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.

Thursday, February 27, 2020
Raffle: Trip to London or Cash Asheville Community Theatre
Feb 27 – Feb 26 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

 

Tickets on sale through June 28, 2020

We know how completely odd it seems to be raffling off a trip to London right now. We’re barely leaving our homes for any reason, so jetting off around the world seems flat out bonkers! We’re hopeful that international travel and fun vacations will happen again in the future – and that’s why we extended and amended the raffle prize! If you win, you can choose the trip to London (and you have 18 months to book your travel) OR you can choose to take the cash value of the trip instead ($10,000).

Our raffles have been important fundraisers for ACT over the years, and this one is no different. ACT has lost 85% of our income as an organization, so this raffle is one of the few ways we can continue to bring a little money in the door.

Buying a raffle ticket is a great way to support ACT right now – and it just might be you who gets some really great news from us!

 

Season for Nonviolence
Feb 27 all-day
online

The Gandhi King Season for Nonviolence (SNV) commences on January 30, in cities across the globe. The annual 64 day campaign, co-founded in 1998 by Dr. Arun Gandhi and The Association for Global New Thought (AGNT), is an educational, media and grassroots awareness campaign spanning the January 30th and April 4th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The purpose of the campaign is to focus educational and media attention on the philosophy of attaining peace through nonviolent action as demonstrated by legendary leaders Mohandas K. Gandhi, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar E. Chavez, and President Nelson Mandela, as well as living legends such as His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Spiritually guided citizen leaders in 900 cities in 67 countries have participated since the campaign began in 1998.

Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Feb 27 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

Into the Blue: Artist Invitational 2020 at Blue Spiral
Feb 27 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Blue Spiral

Blue Spiral 1’s most diverse annual exhibition presents artists who have never previously shown in the gallery. This year’s show features nine artists working in a range of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, mixed media, photography, and wood.

Artists: Anna Buckner, Mark Flowers, David Knox, Hiromi Moneyhun, Kris Rehring, Ben Strear, Gregor Turk

Into the Blue_ Artist Invitational 2020

North Carolina in the Great War Exhibit
Feb 27 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Smith-McDowell House

The exhibit is on loan from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and has been supplemented with artifacts from the Smith-McDowell House collection. Entrance to the exhibit is included with Smith-McDowell House admission – and is always free for members – and runs through May 16, 2020.

The exhibit seeks to put the local men and women who served in context with the larger events happening in North Carolina, the United States, and the world. In the exhibit, visitors will find displays and interactive elements telling the stories of just a few of our hometown heroes.

Shapeshifters: Center for Craft
Feb 27 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center for Craft

Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.

Thirsty Thursday
Feb 27 @ 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Margaret and Maxwell

Every Thursday through March, enjoy a 5oz glass of wine for half-price.

A great way to discover a new wine for the new year.

Cheers and hope to see you soon!

Farm Burger Supports UNC Asheville Athletic Scholarships
Feb 27 @ 11:30 am – 9:30 pm
Asheville Farm Burger

Farm Burger Logo

 

The downtown Asheville Farm Burger location is donating 10% of its sales to UNC Asheville Athletic Scholarships on February 27. Stop by for lunch or dinner to support our student-athletes.

Body Talk: Using Storytelling & Metaphor to Understand & Treat Body Image Distress
Feb 27 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Ambrose West

Anita Johnston, Ph.D., CEDS-S author of “Eating in the Light of the Moon” will be here with us on Thursday, February 27, 2020 for a 4-hour, afternoon session. Her talk, “Body Talk: Using Storytelling & Metaphor to Understand and Treat Body Image Distress” is part of Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders 13th Annual HEAL Conference. You can register for this session separately at https://heal2020.bpt.me/

Visit crcfored.com for more information

Attracting Birds to the Landscape
Feb 27 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Bullington Gardens

Bullington staff Kelsey Jarvis and John Murphy will discuss trees, shrubs and hardy perennials that will draw birds to your garden year-round with examples of nesting preferences and food sources for specific birds. In partnership with Wild Birds Unlimited Hendersonville.

Wine Tasting: Big Cabernets of California…and a Chardonnay Too
Feb 27 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Hendersonville Country Club, Inc.

Complimentary Tasting & Hors d’oeuvres 

Join us for the first HCC Wine Tasting of 2020. Come sample a variety of big, bold, California Cabernets…and a Chardonnay too. We will be holding a Cellar Sale during this event, so come ready to restock your wine rack with your favorite wines of the evening at great, member pricing.

Celebrate Black History Month: Tell Your Story
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Burton Street Community Center

Gather with us to share your history and knowledge of the Burton Street Community and see what our afterschool students have created in conjunction with the LEAF Schools and Streets program. Dinner provided.

Closing Reception Shapeshifters: Center for Craft
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Center for Craft
A closing reception with the artists is scheduled for Friday, March 27, from 6-8pm. The exhibition is free and open to the public, and includes opportunities for hands-on education and engagement. Learn more at centerforcraft.org.
Shapeshifters, the newest exhibition in the John Cram Partner Gallery. Shapeshifters brings together the works of two acclaimed regional artists, Cherokee-based Joshua Adams and Atlanta-based Jiha Moon, who use masks and other objects to explore culture, material, and representation, particularly in the contemporary American South.
Get There AVL
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Wedge

Get There AVL is a City Council candidate forum focused on transportation issues and hosted by Friends of Connect Buncombe and Asheville on Bikes.  It will be this Thursday, Feb 27, at 6pm at the Wedge at Foundation’s Cloud Room.
(This is an event sponsored by community groups and not by the City of Asheville)

Public Tour: Intersections in American Art
Feb 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Sam Gilliam, Wall Circle I, 1972, acrylic on shaped canvas, 108 × 46 inches. Partial gift of Patricia Poteat & David Moltke-Hansen and Museum purchase, 2010.36.01.20. © Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Sam Gilliam, Wall Circle I, 1972, acrylic on shaped canvas, 108 × 46 inches. Partial gift of Patricia Poteat & David Moltke-Hansen and Museum purchase, 2010.36.01.20. © Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Today’s public tour is led by Lin Andrews, master docent.

Join docents for tours of the Museum’s Collection and special exhibitions. No reservations are required.

Le Vine Nior/Le Beir Noir (Tasting in the DARK!)
Feb 27 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Conundrum

WHAT IT IS… An experience unlike anything you have ever dreamed imaginable. Your host will engage your mind with charm and wit, and immerse your heightened senses of taste, smell, hearing and touch, while you sip five types of wine in complete darkness. Wine pours are paired with tasteful snacks, one liners, and hilarious hijinks. OR our beer tasting experience will take you on a journey of humor, tasting of five local beers, fun beer-friendly pairing, sight deprivation and enhancement of all remaining senses. The lights will be off, and this is not considered a meal. Designed for adults only, 21 and up. 50-60 minutes.

Works in Translation Book Club
Feb 27 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

Join host and Malaprop’s Bookstore Manager Justin Souther to discuss writers — and their literature — in translation and the cultural, political and artistic influences that mold them. Click here to see a list of the monthly selections. Attendees receive 10% off the club’s current selection at Malaprop’s!

The club usually meets the last Thursday of every month at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe.

Event date:
Thursday, January 30, 2020 – 7:00pm
Thursday, February 27, 2020 – 7:00pm
Thursday, March 26, 2020 – 7:00pm
Thursday, April 30, 2020 – 7:00pm
City Dance
Feb 27 @ 7:30 pm
Landmark Hal

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Classic Hedda Gabler
Feb 27 @ 7:30 pm
UNC Asheville’s Belk Theatre

 

Arden Stockdell-Giesler poses in period constume with pistol

TheatreUNCA will present Hedda Gabler, the 1890 drama by Henrik Ibsen, one of the founders of modernism in theater, with a new translation that director Aaron Snook calls “streamlined and accessible.” Curtain at  will rise at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 27-29, and there will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 1.

“What Ibsen did so brilliantly was create very complex human beings on the stage that could be seemingly contradictory,” says Snook. “And we’re creating some moments of transition between the acts that will be different from some other Hedda Gablers. We’re not changing the script, but using the spaces in the play itself to tell a little bit more of her story.”

Fantasticks!
Feb 27 @ 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: it’s a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time! This musical is punctuated by a series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become classics. “Try To Remember” a time when this romantic charmer wasn’t enchanting audiences around the world!

The Fantasticks is directed by Mark Jones with music direction by Rob Blackwell and choreography by Jessica Garland Lowe.

The Fantasticks
Feb 27 @ 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

 

The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The lovers fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo’s words that, “without a hurt, the heart is hollow.” The story is punctuated by a series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become classics.

The Fantasticks is directed by Mark Jones with music direction by Rob Blackwell and choreography by Jessica Garland Lowe. Coincidentally, Mark appeared onstage in ACT’s 1998 production of The Fantasticks!

“It’s been about 20 years since I played Matt on the ACT stage. I was a young, inexperienced actor, and person, at that time,” Mark said. “But now I am able to revisit the show with much more experience and maturity. I know much more about love, loss and heartbreak than I did at the age of 24.”

Slice of Life Comedy
Feb 27 @ 8:30 pm
Pulp Lounge

Thursday night Feb 27
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic!
Hosted by Cody Hughes
Doors 8:30p/9:00p show
$7 (+membership)
Professional Features and Newbi comics
Comics get in free (+free membership)
Free snacks from Farm Burger//drink specials
Comics sign up at door or email [email protected]
New comics to venue get 3-5m
Regular comics get as much time as available. Look for light]
Contact Michele at [email protected] for more info/sign up early or request a feature (paid 20m)

Friday, February 28, 2020
13th Annual HEAL (Healthy Eating and Living) Conference
Feb 28 all-day
Ambrose West

Thursday, February 27th
Noon – 4:00 pm (check-in begins at 11:15 am)

Friday, February 28th
8:45 am – 4:30 pm (check-in begins at 7:45 am)

HEAL presents professional development and networking opportunities as well as education for the general public.
Our conference addresses disordered eating and eating disorders recovery by presenting experts from various sectors of the industry.

Awareness helps with prevention, treatment, and support and our hope is to reach many, with approachable education and (10 possible) CEs.  Take a look at this year’s schedule, speakers, and topics… and register now!  Seating is limited and we will sell out.

Ambassador Training Manna Food Bank
Feb 28 all-day
MANNA FoodBank
Ambassador Training
Ambassadors are the voice of MANNA. They table at farmer’s markets, fairs and community events to talk to people about MANNA’s mission. Ambassadors engage in conversations about the need in our community and encourage people to get involved with MANNA through donations, volunteerism, and advocacy work.
On February 28th, we’ll be having an Ambassador training for those interested in representing MANNA at community events throughout WNC.
If you are interested, please contact [email protected] for more information or to register.

 

Contact MANNA for specific time.

Apply for a Preservation Grant Today!
Feb 28 all-day
Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County
We are accepting grant applications until March 6th.  Grants from $500 – $5000 will be offered to the public in three categories:
  1. Bricks-And-Mortar
Rehabilitation, restoration and repair of structures that are 50 years of age or older
  1. Public Education
Development of educational materials and programs that advance knowledge of our shared history
  1. Planning, Survey and Designation
Planning and design for building rehabilitation and restoration projects, historic resource surveys and local or national designations
Bob Moog Foundation Announces Minimoog Raffle
Feb 28 all-day
Moogseum online raffle

The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to announce its 2020 Minimoog Raffle, featuring a vintage, iconic Minimoog Model D synthesizer, signed by legendary keyboardist Herbie Hancock. The synthesizer is valued at $5,000. Hancock signed the back of the Minimoog, serial number 1549, and drew a musical staff and added the inscription “(Hey Bob!)” on either side. The raffle begins on Monday, February 10, 2020, and ends on Tuesday March 10, 2020 or when all tickets have sold. Tickets are $25 each, five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. Only 4,500 tickets will be available. All proceeds from the raffle support the Foundation’s educational project, Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, and its newly opened Moogseum, located in Asheville, NC. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/HHMinimoogRaffle.

Herbie Hancock joins a long list of renowned musicians supporting the Foundation’s efforts. Recent raffles have featured vintage synthesizers signed by Stevie Wonder, Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution, Jan Hammer, and Rick Wakeman. Hancock, whose illustrious career spans five decades and 14 Grammy awards, helped pioneer the use of synthesizers in jazz, and has been at the forefront of using technology to make music. He is known for his ever-probing jazz sensibilities, his willingness to explore music across all genres, and is considered to be among the most elite and influential players of his time.

Hancock, who turns 80 this year, continues to make new music and tour worldwide. For more information about Herbie Hancock, visit https://www.herbiehancock.com/

CRC for ED Hosts the 13th Annual HEAL Conference
Feb 28 all-day
Ambrose West

HEAL presents professional development and networking opportunities as well as education for the general public.
Our conference addresses disordered eating and eating disorders recovery by presenting experts from various sectors of the industry.

Awareness helps with prevention, treatment, and support and our hope is to reach many, with approachable education and (10 possible) CEs. Take a look at this year’s schedule, speakers, and topics… and register now! Seating is limited and we will sell out.

EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems: food and farm help/resources in WNC
Feb 28 all-day
WNC

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 

Home Repair Builders Challenge
Feb 28 all-day
Habitiat for Humanity

Do you work in the local home building industry? Ready for a friendly challenge to help community members in need? Gather 2-4 coworkers to spend a day volunteering with our Home Repair team and make critical repairs so low-income residents can live safely and with dignity in their homes and communities. Each group’s hours will be tracked and at the end of the challenge the group with the most will get a prize.

The lack of affordable housing in Buncombe County is no secret, but one need is often overshadowed by the demand for new units. Far too many of  our neighbors- homeowners often 62+ years old, whose families have lived here for generations- are having to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions because they cannot afford
critical home repairs.
That’s why members of the local home building industry are coming together for a friendly
challenge to help meet this urgent community need. The Home Repair Builders Challenge will
take place March 2 to April 17. Groups will volunteer alongside Asheville Habitat’s Home
Repair team, and at the end of the challenge the team with the most accumulated hours will get a prize.

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia at The One Stop
Feb 28 @ 12:00 am – 2:00 am
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia is a team trivia played in 7 rounds over the course of 2 endlessly entertaining hours. The game covers everything pop culture and is always irreverent by nature. The game is not your average pub quiz as it explores everything from didgeridoo covers of pop songs to bad celebrity tattoos and everything in between. Ever wanted to identify animals by their gonads? Then this is the game for you! Mitch curates a one of a kind trivia smorgasbord of random, unusual, and hilarious subjects. This absurd trivia game is not about historical facts or sports stats, it is all about random movies, unforgettable ear-worms, and the hilariousness of growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. The game starts at 7pm in the cozy One Stop in downtown Asheville. Drink specials include $4 bourbon/$4 Washington Apple Shots and $5 White Russians, and food is available from MOJO Kitchen which offers 1/2 price nachos during the game! Best of all the winning team each week takes home a collection of Totally Rad Prizes including a $35 gift certificate to The One Stop/MOJO Kitchen.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2129604460458895/?event_time_id=2129604627125545