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.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Bryson City, NC
Arboretum visitors will witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” The very best wildlife pictures from the pages of National Geographic magazine have been chosen to be displayed in this exhibition. Curated by renowned nature picture editor, Kathy Moran, this exhibition is a celebratory look at wildlife with images taken by National Geographic’s most iconic photographers such as, Michael “Nick” Nichols, Steve Winter, Paul Nicklen, Beverly Joubert, David Doubilet and more. Showcasing the evolution of photography, the images convey how innovations such as camera traps, remote imaging, and underwater technology have granted photographers access to wildlife in their natural habitat.
For 115 years, National Geographic has pioneered and championed the art of wildlife photography, and captivated generations of engaged audiences with a steady stream of extraordinary images of animals in nature. From the very first such image to appear – a reindeer in 1903 – National Geographic Society’s publications have broken new ground and push the bar higher again and again, establishing an unmatched legacy of artistic, scientific, and technical achievement. These are the Greatest Wildlife Photographs. This is included with admission to NC Arboretum.
Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.
Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”
Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.
RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.
As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”
“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”
See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.
The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.
Ceramic artists throughout history have become masters of all four elements—creating clay from a mixture of earth and water to shape their work, drying it in air, and hardening it in fire. Throughout this process, the artist decides which aspects of the work will be tightly controlled, and when the elements can step in to leave nature’s mark. This exhibition traces the historical, stylistic, and conceptual origins of work that either embraces or refuses the element of chance in ceramics, looking at modern and contemporary work made in Western North Carolina.
This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.
After the devastating events in late September of last year, we thought it would be relevant to screen David Weintraub’s documentary “Come Hell or High Water: Remembering the Great Flood of 1916,” and examine the parallels between now and then.
Join us here at the Memorial for a brief discussion preceding the 50-minute documentary as we highlight the Wolfe family’s memories of the 1916 flood and how it featured in Look Homeward, Angel.
View the trailer for the documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKrhY_SUT_o
If you’d like to attend, please call the Memorial at 828-253-8304, or email Kayla Seay at [email protected] to reserve a spot. Our capacity for this event is 45.
**This is a free event, however we are accepting cash donations to help upgrade our A/V equipment, and we are also accepting food donations for our friends at 12 Baskets Café with the Asheville Poverty Initiative. If you are able to contribute, 12 Baskets would greatly benefit from the donation of condiments (mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, ketchup, ranch and other salad dressings), shelf stable coffee creamers, and boxed goods like pasta and rice. To learn more about 12 Baskets Café and their mission, visit https://www.ashevillepovertyinitiative.org/ **
Within this space, a dream will be induced taking you into a state of consciousness that can bring about immense healing in your conscious, subconscious, and unconscious mind. The cave will transform into a “Nidra Nest” with comfy reclining loungers, blankets, and bolsters to fully support you, whether sitting or lying down, for the entire experience. During this session Kate will also be offering Reiki to those who desire. Reiki feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. It is a powerful attunement that treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well being. Release stuck emotions, rest, and rejuvenate! Join Reiki Master Teacher and Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Kate Wargo of Woven Light LLC in a soothing Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) practice guiding you into the “in between”; that space between being awake and being asleep.
$56 per person
Be inspired by this ensemble’s unbelievably fine intonation and phrasing, carefully honed and polished to the smallest detail. These rising stars of the classical music world are well known across Europe and beyond for their impeccable interpretations of the great classical and modern string quartet masterpieces.
These rising stars of the classical music world are well known across Europe and beyond for their impeccable interpretations of the great classical and modern string quartet masterpieces.
PROGRAM
Franz Schubert: Erlkonig, arranged for string quartet by Jakob Enko
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No. 2, Hob. III:82
Edvard Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in F minor, Op. 27
Date and Time: On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 19:30 – 22:00
Venue details: UU Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801, United States
Prices:
General Admission: USD 48.00,
Students 25 and younger: USD 0.00
Artist: Goldmund Quartet
Flogging Molly with The Aggrolites Slaughterhouse in concert at The Orange Peel.
Friday, February 28
Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm
Wortham Presents The Acting Company presents The Comedy of Errors
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Christina Anderson
Directed by Devin Brain
Friday, February 28, 2025 at 8 p.m.
In the Mediterranean city of Ephesus, two sets of identical twins — both separated from their other halves at birth — unknowingly cross paths, and chaos, mishaps and misunderstandings abound. Experience the joy and hilarity of one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, a slapstick comedy about mistaken identities, through a new and contemporary lens: a 21st century translation that reinterprets antiquated slang, metaphor and double entendre with updated jokes and clever, modern wordplay.
Connect with the art and artists in pre-show discussions.
Calling all organizations! Join us for Camp Connect and help families gear up for an unforgettable summer. Whether your specialty is outdoor adventures, educational fun, arts and crafts, or action-packed sports, we want you to be part of this exciting event!
Join at 10 a.m. on Saturday March 1 for the Friends of the Black Mountain Library March Madness Book Sale. We’ll provide a bag that you can fill with adult books for $5. Children’s books are 4/$1, puzzles are $2, and antique books are priced as marked. The sale ends at 1 p.m. Members of the Friends of the Black Mountain Library can shop early at 9:30 a.m.
The 2025 McDowell County Republican Convention will take place on Saturday, March 1,
2025, at the historic Marion Train Depot (45 Depot Street, Marion, NC).
This event is your chance to actively engage in the political process here at home, across the
state, and even nationally. Gather with like-minded conservatives and join the movement to
make a tangible impact on elections. Mark your calendar and join us!
Ages 5+
Suitable for Beginners to Advanced Birders
This outing takes place at Lake Julian Park from 8:30-11:30 am. Get to know the birds of Lake Julian, one of Buncombe County’s birding hotspots! We will start with a walk along the shore of Lake Julian and ends with birding on the lake from Lake Julian’s pontoon boat. Free, Registration Required. Binoculars are available upon request but supplies are limited. Dress for the weather!
Registration opens 30 days prior to activity.
For more information email [email protected] or call 828-250-4260.
Join us in a volunteer shift with Appalachian Community Relief. We will assist people in shopping for goods in their free store that opened in response to Hurricane Helene. This volunteer event is family friendly, so feel free to bring spouses, children, etc.
Pieces made from nylon fabric ripstop, which keeps tears from spreading, invite viewers into created, fantastical worlds, only to highlight the complex—even impossible—architectures of their construction. Before the pandemic, Adrian primarily focused on personal experiences and interrogations of queerness, identity, and sexuality. Since then, the work has zoomed out in its scope, still centering identity but placed in larger infrastructure and surveillance systems that mediate, manipulate, and control desire.
Adrian counts queer fiber art, BDSM and kink culture, theatre, camp horror, puppetry, and drag among his many influences. Works in RIPSTOP, like the modernist bounce house sculpture A Fallible Complex (2021), evoke spaces for play, beckoning visitors in through their alluring aesthetic and then blocking their entrance or revealing structural instabilities, like missing floors. Others, like The Sensational Inflatable Furry Divines (2017-19), use sensual materials, like faux fur, spandex, and pleather, which connect to theatrical performance and counterculture. The materials “play on people’s initial associations and serve as a gateway into greater conversations about identity construction, performance, desire, and technology,” he shares.Pieces also nod to the history of quilting, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt, another influence on Adrian’s work. “Even when pieces aren’t explicitly making quilt references, I want the history of quilting and sewing-based craft to be part of the conversation of the work,” he says. “Craft is so much about the processes and histories behind materials. It’s about connecting with communities of people who practice those techniques. It’s about material and technique being a doorway into a greater relationship with an object.”
Themes of transformation—of structures, identities, and bodies—run throughout the show. “What I love about drag and puppetry is the sense of transformation and play, specifically with bodies,” Adrian says. “Within these art forms, a body can become mutable and capable of performing and becoming in unexpected states.” The sculptures also transform throughout viewers’ experiences, going through stages of inflation and deflation and existing in many different states.
RIPSTOP’s constant interplay between surface and depth, assumption and reality, are all a part of what Adrian describes as “looking behind the curtain,” which they trace back to the theatre. “When I’m thinking about systems, and the systems desire fits into, I’m thinking of stage construction, the backstage, the things that go on behind the show, and performance of our desires,” they explain.
As a craft artist, Adrian’s philosophy “comes down to having an intentional relationship with material, process, and technique,” he says. “Those aspects of art making are just as – if not more – important than an intellectualized concept being illustrated by an artwork.”
“Broadened definitions of craft that highlight communities of practice are foundational for the Center for Craft’s new strategic direction,” explains Executive Director Stephanie Moore. “Max Adrian’s work in RIPSTOP exemplifies the expansive and meaningful forms craft can take.” The Center for Craft is an institution Adrian credits for their professional growth. “The Center for Craft has felt like such a supporting institution for me specifically and for so many other craft artists I know,” they note. “To be able to bring this amount of work to Asheville is pretty cool.”
See Max Adrian: RIPSTOP at the Center for Craft Beginning July 26. A reception will be held on August 15. RIPSTOP is organized by Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and curated by Sarah Darro.
The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.
This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.
Please join the Blue Ridge Orchestra for two afternoons of orchestral favorites at 3:00 pm: on Saturday, March 1st, and Sunday, March 2nd in Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville. We open March Melodrama with Gluck’s dramatic Overture to Iphigenie in Aulis. The BRO then highlights pianist Ivan Seng in Mozart’s Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488. The second half of the program shifts to Dvorak’s Symphony no.8 in G major, which takes its inspiration from the nature and folk music of his homeland Bohemia, presently the Czech Republic.
Saturday, March 1st, 2025, 3:00 pm
Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, 3:00 pm
UNC Asheville
Lipinsky Auditorium
300 Library Lane
Asheville, NC. 28804
Tickets:
General Admission: $20
Friends of the Orchestra: $15
Students: $5
Children 6 and under: Free
Peace Concert Hall
Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 pm
PROGRAM
Mary Lou Williams: Zodiac Suite for orchestra
Mason Bates: Liquid Interface
Duke Ellington: Suite from “The River”
Experience the timeless charm and jazzy elegance of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite for orchestra, beginning your concert experience with its captivating melodies and intricate rhythms. Then, immerse yourself in a sonic journey unlike any other as we begin the concert with Mason Bates’ mesmerizing Liquid Interface, an evocative exploration of the intersection between nature and technology. Dive into the vibrant world of jazz with Duke Ellington’s Suite from The River, where the music ebbs, gurgles, and flows like our own Reedy River.
The Acting Company presents August Wilson’s Two Trains Running
Written by August Wilson
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 8 p.m.
This powerful Pulitzer Prize finalist, a masterpiece from acclaimed playwright August Wilson, paints a profound portrait of history through everyday life amid the civil rights movement. While the owner of a Pittsburgh diner fights with the city over the fate of his building, his long-time regulars grapple with love, money and a changing world. See the sixth installment of Wilson’s trailblazing “American Century Cycle,” which chronicles the 20th century African American experience one decade and play at a time. Contains adult content.
Connect with the art and artists in pre-show discussions.
8 silk brocades qi gong workshop is open to all levels. Each movement in this set of 8 represents our ancestry, epigenetics, and destiny. Learn all 8 exercises or drop in for just a few. Stance training, posture and meditative movements for your health. It’s a super sophisticated qi gong form but simple to learn. I would love to invite anyone who’s new to internal martial arts or is simply searching for more comfortable safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ plus. The class will be offered in person at Shaolin kung fu in West Asheville starting on Feb 16 on Sundays at 10am for six weeks. Suggested donation for each class but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
EcoGardening: Principles in Practice (3 Sessions)
with Nina Shippen
ON-SITE | Sundays, February 16, 23, + March 2 | 10 am – 1 pm
Ecological gardening is a way of thinking in which gardens are no longer seen as a collection of plants, but as an interdependent community of plants, soils, environment and animals. The class introduces ecology-based methods employed in the design process of site assessment, design, installation, and maintenance. A variety of garden conditions are covered in this comprehensive overview. Gardeners of all levels of interest and ability will find this class valuable for learning ecologically-sustainable practices that can be adapted and applied in a variety of landscapes.
The Asheville Art Museum is proud to present Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene, a poignant and inspiring exhibition on view February 13–May 5, 2025, in the Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall. This non-juried exhibition
showcases the works of artists from the Helene-affected Appalachia region, celebrating their
resilience, creativity, and strength while highlighting the power of art to inspire and bring communities
together.
This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Some images show the sophisticated architecture of the region, including views of downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Estate, and Grove Park Inn. Other images show views of the scenic mountains and landscapes that first drew tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to the region.
Please join the Blue Ridge Orchestra for two afternoons of orchestral favorites at 3:00 pm: on Saturday, March 1st, and Sunday, March 2nd in Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville. We open March Melodrama with Gluck’s dramatic Overture to Iphigenie in Aulis. The BRO then highlights pianist Ivan Seng in Mozart’s Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488. The second half of the program shifts to Dvorak’s Symphony no.8 in G major, which takes its inspiration from the nature and folk music of his homeland Bohemia, presently the Czech Republic.
Saturday, March 1st, 2025, 3:00 pm
Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, 3:00 pm
UNC Asheville
Lipinsky Auditorium
300 Library Lane
Asheville, NC. 28804
Tickets:
General Admission: $20
Friends of the Orchestra: $15
Students: $5
Children 6 and under: Free
The Storm String Quartet, featuring some of WNC’s most accomplished string musicians, is a testament to perseverance and dedication. With personal ties to Hurricane Helene’s impact, their performance reflects resilience through a powerful program.
Peace Concert Hall
Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 pm
PROGRAM
Mary Lou Williams: Zodiac Suite for orchestra
Mason Bates: Liquid Interface
Duke Ellington: Suite from “The River”
Experience the timeless charm and jazzy elegance of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite for orchestra, beginning your concert experience with its captivating melodies and intricate rhythms. Then, immerse yourself in a sonic journey unlike any other as we begin the concert with Mason Bates’ mesmerizing Liquid Interface, an evocative exploration of the intersection between nature and technology. Dive into the vibrant world of jazz with Duke Ellington’s Suite from The River, where the music ebbs, gurgles, and flows like our own Reedy River.