Calendar of Events

Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

June – July 2023 Jun – Jul 2023
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Friday, June 16, 2023
NC Rhododendron Festival
Jun 16 all-day
Bakersville, NC
Pageantry, Art & Music in Bakersville, NC 
The NC Rhododendron Festival draws hundreds of visitors from all over the region and features the Rhododendron Festival Pageant, the Craft Fair with food vendors, children’s activities, and live music throughout the day, as well as a classic car show, a 10K run, 2 nights of street dancing.  Come discover our Small Town Mountain Paradise!  

NC Rhododendron Pageant

One of the area’s most respected and longest standing scholarship opportunities for young women.

              Rhododendron Craft Fair

Our yearly show offers exhibitors of talented local and regional artists & craftspeople a venue for their work.

Live Music

The Rhododendron Craft Fair showcases a variety of live music performances throughout both days. 

Street Dances

On Friday and Saturday nights, join us for a Square Dance downtown.

Classic Car Show

Join us on Saturday for the Rhododendron Classic Car Show.  ​

10K Run

The Annual Rhododendron 10K Run is held on Saturday morning.  ​
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jun 16 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Saturday, June 17, 2023
NC Rhododendron Festival
Jun 17 all-day
Bakersville, NC
Pageantry, Art & Music in Bakersville, NC 
The NC Rhododendron Festival draws hundreds of visitors from all over the region and features the Rhododendron Festival Pageant, the Craft Fair with food vendors, children’s activities, and live music throughout the day, as well as a classic car show, a 10K run, 2 nights of street dancing.  Come discover our Small Town Mountain Paradise!  

NC Rhododendron Pageant

One of the area’s most respected and longest standing scholarship opportunities for young women.

              Rhododendron Craft Fair

Our yearly show offers exhibitors of talented local and regional artists & craftspeople a venue for their work.

Live Music

The Rhododendron Craft Fair showcases a variety of live music performances throughout both days. 

Street Dances

On Friday and Saturday nights, join us for a Square Dance downtown.

Classic Car Show

Join us on Saturday for the Rhododendron Classic Car Show.  ​

10K Run

The Annual Rhododendron 10K Run is held on Saturday morning.  ​
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jun 17 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Land of the Sky 101 Book Club
Jun 17 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Land of the Sky 101 is a community learning circle for those who are interested in an introduction to the history of Asheville, Buncombe County and Western North Carolina. A nine -part series of readings and discussions is modeled after the themes of the exhibit “An Incomplete History of Buncombe County” mounted in the BCSC reading room. From October 2022 through July 2023 (with a break in December) participants will explore the history of our region focusing on themes ranging from ancient history to the late 20th century revitalization of the Downtown area.

Read
Each month readers can choose from two selections; one light read like a novel, or groups of essays and poems, and one rigorous non-fiction read written by an expert on the subject. Pick one or both! The choice is yours!

Learn
Each session will be facilitated by a Buncombe County Special Collections librarian or special guest who will share their expert knowledge, additional resources, and set the context for the conversation.

Discuss
At least 45 minutes of each session will be set aside for group discussion. The learning circle is a place to get curious about your community and meet new friends. Come for the history, stay for the fellowship!
Click here to view a complete list of dates and titles.

Registration is limited and required. Sessions for the 2022-2023 cohort will be held at 10:30 am on the third Saturday of each month at Pack Memorial Library. Sessions run from October 2022 until July 2023. Your registration will reserve your place for all nine sessions, and we hope participants will plan to attend each meeting.  If you cannot attend a session, please let us know in advance so we may allow those on the waiting list to participate.
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Categories: Bookclubs
City of Asheville Juneteenth Celebrations: Festival at Pack Square Park
Jun 17 @ 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Pack Square Park
juenteenth graphic

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, in partnership with the City of Asheville, has planned the 2023 Juneteenth Celebration with the intended outcomes of a diverse celebration that fosters broad participation, fosters community awareness and appreciation, and celebrates the liberation of enslaved people. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Thus, starting the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. The City of Asheville designated Juneteenth as a City holiday in 2021, and on June 8, Mayor Esther Manheimer issued a proclamation acknowledging Juneteenth as a day of celebration for Black Americans.

The Juneteenth Celebrations will culminate with a two-day Juneteenth Festival at Pack Square Park, Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday, June 18, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Featured groups include:

  • Guest MC, Ty Russell, WLOS
  • The Stanley Baird Group, LLC
  • Westsound Productions
  • Virtuous
  • Malecia Williams
  • Delta House Jazz Band
  • Eaze Dogg
  • Hypnotic Band
  • WIZEDEV
  • The Carolina Diva Diamondz and Others
Read more
Categories: Community Festivals
Sunday, June 18, 2023
NC Rhododendron Festival
Jun 18 all-day
Bakersville, NC
Pageantry, Art & Music in Bakersville, NC 
The NC Rhododendron Festival draws hundreds of visitors from all over the region and features the Rhododendron Festival Pageant, the Craft Fair with food vendors, children’s activities, and live music throughout the day, as well as a classic car show, a 10K run, 2 nights of street dancing.  Come discover our Small Town Mountain Paradise!  

NC Rhododendron Pageant

One of the area’s most respected and longest standing scholarship opportunities for young women.

              Rhododendron Craft Fair

Our yearly show offers exhibitors of talented local and regional artists & craftspeople a venue for their work.

Live Music

The Rhododendron Craft Fair showcases a variety of live music performances throughout both days. 

Street Dances

On Friday and Saturday nights, join us for a Square Dance downtown.

Classic Car Show

Join us on Saturday for the Rhododendron Classic Car Show.  ​

10K Run

The Annual Rhododendron 10K Run is held on Saturday morning.  ​
Read more
Categories: Festivals
City of Asheville Juneteenth Celebrations: Festival at Pack Square Park
Jun 18 @ 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Pack Square Park

The Juneteenth Celebrations will culminate with a two-day Juneteenth Festival at Pack Square Park, Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday, June 18, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Featured groups include:

  • Guest MC, Ty Russell, WLOS
  • The Stanley Baird Group, LLC
  • Westsound Productions
  • Virtuous
  • Malecia Williams
  • Delta House Jazz Band
  • Eaze Dogg
  • Hypnotic Band
  • WIZEDEV
  • The Carolina Diva Diamondz and Others
Read more
Categories: Community Festivals
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Read to Puptart!
Jun 21 @ 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.
Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Friday, June 23, 2023
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jun 23 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jun 24 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
An Appalachian Food and Farms Festival
Jun 24 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Shipley Farms

Come celebrate the 150th Year of Shipley Farms on Saturday, June 24th at the inaugural Good Fields Appalachian Food & Farms Festival.

Experience a variety of dishes using Shipley Farms meats and all the flavors of the High Country prepared by leading chefs and restaurants from across the region.

Chef lineup:

  • Steven Goff (Tastee Diner, Asheville), 2019 NC Chef of the Year
  • Andres Prussing, CEC (Golden Owl Tavern, Charlotte)
  • Andy Long (Over Yonder, Valle Crucis)
  • Ashley Boyd (300 East, Charlotte)
  • Gerald Hawkins (Leah and Louise, Charlotte)
  • Courtney Evans (Leah and Louise, Charlotte)
  • Daniel Wheeler (Culinary Instructor, CCCTI, Charlotte/Hudson/Boone
  • Preeti Waas (Cheeni Indian Food Emporium, Raleigh)
  • Sam Ratchford (Vidalia, Boone)
  • Sera Cuni (Cafe Root Cellar, Chapel Hill)
  • Jamisen Booker (Weathered Soul)
  • and more to come!

The festival will also feature storytelling, sunset around the firepit, and a book signing by Evan Peter Smith, author of “Here By The Owl”, the story of Shipley Farms patriarch R.G. Shipley, from his days of top secret research in World War II, through his entrepreneurial ventures at age 101. Hear live bluegrass music from Nick Chandler and Delivered.

Ticketholders will have access to the Pasture, with complementary food and beverage tastings from all participating chefs.

Rain or shine, 4PM ‘til sunset in the Pasture at the historic Shipley Farm, Vilas, NC

*discounts available for seniors, veterans, Watauga County residents, Ruritan club members, and former students of RG and Agnes*

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Categories: Festivals
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Annual Firefly Gathering 2023
Jun 25 all-day
Deerfields

Near the summer solstice each year, over 1,000 people convene from around the world for The Firefly Gathering. Here, folks come together to connect and share skills with the common goal of expanding our capacity to live well with one another and our beloved Earth.

Days are filled with a wide variety of classes focused on deepening our relationship with the wisdom and rhythms of nature, dipping into the deep wells of ancestral knowledge, and integrating these skills into our daily lives and communities.

Evenings are filled with live music, dancing under the moon and stars, opportunities to connect with each other, and of course–the fireflies–who dazzle us with their beautiful display of light as they communicate in the darkness! A variety of nature connection programs guide children and teens to engage through learning and play.

For many, coming to The Firefly Gathering is a life-changing experience that they return to year after year.

Read more
Categories: Art & Craft Education Family Fun Festivals Music Outdoors Workshops Yoga
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Appalachia on the Table: Local Author Talk with Erica Abrams Locklear
Jun 27 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Leicester Library

Appalachia on the Table argues, in part, that since the conception of Appalachia as a distinctly different region from the rest of the South and the United States, the foods associated with the region and its people have often been used to socially categorize and stigmatize mountain people. Rather than investigate the actual foods consumed in Appalachia, Locklear instead focuses on the representations of foods consumed, implied moral judgments about those foods, and how those judgments shape reader perceptions of those depicted. The question at the core of Locklear’s analysis asks, How did the dominant culinary narrative of the region come into existence and what consequences has that narrative had for people in the mountains?

Erica Abrams Locklear is a professor of English and the Thomas Howerton Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of North Carolina Asheville. She is the author of Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People (University of Georgia Press) and Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment: Appalachian Women’s Literacies (Ohio University Press). She is a seventh-generation Western North Carolinian from Leicester who loves good food, books, and conversation.
Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Romance Book Club
Jun 27 @ 7:00 pm
online w/ Malaprop's Bookstore
The Romance Book Club is a space to celebrate love in literature. Whether it’s set in early 1800s London, a distant planet years into the future, a fantasy world of magic, or our own contemporary universe, we are here for the stories that end with a happily-ever-after (or at least a happily-for-now). Meetings will take place the last Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Please email Samantha at [email protected] for the link to join.

The club will meet virtually for now. 

Meetings will take place at 7:00 PM ET on the last Tuesday of each month via Zoom. Please visit the Romance Bookclub page for the monthly selection, and email Samantha at [email protected] for the link to join.

Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Read to Puptart!
Jun 28 @ 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.
Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Foodie Book Club
Jun 28 @ 7:00 pm
online

Foodie Book Club

A book club for home cooks, foodies, industry folks, and anyone in-between.  We will be focusing on all sorts of food writing. Somethemes will be (but not limited to): food critics, chef memoirs, wine, food history, and food politics.

The Foodie group meets virtually on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. (EST), beginning in June 2022.  Please email [email protected] for the Zoom meeting info.

Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society HAMFest
Jun 29 @ 8:00 am
Smokey Mountain Event Center

Gates open for vendors at 6am, doors open at 8am.
Tickets: $7 in advance*, $10 at the gate
Tables inside: $15 each, Covered flea market spaces: $15 each
Free Parking • Door Prizes • Forum Presentations • VE Testing
Talk-In: N4DTR Repeater, 147.39+ PL 94.8

Read more
Categories: Community Festivals
Friday, June 30, 2023
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jun 30 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Saturday, July 1, 2023
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jul 1 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Read to Puptart!
Jul 5 @ 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.
Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Malaprop’s Book Club
Jul 5 @ 7:00 pm
online w/ Malaprop's Bookstore

The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The club will meet virtually until further notice. To join the club, please email [email protected]

Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 6 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

Read more
Categories: Festivals Music
Crime and Politics Book Club
Jul 6 @ 4:00 pm
Malaprop's Bookstore

Crime and Politics Book Club

Crime and Politics is a book club for people who want to explore the overlap between true crime and public affairs. We will explore scandals, malfeasance, murder, corruption, and cover-ups. We will alternate months, beginning with a work of true crime, then a book on politics or public affairs. Crime, from the most personal to the global, is the theme. We meet the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. Contact [email protected].

Join host and Malaprop’s Bookseller Patricia Furnish to discuss a range of books across true crime and public affairs. The club meets in Asheville and offsite, usually at a restaurant, on the first Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. Please email [email protected] for info and instructions to attend. See the list of upcoming dates above and click here to learn more about the club, view important news, and find the pick for this month!

Read more
Categories: Bookclubs
Friday, July 7, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 7 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

Read more
Categories: Festivals Music
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jul 7 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Saturday, July 8, 2023
Swannanoa Gathering 2023
Jul 8 all-day
Kittredge Theatre

Founded in 1991, we are Warren Wilson College’s educational program of summer folk arts workshops held on our campus in the Swannanoa Valley near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Each year, we offer a variety of week-long programs in various forms of folk music and dance over a five-week period in July and August, taught by some of the finest folk artists and instructors in the world.

We invite you to join us.

This month-long Celtic music festival takes place on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The festival’s workshops and public performances are joyous celebrations of Scots-Irish music and dance and the many musical forms they have inspired. Check website for programs, location, dates and time.

July 9-15: Celtic Week

July 16-22: Old-Time Week

July 23-29: Contemporary Folk Week

Read more
Categories: Festivals Music
Tickets go on sale for Fall LEAF Festival
Jul 8 all-day
online

The Festival offers opportunities to connect to the world and each other at the scenic and inspiring Lake Eden. Explore indigenous art and culture as we celebrate Legends of Americas; experience music and traditions of global artists; and be inspired by creatives and thought leaders from both local and international communities. Live music, dance, and performance arts are offered alongside camp and lake outdoor adventures, healing arts workshops and practitioners, the longest continually running poetry slam in the world, kids adventures and workshops, mountain drum circle, and so much more!
Read more
Categories: Festivals
Coon Dog Day Festival
Jul 8 @ 8:00 am – 11:00 pm
Downtown Saluda

This annual street festival celebrates the Coon dog, a loyal pet used for many years for
hunting and known for its unique bark and an amazing sense of smell, The celebration has taken place every summer for more
than 50 years and includes a parade, music, street fair with art and food, and dog judging, Begin the day with a 5k race that starts
at 8am, stay for the parade that starts at 11am, and finish the day off at the street dance that ends at 11pm,

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Categories: Family Fun Festivals
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
Jul 9 all-day
Grandfather Mountain

“A wee bit of Scotland in the High Country of Western North Carolina.”

Ceud mile failte (100,000 welcomes)

High in the Mountains of Western North Carolina the ancient Celtic spirit beckons. Answering the call, as hundreds of tartan banners unfurl, are the sounds of bagpipes echoing through the valley, and once again, thousands of kilt-clad Scots make their way to MacRae Meadows for their annual gathering and games. Nowhere in the New World is there a place more reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands than the home of America’s grandest Highland Games—Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina.

Ceud mile failte to you and your family as you join us in celebrating the history of our Scottish ancestry and cheer as you watch the clans compete on MacRae Meadows. Throughout the four day weekend you and your family will sample Scottish music, dancing, foods, costumes, field games and much more, and you can shop for tartans and kilts in the vendors’ tents. A weekend so full of family fun and excitement that you’ll be longing for the mother country (even if you aren’t Scottish).

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Categories: Family Fun Festivals