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.

Saturday, October 26, 2019
Foster Parent Training Classes Announced for 2020
Oct 26 all-day
with in Buncombe County

News
                            article image

You might have heard about the need to recruit more foster parents in Buncombe County. “We currently have 300 kids in foster care in Buncombe County,” says Heather Hill-Pavone, Buncombe County Licensing Social Worker. “Only some of those kids get to stay in Buncombe County as we only have 100 licensed foster homes with BCHHS.” We need your help to let people in our community know about the upcoming Foster Parent Training Classes happening in 2020!

These courses begin the licensure process for becoming a foster parent. They are offered quarterly, for anyone in Buncombe County, who is interested in becoming a foster parent. While the next round of Foster Parent Training Classes starts on September 11, the classes for 2020 are NOW on the calendar! You can sign up by clicking this link.

2020 Schedule: 

  • Winter Classes: Jan 16, 2020 through Feb 20, 2020 (Thursdays) at Buncombe County Health and Human Services in Downtown Asheville
  • Spring Classes: March 25, 2020 through April 29, 2020 (Wednesdays) at Biltmore Church in Arden, NC
  • Summer Classes: June 2, 2020 through July 7, 2020 (Tuesdays) at Biltmore Church in Arden
  • Fall Classes: September 14, 2020 through October 19, 2020 (Mondays) at Buncombe County Health and Human Services in Downtown Asheville
HAUNTED GROVE HOUSE INFERNO 2019
Oct 26 all-day
The Grove House

#1 HALLOWEEN DANCE PARTY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

3-DANCE FLOORS ~ 4-DJ’s ~ 5-BARS

THREE VENUES / ONE PRICE

$1,000 COSTUME CONTEST

The GROVE HOUSE Entertainment Complex is famous for the scariest and BEST annual Halloween costume and dance party in WNC! This year will be the most frightening and fun to-date!

You’ll be terrified by monsters lurking around every corner…beware as you walk through each themed-area dripping with creepy décor. You will succumb to your fears as you migrate throughout the HAUNTED GROVE HOUSE INFERNO’s three levels – themed to Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell.

Enchanted Forest

Descent

Disembodied Heretics

Spider Chasm

Psychedelic Passage

Limbo

Lost Souls

Abyss

THREE LEVELS OF DANCING

4-DJ’s playing a variety of music genres

REMEMBER!!! – $1,000 IN CASH COSTUME CONTEST…so deck-out in your most terrifying best (or worst), and you may end the night with a fist-full of cash! Gates open at 9pm and ONE price gives you access to the ENTIRE complex (Club Eleven On Grove, Scandals Nightclub, and BOILER ROOM.)

Gates open at 9pm (18 & over)

Contest registration/pre-judging from 9:30pm-12:30am

Contest on main stage at 1am

Closing is at 3am

The Weave October 26th Fall pop-up market @ Salvaterra Pottery in Weaverville
Oct 26 all-day
Salvaterra Pottery

This Fall outdoor market will feature over 25 local artists and small businesses. Watercolor paintings, wire bonsai tree art, jewelry, organic clothing, natural home cleaning products, locally sourced seasonings and herbs, leather goods, home décor, Hemp/CBD Products and much more!
October 26th 10am-4pm

Wands for Wildlife collection has begun!
Oct 26 all-day
October is here!! Wands are being accepted throughout the month. Please go to the website for the form to send in with them and more information. SHARE THIS FORWARD! ????
www.wandsforwildlife.org

Since March of 2017 the Wands for Wildlife program has grown and spread all over the world! Engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life to take action, help the planet and save wild lives.
One Wander (wand donor) from Poland shared, “I am so happy that good people still exist in the world.”
From a Preschool teacher in Illinois, “I was unsure if my preschoolers would understand conservation and pollution, but starting with taking care of animals was the perfect way to start the unit since it was a more concrete idea and something they had prior knowledge about.”
Link to post that went up announcing the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge ‘Wands for Wildlife’ drive for October has begun….
PEAK (Parents of Estranged Adult Kids)
Oct 26 @ 8:30 am – 9:45 am
First Congregational Church Library

You adult child won’t speak to you? Find support through our weekly meetings, every Saturday, Sept. 7 – Nov. 9, 2019, 8:30 am to 9:45 am, at First Congregational Church Library, 1735 Fifth Avenue West.  It’s not about who’s right or wrong.  It’s about getting on with life.

Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair
Oct 26 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
WNC Ag Center,

THE FAIR IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
Join us for 3 days of fun for the entire family! See spinning, knitting, weaving, felting, sheep, goats and much more! Join a workshop class to improve your skills or just enjoy browsing and shopping the beautiful and unique apparel and wearables.

Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival
Oct 26 @ 11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Bold Rock Mills River Cidery

Bold Rock Hard Cider invites you to celebrate what makes fall great in the Blue Ridge Mountains at our Annual Fall Foliage Festival on Saturday, October 26th at Bold Rock Hard Cider from 11:30 – 10 PM!

Festival admission is FREE and family/pet friendly! Activities include an artisan fair from 12-5pm, live music from The Pitching Fits from 1-4pm, tunes from Flashback Band from 6-9pm, food trucks and other food vendors, as well as fun fall-themed activities!

Stay tuned for more details and if you’re an interested vendor, please reach out to [email protected] for more information on how you can get in on the fun!

We hope to see you there!

Watercolor Class with local artist Joan Doyle
Oct 26 @ 2:00 pm
Skyland/South Buncombe Library


Join us for a free watercolor class with local artist Joan Doyle.  Class limited to 10 participants – teens over 15 and adults. No group sign ups please. All materials provided.

Different Strokes! Masquerade Ball
Oct 26 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Henry LaBrun Studio at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts

Put on your best formal wear, slip into your dancing shoes, and join Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective on October 26 for an elegant, exclusive Masquerade Ball. With a red carpet, live music by Rhoda Weaver (Best Vocalist, Mountain Xpress Best of X 2018), silent and live auctions, and catering by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Win season tickets to Different Strokes! in the best-decorated mask contest (judged by a panel of experts), and get to party in the brand-new Henry LaBrun Studio at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

All proceeds benefit Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective and its mission of Making Theatre that Makes a Difference. 

CommUnity Square Dance
Oct 26 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
old Webster School

Everyone is welcome at the CommUnity Square Dance. Caller Kyle Johnston will teach and call all dances to old-time music led by Lillian and Sara Nell Chase. No experience necessary!

The Rocky Horror Show at The Grey Eagle
Oct 26 @ 10:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

The Rocky Horror Show is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O’Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the late 1940s through to the early 1970s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man named Rocky Horror, complete “with blond hair and a tan”.

Sunday, October 27, 2019
Asheville Community Band 40th Anniversary Concert
Oct 27 all-day
Lipinsky Hall, on the Campus of UNCA

The Asheville Community Band opens our 2019-2020 season with something very special: our 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert! That’s right, 40 years of community-based musical excellence, serving players and listeners in the Asheville area!
The Asheville Community Band is a community-based symphonic winds band for musicians of all ages and professions. Now composed of over ninety musicians (with more than a dozen new players in Fall 2019!), the band truly represents Western North Carolina with members representing six counties. The all-volunteer band ranges in age from high school to octogenarian. Our 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert will celebrate three things: Great conductors, great music, and great community-based musicianship. Tickets are $12, students and children with paying adults are free.

DIYSigns Free Tool Designed to Help Educate about What’s Recyclable
Oct 27 all-day
online tool
The Recycling Partnership announced the public beta launch of DIYSigns, the debut of a free online resource that anyone can use to help people know what to throw into the recycling. Whether at home, at the office, at school, at a sports stadium, or anywhere, education is needed to show what is recyclable and where.

 

“We know that consumer confusion is one of the top reasons why trash still ends up in recycling bins and carts. Our community partners have asked for our help in creating free and customizable posters, labels and signs and we were happy to deliver. Anything we can do to help public and private sector recycling succeed is a boost for the industry,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership.

 

DIYSigns is an online tool with editable templates available in a variety of sizes from a bumper sticker to a poster – to fit just right wherever it’s needed.  Check out DIYSigns!
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays MANNA
Oct 27 all-day
MANNA FoodBank

Now through Nov. 15:
Help Make a Local Family’s Table a Bit Brighter and Donate a Turkey to our
TURKEY DRIVE!
This holiday season, we are hoping to fill families’ tables across our region with the staples that we all enjoy during a special holiday meal.
Food with Hope and Dignity
One reality of food banking is that food banks commonly receive holiday-specific food donations after a holiday has already occurred, making it difficult for food banks to provide these food items in a timely way to our neighbors seeking food assistance. We want families across our 16 counties to be able to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the community, and with that hope in mind, we are looking for the community to step up and help us eliminate one more worry for families about how they will fill their own holiday tables.
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays
When you are out shopping, we encourage you to pick up an extra frozen turkey to donate to MANNA! We know that hunger is a daily worry for tens of thousands of people across our region, and something as simple as a holiday turkey can truly give the gift of happiness and hope to people living through the daily experience of food insecurity.
Wands for Wildlife collection has begun!
Oct 27 all-day
October is here!! Wands are being accepted throughout the month. Please go to the website for the form to send in with them and more information. SHARE THIS FORWARD! ????
www.wandsforwildlife.org

Since March of 2017 the Wands for Wildlife program has grown and spread all over the world! Engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life to take action, help the planet and save wild lives.
One Wander (wand donor) from Poland shared, “I am so happy that good people still exist in the world.”
From a Preschool teacher in Illinois, “I was unsure if my preschoolers would understand conservation and pollution, but starting with taking care of animals was the perfect way to start the unit since it was a more concrete idea and something they had prior knowledge about.”
Link to post that went up announcing the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge ‘Wands for Wildlife’ drive for October has begun….
Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair
Oct 27 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
WNC Ag Center,

THE FAIR IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
Join us for 3 days of fun for the entire family! See spinning, knitting, weaving, felting, sheep, goats and much more! Join a workshop class to improve your skills or just enjoy browsing and shopping the beautiful and unique apparel and wearables.

ComicFest 2019 at Morgan’s Comics
Oct 27 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Morgan's Comics

It’s our favorite time of year again! (Who are we kidding? We love to celebrate Geekiness ALL times of the year!)

We are happy to invite all of our Nerd Sanctuary family & friends to ComicFest 2019 Morgan’s Comics style! FREE Comics, Candy, Locally Baked Treats, Costume Contest, Local Artists & two musical Performances.

The Costume Contest is at 6:30- tell your friends!

**We have hundreds of limited edition, rare & Chase POPS! instock.
***We have many different prizes & promotions going for that day! Games & Contests- please message us or come by for details.

Monday, October 28, 2019
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays MANNA
Oct 28 all-day
MANNA FoodBank

Now through Nov. 15:
Help Make a Local Family’s Table a Bit Brighter and Donate a Turkey to our
TURKEY DRIVE!
This holiday season, we are hoping to fill families’ tables across our region with the staples that we all enjoy during a special holiday meal.
Food with Hope and Dignity
One reality of food banking is that food banks commonly receive holiday-specific food donations after a holiday has already occurred, making it difficult for food banks to provide these food items in a timely way to our neighbors seeking food assistance. We want families across our 16 counties to be able to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the community, and with that hope in mind, we are looking for the community to step up and help us eliminate one more worry for families about how they will fill their own holiday tables.
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays
When you are out shopping, we encourage you to pick up an extra frozen turkey to donate to MANNA! We know that hunger is a daily worry for tens of thousands of people across our region, and something as simple as a holiday turkey can truly give the gift of happiness and hope to people living through the daily experience of food insecurity.
Drink Coffee, Support Special Olympics
Oct 28 all-day
various locations in buncombe county

Buncombe County Special Olympics’ annual Coffee for Champions fundraiser returns for a third year on October 1. During the month of October, local coffee shops donate up to five cents for each cup of coffee purchased at their establishments to support Special Olympics training and competitions for area youth and adults.

“We are a completely volunteer-driven, donation-funded program focused on inclusionary sporting opportunities for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities,” said Karla Furnari of Buncombe County Recreation Services, who is also a Buncombe County Special Olympics coach and Local Coordinator. “Coffee for Champions helps build connections between our athletes and the community. It also allows us to move away from labor intensive fundraising campaigns that often pull volunteers from other critical program needs such as coaching and transporting athletes.”

A map on the organization’s website lists participating coffee shops:

  • Donating Five Cents Per Cup
    • Ivory Road Café & Kitchen (1854 Brevard Road in Arden)
    • Mosaic Café & Coffee House (1 Town Square Boulevard in Biltmore Park)
    • Trout Lily Market (1297 Charlotte Highway in Fairview)
  • Donating One Cent Per Cup
    • Dynamite Roasting Company (3198 US Highway 70 in Black Mountain)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company West (362 Depot Street in Asheville’s River Arts District)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company East (6 Beverly Road in Asheville’s Haw Creek)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company North (857 Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville)
    • Round Earth Roasters (518 Hendersonville Road in Asheville)

Buncombe County Special Olympics is made possible through funding from donors and support from Buncombe County Government. To donate or volunteer, visit buncombecountyspecialolympics.org.

Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy in 1968 to celebrate changing attitudes about the talents of people with intellectual disabilities. Buncombe County Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for youth and adults. Sports include alpine skiing and snowboarding, aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, and tennis. The organization also offers the Adaptive Athlete Program in a partnership with South Slope CrossFit and Buncombe County Recreation Services.

Wands for Wildlife collection has begun!
Oct 28 all-day
October is here!! Wands are being accepted throughout the month. Please go to the website for the form to send in with them and more information. SHARE THIS FORWARD! ????
www.wandsforwildlife.org

Since March of 2017 the Wands for Wildlife program has grown and spread all over the world! Engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life to take action, help the planet and save wild lives.
One Wander (wand donor) from Poland shared, “I am so happy that good people still exist in the world.”
From a Preschool teacher in Illinois, “I was unsure if my preschoolers would understand conservation and pollution, but starting with taking care of animals was the perfect way to start the unit since it was a more concrete idea and something they had prior knowledge about.”
Link to post that went up announcing the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge ‘Wands for Wildlife’ drive for October has begun….
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays MANNA
Oct 29 all-day
MANNA FoodBank

Now through Nov. 15:
Help Make a Local Family’s Table a Bit Brighter and Donate a Turkey to our
TURKEY DRIVE!
This holiday season, we are hoping to fill families’ tables across our region with the staples that we all enjoy during a special holiday meal.
Food with Hope and Dignity
One reality of food banking is that food banks commonly receive holiday-specific food donations after a holiday has already occurred, making it difficult for food banks to provide these food items in a timely way to our neighbors seeking food assistance. We want families across our 16 counties to be able to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the community, and with that hope in mind, we are looking for the community to step up and help us eliminate one more worry for families about how they will fill their own holiday tables.
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays
When you are out shopping, we encourage you to pick up an extra frozen turkey to donate to MANNA! We know that hunger is a daily worry for tens of thousands of people across our region, and something as simple as a holiday turkey can truly give the gift of happiness and hope to people living through the daily experience of food insecurity.
Open Mic
Oct 29 all-day
Alley Cat Social Club

Open Mic Open format. We host it all at the Alley Cat. Come out and see an amazing display of talent. Every Tuesday 8pm. Sign ups start at 7pm or earlier

Wands for Wildlife collection has begun!
Oct 29 all-day
October is here!! Wands are being accepted throughout the month. Please go to the website for the form to send in with them and more information. SHARE THIS FORWARD! ????
www.wandsforwildlife.org

Since March of 2017 the Wands for Wildlife program has grown and spread all over the world! Engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life to take action, help the planet and save wild lives.
One Wander (wand donor) from Poland shared, “I am so happy that good people still exist in the world.”
From a Preschool teacher in Illinois, “I was unsure if my preschoolers would understand conservation and pollution, but starting with taking care of animals was the perfect way to start the unit since it was a more concrete idea and something they had prior knowledge about.”
Link to post that went up announcing the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge ‘Wands for Wildlife’ drive for October has begun….
Large Format Puppet Hand Building Workshop for Holiday Parade
Oct 29 @ 6:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

The Buncombe County library system is trying to get into the Asheville Holiday Parade this year and we need your help!  We’re building large format puppet hands and small props to support our theme and we need all of the creative help we can get. We’ll be having creator’s workshops on Tuesday evenings beginning September 24 at Pack Memorial Library. We’ll also have stations at branches starting in October for origami bird making. All of the birds made will be a big part of our holiday parade!    If you like to work in teams, get your hands dirty, and get crafty come join us, everyone is welcome! Open workshops, drop in and help when you can on posted dates

Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays MANNA
Oct 30 all-day
MANNA FoodBank

Now through Nov. 15:
Help Make a Local Family’s Table a Bit Brighter and Donate a Turkey to our
TURKEY DRIVE!
This holiday season, we are hoping to fill families’ tables across our region with the staples that we all enjoy during a special holiday meal.
Food with Hope and Dignity
One reality of food banking is that food banks commonly receive holiday-specific food donations after a holiday has already occurred, making it difficult for food banks to provide these food items in a timely way to our neighbors seeking food assistance. We want families across our 16 counties to be able to celebrate the holiday with the rest of the community, and with that hope in mind, we are looking for the community to step up and help us eliminate one more worry for families about how they will fill their own holiday tables.
Donate a Turkey for the Holidays
When you are out shopping, we encourage you to pick up an extra frozen turkey to donate to MANNA! We know that hunger is a daily worry for tens of thousands of people across our region, and something as simple as a holiday turkey can truly give the gift of happiness and hope to people living through the daily experience of food insecurity.
Drink Coffee, Support Special Olympics
Oct 30 all-day
various locations in buncombe county

Buncombe County Special Olympics’ annual Coffee for Champions fundraiser returns for a third year on October 1. During the month of October, local coffee shops donate up to five cents for each cup of coffee purchased at their establishments to support Special Olympics training and competitions for area youth and adults.

“We are a completely volunteer-driven, donation-funded program focused on inclusionary sporting opportunities for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities,” said Karla Furnari of Buncombe County Recreation Services, who is also a Buncombe County Special Olympics coach and Local Coordinator. “Coffee for Champions helps build connections between our athletes and the community. It also allows us to move away from labor intensive fundraising campaigns that often pull volunteers from other critical program needs such as coaching and transporting athletes.”

A map on the organization’s website lists participating coffee shops:

  • Donating Five Cents Per Cup
    • Ivory Road Café & Kitchen (1854 Brevard Road in Arden)
    • Mosaic Café & Coffee House (1 Town Square Boulevard in Biltmore Park)
    • Trout Lily Market (1297 Charlotte Highway in Fairview)
  • Donating One Cent Per Cup
    • Dynamite Roasting Company (3198 US Highway 70 in Black Mountain)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company West (362 Depot Street in Asheville’s River Arts District)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company East (6 Beverly Road in Asheville’s Haw Creek)
    • PennyCup Coffee Company North (857 Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville)
    • Round Earth Roasters (518 Hendersonville Road in Asheville)

Buncombe County Special Olympics is made possible through funding from donors and support from Buncombe County Government. To donate or volunteer, visit buncombecountyspecialolympics.org.

Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy in 1968 to celebrate changing attitudes about the talents of people with intellectual disabilities. Buncombe County Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for youth and adults. Sports include alpine skiing and snowboarding, aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, and tennis. The organization also offers the Adaptive Athlete Program in a partnership with South Slope CrossFit and Buncombe County Recreation Services.

Karaoke
Oct 30 all-day
Alley Cat Social Club

Anything Goes Karaoke on Wednesdays. Its so much fun and it gets a little wild. Come out and party with us Sign ups start at 8pm music shortly after.

Wands for Wildlife collection has begun!
Oct 30 all-day
October is here!! Wands are being accepted throughout the month. Please go to the website for the form to send in with them and more information. SHARE THIS FORWARD! ????
www.wandsforwildlife.org

Since March of 2017 the Wands for Wildlife program has grown and spread all over the world! Engaging people of all ages and from all walks of life to take action, help the planet and save wild lives.
One Wander (wand donor) from Poland shared, “I am so happy that good people still exist in the world.”
From a Preschool teacher in Illinois, “I was unsure if my preschoolers would understand conservation and pollution, but starting with taking care of animals was the perfect way to start the unit since it was a more concrete idea and something they had prior knowledge about.”
Link to post that went up announcing the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge ‘Wands for Wildlife’ drive for October has begun….
Reduced Price Growler Fill Wednesdays
Oct 30 @ 8:00 pm – Oct 31 @ 2:00 am
plēb urban winery

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=859748877719579

Beer Pairing Dinner Collaboratory
Oct 30 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Collaboratory

The Collaboratory’s Head Chef, Polo Alonso, and Master Brewer, Wayne Wambles, worked together to create a 5 course meal, perfectly paired with our own Collaboratory original craft brews. Come enjoy a special night and bring beer tasting to the next level.

$50 per person or $80 per couple.

First course:

Beer cheese fritter with hot pepper jam and cucumber basil relish

Second course:

Winter squash salad – Roasted delicata squash tossed with pomegranates, kale, and cabbage

Served over a truffle herb crema and pepita seeds with a beet reduction

Third course:

Dry rubbed North Carolina catfish with a roasted melon BBQ glaze over succotash

Intermezzo (palate refresher):

Cucumber basil granita

Fourth course:

Herb encrusted Hickory Nut Gap NY club filet with melted Brie over roasted fingerling potatoes and shaved asparagus topped with pickled heirloom tomato and mustard seeds

Dessert:

Vanilla panna cotta with an apple cherry compote and almond chocolate bark