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.
Celebrate Spring and The Fairies at Horse Shoe Gap Village with Free Face Painting by The Sea Mither,
Fairy Hair, Scavenger Hunt, Games, music and more!
Join us April 12-13, 2024, for two days of family-friendly fun! We’ll have storytelling, workshops, a quilt display, and more. If you can’t attend the festival in person but don’t want to miss the fun, you can sign up for an “online viewing” ticket. Festival tickets are free for students and teachers, individuals with disabilities, and those with low income and are low-cost for all others. Discounts are available.
On Saturday, April 13, Warren Wilson College will host Fiddles and Folklife, an annual Appalachian festival and old-time music and dance competition, with cash prizes for old-time fiddle, banjo, folksong, flatfooting, and string band. There will be a separate contest for youth in fiddle and banjo. Other activities include old-time music jams, food and craft vendors, folklife demonstrators, and a cake raffle. This event is free and open to the public.
Fiddles and Folklore takes place from 12 noon – 5 p.m., on the Warren Wilson College campus, in the historic Bryson Gym, 102 Upper College Road. Registration for contestants opens at 11:30 a.m. There is no entry fee for the contests. For more info, visit Warren Wilson College Music on Facebook, and click on the “Events” tab.
Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar is hosting the 2nd Annual Back Alley Hempfest on Sunday 04/21/2024 from 2-7pm. Join us for this free event at 28 Oak St. and at the Depot Plaza right across Trade St. There will be live music, local vendors, live glass-blowing, fire-spinning, stilt-walking, and more! About 30 Local Vendors will be offering a wide variety of arts, crafts, gifts, & goodies! There will be a scavenger hunt to enter for door prizes scattered among the vendors with hourly prizes! There will also be a rolling competition & 420 special smoke session in the back Bud Bar & Lounge area of Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar. Come check out all the festivities!
Music Schedule:
28 Oak St.
King Chewie 2-3:30pm
Nina Gi 3:45-5:15pm
Acklen Walker 5:30-7pm
Depot Plaza
Moonshine State 2-4pm
The Ribald Riffers 4:20-7pm
Thank You to our growing list of Sponsors!:
Tettra Hydra Glass, Astria Farm, Kaleidoscope Studios Art, Hypnotic Massage Sleep Boutique, Yetees Design Screenprinting, Carrie Bass Photography, eARThly Minds Gallery, Social Shay Photography, The Moth Queen, and Back Alley Boutique & Bud Bar.
The Trail Running Film Festival presented by Tera Pruett of Unstoppable Strength, Endurance & Adventure Coaching is back for 2024, and is making its way to Asheville, the southeast’s hub for trail running, hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, and outdoor adventure.
This event promises an inspiring night filled with films, community, and a celebration of the trail and ultra community. Independent filmmakers from around the world will showcase their work by bringing stories of adventure, inclusivity, wilderness, art, and diversity to the forefront.
The festival aims to capture the spirit of the trail running community, showcasing narratives from various perspectives. From those at the back of the pack to the party pacers, from individuals defying odds to those overcoming obstacles, and from record-breakers to those aiming for the fastest known time — the festival covers a spectrum of stories that resonate with the EVERYDAY ATHLETE.
Attendees can expect a diverse range of films that highlight the unique and inspiring journeys of individuals from all walks of life. Whether you’re a seasoned trail runner or someone just beginning their outdoor adventure, this festival provides a platform for everyone to connect, be inspired, and celebrate the incredible stories within the trail running community.
So, get ready for an unforgettable evening of adventure, inspiration, and a sense of community at The Trail Running Film Festival in Asheville. Lace up your trail shoes, bring your enthusiasm, and immerse yourself in the world of trail running and outdoor exploration.
Fiesta Hendersonville is a unique opportunity to experience the best of Latin American countries in downtown Hendersonville, Enjoy live music and dance, Feast on Latin American delicacies, such as pupusas from El Salvador, empanadas from Argentina, and chicharrones, esquites, and elotes from Mexico, and Browse both local art and the Latin marketplace of vendors, Free, Organized by Hola Carolina, Hendersonville Visitor Center Stage and South Main Street, Hendersonville, HolaCarolina.org
Rounding out the 2023/2024 Stage and Screen Main Stage Season is the most exciting single night of the academic year, the Controlled Chaos Film Festival, a celebration of numerous narrative and documentary films created by the students in the Film and Television Production program. For more information on the festival explore: controlledchaos.wcu.edu
Please Note:
- NO photography, videography, or recording of any kind.
- This event includes language which may not be suitable for all audiences.
- The content of each film in the Controlled Chaos Film Festival will vary.
LEAF Retreat is the perfect opportunity to dive deeply into our World Changers theme. The intimate gathering of 1,500 festivalgoers offers time and space to connect with artists not just through their performances onstage, but also through workshops and masterclasses. It’s a time for exploration, discovery, and coming together as a community to share ideas and inspiration.
DATES: May 9-12, 2024
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TICKETS: $50-$250 for adults. Weekend Passes must be purchased by LEAF Members; Youth tickets are available; Kids younger than 10 are free! WeX Volunteering Options are available. Weekend passes include access to camping at Lake Eden. Passes for car camping, RVs, and private rustic camp cabins are limited and available through the website. Early Bird Tickets End February 1st!
The 19th Annual Saluda Arts Festival will be held Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in historic downtown Saluda. The festival has issued a Call for Artists – application fee for the non-juried event is $110 and applications are due by March 1. Apply at https://form.jotform.com/233453926770159 or visit saluda.com.
It’s our 15th Year! Join us at our opening party & show, so come enjoy cocktails and live music with Drayton & the Dreamboats, along with juggling, bellydance and sideshow. Tickets $15 at the door!
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024
9AM-12PM TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY FARMERS MARKET
10AM-3PM WSW AUTO SHOW FEATURING THE TRANSYLVANIA CRUISERS
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-10PM FOOD COURT
11AM-1PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
12PM -10PM BEER GARDEN and WRISTBAND
2PM-4PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
2:30PM-3:30PM THE WILDER FLOWER
4PM -5PM PINK BEDS
5:30PM-6:30PM TRAY WELLINGTON
7PM-8PM J & THE CAUSEWAYS
8:30PM-10PM THE HIP ABDUCTION
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2024
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-9PM FOOD COURT
12PM-3PM BALLOON ARTISTS
1PM-9PM BEER GARDEN
2:30PM CAROLINA DANCE COLLECTIVE
3:30PM-4:30PM THE BREVARD ALL-STAR PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
5PM-6PM GRITTY FLYRIGHT
6:30PM-7:30PM BIG DADDY BLUEGRASS
8PM-9:30PM. SENSATIONAL BARNES BROS.
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024
9AM-12PM TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY FARMERS MARKET
10AM-3PM WSW AUTO SHOW FEATURING THE TRANSYLVANIA CRUISERS
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-10PM FOOD COURT
11AM-1PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
12PM -10PM BEER GARDEN and WRISTBAND
2PM-4PM HOOPJAM HULA HOOP DANCE
2:30PM-3:30PM THE WILDER FLOWER
4PM -5PM PINK BEDS
5:30PM-6:30PM TRAY WELLINGTON
7PM-8PM J & THE CAUSEWAYS
8:30PM-10PM THE HIP ABDUCTION
SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2024
10AM-5PM VENDOR STREET FESTIVAL
10AM-5PM EARTH MOUNTAIN BIKE VALET
10AM-9PM FOOD COURT
12PM-3PM BALLOON ARTISTS
1PM-9PM BEER GARDEN
2:30PM CAROLINA DANCE COLLECTIVE
3:30PM-4:30PM THE BREVARD ALL-STAR PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
5PM-6PM GRITTY FLYRIGHT
6:30PM-7:30PM BIG DADDY BLUEGRASS
8PM-9:30PM. SENSATIONAL BARNES BROS.
Are YOU READY for NERD PRIDE FEST 2024!!
Saturday, June 1st 2024 : 10am – 4pm
Asheville’s local artist convention every first Saturday in June in honor of Pride month! This is a fun, free way to celebrate pride month by supporting local artists and nonprofits who do incredible things for the queer LGBT+ community in western North Carolina.
Nerd Pride Fest was our first ever event in our current location. So it had to be to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reopening with food, games, live music, and more.
As a shop owned and operated by queer-identifying folks, The Nerd Dungeon is committed to being a safe and welcoming environment for people of all ages to express themselves any time of year, not just during Pride Month. We will always be a 3rd Place.
It is nice to have an excuse to go all-out and party, though! Pride Cosplay encouraged!
We’re excited to bring a SpringFest to Asheville in 2024 and hope you’ll support our FREE festival by donating to our fundraiser.
We’re bringing a very FUN Family Fun Zone, shopping, DJ and Emcee, and lots of incredible vegan food, and more to Pack Square Park for our Spring Edition!!
You don’t want to miss this fun event. Mark your calendars and get your tickets, swag bags, VIP, VIP PLUS, and/or merch ahead of the festival.
$5 Suggested donation ahead of the event or at the festival is requested.
$15 Swag Bag option will be available! Compostable bag filled with $50+ worth of samples and coupons.
$25 – VIP tickets – enter the event 30 minutes early. Get a cool upgraded goody bag that is reusable with items different from the swag bags. Limited to 100. Get entered into our raffle and get 25 entries for each VIP Entry you purchase. $100+ worth of samples and coupons.
$35 – VIP PLUS – Not interested in a bag filled with items you don’t want or need? Our VIP PLUS will be a cool reusable bag (different from the VIP bag) and also comes with a vegan shirt design different from any you can purchase at our booth. Enter the event 30 minutes early to shop before the crowds. Make sure to let us know your shirt size!
Winners will be picked randomly after the festival and winners will be notified via email. Prize Packs TBD.
Vendors can send an inquiry by going to vegfestexpos.com. Volunteers can sign up on that site as well.
*Food Trucks
*DJ and Emcee
*Family Fun Zone
*Free Face Painting
*Vegan Food
*Shopping
*Fun Contests with prizes
Come out and support our vendors and plan on enjoying the music too. Our Family Fun Zone is perfect for children of all ages and includes life sized games, coloring, and more!
On Sunday, June 2, 2024 from 1pm-4pm, The Adventure Center of Asheville will host its inaugural AVL Family Adventure Festival at 85 Expo Drive. Formerly Zipping For Autism, this family event will have live music, food, cold beer, scads of kids activities, bike, kayak and climbing demos, face painting, crafts, hay rides, games and MUCH MUCH MORE. Come and enjoy the festival or buy a combo pass and add a trip through Asheville Treetops Adventure Park on the sampler trail (9 challenge obstacles, 12’ in the trees, 1 continuous aerial trail). This event is being hosted by The Adventure Center of Asheville and produced by Asheville Plays! with 100% of proceeds benefiting Camp Lakey Gap. The proceeds directly impact the lives of autistic people and their families by providing scholarships for a one-of-a-kind, week-long residential summer camp experience for autistic children and adults.
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Join us for a FREE film screening of the Sundance Award-winning documentary, Step, and a Q&A with cast member, HBCU advocate & national speaker Paula Dofat and hosted by Slay The Mic’s Elizabeth Lashay Garland. Even though this event is free, registration is required. Head to our tickets link to save your seats! STEP is the true-life story of a girls’ high-school step team set against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college
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Entertainment will include: Jennifer Armstrong, Mountain Square Dance Circle with Walt Pickett, dulicimer players Steve and Jean Smith, local Folk musician Laura Boosinger, and headlining Blues Legend Mac Arnold!
Amphitheatre
10a.m: Jennifer Armstrong kicks off festivities with storytelling for kids of all ages, to honor Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, which were tales written for his daughters. Jennifer has spent her life writing, singing, and making music with fiddle, bagpipe, banjo, and words. She was a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival and has been heard on NPR.
12p.m: Laura Boosinger celebrates the music of Appalachia through old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, and fingerstyle Autoharp. Laura attended Warren Wilson College in the 1970’s, where she learned clawhammer banjo, called Southern Mountain Square dances, and attended Shaped Note Singing School with North Carolina Folk Heritage Award winner Quay Smathers. Laura is a Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina consultant and the voice of their podcast, “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails.” In 2017, Laura was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.
2p.m: Mac Arnold plays the Blues with Austin Brashier and Max Hightower. At age 24, Arnold joined the Muddy Waters Band, shaping the electric Blues sound of the 1960’s and 70’s. Mac has shared stages with Howlin’ Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and Big Mama Thornton. In 2012, Mac was nominated for the Blues Foundation’s Traditional Blues Male Artist Award and also received a Blues Blast Music Award Nomination for “Traditional Blues Recording of the Year,” with Plate Full O’Blues. In 2014, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from USC Columbia. In 2017, Mac was inducted into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame. In 2023, he received the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame Award.
Austin Brashier is a guitar slinger and vocalist. He grew up listening to Blues, and eventually took his band on the road. He has had the privilege to open for Blues players such as B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Tinsley Ellis, Derek Trucks, and Nappy Brown.
Max Hightower started his music career at age 12 when he bought his first Blues cassette tape, “Muddy Mississippi Live by Muddy Waters.” He plays keyboard, guitar, bass, and sings. Harmonica is his instrument of choice. Max is a founding member of Plate Full O’Blues and has shared stages with Hubert Sumlin, Willie Smith, and Leon Everette.
Barn Garage
10:45am to 12pm: Walter Puckett calls Mountain Circle Square Dances. A festival first, to celebrate the Sandburgs’ love of square dancing! Come dance! When he was just nine years old, Walter called his first dance at a PTA event with his third-grade class. Walt has traveled with the Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers and the Stoney Mountain Cloggers, winning many awards. Walt also had the ultimate privilege to dance at the Grand Ole Opry. 2024 marks his 80th birthday!
Barnyard
12pm to 2pm: Henderson County natives Steve and Jean Smith play mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer. They perform regularly at Carl Sandburg Home. They have taught dulcimer at festivals and workshops nationwide. In 1984, Steve won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championships at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He returned to win the 1985 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships at Winfield, only the second person to win both Championships.
Parking, Shuttles, and Accessibility
Parking is limited. Please carpool or take a ride share or taxi. Three parking lots will have shuttle service. Approximate shuttle times will be posted in all parking lots with shuttle service. Visitors with mobility concerns are strongly urged to take a shuttle.
- Wheelchair-Accessible Shuttle: The park’s main parking lot has the only wheelchair-accessible shuttle. This lot is located on Little River Road, across from Flat Rock Playhouse.
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Playhouse (enter via Little River Road).
- Passenger-Only Shuttle: Flat Rock Village Hall, 110 Village Center Drive.
Parking lot without a shuttle: The hikers’ lot (located ½ mile drive from the main lot). Park and then walk .4 to .7 mile through the park to festivities.
Free Sandburg Home Tours
As part of Music Fest, free Sandburg Home tours will be offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are first come, first serve in the Visitor Center/Park Store (on the Sandburg Home ground floor) beginning at 9:30 a.m. (To reserve tickets on non-festival days visit www.recreation.gov).
Music Festival is supported by:
Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, Inc.
America’s National Parks, the non-profit partner that operates the park store
The music festival began in 1987, to celebrate Carl Sandburg’s efforts to document the history of American music in his American Songbag. Carl Sandburg published the American Songbag in 1927 after spending years documenting and researching early American songs. As Sandburg said, “The American Songbag is a ragbag of strips, stripes, and streaks of color from nearly all ends of the earth. The melodies and verses presented here are from diverse regions, from varied human characters and communities, and each is sung differently in different places.” His publication does not focus on one genre of music, but rather on the human experience. “It is an All-American affair, marshalling the genius of thousands of original singing Americans.”
Sandburg enjoyed all American musical genres. He spent years interviewing musicians and singers, documenting their songs, including folk, gospel, jazz and blues. Carl Sandburg said, “the American Songbag comes from the hearts and voices of thousands of men and women.”
Compiling and publishing the American Songbag was one of the most difficult writing projects Sandburg took on during his life. Today, the Carl Sandburg Music Festival celebrates his work and the work of modern singers and songwriters to share diverse and original American music.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8 – THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Recycled Art Workshop
Lonnie Holley
DeWayne Barton
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Empower Hour
Edivan Guajajara
Chelsea Greene
Rob Grobman
Jared Wheatley
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch Break
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Rebalanced: Solutions Journalism for Turbulent Times
Rebecca Worby
Julia Hotz
Ezekiel Walker
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Meet & Greet + Book Signing with Julia Hotz
Julia Hotz
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Music & Words: An Evening With Lonnie Holley
Lonnie Holley
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Dinner Break
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
WE ARE GUARDIANS: Award-Winning Film Screening & Filmmaker Q+A
Edivan Guajajara
Chelsea Greene
Rob Grobman
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Join us for our June open studio & pop up shop
Sunday, June 9th
11am – 4pm
115 Elk Mountain Rd, Woodfin, NC
Shop home goods, wooden kitchenware, art, jewelry, accessories + vintage clothing with:
@loomimports @kerrwoodworking @gennypopshop @townesandbirdie @maadilicollective @prideandarchive
Additional parking across street at Woodfin Elementary
Connect Beyond Festival returns to downtown Asheville, N.C. on June 7-9, 2024 for a weekend of performances, panels, film screenings and workshops with award-winning artists and thought leaders, exploring how the intersection of music, art, film and storytelling can inspire positive change. This year’s festival, dubbed by Ashvegas as “Asheville’s version of SXSW,” is themed around Connection To Deepen Resilience and Keep Moving Forward. Connect Beyond will be partnering with Slay The Mic Media to co-curate programs centered around youth empowerment. Tickets for the Connect Beyond Festival are slated to go on sale by May 13th. To optimize community accessibility, options include individual event tickets or a full weekend pass.
June 6-9
La Vie en Rose Art & Music Festival, 6-9pm, (At 1pm or 3pm on June 8th) (4-8pm on June 9) Experience the Elegance and join for
this exclusive ticketed preview.
Be the first to witness this remarkable exhibition. The evening also includes a special performance by
the popular Jason DeCristofaro and his jazz ensemble.
Enjoy a sampling of Marked Tree’s charcuterie and a complimentary glass of
their award-winning wine.
This is your chance to revel in the beauty of La Vie en Rose’ – reserve your tickets now for an
unforgettable evening of fine art and exquisite entertainment.
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