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.

Monday, March 11, 2024
Mat Pilates
Mar 11 @ 8:30 am – 9:30 am
Happy Body

Discover the transformative power of Mat Pilates focusing on body awareness, toning muscles, improving flexibility, and fostering overall well-being. With exercises performed on a simple mat and utilizing your body weight as resistance, Mat Pilates provides a versatile and accessible fitness option suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced practitioners. Immerse yourself in a holistic approach to fitness and well-being with Mat Pilates – no special equipment required, just your commitment to a healthier, more balanced you.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024
FREE nutritious dinner at the YWCA
Mar 12 @ 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm
YWCA of Asheville
Don’t forget our FREE nutritious dinner at the YWCA thanks to funding from Publix. Enjoy a meal with your neighbors and learn about community resources.  Our next Community Dinner will be Tuesday, March 12, from 5:15 – 6:15Sign up to see the menu and reserve your spot.
Dark City Poet’s Society
Mar 12 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Medicare Basics
Mar 13 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Enka Candler Library 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler, North Carolina, United States

 

This presentation is suitable for people new to Medicare, caregivers, people leaving employer health insurance for Medicare, and others who help Medicare beneficiaries.

Thursday, March 14, 2024
Active, But Careful: Falls Prevention 101
Mar 14 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
North Asheville Library
Sign Up

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

Come join Heather Bauer as we explore the ABCs of falls prevention. Whether you are bringing greater care into your own lives and/or caring for an aging loved one, this session is for anyone of ANY age who is interested in staying strong, grounded, and independent to live as safely and fully as possible!

We will discuss and assess fall risk with nationally recognized tools, share resources, and
practice gentle seated exercises. Each participant will take home a falls risk score, prevention
tools, home safety assessment, and more confidence in why falls may occur – and what we can
do to reduce our risks!

Heather Bauer, BA, is a long-time falls prevention coach and consultant, trained in
evidence-based falls prevention programming with nearly 20 years of experience in aging
services. She is a firm believer in living well at any age.

Creative Writing Group online
Mar 14 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
online

Join us for creative writing online! We’ll meet on Zoom and do several rounds of writing prompts. The group is simple – we just write and read our writing to each other.  This is a supportive and fun environment that gets your creative juices flowing with low stakes and lots of fun.

Email [email protected] for the link to the online meeting.

The contents of this presentation are for informational purposes only.  Nothing herein constitutes medical, legal, or financial advice nor is it a substitute for professional advice on any issue.  You should not rely on the information received in this presentation for any important decisions, including medical, legal, or financial decisions.  Always consult with an appropriate professional for specific advice related to your situation.  The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of Buncombe County or its Public Library System.

Qi Gong with Allen Horowitz
Mar 14 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Fairview Library

Qigong is like Yoga but done standing and with more movement so it creates a flow of energy and gently increases circulation throughout your body.

The smooth flowing movements are easy to learn as each exercise is performed 8-10 times before proceeding to the next.

It is the grandfather of Tai Chi and other martial arts and is the self-help aspect of Chinese medicine.

Suitable for all fitness levels, the benefits of well-being, relaxation, calmness and improved balance are often felt often during the very first lesson.  And it can be practiced at home in only a few minutes any time you want to improve how you feel.

For information email [email protected]

Saturday, March 16, 2024
Artists + Writers Coffee
Mar 16 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM

TFAC Pavilion (park/enter at rear of building)
Free drop-in event
Yoga Nidra – AVl Salt Cave
Mar 16 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Yoga Nidra brings you into a deeply restorative healing state that will release tension, enhance your vital life source, and leave you with a greater sense of peace and wellbeing.

Within this space, a dream will be induced taking you into a state of consciousness that can bring about immense healing in your conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind. The cave will transform into a “Nidra Nest” with zero gravity chairs, blankets, and bolsters to fully support you, whether sitting or lying down, for the entire experience. Release stuck emotions, rest, and rejuvenate! Join Reiki Master Teacher and Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Kate Wargo of Woven Light LLC in a soothing Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) practice guiding you into the “in between”; that space between being awake and being asleep.

Yoga Nodra
Mar 16 @ 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
ASHEVILLE SALT CAVE

Yoga Nidra brings you into a deeply restorative healing state that will release tension, enhance your vital life source, and leave you with a greater sense of peace and wellbeing.

Monday, March 18, 2024
Healing Sound Bath + Meditation
Mar 18 @ 6:30 pm
Happy Body

Join us as we embrace the arrival of spring with our Sound Bath and Meditation Workshop. Awaken your senses, align your spirit, and embrace the renewal of the season. Reserve your spot now for an evening of deep relaxation and inner harmony.

· Cacao Ceremony

· Meditation and Journaling

· Healing Sound Bath

Happy Body Biltmore Village – 25 Reed St. Suite 210 – $49pp

Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Dark City Poet’s Society
Mar 19 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Innerdance: Altered States of Consciousness with Soundscapes + Energy Work
Mar 20 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
The Horse Shoe Farm Sanctuary

The Innerdance is a music-based, meditative, healing journey, It involves the use of special soundscapes that mimic circadian rhythms and enable people to move effortlessly between different brain wave states. As a result, people experience an expanded sense of awareness and altered states of consciousness.

In this space of unlimited possibilities, very profound and mystical things can happen. Common movements in the Innerdance include drug-free psychedelic experiences, life regressions, circadian rhythms, near-death experiences, kundalini activations, and womb/birth memories.

Benefits may include nervous system regulation, circadian rhythm reset, mental clarity, inner peace, greater neural plasticity, increased intuitive discernment, emotional regulation, improved self-esteem, etc.

UNC Asheville Spring 2024 Visiting Writers Series: Natalie Baszile presents “Queen Sugar” and “We Are Each Other’s Harvest”
Mar 20 @ 7:00 pm
UNC Asheville’s Highsmith Union

 

Natalie Baszile’s debut novel, “Queen Sugar,” is a mother-daughter story of reinvention — about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana. “Queen Sugar” was adapted into a critically acclaimed television series directed by Ava Duvernay. Baszile’s most recent book, “We Are Each Other’s Harvest,” is an exploration and celebration of black farming in America.

Visiting Writers: Natalie Baszile
Mar 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
UNCA--Blue Ridge Room of UNC Asheville’s Highsmith Union

Free

On March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Room of UNC Asheville’s Highsmith Union, Natalie Baszile will present readings from her recent work. The event is free and open to the public.

Baszile’s debut novel, “Queen Sugar,” is a mother-daughter story of reinvention — about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana. “Queen Sugar” was adapted into a critically acclaimed television series directed by Ava Duvernay. Baszile’s most recent book, “We Are Each Other’s Harvest,” is an exploration and celebration of black farming in America.


Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. If you have any questions about access or to request reasonable accommodations that will facilitate your full participation in this event, please contact the Event Organizer (see below). Advance notice is necessary to arrange for accessibility needs.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may park in faculty/staff and All Permit lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.
Prior to 5pm, any visitor (regardless of their reason for visit) need to adhere to the current practices listed on the parking website. Get your visitor parking permit here

Visiting Writers: Natalie Baszile
Mar 20 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Highsmith Student Union, Blue Ridge Room (202/203)

On March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Room of UNC Asheville’s Highsmith Union, Natalie Baszile will present readings from her recent work. The event is free and open to the public.

Baszile’s debut novel, “Queen Sugar,” is a mother-daughter story of reinvention — about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana. “Queen Sugar” was adapted into a critically acclaimed television series directed by Ava Duvernay. Baszile’s most recent book, “We Are Each Other’s Harvest,” is an exploration and celebration of black farming in America.

Friday, March 22, 2024
Acupuncture and Healing Meditation
Mar 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Blending together acupuncture and healing meditations while deeply resting inside the nourishing womb of the Salt Cave.

Acupuncture and Helaing Meditation – AVL Salt Cave
Mar 22 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Blending together acupuncture and healing meditations while deeply rested inside the nourishing womb of Asheville Salt Cave

The intentions of this offering are to: 1. De-mystify energy medicine by sharing elemental meditations that awaken specific healing energies and acupressure points that are easy for everyone to use. 2. Gather in community to do personal and collective healing work that will ripple gentleness and light into our relationships and world. The Salt Cave gives us a nourishing, cleansing, and deeply grounding space that amplifies relaxation, clears inflammation, improves breathing, and uplifts our mood and attitude. Acupuncture is known for promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and improving overall well-being. Suitable for newbies to acupuncture or regular pin-cushions. Needling style is very gentle and effective and an option of substituting essential oils for the needles is available.

Saturday, March 23, 2024
Artists + Writers Coffee
Mar 23 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM

TFAC Pavilion (park/enter at rear of building)
Free drop-in event
Spring Awakening + Renewal Forest Bathing Retreat
Mar 23 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum
The changing seasons are rich with wisdom and guidance. Winter is a time for rest and dreaming, followed by spring, ripe with opportunities for renewal and growth. Cultivate those winter dreams and invite them to birth into reality during this enlivening afternoon retreat. Let your most authentic Self emerge from within and flourish amidst the beauty of the early spring! New Graph: Your guide, Christa Hebal, will lead you on a gentle journey through the awakening forest, weaving mindfulness, breathwork, forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) and nature therapy together for a restorative afternoon on some of the trails less traveled at the North Carolina Arboretum. We’ll celebrate the experience in community, enjoying a wild-foraged tea ceremony and snacks. Bring an open mind and an open heart. All are welcome. Presented through Adult & Continuing Education Programs in collaboration with Asheville Wellness Tours.
Christa Hebal is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Born and raised in the mountains of NE Tennessee, she has lived in Asheville for 23 years. Christa has an adventurous heart, and loves to help others encounter wholeness through embodiment and nature connection practices. She has had a professional bodywork practice for 17 years as a nationally certified Massage Therapist, and is also a practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®, Usui Reiki Master, Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist, Clinical Aromatherapist, and Certified Traditional Herbalist. She is also certified in CPR and Wilderness First Aid.

Spring Awakening & Renewal Forest Bathing Retreat | ONSITE | Saturday, March 9, 2 – 5 p.m. Or Saturday, March 23, 2 – 5 p.m.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Medicare Updates in 2024 with The Council on Aging
Mar 26 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

Confused about Medicare or new to Medicare? The Council on Aging will present an informational session on updates in 2024. Each year, Medicare updates prices for premiums, the cost of living is adjusted and prices change! This session will give you the ins and outs of what has changed for 2024.

Who should attend?
People that have been on Medicare, caregivers, and others who help Medicare beneficiaries.

This program is free. We ask that you register so the host knows how many people to expect.
How to register for this event
Go to: https://www.coabc.org/events/ and click on the Events tab at the top, scroll down the page to find this event and register. You can also call COABC and register by phone.

 

Dark City Poet’s Society
Mar 26 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Thursday, March 28, 2024
Qi Gong with Allen Horowitz
Mar 28 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Fairview Library

Qigong is like Yoga but done standing and with more movement so it creates a flow of energy and gently increases circulation throughout your body.

The smooth flowing movements are easy to learn as each exercise is performed 8-10 times before proceeding to the next.

It is the grandfather of Tai Chi and other martial arts and is the self-help aspect of Chinese medicine.

Suitable for all fitness levels, the benefits of well-being, relaxation, calmness and improved balance are often felt often during the very first lesson.  And it can be practiced at home in only a few minutes any time you want to improve how you feel.

For information email [email protected]

Friday, March 29, 2024
Massage
Mar 29 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Happy Body

Craving a massage? Explore the rejuvenating world of our cozy Asheville wellness studio! Nestled just outside downtown, our small local studios provide a serene haven for massage, pilates, yoga, and workshops.
Indulge in integrative, restorative, and therapeutic massages available Monday through Saturday. Say goodbye to parking hassles downtown as our peaceful space offers a tranquil escape.
Book your next massage with us online. Can’t find your preferred time slot? Reach out, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Experience the bliss of wellness in the heart of Asheville – your relaxation journey begins here!

Saturday, March 30, 2024
Artists + Writers Coffee
Mar 30 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12 PM

TFAC Pavilion (park/enter at rear of building)
Free drop-in event
Dropping Into Delight: Yoga (optional) + Immersive Poetry Workshop
Mar 30 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Story Parlor

Led by a certified Inward & Artward Creative Facilitator, Tikva Kingrea (RYT-200 ), this workshop will explore how spring is showing up in our lives—specifically deliberating on *delight.* Think ripe strawberries. Purple phlox spreading across a moss-rich garden wall. Your favorite sneakers, worn in and warm, piled by the front door, waiting for a neighborhood stroll. The spring season offers each of us a chance to step into our artistic practice with verve, sweetness, and a shaking off of winter hibernation. This workshop is designed to do just that.

We will deep-dive into understanding various poetic techniques, personal themes and voice, as well as have guided group and individual support. This is a “YES, I’LL TAKE TEN BOUQUETS OF TULIPS TO GO WITH MY WRITING” class. We will move gently while playing with creative ways to buoy confidence and craft.

This is a beginner friendly class for writers and yogis alike. Students taking the yoga portion are asked to bring their own mats and props.

Reproductive Freedom Art Show – AVL
Mar 30 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Haiku AVL

We must protect and restore abortion access.
Since the reversal of Roe v Wade, the future of abortion access has been handed to state legislatures. This catastrophic SCOTUS decision is to the detriment of many states across the South.

In fact, now 1 in 3 women live in states without access, and the top ten states with the highest rates of maternal mortality have all passed abortion bans. The 2024 election is critical to abortion access in NC.

The Reproductive Freedom Art Show is an artistic act of defiance. All proceeds raised from the art show will support Planned Parenthood Action PAC NC. The Action PAC supports pro-reproductive health candidates by direct voter contact work, reaching low propensity voters and mobilizing the electorate to vote for pro-choice candidates.

Help protect and restore access to safe, legal abortion and reproductive rights by participating in this show by donating artwork, your time, shopping, or just spreading the word.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Innerdance: Altered States of Consciousness with Soundscapes + Energy Work
Apr 2 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
The Horse Shoe Farm Sanctuary

The Innerdance is a music-based, meditative, healing journey, It involves the use of special soundscapes that mimic circadian rhythms and enable people to move effortlessly between different brain wave states. As a result, people experience an expanded sense of awareness and altered states of consciousness.

In this space of unlimited possibilities, very profound and mystical things can happen. Common movements in the Innerdance include drug-free psychedelic experiences, life regressions, circadian rhythms, near-death experiences, kundalini activations, and womb/birth memories.

Benefits may include nervous system regulation, circadian rhythm reset, mental clarity, inner peace, greater neural plasticity, increased intuitive discernment, emotional regulation, improved self-esteem, etc.

Music and Mind: A Conversation with Renée Fleming
Apr 2 @ 7:30 pm
Gunter Theatre

From Alzheimer patients and those with Parkinson’s disease, to young people battling depression, the documented impacts of music on the mind are profound. Scientists continue to use music to gain a better understanding of the brain’s complex functioning.

In Music and Mind, presented in more than fifty cities around the world, soprano and arts & health advocate Renée Fleming invites leading local scientists, physicians, and practitioners to join her, offering illuminating discussions and sharing the latest findings about this growing field. You are invited to join Renée, in conversation with artist and music therapist Kyshona Armstrong, MT-BC; Converse University professor and music therapist Liz Eggerding, PhD, MT-BC; and more to be announced as they discuss the benefits of music and the impact that the arts can have on members of our broader community.

Additional speakers to be announced.

Renée Fleming, recently named a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health, is a leading advocate for the study of the powerful connections between the arts and health. As Artistic Advisor to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Renée has spearheaded the Sound Health collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and she partners with other leading organizations and initiatives to bring attention to research and practice at the intersection of music, health, and neuroscience. Renée is Co-Chair of the Johns Hopkins/Aspen Institute NeuroArts Blueprint and Founding Advisor for the Sound Health Network at UCSF, and her foundation has supported research projects including the NIH Music-Based Intervention Toolkit and the Renée Fleming NeuroArts Investigator Awards. Renée’s advocacy work has earned her Research! America’s Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion and the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award. Her new anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, will be published by Viking Penguin on April 9, 2024.

Friday, April 5, 2024
Intro to Memoir Writing: a 3-session series with Cornelia Dolian
Apr 5 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
East Asheville Library

Free. Space limited. Registration required. Call 828-250-4738 or stop by the library to register.

April 5: Session 1 – Memoir Basics & Beginnings
What’s a memoir, how does it work, and where do I begin mine?
Learn the key elements of the genre, understand what a memoir is (and isn’t). Get suggestions & tips for writing a rich, compelling, standout memoir, and where to begin collecting, compiling, and nurturing what will become the foundations of your memoir.

April 12: Session 2 – Memoir Structure and Outline
How do you structure and outline a memoir that will hook, connect with, and impact your readers?
Understand how to use narrative/story structure to help your memoir “read almost like a novel”.

April 19: Session 3 –  Memoir Writing Marathon First Miles
Turning your memoir outline into a full manuscript first draft (and what even is that?) – one milestone, chapter, and day at a time.
Know what to aim for with your memoir’s first draft, what to ignore, and how to keep your inner critic from disrupting you. Consider and commit to a consistent writing schedule for your memoir.