster. Take part in family-friendly fun, a silent auction and more at this outdoor event for all ages. By participating, you contribute to our Children’s Law Program which provides crucial support to kids in our communities.

Pisgah Legal Services is a nonprofit providing free civil legal aid, anti-poverty advocacy, and access to health care to people with low incomes in Western North Carolina. Kids Deserve Justice supports our Children’s Law Program, which helps disadvantaged children avoid unsafe housing conditions and homelessness, access essential services such as medical care, and escape abuse. Legal intervention can stop an immediate crisis and improve local children’s long-term futures.

In 2023, we served over 23,000 people—more than 7,000 of them children—across the WNC mountain region.

Tickets are $25/person in advance, $30 at the door. Kids age 12 and under get in FREE. Tickets include event admission and 1 complimentary drink ticket.

Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Volunteer: Grace Covenant Community Garden
May 22 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Spring has sprung, and at the YWCA that means that our talented Nutrition team is cooking up new ways to serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to the children in our Early Learning and Empowerment Child Care programs. We are so grateful to be partnering with the wonderful volunteers who operate Grace Covenant’s Community Garden to receive produce grown specifically for our kitchen! The YWCA has been partnering with Grace Covenant for three years, and we have received over 1000 pounds of healthy, local produce from the garden.

YWCA Nutrition Specialist Melinda Aponte works hard to make the most of the bounty from Grace Covenant, and she also nurtures our own YWCA garden to teach kiddos in our childcare programs healthy habits and get them in the garden. Love the idea of helping to feed children fresh, healthy foods? Volunteer with the YWCA Nutrition team this spring and summer to help out in the YW garden space.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 22 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Voodoo-It for Charity: Pint Night with Beer for Boobs
May 22 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Voodoo Brewing Co. - Asheville

Voodoo Brewing Co. – Asheville

Support Beer for Boobs and breast cancer research and the American Cancer Society at Voodoo! Buy a beer for $10, keep the Beer for Boobs glass and $5 for each pour will be donated back to Beer for Boobs. May 22, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Tools to Support Liberation
May 23 all-day
online w/Bountiful Cities

Liberation Tools is a cooperative subset of the 501c3 nonprofit Soul & Soil Project based in the unceded Tsalagi (Cherokee) territory of Western North Carolina.
Our mission is to build a collective that sustainably and skillfully crafts quality tools used for growing food, and freely distributes them to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To support these efforts, we sell these tools for twice the cost of producing one, thereby allowing people with accumulated wealth to access high quality tools by also paying for an identical tool to be sent to a BIPOC land steward.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/o/tickets/forms/edit?ticketingId=d65860b2-f8dc-4438-bef5-191cf74bb9dc&#advanced-parameters

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 23 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

ASHEVILLE MUSIC SCHOOL PRESENTS: DIRTY LOGIC–BENEFIT CONCERT
May 23 @ 6:00 pm
Salvage Station

Asheville Music School Presents: Sound Effects Benefit Concert with music by Dirty Logic and Minør! This is an all-ages event, and kids 7 and under get in FREE!

Now in its tenth year, Sound Effects is Asheville Music School’s primary fundraising event. This year, we are bringing the country’s premier Steely Dan Tribute Band, Dirty Logic to the outdoor stage at Salvage Station. AMS band Minør opens the show.

Our goal is to raise $35,000 to support AMS operations and the Paul Thorpe Music Education Fund, which funds the scholarship and outreach programs.

Asheville Music School (AMS) is strengthening communities through music education and outreach, while sustaining teachers and musicians in a vibrant music culture. Its 35+ music educators conduct private lessons in a wide variety of music styles and instruments for students of all ages and abilities. AMS also offers ensemble classes, summer camps, group classes, master classes and workshops in a supportive family-friendly environment.

Since its inception as a nonprofit, AMS has awarded more than $100,000 in need-based scholarships to those unable to afford private music lessons. All proceeds from this event will be used to help AMS continue and expand its free performances and group music classes for underserved communities, veterans, seniors, the homeless, people in recovery and those living with disabilities through its Sound Education outreach program.

ABOUT DIRTY LOGIC:

Composed of an all-star line-up of some of Asheville, NC’s best musicians, Dirty Logic works hard to create a show that both honors the exceptional music of Steely Dan and showcases the incredible skill and unique musical voice of each of the band’s members. This 11-piece powerhouse delivers the experience that true Steely Dan fans recognize as authentic passion for the music, skillfully and joyfully recreated. The collective shares the idea that: “playing this music the way that it should be played” means bringing together musicians who are masterful in their craft and who also share a deep love and sense of reverence for the music and musicians of Steely Dan.

While fans can expect to hear accurate renditions of the studio recordings and solos they know and love, the band also incorporates some funkier, re-harmonized arrangements found in Steely Dan’s live performances. Their knack for authentically recreating the band’s catalog and a healthy dose of high-energy improvisation ensures that each show is a refreshing musical experience. Their songbook includes tracks from Aja, Gaucho, The Royal Scam, Pretzel Logic, Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy, Katy Lied, and the FM soundtrack.

Friday, May 24, 2024
Volunteer: Grace Covenant Community Garden
May 24 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Spring has sprung, and at the YWCA that means that our talented Nutrition team is cooking up new ways to serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to the children in our Early Learning and Empowerment Child Care programs. We are so grateful to be partnering with the wonderful volunteers who operate Grace Covenant’s Community Garden to receive produce grown specifically for our kitchen! The YWCA has been partnering with Grace Covenant for three years, and we have received over 1000 pounds of healthy, local produce from the garden.

YWCA Nutrition Specialist Melinda Aponte works hard to make the most of the bounty from Grace Covenant, and she also nurtures our own YWCA garden to teach kiddos in our childcare programs healthy habits and get them in the garden. Love the idea of helping to feed children fresh, healthy foods? Volunteer with the YWCA Nutrition team this spring and summer to help out in the YW garden space.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 24 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Saturday, May 25, 2024
Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society Rose Exhibit
May 25 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Presented by the Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society, the Annual Rose Exhibition promises to be the most spectacular exhibition of roses in Western North Carolina! Over a hundred varieties of fragrant, WNC-grown roses will be on display, including rare and beautiful blooms from some of the region’s most admired gardens, along with lovely easy-care roses perfect for your garden.

Rose experts will be available to offer helpful gardening tips and answer your questions.

Admission to the Annual Rose Exhibition is included with the regular Arboretum parking fee.

More info at wncroses.com.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 25 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Sunday, May 26, 2024
Tools to Support Liberation
May 26 all-day
online w/Bountiful Cities

Liberation Tools is a cooperative subset of the 501c3 nonprofit Soul & Soil Project based in the unceded Tsalagi (Cherokee) territory of Western North Carolina.
Our mission is to build a collective that sustainably and skillfully crafts quality tools used for growing food, and freely distributes them to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To support these efforts, we sell these tools for twice the cost of producing one, thereby allowing people with accumulated wealth to access high quality tools by also paying for an identical tool to be sent to a BIPOC land steward.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/o/tickets/forms/edit?ticketingId=d65860b2-f8dc-4438-bef5-191cf74bb9dc&#advanced-parameters

Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society Rose Exhibit
May 26 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Presented by the Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society, the Annual Rose Exhibition promises to be the most spectacular exhibition of roses in Western North Carolina! Over a hundred varieties of fragrant, WNC-grown roses will be on display, including rare and beautiful blooms from some of the region’s most admired gardens, along with lovely easy-care roses perfect for your garden.

Rose experts will be available to offer helpful gardening tips and answer your questions.

Admission to the Annual Rose Exhibition is included with the regular Arboretum parking fee.

More info at wncroses.com.

Garden Jubilee
May 26 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Main Street Downtown Hendersonville

Garden Jubilee, one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina, will be held on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Memorial Day weekend. With nearly 200 plant and craft vendors lining Main Street, the Historic downtown will be transformed into a garden wonderland.

Local and regional nurseries, orchards and crafters will offer a wide variety of plants and handmade delights and gardening experts will be on hand to share the latest gardening tips and techniques.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 26 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

No Till Market Garden Intensive
May 26 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Wild East Farm

Growing vegetables is one of the great joys in life. The feeling of child-like wonder that comes with tending and observing a patch of earth through the seasons is unparalleled. Plus the security that comes with knowing where your food comes from and being able to provide for yourself. Unfortunately, many people are discouraged from this joyful process due to fear of endless, arduous work: hours spent weeding, constantly battling pests and diseases decimating crops, and long days in the hot sun.

We have grown thousands of pounds of vegetables over the past 7 years at a variety of scales: from a humble porch tomato all the way up to 8 acres of mixed vegetables. Through our experience we’ve found that using a deep compost, no-till approach is our favorite way to produce beautiful, healthy plants while lessening the workload. We have experienced that it is entirely possible to grow an abundant garden that provides the majority (or all) of your yearly vegetables with just a few hours a week of your time.

This half day intensive geared is towards folks looking for technical knowledge and personal empowerment around gardening- for profit or at a home scale.. You’ll head home with confidence and enthusiasm to start your garden or take your current garden to the next level.

What to Expect:

Time: 1-4pm, with short break

Topics covered include:

  • Tour the Wild East market garden, tool shed, and wash pack area

  • Deep compost “no till” approach

  • Garden design considerations

  • Soil health

  • Direct seeding vs transplanting

  • “Lean” approach

  • Tools to get started
    + more!

This workshop is co-taught by Noah and Zak

Accessibility:

This workshop is primarily outdoors and involves walking on uneven ground as well as long periods of standing and sitting. It is not recommended as accessible for wheelchairs. The workshop will be in English. Please reach out if you have specific needs prior to purchasing a ticket so we can discuss our ability to meet those needs.

Monday, May 27, 2024
Volunteer: Grace Covenant Community Garden
May 27 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Spring has sprung, and at the YWCA that means that our talented Nutrition team is cooking up new ways to serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to the children in our Early Learning and Empowerment Child Care programs. We are so grateful to be partnering with the wonderful volunteers who operate Grace Covenant’s Community Garden to receive produce grown specifically for our kitchen! The YWCA has been partnering with Grace Covenant for three years, and we have received over 1000 pounds of healthy, local produce from the garden.

YWCA Nutrition Specialist Melinda Aponte works hard to make the most of the bounty from Grace Covenant, and she also nurtures our own YWCA garden to teach kiddos in our childcare programs healthy habits and get them in the garden. Love the idea of helping to feed children fresh, healthy foods? Volunteer with the YWCA Nutrition team this spring and summer to help out in the YW garden space.

Run for Life Memorial Day 5K and Fun Run
May 27 @ 8:00 am
Bill Moore Community (Fletcher) Park

Join us for this Memorial Day 5K Run for Life event to remember those who gave their all for our country and to help support Open Arms Pregnancy Center. This will be a run/walk-timed event to be held at Bill Moore Community Park in Fletcher (AKA: “Fletcher Park”) located at 85 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher, NC US 28732 on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th with a start time of 8:00 AM. A Fun Run will start at 9:00 AM.
Runners should register by April 20th to secure a T-shirt for the race.
Sign up at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Fletcher/Run4for5k
Those interested in sponsoring the event should contact Open Arms Pregnancy Center to learn more. (Marlies Zerressen at [email protected] or call 828.676.4510)
Open Arms provides a safe place for women facing unplanned pregnancies, those
needing material goods for their baby, or those who need emotional support. We serve
each mom throughout her pregnancy and continue supporting her and the baby to 18 months of age. All services are free and confidential.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 27 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Tools to Support Liberation
May 28 all-day
online w/Bountiful Cities

Liberation Tools is a cooperative subset of the 501c3 nonprofit Soul & Soil Project based in the unceded Tsalagi (Cherokee) territory of Western North Carolina.
Our mission is to build a collective that sustainably and skillfully crafts quality tools used for growing food, and freely distributes them to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To support these efforts, we sell these tools for twice the cost of producing one, thereby allowing people with accumulated wealth to access high quality tools by also paying for an identical tool to be sent to a BIPOC land steward.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/o/tickets/forms/edit?ticketingId=d65860b2-f8dc-4438-bef5-191cf74bb9dc&#advanced-parameters

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 28 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Volunteer: Grace Covenant Community Garden
May 29 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Spring has sprung, and at the YWCA that means that our talented Nutrition team is cooking up new ways to serve fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to the children in our Early Learning and Empowerment Child Care programs. We are so grateful to be partnering with the wonderful volunteers who operate Grace Covenant’s Community Garden to receive produce grown specifically for our kitchen! The YWCA has been partnering with Grace Covenant for three years, and we have received over 1000 pounds of healthy, local produce from the garden.

YWCA Nutrition Specialist Melinda Aponte works hard to make the most of the bounty from Grace Covenant, and she also nurtures our own YWCA garden to teach kiddos in our childcare programs healthy habits and get them in the garden. Love the idea of helping to feed children fresh, healthy foods? Volunteer with the YWCA Nutrition team this spring and summer to help out in the YW garden space.

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 29 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Thursday, May 30, 2024
Tools to Support Liberation
May 30 all-day
online w/Bountiful Cities

Liberation Tools is a cooperative subset of the 501c3 nonprofit Soul & Soil Project based in the unceded Tsalagi (Cherokee) territory of Western North Carolina.
Our mission is to build a collective that sustainably and skillfully crafts quality tools used for growing food, and freely distributes them to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. To support these efforts, we sell these tools for twice the cost of producing one, thereby allowing people with accumulated wealth to access high quality tools by also paying for an identical tool to be sent to a BIPOC land steward.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/o/tickets/forms/edit?ticketingId=d65860b2-f8dc-4438-bef5-191cf74bb9dc&#advanced-parameters