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.
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LEARN MORE THIS YEAR |
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Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.
Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected! |
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
The N.C. Cooperative Extension, Transylvania County Center and Conserving Carolina are offering a series of lectures, field trips, and service days to better acquaint the public with the French Broad River, and give you ways to explore and act on its behalf.
The fifth part of our series: EXPLORE A float on the French Broad River!
Let’s get on the river! Join us on a class 1 and 2 urban float on the French Broad River through the River Arts section in Asheville. Joining us will be Trevor Freeman from the Asheville Museum of History, discussing the history of interaction between people and the French Broad River. Jack Henderson of Mountain True will discuss ways we are currently addressing challenges to keep the river healthy.
This event is open to the general public, and the fee is the cost of membership to the organization of your choice. For current AMoH members, the discounted rate is $20. We will be using both inflatable rafts and kayaks. A meeting location and recommended items will be announced prior to the event.
Do you know our staff has a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn about the types of wildlife in the area and their jobs. Some of our best educators have feathers, fur, shells or scales!
Swannanoa, such a beautiful name.
Along the river is written Western North Carolina’s history from its earliest years into the future. Archaic era people lived by the river on Warren Wilson’s campus 4,000 years ago. The raging flood of 1791, five feet higher than the record flood of 1916, convinced Buncombe County’s first commission to locate the court house up on a plateau rather than where the Swannanoa joins the French Broad. Utterly brutal abuse of Black Americans as convict labor drove rails through Swannanoa Gap in 1879 bringing prosperity to the valley. Train transportation and cool clean water drew industry ranging from Beacon Blankets revered for quality and community citizenship but also Chemtronics, now a brownfield site. Trains also introduced tourists. And once the world became aware of this sublime valley from Ridgecrest to Biltmore Village, the communities we so enjoy today blossomed.
On July 7 from 5-6pm John E. Ross, author of Through the Mountains: The French Broad River and Time (UTenn Press 2021), will take us on a tour of the French Broad watershed summarizing its natural and cultural history from the origin of the mountains, through the evolution of the river and the populations who’ve lived along it, and into the future. Through the Mountains was a finalist for the 2022 Reed Environmental Writing Award sponsored by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the 2022 Thomas Wolfe Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association.
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country! This Friday we have Kenny DeForest!
Kenny DeForest is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s Crashing, TruTV’s “Friends of the People”, and as a former producer and co-host of “Comedy at the Knitting Factory”, widely considered to be one of the best independently run comedy shows in the world.
In 2017, he recorded his debut stand-up album “B.A.D. Dreams” with Comedy Dynamics, which debuted #1 on iTunes, and in 2015 he was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” In 2018, he was invited to perform in the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal as a “New Face” where he was named “Best of the New Faces” by The Village Voice. He was also named one of “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine.
Additionally, he has performed in the New York Comedy Festival, Brooklyn Comedy Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, Riot Fest LA, Chicago Comedy Exposition, Accidental Comedy Festival, Red Clay Comedy Festival, and his work has been highlighted in “The Observer”, “Time Out New York”, and “The New Yorker”. Best of all, he has a lot of fun performing and fun tends to be contagious. Come get some.
ages 18+
Tickets $18, premium seating $23

GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country! This Friday we have Kenny DeForest!
Kenny DeForest is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s Crashing, TruTV’s “Friends of the People”, and as a former producer and co-host of “Comedy at the Knitting Factory”, widely considered to be one of the best independently run comedy shows in the world.
In 2017, he recorded his debut stand-up album “B.A.D. Dreams” with Comedy Dynamics, which debuted #1 on iTunes, and in 2015 he was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” In 2018, he was invited to perform in the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal as a “New Face” where he was named “Best of the New Faces” by The Village Voice. He was also named one of “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine.
Additionally, he has performed in the New York Comedy Festival, Brooklyn Comedy Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, Riot Fest LA, Chicago Comedy Exposition, Accidental Comedy Festival, Red Clay Comedy Festival, and his work has been highlighted in “The Observer”, “Time Out New York”, and “The New Yorker”. Best of all, he has a lot of fun performing and fun tends to be contagious. Come get some.
ages 18+
Join the Blue Ridge Audubon, a chapter of the National Audubon Society for their monthly bird walk at Jackson Park, a renowned
birding location. On the 2nd Saturday of each month, meet at the Administration Building parking lot, located on Glover Street,
and join the group to see the many wonderful birds found at Jackson Park, Hendersonville’s largest park.8-10:00am.
828-684-0812. Free.
Jackson Park Bird Outing, 8am-10am, Join the Blue Ridge Audubon Society for their monthly
bird walk at Jackson Park, meet at the Administration Building parking lot, located on Glover Street, and join the group to see the
many wonderful birds found at Hendersonville’s largest park
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Kids’ Comedy Tour: Wildly funny, this educational and entertaining tour features the perfect blend of Asheville’s history and kid-centric comedy. Geared specifically toward the 5–12 year old crowd, you’ll explore the town with our famously outlandish tour guides leading the way.
- Perfect for birthday parties
- Makes for memorable school field trips
- Tickets are $27 per person
- Beverages available for purchase at the LaZoom Room
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
Toybox Theatre, in collaboration with The Magnetic Theatre, presents a new puppetry series for ALL AGES. This new series will feature original works by acclaimed award-winning puppeteer and clown Toybox, and will bring some of the best puppeteers in the nation as special guests!
Toybox Theatre has been entertaining audiences from coast to coast with their unique brand of humor and art for over 20 years! Garnishing many “fan favorite” and “funniest show” awards, Toybox has also received an UNIMA Citation for Excellence in the Art of Puppetry, and funding from The Jim Henson Foundation.


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Long for a flock of fine feathered friends, but aren’t sure how to get started? Allow author and teacher Ashley English to show you how the way.
In this lecture, we’ll gather together to learn the basics of keeping a flock of backyard chickens. Ashley will discuss and provide helpful information on what to consider before you start, breed selection, housing, feeding, and more!
Ashley English is the author of 11 books, on topics ranging from raising chickens to canning & preserving, and from hosting potlucks to homemade health & wellness products. From handcrafted pies, to natural crafting, Ashley is enamored with all things DIY, slow, and fun! She lives in a forested cove in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband Glenn (with whom she works together full-time), their two young sons, Huxley and Alistair, and a menagerie of animals.

GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
STAGED READING
COMFORT SASQUATCH
By Richard Shirk
Directed by Jess Johnson
In this romp of a Christmas play, we meet Eric, a nearly seven-foot tall Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest. He’s a music therapist at Vermillion Hills retirement home and just two classes shy of an RN certification. With his relationship on the rocks, a fresh connection to a long-lost dad, and some growing up to do, the last few weeks leading up to the annual Karaoke Christmas Eve party are proving to be tumultuous.
Comfort Sasquatch is a story of fresh starts, new beginnings, and the way that relationships and people fail, stumble, and get up again.
July 8, 2023 at 7:30pm
This is a Las Vegas Style Comedy Hypnosis show!
Volunteers get relaxed up on stage… Then become the STARS of the show!
Hypnotic comedian Jon Dee brings his Rock n’ Roll Comedy Hypnosis Show to the HYPNOLARIOUS COMEDY THEATER at Four Points by Sheraton in Downtown Asheville.
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
Experience Asheville like an insider on this 2-hour walking tour, hosted by passionate Asheville historians. Your journey starts at The Restoration with a complimentary coffee and pastry from The Rise before exploring the city’s rich history, stunning architecture, unique culture, and hidden gems only accessible by foot.
For tickets, call 828.337.3196
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Do you know our staff has a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn about the types of wildlife in the area and their jobs. Some of our best educators have feathers, fur, shells or scales!

GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
|
LEARN MORE THIS YEAR |
|
Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.
Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected! |
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Do you know our staff has a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn about the types of wildlife in the area and their jobs. Some of our best educators have feathers, fur, shells or scales!

GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
|
LEARN MORE THIS YEAR |
|
Brush up on your wilderness medicine or learn new survival skills! SOLO Southeast & NOC are offering over 200 courses in 2023 and classes in locations across the southeast.
Find your next course with SOLO Southeast and be prepared for the unexpected! |
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
Do you know our staff has a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn about the types of wildlife in the area and their jobs. Some of our best educators have feathers, fur, shells or scales!

