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.

Friday, October 6, 2023
Jones Park Rebuilding Volunteer Opportunity
Oct 6 all-day
online
JONES PARK IS BEING REBUILT AS CANDACE PICKENS PARK OCTOBER 2023!

We need your help to get this built – it will be a volunteer-built park October 4-8, 2023.

Rendering of the future Candace Pickens Park to be built October 2023. Learn more about Playgrounds by Leathers.

Sign Up to Help!

*** If you’d like to volunteer to help please SIGN UP HERE ***

Before the build dates it will take a lot of coordination – we’re looking for a few good people to help as:

Childcare Coordinators – providing supervision and fun activities for kids during construction

Food Coordinators – acquiring food from the community for each day of the build

Want to help? Know someone who might be able to help with one of these coordinator positions? Email: [email protected] or call David Rodgers 828.545.9571

In mid-May we will have a design similar to the former playground to present to the community.

Donate to help build the park!

Click here to make a donation via PayPal to Asheville City Schools Foundation, our partner for this project. 

There will be a transaction fee of 2.89% plus .30 USD for PayPal transactions. For transactions of $500 or more the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) strongly recommends checks or wire transfers. For wire transfers or the transfer of stock contact Rebecca Abide at [email protected]. ACSF is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are normally tax deductible. However, always consult your taxadviser. Cash should be conveyed in person, of course. 

Checks should be mailed to:

Asheville City Schools Foundation
P.O. Box 3196
Asheville, NC 28802 Foundation
Memo: Candace Pickens Park

Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 6 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 6 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

2023 Volunteer Trail Workday – Little Cove Creek Preserve
Oct 6 @ 10:00 am
Little Cove Creek Preserve, Nilsen Cabin

Distance:  Variable, 1-3 miles

Difficulty: Easy (5/10)

Join the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy  and the Roan Stewardship team for a volunteer workday at the Nilsen Cabin on our Little Cove Creek Preserve. This iconic property, located on the Tennessee side of the Roan Highlands, is one of our original land acquisition projects in the area. Recently the preserve was expanded to include an adjoining 17 acres, the Nilsen Cabin on site was renovated, and a trail system was agreed upon to take visitors from the cabin to a nearby waterfall. Now we need your help to formalize and establish the new trail design. This will require volunteers to work with weed eaters, hand tools, and saws to complete the trail which will be roughly a mile and will include a historic graveyard from the 1800’s. This event will be a great opportunity to work with friends, get your hands dirty, see a beautiful waterfall, and enjoy a great day outside in the Roan Highlands.

This property is located 1.5 hours northeast of Asheville, NC and 45mins southeast of Johnson City, TN. Driving direction will be sent to volunteers following registration.

What To Bring: Close-toed shoes, work gloves, lunch, water, jacket/rain gear. Please dress in layers, the weather can be much cooler at this elevation during October.

Saturday, October 7, 2023
Jones Park Rebuilding Volunteer Opportunity
Oct 7 all-day
online
JONES PARK IS BEING REBUILT AS CANDACE PICKENS PARK OCTOBER 2023!

We need your help to get this built – it will be a volunteer-built park October 4-8, 2023.

Rendering of the future Candace Pickens Park to be built October 2023. Learn more about Playgrounds by Leathers.

Sign Up to Help!

*** If you’d like to volunteer to help please SIGN UP HERE ***

Before the build dates it will take a lot of coordination – we’re looking for a few good people to help as:

Childcare Coordinators – providing supervision and fun activities for kids during construction

Food Coordinators – acquiring food from the community for each day of the build

Want to help? Know someone who might be able to help with one of these coordinator positions? Email: [email protected] or call David Rodgers 828.545.9571

In mid-May we will have a design similar to the former playground to present to the community.

Donate to help build the park!

Click here to make a donation via PayPal to Asheville City Schools Foundation, our partner for this project. 

There will be a transaction fee of 2.89% plus .30 USD for PayPal transactions. For transactions of $500 or more the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) strongly recommends checks or wire transfers. For wire transfers or the transfer of stock contact Rebecca Abide at [email protected]. ACSF is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are normally tax deductible. However, always consult your taxadviser. Cash should be conveyed in person, of course. 

Checks should be mailed to:

Asheville City Schools Foundation
P.O. Box 3196
Asheville, NC 28802 Foundation
Memo: Candace Pickens Park

Triad LUNGe Forward 5K Run, Walk, + Celebration
Oct 7 all-day
Country Park

Join us for the 16th Annual Triad LUNGe Forward 5K Run, Walk & Celebration! It will be a day of celebration and remembrance, as well as a day to take action and provide hope to those impacted by lung cancer, fueling Lung Cancer Initiative’s research, education and access programs right here in our community. Your support will make an impact in the fight against lung cancer.

Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 7 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 7 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Tour de Fat
Oct 7 @ 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
New Belgium Brewing
Tour de Fat returns to Asheville at New Belgium Brewing on Saturday, October 7th. This year’s event features a variety of Asheville grown performers including Toybox and Hustle Souls. The annual event is a celebration of bicycles, merriment, music, and beer. Proceeds from the Tour de Fat support the mission and work of Asheville on Bikes. The event is free and open to the public. AoB provides bike parking.

Over 65 volunteers are needed to support this fundraiser! Reserve 2 hours of your day to support the work and mission of AoB by hosting the Tour de Fat. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities from working the bike pit, to selling merch, to pouring beer.

Sign up to volunteer »
  • Schedule:

    12:00 PM Brewery doors open

    1:00 PM Welcome and Fashion Show

    1:30 PM Hustle Souls

    2:15 PM Marz Hooligan (on the Patio Stage)

    2:30 PM Slow Ride Competition

    2:50 PM Toybox Theatre

    3:15 PM Dale Hollow

    4:15 PM Night Owl Circus

    4:35 PM Dance Contest

    5:00 PM Pimps of Joytime

    7:00 PM So long and farewell until 2024

Free Healing Event
Oct 7 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Peace Gardens
Contact Hekmat for more details a[email protected]
Sound Healing Concert inside the Salt Cave
Oct 7 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Asheville Salt Cave

Join us for a beautiful sound healing concert inside the Salt Cave. The concert will be preformed by Billy From @Skinny Beats Sound Shop. Come enjoy the sounds of the handpan, gong, crystal bowls as well as many other various instruments. The music will vibrate through the walls of the salt cave and reach to the deepest part of your soul. These two treatments combined create wonderful space for deep healing.

May be an image of 2 people

Sunday, October 8, 2023
Jones Park Rebuilding Volunteer Opportunity
Oct 8 all-day
online
JONES PARK IS BEING REBUILT AS CANDACE PICKENS PARK OCTOBER 2023!

We need your help to get this built – it will be a volunteer-built park October 4-8, 2023.

Rendering of the future Candace Pickens Park to be built October 2023. Learn more about Playgrounds by Leathers.

Sign Up to Help!

*** If you’d like to volunteer to help please SIGN UP HERE ***

Before the build dates it will take a lot of coordination – we’re looking for a few good people to help as:

Childcare Coordinators – providing supervision and fun activities for kids during construction

Food Coordinators – acquiring food from the community for each day of the build

Want to help? Know someone who might be able to help with one of these coordinator positions? Email: [email protected] or call David Rodgers 828.545.9571

In mid-May we will have a design similar to the former playground to present to the community.

Donate to help build the park!

Click here to make a donation via PayPal to Asheville City Schools Foundation, our partner for this project. 

There will be a transaction fee of 2.89% plus .30 USD for PayPal transactions. For transactions of $500 or more the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF) strongly recommends checks or wire transfers. For wire transfers or the transfer of stock contact Rebecca Abide at [email protected]. ACSF is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are normally tax deductible. However, always consult your taxadviser. Cash should be conveyed in person, of course. 

Checks should be mailed to:

Asheville City Schools Foundation
P.O. Box 3196
Asheville, NC 28802 Foundation
Memo: Candace Pickens Park

Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 8 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 8 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Black Bear Half Marathon + 8k
Oct 8 @ 8:00 am
Jackson Park

Western North Carolina’s most popular, scenic, fall half marathon & 8k, mostly flat, lots of fun, and spectator-friendly!

The 4th Annual Black Bear Half Marathon & 8k presented by Hunter Subaru, both wind through Hendersonville, NC (near Asheville) on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. A Virtual Half Marathon and 8k running option is also available for runners who want to be part of the race weekend experience, but are not able to attend the in-person event.

The Black Bear Half & 8k both offer a scenic, mostly flat course along the Oklawaha Greenway during peak leaf season in the fall. The Half Marathon has less than 400 feet of elevation gain and you won’t want to miss it! We’d like to give a huge thanks to our 2023 Half Marathon & 8k presenting sponsor: Hunter Subaru, for all that they do to help create this amazing event.

Both races finish at the same location in Hendersonville, North Carolina at Jackson Park.

EXCITING NEWS!!

The Black Bear Half Marathon & 8k presented by Hunter Subaru is now USATF sanctioned and certified!

Half Marathon USATF Certification Number – NC22016DF
8k USATF Certification Number – NC22015DF

Monday, October 9, 2023
Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 9 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 9 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

West Asheville Edible Park Work Day
Oct 9 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
West Asheville Park
On Saturday September 30th 8:45-11:00am and Monday October 9th 10am-2pm we will be gathering to access and make plans to maintain the edible plantings at the West Asheville Park 198 Vermont Ave. If you want to learn more about what is already growing and get involved in making this park an abundant food forest join us on either of these days. Refreshments will be provided on Saturday morning! For more information contact [email protected]
Virtual | Poverty, By America Discussion Group
Oct 9 @ 12:00 pm
online

Join us for a virtual bookclub-style discussion of Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond at noon on Monday, October 9th.

Registration is required for attendance. Please CLICK HERE to register. A link will be emailed to you on the morning of the event.

Copies of Poverty, by America will be 10% off at Malaprop’s through October 9th. If you order through our website, click on “coupon discount” and enter JUSTICEFORUM in the “coupon code” field. If you are purchasing in-store or by phone, mention the book discussion and request a book club discount.

The paperback is released on April 18th and can be pre-ordered now. The discount does not apply to pre-orders.

Desmond will be the keynote speaker at the Pisgah Legal Justice Forum on October 17th at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Tickets to the forum are free but registration is required. Click here to learn more about the forum and pre-event reception.

About Poverty, by America:

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.
Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.

Matthew Desmond is the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the founding director of the Eviction Lab. His last book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, among others. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, Desmond is also a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 10 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 10 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 11 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 11 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Puppet Playtime
Oct 11 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
East Asheville Library
Every Wednesday morning, we open up the children’s activity room to give kids time for free play with puppets. Children must be under the supervision or a parent or guardian.
Pack Library Book Club
Oct 11 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Pack Memorial Library
  The Pack Library Book Club is a book discussion group that meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30AM at the library.
Read to Puptart!
Oct 11 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

Puptart is a tail wagging robot dog who sits and stays, pants when listening, and responds to someone talking to and petting it. It will not jump up or run away, plus it’s fur free, so no sneezes and runny noses coming your way!

Every Wednesday afternoon, Puptart will be available for reading practice in the children’s picture book room. Help establish a joy of reading and develop early literacy skills. Sign up at the front desk, pick a book and practice reading for up to 15 minutes.

Thursday, October 12, 2023
Volunteer for the Eliada Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Oct 12 all-day
Eliada Homes

Eliada’s Annual Corn Maze and Fall Festival is the agency’s single largest fundraiser. Through your volunteer support, you are directly impacting the lives of vulnerable children in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer roles range from:

  • Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails!
  • Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides!
  • Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales!

*If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment.

Volunteer Perks

  • Shifts are two hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts!
  • You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift!
Group Volunteer Opportunities
If you are a part of a community or church group and are interested in volunteering as a team, we’d love to have you! Contact our Resource Development Officer Rebecca Boline, at [email protected] or (828) 254-5356 x306 to get your volunteer group signed up today!
Restrictions
We ask that volunteers be 18+ years of age. Besides that, we have no other requirements for volunteering-just your commitment to lending two helping hands and a great attitude during your shift!
Youth Memberships for teens 13 – 17
Oct 12 all-day
YWCA of Asheville

Youth Memberships

 

There’s a new youth membership available now for teens 13 – 17. It’s only $10 a month, and an adult must be present to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Antique and Collectible Book Sale
Oct 12 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Pack Library
  • Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, 250-4700

The Friends of Pack Library will have their Annual Antique and Collectible book sale the second weekend in October at Pack Library in downtown Asheville.

The Oct. 12-13 sale will feature antique and collectible books on the lower level of the library, along with comic books and music CDs. Bookends Used Book Store will have ½ price sale both days and children’s books will be 10 cents each. On the second day of the sale, Oct. 13, everything in the sale will be half off.

On Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., there will be a box sale with a box of books for only $25. Boxes will be provided. Prices in Bookends Used Book Store will return to regular pricing.

For more info, call Pack Library at 250-4700 or email the Friends of the Library.   Proceeds benefit Buncombe County Public Libraries.

An Evening with David Sedaris
Oct 12 @ 7:30 pm
Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University

An Evening With David Sedaris: The best-selling author and well-known NPR humorist, playwright, and comedian, David Sedaris returns to Cullowhee for An Evening With David Sedaris. With more than 16 million copies of his books in print, Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The October 12th event includes a live reading of new material, time for audience members to ask questions of the author, and book signings before and after the event. Sedaris’ books will be available for purchase at the event through the City Lights Bookstore of Sylva, NC.