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, August 12, 2023
4th Annual One Act Play Festival
Aug 12 – Aug 13 all-day
The Magnetic Theatre

The Magnetic Theatre’s One Act Play Festival returns for its fourth year of short plays, featuring a variety of different stories, playwrights, local directors, and incredible performers.

The process began with an open call for plays. A team of readers poured through hundreds of submissions to select a group of plays that varied in theme, subject matter, and style. The result? A two-weekend extravaganza featuring 24 playwrights, 17 directors, and 70+ actors, all working to bring a kaleidoscope of stories to Asheville! The Festival will run August 4-13, 2023: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 7:30pm, and Sundays at 4pm. There will be two shows, a Show A and a Show B, which will run from August 4-12, 2023, with the August 13th performance being a Best of the Fest show featuring audience voted favorites from both Show A and B! Be sure to come out and vote for your favorites.

Sunday, August 13, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 13 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic + Feature Comedy at Asheville Pizza
Aug 13 @ 6:30 pm
Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co

Another Great Comedy Show at Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co, Theater 2! Sunday August 13 6:30p, 18+, Get Dinner, Drinks & Laughs with the area’s best standup comics. Featured and Open Mic Comedy. Performing comics get FREE entry and pizza. Get Your Tickets Now, They Go Fast!!
Feature comics Moira Goree & Jason Webb! Special guest to be announced! Hosted by Morgan Marie with a #comedyopenmic [free entry/pizza for performers]
TICKETS:
https://www.ashevillebrewing.com/movies/
Facebook:
https://facebook.com/events/s/stand-up-comedy-at-asheville-p/592425949719588/

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 13 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Monday, August 14, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 14 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 14 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 15 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
Free Intro to Improv Class
Aug 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Misfit Improv and Acting School

### Calling all adventurous souls in Asheville! Discover the magic of improv at Misfit Improv & Acting School’s FREE Intro to Improv Class! Unleash your creativity, boost confidence, and ace communication, all while having a blast. No performance pressure, just pure fun! Grab your friends and join the experience. Space limited. RSVP to claim your spot!

AGENDA:

  • Introductions
  • How improv can help you?
  • Warmups
  • Activities and Improv Games
  • Wrap up
LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 15 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 16 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
Enka History Book Club
Aug 16 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Enka-Candler Library

The Enka History Book Club reads historical fiction and non-fiction.
We’ll be discussing, River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard.
Books are available for pick up at the library in large print and regular print.

The group meets in the community room and newcomers are always welcome.
In the case of inclement weather and winter storms, we will post canceled on this page, on our Facebook page, and on our Instagram page. Follow: @enkacandlerlibrary

Read to Puptart!
Aug 16 @ 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.

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 16 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge Comedy Open Mic
Aug 16 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Asheville Music Hall

Asheville’s longest running comedy open mic happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 8:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform can sign up starting at 7pm, and will get four minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

Thursday, August 17, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 17 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
Friends of the South Buncombe Library Book Club: Daybreak by Belva Plain
Aug 17 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
South Buncombe Library

Join us for a book discussion hosted by the Friends of the Skyland/South Buncombe Library!

This month we will be reading Daybreak by Belva Plain.  The book is available in both physical and digital editions through Buncombe County Public Libraries, and we will also have a few extra copies to borrow at the South Buncombe branch that you can stop by and sign out.

From the publisher:

The doctor’s office is cool, white, sterile. But the doctor’s words are searing: blood tests prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Margaret and Arthur Crawfield’s beloved, dying son is not their child. Now they must face Peter’s death and the shock of having a son they have never met. Grieving, yet compelled, they begin a search that will tear two families apart.

Laura and “Bud” Rice share an elegant home and two children, brilliant, handsome Tom, and cherished, chronically ill eleven-year-old Timmy. But after nineteen years of marriage, Laura’s respectable husband is a stranger—and the reason for Tom’s escalating involvement with a group of campus bigots. Suddenly the Crawfields enter their lives and shatter their fragile world. As the Rices’ quiet Southern town explodes with hate and violence, the two familes must embrace—or be destroyed by—the shattering truth.

Swannanoa Library Book Club
Aug 17 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Swannanoa Library
  Join us for a discussion of the NY Times bestselling book “Circe” by Madeline Miller.

Light refreshments will be served.

Flat Rock Book Club
Aug 17 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
The 2nd Act

Please join us at The 2nd Act in Hendersonville, NC for our first monthly book club meeting that strives to read books that create a closer knit and more inclusive community! We will meet virtually and in person monthly to discuss a book, so read the book and then join in the discussion in person or online every third Thursday. All are welcome! At the end of each meeting we will vote on the next book! The virtual club meeting will be in Zoom format and will meet 2.5 hours after the in-person meeting (8:00pm EST). After the meeting there is live acoustic music so stay and enjoy the vibe with your new friends! Put us down on your calendar for every third Third Thursday!

The first book is going to be called Disability Visibility.

Synopsis from the back cover: One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent—but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love. Preview:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51456746-disability-visibility
Message me for the Zoom link to the online meetup. Thanks!

Hendo Book Club Meetup
Aug 17 @ 5:30 pm
Guidon Brewing Company

ATTENTION! We will be meeting on August 17th at 5:30 AT A NEW VENUE! We are meeting at Guidon Brewing, 415 8th Ave. E. Hendersonville, NC 28792. It has free parking that is plentiful and it is quiet on Thursday in the early evening. https://guidonbrewing.com/

We’ll be discussing Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.

Thank you to all who attended July 20 meeting! It was great to meet so many newcomers. Thank you to Mike and Debbie who graciously offered to help me with some admin stuff. They will help add emails to the spreadsheet so that communication will become better via email.

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 17 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Friday, August 18, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 18 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
At the Café
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts

Four women navigating middle age are thrown off course with their own personal challenges.  Join them on their journey in this funny, poignant story about aging and friendship.  Fourteen original songs will have you tapping your feet, laughing out loud and even shedding a tear. (Mature themes, not suitable for children.)

A musical by local playwright Marcy Gallagher.

Music by local singer/songwriter Sarah Kohrs.

Comedy at Catawba: Lace Larrabee
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm
Catawba Brewing Company South Slope

Lace Larrabee is an actor, nationally touring stand-up comedian and former southern beauty queen who can be seen at clubs across the country

Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country. This weekend we have Lace Larrabee from Atlanta!!!

Lace Larrabee is an actor, nationally touring stand-up comedian and former southern beauty queen who can be seen at clubs from coast to coast. Lace was a season 17 semifinalist on America’s Got Talent and was brought back at the finale show to roast judge Simon Cowell alongside the Roastmaster General himself, Jeff Ross!

Lace’s debut comedy album,White Trash Cinderella, produced by 800 Pound Gorilla Records, was released in September 2022 at the number 1 spot on the comedy charts. The accompanying YouTube special garnered over 190k views in the first month and continues to climb.

Lace and fellow Atlanta comedian Katherine Blanford (The Tonight Show) co-host the hilariously healing podcast, CHEATIES! CHEATIES is a delicious, juicy, part of a well balanced diet. Every week, these two snarky co-hosts interview a guest who’s either been cheated on or been the cheater. This podcast focuses on the mistakes we all make in relationships and more importantly, how we overcome them and make it out on top.

Lace is also very passionate about helping to elevate the voices of other women. She founded Atlanta’s first and only all female stand-up comedy class Laugh Lab at the legendary Punchline Comedy Club. Laugh Lab now offers coed classes as well and was voted “2019 Best Comedy Class” by Atlanta Magazine.

 

ages 18+

doors at 6:30, show at 7pm

Tickets $18, premium seating $23

LAZOOM Tours: GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room


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.

Saturday, August 19, 2023
LAZOOM: CITY COMEDY TOUR
Aug 19 @ 10:00 am
LaZoom Room

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)
LAZOOM Tours: Kids’ Comedy Tour
Aug 19 @ 11:00 am
LaZoom Room


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’s (mostly) Monthly Puppetry Series
Aug 19 @ 11:00 am
The Magnetic Theatre

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.

“Write Your Values” – A Free Writing Workshop For Teens And Adults Hosted By Author Misha Lazzara
Aug 19 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Firestorm Books

Local author Misha Lazzara, known for her novel Manmade Constellations, is offering a free writing workshop for teens and adults titled “Write Your Values.” The workshop is scheduled for August 19th at 3pm at Firestorm Books in Asheville, NC.

In this practical workshop, participants will explore their personal values and learn how to incorporate them into their writing. From spiritual beliefs to environmental concerns, attendees will discover how to infuse their stories with deeper meaning. The workshop is designed for writers of all levels who seek to add depth and significance to their work. Attendees will gain practical insights into integrating their beliefs and passions into their writing, enhancing their storytelling abilities.

This workshop is offered as a part of Misha Lazzara’s current book tour surrounding the paperback launch of Manmade Constellations. This debut novel is a modern-day love story that explores childhood trauma, the boundaries between idealism and self-righteousness, and the heartaches we must confront in order to chart our courses forward. Published by Blackstone Publishing, the novel was originally released on August 9, 2022, and will be launched in paperback on August 10, 2023.

Celebrate the release of Donna Glee’s new book, “The Night Field”
Aug 19 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Barnes and Noble
 August 19th from 3:00-4:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble welcomes local science fiction and fantasy writer, Donna Glee Williams and local musician, Lynn Rosser, to celebrate the release of Donna Glee’s new book, “The Night Field.” Get your signed copy of the book while listening to music inspired by the novel. 
At the Café
Aug 19 @ 7:00 pm
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts

Four women navigating middle age are thrown off course with their own personal challenges.  Join them on their journey in this funny, poignant story about aging and friendship.  Fourteen original songs will have you tapping your feet, laughing out loud and even shedding a tear. (Mature themes, not suitable for children.)

A musical by local playwright Marcy Gallagher.

Music by local singer/songwriter Sarah Kohrs.