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.
EAT, DRINK and BE MERRY! Join us for a holiday party to celebrate YOU! During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s important to take a break with friends. We have been so busy this past year with shows and classes galore! Stop in for drinks and hors d’oeuvres in the ACT lobby to celebrate all of the successes that we created together over the past year! As always, we look forward to seeing you at the theatre!
“A Christmas Carol” appears for one week at the Red Rocker Inn in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
“A Christmas Carol” is a raucous and fun retelling of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. This one-man show will be appearing in December at the Red Rocker Inn for the week before Christmas.
Beautifully staged at the historic Red Rocker Inn Bed & Breakfast and Restaurant in Black Mountain, NC. Always charming, the inn will be lavishly decorated in her holiday finest. Menu includes prime rib and other festive delights served with impeccable style.
“A Christmas Carol” is a call to return to family and to bring love and caring for the less fortunate. The production is one-third Masterpiece Theater and two-thirds live interactive Comedic Theater. Dickens’s biting commentary on a life based on a banker’s balance sheet is as fresh and funny as yesterday’s news.
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Performance Dates in 2019:
Tuesday December 17th at 6:00 PM
Wednesday, December 18th at 6:00 PM
Friday, December 20th at 6:00 PM
Saturday, December 21st at 6:00 PM
Select a wine on draft and fill a plēb urban winery 500mL or 1L growler for a reduced price (see menu for availability and pricing). Growler purchase is separate. Carry out only.
https://www.facebook.com/events/859748727719594/?event_time_id=859748911052909
Face it – you’ve been DYING to get away with murder!
$40 tickets are sold in advance, but there are limited tickets. Admission includes your first beer, wine, or craft cocktail. This is an event like none other, and RSVP is necessary. There will not be food available at this event, so make sure you have something before. Join us for great drinks and mysterious happenings!!!
7:00pm-7:30PM Check In
7:30pm-9:00pm Murder Mystery Event
BAD SANTA
A master of deception, the reclusive Christopher Clause tricked many people into attending what he referred to as the ‘most wondrous party of the year.’ After everyone arrived at Clause Manor, Christopher had his staff lock the guests inside with no chance of escape. The party-goers were shocked to see Christopher, wearing a Santa suit in a faraway location, pop onto a monitor in the living room. He warned that someone would be leaving in a coroner’s bag!
The eccentric millionaire was a mastermind and had selected the guest list meticulously. It wasn’t long before tempers flared inside of the holiday pressure cooker while they worked on Chris’s demented riddle. There wasn’t much surprise when a dead body emerged, and a killer lurked among them…
The guests scurried about, interrogating each other until they could turn over no more stones. Once they found the killer, the detainees were able to leave the manor, never to speak of the night’s events again.
This is a MyMysteryParty.com mystery party game, in association with Mystery Men Productions. Tickets subject to Terms and Conditions.
The AIR Passport is your buy-one-get-one (BOGO)* ticket to some of Buncombe County’s highly acclaimed independent restaurants. Visit an old favorite or try a new member of the area’s vibrant independent restaurant community. AIR Passports make great gifts, but they go fast.
The AIR Passport offers BOGO from 60 area eateries with discounts up to $15 per participating restaurants. All proceeds from the AIR Passport go to benefit the ongoing efforts of AIR to keep Asheville’s food scene eclectic and authentic.
“It is one of our largest fundraisers of the year,” Anderson said. “We are able to use these funds throughout the year for educational classes, events and other opportunities for our members and their staff.”
Participating restaurants in the 2020 AIR Passport:
| 828 Pizzeria North | Ducker Tea Room | Rosabees |
| 828 Pizzeria South | Early Girl DT | Rosetta’s |
| AUX Bar | Early Girl West | Roux |
| Baked Pie North | Early Girl North | Rustic Grape |
| Baked Pie South | Farm Burger | Sante |
| The Barrelhouse | French Broad Choc | Sawhorse |
| Bhramari | The Glass Onion | The Social Lounge |
| The Bier Garden | The Grey Eagle | Strada |
| Black Bear BBQ | Hemingway’s Cuba | Sunny Point |
| The Blackbird | Isa’s Bistro | Tupelo Honey DT |
| Blue Dream Curry | Jack of the Wood | Tupelo Honey South |
| Bouchon | Karen Donatelli | Daphne-Twisted Laurel |
| Button & Co Bagels | The Laughing Seed | Twisted Laurel West |
| Buxton Hall | Little Jumbo | Ultimate Ice Cream N |
| The Cantina | The Lobster Trap | Ultimate Ice Cream E |
| Chai Pani | Luella’s North | Vinnie’s Italian |
| Chestnut | Luella’s South | Well Played |
| Chupacabra | The Native Social | White Labs |
| Collaboratory | Pack’s Tavern | White Duck Taco DT |
| Copper Crown | The Oysterhouse | White Duck Taco RAD |
| The Corner Kitchen | The Red Stag Grill | White Duck Taco South |
| Creekside Taphouse | RendezVous |
Growing up outside of conservative Dallas, Texas, Jay Light had to sneak late-night viewings of Comedy Central and Adult Swim with the volume turned low. His parents wouldn’t have approved. Today things have come full circle: He’s appeared on both seasons of Comedy Central insult competition Roast Battle, been named a “local eclectic noise maker” by L.A. Weekly, and praised as “one of the best Roasters in Los Angeles” by no less than Comedy Central mainstay Jeff Ross.
Self-deprecating, slyly dark, and always eager to subvert audience expectations, Jay began his stand-up career as a freshman at North Carolina’s Elon University. As an undergrad he hosted frenetic student TV gameshow Win Stuff and wrote/directed 2011’s Shock Jock, which screened at the Cannes Festival’s Short Film Corner. Follow-up effort Rocketeer received the Sprite Films Competition’s national Viewers Choice Award the following year. Jay’s Media Arts & Entertainment degree came with the Communications department’s high-profile A.J. Fletcher Award, granted annually to “an outstanding graduate…who reflects wide-ranging interest in the field.”
Now a regular performer at famed Sunset Strip institution the Comedy Store, Jay co-produces weekly live editions of Roast Battle. He credits the latter with helping him tap into his true comedic voice, become a better joke-writer, and elevate his confidence as a performer…not to mention score the opportunity to open for Dave Chappelle. Onstage Jay may look like the clean-cut, naïve boy next door and readily admit, “I suffer from camp-counselor face!” But as crowds quickly learn, he doesn’t shy from discussing his sheltered religious upbringing or the formative lessons learned along his path to sobriety.
In addition to making the finals of Comedy Central’s Roast Battle II: War of the Words, Jay has appeared on the network’s Not Safe with Nikki Glaser and HBO’s Project Greenlight. Most recently he’s honed his improv skills at emerging L.A. venue The Pack Theater, and in 2018 became both a contributing writer for Pete Holmes’ HBO series Crashing and staff writer for the Discovery Channel’s BattleBots reboot.
Aside from touring clubs, music venues and colleges across the country, other stand-up credits include the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, the Motor City Comedy Festival, the Golden Spike Comedy Festival, the Blue Whale Comedy Festival, and South by Southwest.
In the podcasting realm, Jay puts his film degree to use every Monday morning on Blockbusting with Jay Light. The show first invites top comics and filmmakers to discuss industry news and the latest box-office results. Guests then dissect a successful mainstream movie they don’t consider a personal favorite – no gimmicks, no remorse, no punches pulled. Everything may be subjective in comedy, but on Blockbusting unpopular opinion rules.
As for Jay’s parents? Though his mom may have disowned his earliest career choices, it’s safe to say she’s coming around. They’re admittedly still not his target demographic, but Comedy Central now plays loud and proud in the Light household whenever he’s on.
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-jay-light-tickets-79794839513
The AIR Passport is your buy-one-get-one (BOGO)* ticket to some of Buncombe County’s highly acclaimed independent restaurants. Visit an old favorite or try a new member of the area’s vibrant independent restaurant community. AIR Passports make great gifts, but they go fast.
The AIR Passport offers BOGO from 60 area eateries with discounts up to $15 per participating restaurants. All proceeds from the AIR Passport go to benefit the ongoing efforts of AIR to keep Asheville’s food scene eclectic and authentic.
“It is one of our largest fundraisers of the year,” Anderson said. “We are able to use these funds throughout the year for educational classes, events and other opportunities for our members and their staff.”
Participating restaurants in the 2020 AIR Passport:
| 828 Pizzeria North | Ducker Tea Room | Rosabees |
| 828 Pizzeria South | Early Girl DT | Rosetta’s |
| AUX Bar | Early Girl West | Roux |
| Baked Pie North | Early Girl North | Rustic Grape |
| Baked Pie South | Farm Burger | Sante |
| The Barrelhouse | French Broad Choc | Sawhorse |
| Bhramari | The Glass Onion | The Social Lounge |
| The Bier Garden | The Grey Eagle | Strada |
| Black Bear BBQ | Hemingway’s Cuba | Sunny Point |
| The Blackbird | Isa’s Bistro | Tupelo Honey DT |
| Blue Dream Curry | Jack of the Wood | Tupelo Honey South |
| Bouchon | Karen Donatelli | Daphne-Twisted Laurel |
| Button & Co Bagels | The Laughing Seed | Twisted Laurel West |
| Buxton Hall | Little Jumbo | Ultimate Ice Cream N |
| The Cantina | The Lobster Trap | Ultimate Ice Cream E |
| Chai Pani | Luella’s North | Vinnie’s Italian |
| Chestnut | Luella’s South | Well Played |
| Chupacabra | The Native Social | White Labs |
| Collaboratory | Pack’s Tavern | White Duck Taco DT |
| Copper Crown | The Oysterhouse | White Duck Taco RAD |
| The Corner Kitchen | The Red Stag Grill | White Duck Taco South |
| Creekside Taphouse | RendezVous |
- FREE ADMISSION
- TAQUERIA OPEN AT 11AM
- 10AM – 4PM
We’ll have local vendors set up selling handmade goods, arts, and crafts just in time for holiday gift-giving. Be sure to grab a bite from our in-house Taqueria and a drink from the bar as you peruse Asheville’s finest makers. Plus, we’ll set the mood with some classic holiday tunes!
Geoff Tate is most likely watching “Cheers” right now. A Cincinnati-based comedian, he has appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and regularly tours with Doug Benson and Doug Stanhope. He made his television debut on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, and is a regular on Doug Loves Movies, as well as Getting Doug with High. He has performed at music and comedy festivals like Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Limestone and he has two albums available at the Doug Stanhope store and he’s the host of the popular geofftate’s MSHD PODCASTO, in which he discusses topical Cheers-related issues, gets his dad to try things, talks to people he graduated with and just has a good time.
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-geoff-tate-tickets-80584156381
The AIR Passport is your buy-one-get-one (BOGO)* ticket to some of Buncombe County’s highly acclaimed independent restaurants. Visit an old favorite or try a new member of the area’s vibrant independent restaurant community. AIR Passports make great gifts, but they go fast.
The AIR Passport offers BOGO from 60 area eateries with discounts up to $15 per participating restaurants. All proceeds from the AIR Passport go to benefit the ongoing efforts of AIR to keep Asheville’s food scene eclectic and authentic.
“It is one of our largest fundraisers of the year,” Anderson said. “We are able to use these funds throughout the year for educational classes, events and other opportunities for our members and their staff.”
Participating restaurants in the 2020 AIR Passport:
| 828 Pizzeria North | Ducker Tea Room | Rosabees |
| 828 Pizzeria South | Early Girl DT | Rosetta’s |
| AUX Bar | Early Girl West | Roux |
| Baked Pie North | Early Girl North | Rustic Grape |
| Baked Pie South | Farm Burger | Sante |
| The Barrelhouse | French Broad Choc | Sawhorse |
| Bhramari | The Glass Onion | The Social Lounge |
| The Bier Garden | The Grey Eagle | Strada |
| Black Bear BBQ | Hemingway’s Cuba | Sunny Point |
| The Blackbird | Isa’s Bistro | Tupelo Honey DT |
| Blue Dream Curry | Jack of the Wood | Tupelo Honey South |
| Bouchon | Karen Donatelli | Daphne-Twisted Laurel |
| Button & Co Bagels | The Laughing Seed | Twisted Laurel West |
| Buxton Hall | Little Jumbo | Ultimate Ice Cream N |
| The Cantina | The Lobster Trap | Ultimate Ice Cream E |
| Chai Pani | Luella’s North | Vinnie’s Italian |
| Chestnut | Luella’s South | Well Played |
| Chupacabra | The Native Social | White Labs |
| Collaboratory | Pack’s Tavern | White Duck Taco DT |
| Copper Crown | The Oysterhouse | White Duck Taco RAD |
| The Corner Kitchen | The Red Stag Grill | White Duck Taco South |
| Creekside Taphouse | RendezVous |
Ring in 2020 with Burntshirt Vineyards at their “Decade Party,” where you dress in the attire of your favorite decade! The event will be held in The Summit at Burntshirt Vineyards, and the evening will feature DJ GetVocal, Hors d’Oeuvres, a Champagne Toast with party favors at midnight, raffles and Burntshirt wine! The tickets are $60 per person ($55 for Wine Club Members). **Club members, please contact the Wine Club Manager, Emily for your ticket: [email protected]**

Stop in for the pub’s long running Traditional Irish Session each Sunday afternoon beginning around 3pm. Many talented local musicians come from WNC to jam away into the night – all on our pub stage! Come see why Jack of the Wood is Asheville’s favorite neighborhood pub!
At least 7 Fairytale Princesses and Santa Clause will take the stage for a Mini Concert, Dance Party, Christmas Storytime, Karaoke, Crafts, and Memories that will last a lifetime.
2 Professional Photos: Each child will receive a Professional Photos with the Princesses by award winning and nationally recognized photographer Ivana Desancic Photoart as well as a Professional Photo with Santa by another on of our favorite and award winning photographers, 10th Moon Photoagraphy.
Other festivities included with VIP ticket are: Visit Santa, 2019 Christmas Ornament making to commemorate your day, Build-Your-Own Snoman, other Crafts, and 2 FREE ‘Princess Vouchers’ good toward your choice of Princess Makeovers, Glitter Tattoos, or Balloon Wands.
Every attendee needs a ticket. Children 1 and under are free.
Beverages, Beer and Wine will be available for purchase through the Crowne Plaza. Songs Sealed Delivered does not profit from these offerings. There will be refreshments served in the Green Room before the Show from 4-5pm.
SCHEDULE
- Check-in is at 3:30 Doors open at 3:45
- 3:45-4:30Portraits with the Princesses
- 3:45-4:45 Crafts, and Vouchure Activities
- 4-4:30 Karaoke with Rapunzel(Sign-up sheet by stage)
- 4:30-5 Mini-Concert hosted by MC Punz: featuring our Frosted Sister, Our Island Warrior and a few of their fairytale friends. Santa may even pop in for a song!
- 5-5:45 Princess Christmas Dance Party, and Visits with Santa
- 5:45 Santa reads a Night Before Christmas
- Farewells and Christmas Wishes: a poem by the princesses
We are pleasesd to announce we will also have a quiet room designated for breast-feeding mothers, and children with sensory issues during the show. Additionally we will have light refreshments available before the show.
Proceeds for this event support our ‘Be the Good’ Fund and our continued efforts to spinkle a little extra magic, joy, and kindness into our community through our volunteer work.
This months Queer Comedy Party is getting festive! Join all your favorite local queer comics for a very queer holiday recital.
Standup, sketch and song all in one show
Tickets $10, VIP $15
General admission: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-comedy-party-a-very-queer-holiday-recital-tickets-84689188643
VIP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vip-queer-comedy-party-a-very-queer-holiday-recital-vip-tickets-84689802479
Select a wine on draft and fill a plēb urban winery 500mL or 1L growler for a reduced price (see menu for availability and pricing). Growler purchase is separate. Carry out only.
https://www.facebook.com/events/859748727719594/?event_time_id=859748907719576

The holidays don’t stop at Aloft! Join us on Thursday, December 26 at 8 p.m. to celebrate most wonderful time of the year by watching a holiday classic: Christmas Vacation. Munch on small bites, sip on cocktails and enjoy complimentary popcorn while indulging in the holidays. We hope to see you there!

This hour-long workshop will give you an introduction to the hops and malt that go into your favorite Highland beers. Highland’s R&D brewer, Trace Redmond, will guide you through how hops are harvested, selected, and used for brewing. You’ll then take a whiff of a number of different hops and taste a variety of malts. You’ll leave with a greater understanding and an even more overwhelming love of beer. Each ticket includes a redeemable beer token and a pint glass to take home. Please note that this class is limited to 20 participants. A minimum of 10 participants will be necessary for this event to take place. If fewer than 10 tickets are sold, then Highland will refund all purchased tickets.

Ready to go WILD? Join us for a trip “off the eaten path.” You’ll learn how to safely gather edible wild plants, mushrooms, and other “extreme cuisine.” Stay for a stunning view of the sunset and enjoy dinner at Vue 1913 featuring a free appetizer with the edibles you met on your tour. Suitable for all ages and abilities. To register or for more info, see here. Three-hour foraging tours also available, year-round, by arrangement.
Wild food is the ultimate natural food: ultra-local, fresher, more flavorful, 10 to 100 times more nutritious than its garden-variety descendants, AND it’s free! With over 300 wild edibles, Western North Carolina is the richest temperate ecosystem on Earth. For a taste of the wild life, forage ahead and experience the life of a modern hunter-gather firsthand. It’s a unique experience in self-catering, a memorable lesson in high-class survival.
This hour-long workshop is for those beer lovers who want to take the next step in learning about their favorite drink of choice. Our Quality Assurance Scientist will lead you through how to properly taste beers as well as how to identify off-flavors that can occur. Test your taste buds across seven different common off-flavors and see if your palate is as spot on as you think. By the end of this class, you’ll sound like a pro at your next brewery visit! Each ticket includes a redeemable beer token and two taster glasses to take home. Please note that this class is limited to 20 participants. A minimum of 10 participants will be necessary for this event to take place. If fewer than 10 tickets are sold, then Highland will refund all purchased tickets.
Experience an evening of expertly paired sets of decadent chocolates, local cheeses, and fine beers. Representatives from French Broad Chocolate, the WNC Cheese Trail, and Highland Brewing will guide you through each pairing. A taste of Asheville is a perfect way to celebrate the holiday. Each ticket includes a redeemable beer token and a pint glass to take home. Please note that this event is limited to 40 participants. A minimum of 10 participants will be necessary for this event to take place. If fewer than 10 tickets are sold, then Highland will refund all purchased tickets.
Equal parts foul mouthed drinking buddy and high functioning comic book nerd, Eric DaSilva is best known for headlining a sold out show at the Backstage Fillmore Theater in Miami Beach, performing in Comedy Central’s South Beach Comedy Festival, The Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival, The Norfolk Comedy Festival, The Latin American Comedy Festival his one hour comedy album, Adorably Offensive.
Eric’s been featured on HULU and his comedy album, ADORABLY OFFENSIVE can be heard on PANDORA radio.
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-eric-dasilva-tickets-80587751133
Local legend Petey Smith McDowell is headlining for one killer night of comedy at Fleetwood’s
Asheville native Peter Smith-McDowell has been traveling around the country telling jokes since 2009. He has opened up for Hannibal Buress, Trevor Noah, and Rory Scovel just to name a few.
Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-petey-smith-mcdowell-tickets-83367756203
It’s the start of a brand new decade, y’all! Show up in your very best masquerade evening attire and let’s party like it’s 1919 again! Join us at Storm for a multi-course chef’s dinner, classic prohibition-era cocktails, and entertainment by local DJ Molly Kummerle!
We are excited to offer a special NYE prix fixe dinner menu prepared by Chef Jay Medford, along with rum & cigar pairings, a special classic cocktail menu and full bar service all evening long! We are offering two seatings for dinner service, with an earlier option for those looking to enjoy dinner before the party, and a later option that guarantees space on the dance floor and full cocktail service for you and your friends all evening long. Each ticket option will include access to our full bar menu, as well as a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
First Seatng (5-7PM): $75/person — Includes table seating with a three course prix fixe menu and a complimentary glass of champagne.
Second Seating (8pm-close): $175/person — Includes table seating with a three course prix fixe menu and a complimentarty wine or beer pairing, finished with a special cocktail and dessert pairing for the final course. This also includes table/cocktail service for your party all evening long, and a champagne toast at midnight.
*$130/person: Special reduced ticket price for tables that will move to make room for the dance floor at 10pm. Full cocktail service will still be provided to these parties all evening long along with a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
Bar Seating/Party Only (10pm-close): $85/person — This is general admission to our NYE party at Storm, beginning at 10pm. This includes full bar service, a small bites menu, DJ and dancing, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
*IN ORDER TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR NEW YEARS, CALL AND BOOK AT (828) 505-8560 WITH YOUR PARTY SIZE AND PREFERRED TICKET TIER.
*YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO GIVE A CARD NUMBER IN ORDER TO RESERVE YOUR TABLE.
“This will be a full evening of celebration,” said Lillianna Woody, owner. “Our Executive Chef Neal Mitchell and our kitchen staff have created an amazing menu that you do not want to miss. “We’ll have room to dance, late night snacks and champagne available to toast at midnight.”
Doors open for dinner at 5 p.m. with limited reservations.
The special New Year themed menu features fun twists designed to give you all the luck you need in 2020 like crispy deep-fried pig ears with a black-eyed pea relish, arugula, & a “Crystal” hot sauce gastrique; pan-seared scallops with sweet potato mousseline, shaved white truffles, crispy collards, & a “Steens” cane syrup brown butter; and Southern bread pudding with a maple caramel sauce with strawberries & champagne cake balls with champagne infused strawberries.
After dinner, dance the night away with Ellis Dyson and the Shambles kicking off the New Year celebration at 9 p.m.
Ellis Dyson & the Shambles expertly blends old-time influences ranging from Piedmont murder ballads, to traditional jazz, to big band swing. The result: whiskey-soaked, foot-stompin’ songs that bring party music of departed eras to crowds both young and old.
The Shambles have made waves with their theatrical and explosive live shows and masterful musicianship that electrifies every audience. Bursting with exuberance and effortless expertise, this playfully hootin’ and hollerin’ act is guaranteed to bring the ruckus.

New York City drops a ball, Atlanta drops a peach and Miami drops an orange. In Asheville, we drop a keg! Ring in the New Year at the Biltmore Park Monk as we welcome 2020 with our 7th Annual New Year’s Eve Keg Drop Celebration. Our two-story golden keg will be lit up and glowing on New Year’s Eve, descending at midnight as we tap a keg of Must Love Coconut IPA, and toast to the New Year! The Keg Drop Celebration is free to attend and ample parking is available for guests.
Season’s at The Highland Lake Inn offers a special New Year’s Eve Dinner, this 4-course dinner comes with a glass of champagne and an amuse bouche. Cost is $85 per person. Reservations are required.
Join us for an incredible New Years Eve celebration overlooking Pack Square Park with extra special offerings from Executive Chef Tom LaFauci, live music from the “Irresistible Dance Party” sounds of Free Flow Band with a champagne toast and post ball drop breakfast bar to ring in 2020.
Seating starts at 6:30pm with savory small bites and then a 2-course dinner service beginning at 7:15pm. Enjoy your choice of a local craft beer or a glass of house wine to accompany your meal.
The evening then continues with live sets from the Free Flow Band from 9pm until 12:30am. There will be a champagne toast and breakfast bar at midnight, and DJ Dance Party until 2am for those who wanna keep it going!
Join us for a full evening of culinary delights and entertainment for only $119 per person!
Call 828.515.4151 or email [email protected] to purchase your tickets.






