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.

Sunday, December 18, 2022
Art in the Heart
Dec 18 all-day
Downtown Asheville

We invite you to come downtown and experience one or more temporary installations from the Art in the Heart program. Share your thoughts on the artwork by clicking on the second tab below. Art in the Heart is a temporary art program specifically designed to help stimulate conversations about themes like identity, community, inclusion, healing, unity, and resilience. It’s also a way to start conversations about how public spaces can, or don’t, help reflect or express a community’s past, present, and future.

You can find more background and information about the Pack Square Visioning Project here.

Biltmore Park Town Square: Instagram Photo Contest
Dec 18 all-day
Biltmore Park Town Square
We want everyone to Experience More Joy this season so while you’re out shopping this weekend, find the giant, pre-lit ornament located in the median of Town Square Blvd. Not only is it a festive and fun photo backdrop but just by following a few simple prompts and entering our photo contest, you could win a $100 gift card to one Biltmore Park Town Square business of your choice. So, gather your friends, family, beloved pet, or just yourself and get creative!
How to enter the Instagram Photo Contest:
1. Take a photo at the ornament
2. Follow @biltmoreparktownsq on Instagram by December 18th
3. Post your photo on Instagram
4. Tag your photo using the hashtag #MoreJoyBPTS
*Contest ends December 18th and the winner will be randomly selected and notified on December 21st.
Nantahala Outdoor Center 2023 Adventure travel trips
Dec 18 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Adventure is what we do.

Nantahala Outdoor Center has a long history of venturing where many haven’t, pioneering new adventures, and bringing opportunities to experience the outdoors to millions of guests over five decades. Our International Adventure Tours offer unique destinations, exciting adventures and activities, experienced guides, and world-class hospitality. These all-inclusive, small group excursions will redefine how you travel. Experience some of the most breathtaking places in the world without feeling like a tourist.

If your idea of fun is a rafting trip on the Chilko, a quiet lake paddle in Argentina, surf lessons in Ecuador, or trekking in Iceland, our trips have something for every adventure and skill level. Enjoy kayaking, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, yoga, surfing, ziplining, wine tastings, or cultural experiences, along with the flexibility to customize your own adventure. Settle in after your travels in some of the most unique accommodations in the world; from cozy lodges and five star resorts, with local cuisine and tastings, every detail is meticulously planned so you can soak up every moment.

We hope these guided, off-the-beaten-path expeditions will foster the same spirit of adventure we encourage in our Southeastern locations, while giving you the opportunity to explore beyond your own backyard.

 

We have officially announced our new 2023 Adventure travel trips for you to explore new destinations, try new adventures, and experience new cultures! Our trips are small groups, offer world-class hospitality, unique lodging and the most diverse activity options for you to try! We’re giving “revenge travel” new meaning.

The Best of the Beach and the Rainforest
Dec 18 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

With the beautiful ocean view from your cabana, it’s hard not to stay in, relaxing in the luxurious accommodations in Belize. But there is adventure to be had! This trip offers the best of both world’s combining tropical ocean activities with jungle adventure, while you and your companions enjoy flexibility in your choice of daily guided activities and adventure levels.

Beach Activities

  • Swimming
  • Sea Kayaking
  • Snorkeling
  • Sunrise Yoga
  • Fly Fishing

Rainforest Activities

  • Mayan Ruin Tours
  • Nocturnal Jungle Walks
  • Hiking Antelope Falls
  • Ziplining
  • Rappelling
  • River Tubing

Bucket List Traveler

Voted in the top 5 best winter vacation locations by U.S. News Travel, the Galapagos offer so much adventure in the archipelago!

 

An eco-enthusiasts bucket list trip!  Set sail to lesser-explored islands and spot giant tortoises, sea lions, Galápagos penguins, and marine iguanas! Snorkel, surf, hike, and experience the islands and their unique ecosystem.

Remote Tropical

Uncrowded point breaks, warm water, predictable waves, friendly locals, great food and drink…this is a real surfer’s paradise! Join us on a surf safari in the Ecuadorian town of Mompiche.

Great waves and a multitude of other activities from surf lessons, SUP, horseback riding, massages and more, enjoy it all from your ocean front home away from home!

Sandy Sunsets

In Baja, some can simply sip drinks, eat local fish tacos and watch the sun disappear into the Pacific, while adventure seekers can choose the rush of surfing a perfect wave, hiking the coastline or sea kayaking with turtles, sea lions and breaching whales. Walk through sherbet colored canyons or soak up the night’s canopy of scattered stars. On  our multisport adventure to Baja, you can do it all!

Monday, December 19, 2022
Art in the Heart
Dec 19 all-day
Downtown Asheville

We invite you to come downtown and experience one or more temporary installations from the Art in the Heart program. Share your thoughts on the artwork by clicking on the second tab below. Art in the Heart is a temporary art program specifically designed to help stimulate conversations about themes like identity, community, inclusion, healing, unity, and resilience. It’s also a way to start conversations about how public spaces can, or don’t, help reflect or express a community’s past, present, and future.

You can find more background and information about the Pack Square Visioning Project here.

Quilting | Live Demo
Dec 19 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Connie Brown will be demonstrating quilting techniques in the lobby of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process! Call ahead for the latest updates: 828-298-7928.

Treasures | Focus Gallery Exhibition
Dec 19 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Featured Artists:
Allen Davis (wood)
Vicki Love (leather)
Lynne Harrill (fiber)
Ruthie Cohen & David Alberts (jewelry)
Gigi Renee’ Fasano (fiber)

Winter Wonderland at The Grove Arcade
Dec 19 @ 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
The Grove Arcade

see the beautiful holiday decorations and lights. Plus find lots of great gifts at the many local shops and businesses
Natural Collector | Gifts of Fleur S. Bresler
Dec 19 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Natural Collector is organized by the Asheville Art Museum. IMAGE: Christian Burchard, Untitled (nesting bowls), 1998, madrone burl, various from 6 × 6 × 6 to ⅜ × ⅜ × ⅜ inches. Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2021.76.01.
Natural Collector Gifts of Fleur S. Bresler features around 15 artworks from the collection of Fleur S. Bresler, which include important examples of modern and contemporary American craft including wood and fiber art, as well as glass and ceramics. These works that were generously donated by contemporary craft collector Bresler to the Asheville Art Museum over the years reflect her strong interest in wood-based art and themes of nature.

According to Associate Curator Whitney Richardson, “This exhibition highlights artworks that consider the natural element from which they were created or replicate known flora and fauna in unexpected materials. The selection of objects displayed illustrates how Bresler’s eye for collecting craft not only draws attention to nature and artists’ interest in it, but also accentuates her role as a natural collector with an intuitive ability to identify themes and ideas that speak to one another.”

This exhibition presents work from the Collection representing the first generation of American wood turners like Rude Osolnik and Ed Moulthrop, as well as those that came after and learned from them, such as Philip Moulthrop, John Jordan, and local Western North Carolina (WNC) artist Stoney Lamar. Other WNC-based artists in Natural Collector include Anne Lemanski, whose paper sculpture of a snake captures the viewer’s imagination, and Michael Sherrill’s multimedia work that tricks the eye with its similarity to true-to-life berries. Also represented are beadwork and sculpture by Joyce J. Scott and Jack and Linda Fifield.

Rebel/Re-Belle: Exploring Gender, Agency, and Identity | Selections from the Asheville Art Museum and Rubell Museum
Dec 19 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
Wednesday through Monday from 11am to 6pm
Corn Wagon Thunder, Laundromat from the Wonder series, 2017. Archival print on Epson Ultra Premium Presentation matte paper, 10 × 15 inches, Asheville Art Museum. © Corn Wagon Thunder.

Rebel/Re-Belle: Exploring Gender, Agency, and Identity Selections from the Asheville Art Museum and Rubell Museum combines works, primarily created by women, from two significant collections of contemporary art to explore how artists have innovated, influenced, interrogated, and inspired visual culture in the past 100 years.

Sherrill Roland: Sugar, Water, Lemon Squeeze
Dec 19 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Asheville-born and Raleigh-Durham-based interdisciplinary artist Sherrill Roland’s socially driven practice draws upon his experience with wrongful incarceration for a crime he did not commit and seeks to open conversations about how we care for our communities and one another with compassion and understanding. Through sculpture, installation, and conceptual art, Roland engages visitors in dialogues around community, social contract, identity, biases, and other deeply human experiences. Comprised of artwork created from 2016 to the present, Sherrill Roland: Sugar, Water, Lemon Squeeze reflects on making something from nothing, lemonade from lemons, the best of a situation. A reference to a simple recipe from the artist’s childhood, the title also speaks to Roland’s employment of materials available to him while incarcerated, such as Kool-Aid and mail from family members. In the face of his personal experiences, he invites viewers to confront their own uncomfortable complicity in perpetuating injustice. Roland’s work humanizes these difficult topics and creates a space for communication and envisioning a better future. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator, in collaboration with the Artist. This exhibition is funded, in part, by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton Exhibition
Dec 19 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum
 
Left: Thermon Statom, Frankincense, 1999, siligraphy from glass plate with digital transfer on BFK Rives paper, edition 50/50, 36 1/4 × 29 3/8 inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Thermon Statom. | Right: Dale Chihuly, Suite of Ten Prints: Chandelier, 1994, 4-color intaglio from glass plate on BRK Rives paper, edition 34/50, image: 29 ½ × 23 ½ inches, sheet: 36 × 29 ½ inches. Asheville Art Museum. © Dale Chihuly / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Asheville, N.C.—The selection of works from the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection presented in Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton features imagery that recreates the sensation and colors of stained glass. The exhibition showcases Littleton and the range of makers who worked with him, including Dale Chihuly, Cynthia Bringle, Thermon Statom, and more. This exhibition—organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator—will be on view in The Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery at the Museum from January 12 through May 23, 2022.

In 1974 Harvey K. Littleton (Corning, NY 1922–2013 Spruce Pine, NC) developed a process for using glass to create prints on paper. Littleton, who began as a ceramicist and became a leading figure in the American Studio Glass Movement, expanded his curiosity around the experimental potential of glass into innovations in the world of printmaking. A wide circle of artists in a variety of media—including glass, ceramics, and painting—were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine, NC, to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton. Upending notions of both traditional glassmaking and printmaking, vitreographs innovatively combine the two into something new. The resulting prints created through a process of etched glass, ink, and paper create rich, colorful scenes reminiscent of luminous stained glass.

“Printmaking is a medium that many artists explore at some point in their career,” says Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. “The process is often collaborative, as they may find themselves working with a print studio and highly skilled printmaker. The medium can also be quite experimental. Harvey Littleton’s contribution to the field is very much so in this spirit, as seen in his incorporation of glass and his invitation to artists who might otherwise not have explored works on paper. Through this exhibition, we are able to appreciate how the artists bring their work in clay, glass, or paint to ink and paper.” 

Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Art in the Heart
Dec 20 all-day
Downtown Asheville

We invite you to come downtown and experience one or more temporary installations from the Art in the Heart program. Share your thoughts on the artwork by clicking on the second tab below. Art in the Heart is a temporary art program specifically designed to help stimulate conversations about themes like identity, community, inclusion, healing, unity, and resilience. It’s also a way to start conversations about how public spaces can, or don’t, help reflect or express a community’s past, present, and future.

You can find more background and information about the Pack Square Visioning Project here.

Quilting | Live Demo
Dec 20 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Connie Brown will be demonstrating quilting techniques in the lobby of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process! Call ahead for the latest updates: 828-298-7928.

Quilting Bee
Dec 20 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
East Asheville Public Library

Quilters of all ages are invited to bring their own sewing machine and projects to work on in a friendly community setting.

Treasures | Focus Gallery Exhibition
Dec 20 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Featured Artists:
Allen Davis (wood)
Vicki Love (leather)
Lynne Harrill (fiber)
Ruthie Cohen & David Alberts (jewelry)
Gigi Renee’ Fasano (fiber)

Winter Wonderland at The Grove Arcade
Dec 20 @ 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
The Grove Arcade

see the beautiful holiday decorations and lights. Plus find lots of great gifts at the many local shops and businesses
Wooden Flutes | Live Demo
Dec 20 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Lee Entrekin will be demonstrating wooden flute making (and he’ll play for you, too!) in the lobby of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process! Call ahead for the latest updates: 828-298-7928.

Toe River Arts: The Fall Studio Tour Preview Exhibition
Dec 20 @ 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Toe River Arts

The Fall Studio Tour Preview Exhibition opens in the Kokol Gallery, in Toe River Arts’ Spruce Pine location at 269 Oak Ave, October 29 and runs through the end December 2022.  This exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to have a glimpse into each studio and plan their route. It’s also a great place to begin the tour or take a break from a day of non-stop art and artists.

There’s something breathtaking and awe-inspiring about driving through the mountains of western North Carolina in the Fall.  The way the trees show off by turning vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange before leaving bare branches to the crisp winds and snowy days of winter, reminds us that nature herself is the original artist.

 

For more than a quarter century, the Toe River Arts Studio Tour has intrigued those who make the journey to visit places of inspiration and creation. Situated between Roan Mountain which boasts the world’s largest rhododendron garden and Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, the Toe River Arts Studio Tour is a free, self-guided journey of the arts. This arts adventure through Mitchell and Yancey Counties will take visitors along the meandering Toe River, across its many bridges, around barns, acres of fields and miles of forests all while visiting the 83 talented studio artists who often take inspiration from the mountains they call home and 8 galleries featuring local and international art.

 

It doesn’t matter if you live up the hill or across the state. The Studio Tour provides an adventure for the intrepid seeker of the art experience. Artist studios come in many iterations—the building off to the side of the house, or across the field or down the road or right off the main road or down a gravel one-lane. Two-stories with a gallery space or small and cozy with a table set up or cleared off for display. Still there are others that devote a corner to each artist sharing the space. Wherever and however they are set up, the studios are exciting places to visit because they demonstrate the dynamic process used to create a finished piece. Every artist has their own way of telling a story, inviting visitors to ask questions, hold their work, and share a moment.

 

The art is as diverse as the artists who create it and features the work of glassblowers, jewelers, printmakers, potters, fiber artists, ironworkers, painters, sculptors, and woodworkers.

Tryon Resort’s Winterfest Village
Dec 20 @ 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tryon Equestrian Center

This holiday season, visit Tryon Resort’s Winterfest Village to find festive fun for the entire family. Meet Santa and your favorite Who-ville characters with your Winterfest Village ticket, or come enjoy free live music and character interactions in Legends Plaza. There is something to get every member of the family in the holiday spirit!

Runes and Norse Magic for modern times
Dec 20 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Tribal Trends

The Runes and Norse Magic are deeply shamanic and esoteric forms of divination and self-exploration. During the classes, we are going to enter a personal journey into the wisdom of runes and discover the mysteries hidden within them. We will work on developing a deep personal understanding and we will build a lasting relationship with them.
The classes are not scholarly teachings about the history of runes. We will focus on hands-on practice to invoke in us the energy of the futhark.

Each class is different, destined by the runes the students pick at the beginning of the event. The Norns will guide the process! Classes are held on Tuesdays 3 times a month.

Some of the topics include:
– Futhark – the Norse alphabet
– Nordic Shamanism – other techniques and surprising practices
– Singing the Runes – the power of galdr
– Drawing the Runes – Bindruns
– Shamanic Worlds and the Tree of Life
– Visualizing the Runes
and more

You don’t have to have runes of your own to participate.
If you have your own set of runes you are welcome to bring them on board.

Tickets:
Standard: $15 – pay at the door or buy a ticket online to secure your spot.
Ticket + Runes – $45 – Purchase a ticket online and receive a set of runes carved in beautiful gemstones.
TICKETS:
http://allevents.by/PatiBecker
https://allevents.in/hendersonville/runes-and-norse-magic-for-modern-times/80003304666536?ref=popup-sharing-modal

Please bring a pen and paper, other tools and resources will be provided.

My experience with the Runes.
In short, I always loved runes, I actually don’t remember when I got introduced to them for the first time. It was a long time ago.
My first business was named ‘Kenaz’- after the rune of creativity.
I am also a historical reconstructor of the Viking Age period, and I am particularly interested in the historical evidence of Norse magic with an emphasis on living archeology – meaning testing out the theory in reality. And oh boy, the stuff that’s coming to light is absolutely amazing! More during the class.

Lets’ cast some runes, shall we?

Pati

Stitch n’ Bitch
Dec 20 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
CONTINUUM ART

Stitch n' Bitch

Join us for a stitch n’ bitch fiber arts group! Debbie and Alicia are knowledgeable in knitting, crochet, embroidery, and historical fiber techniques including spinning yarn and traditional darning. Ideal for beginners that need guidance or for the seasoned professionally looking for a social group to craft with!
*potluck snacks and beverages always welcome!

Stitch n’ Bitch
Dec 20 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
CONTINUUM ART

Join us for a stitch n’ bitch fiber arts group! Debbie and Alicia are knowledgeable in knitting, crochet, embroidery, and historical fiber techniques including spinning yarn and traditional darning. Ideal for beginners that need guidance or for the seasoned professionally looking for a social group to craft with!
*potluck snacks and beverages always welcome!

Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Art in the Heart
Dec 21 all-day
Downtown Asheville

We invite you to come downtown and experience one or more temporary installations from the Art in the Heart program. Share your thoughts on the artwork by clicking on the second tab below. Art in the Heart is a temporary art program specifically designed to help stimulate conversations about themes like identity, community, inclusion, healing, unity, and resilience. It’s also a way to start conversations about how public spaces can, or don’t, help reflect or express a community’s past, present, and future.

You can find more background and information about the Pack Square Visioning Project here.

Quilting | Live Demo
Dec 21 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Connie Brown will be demonstrating quilting techniques in the lobby of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process! Call ahead for the latest updates: 828-298-7928.

Treasures | Focus Gallery Exhibition
Dec 21 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Featured Artists:
Allen Davis (wood)
Vicki Love (leather)
Lynne Harrill (fiber)
Ruthie Cohen & David Alberts (jewelry)
Gigi Renee’ Fasano (fiber)

Winter Wonderland at The Grove Arcade
Dec 21 @ 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
The Grove Arcade

see the beautiful holiday decorations and lights. Plus find lots of great gifts at the many local shops and businesses
Wooden Flutes | Live Demo
Dec 21 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Folk Art Center

Lee Entrekin will be demonstrating wooden flute making (and he’ll play for you, too!) in the lobby of the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process! Call ahead for the latest updates: 828-298-7928.

Toe River Arts: The Fall Studio Tour Preview Exhibition
Dec 21 @ 10:30 am – 5:00 pm
Toe River Arts

The Fall Studio Tour Preview Exhibition opens in the Kokol Gallery, in Toe River Arts’ Spruce Pine location at 269 Oak Ave, October 29 and runs through the end December 2022.  This exhibition gives visitors an opportunity to have a glimpse into each studio and plan their route. It’s also a great place to begin the tour or take a break from a day of non-stop art and artists.

There’s something breathtaking and awe-inspiring about driving through the mountains of western North Carolina in the Fall.  The way the trees show off by turning vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange before leaving bare branches to the crisp winds and snowy days of winter, reminds us that nature herself is the original artist.

 

For more than a quarter century, the Toe River Arts Studio Tour has intrigued those who make the journey to visit places of inspiration and creation. Situated between Roan Mountain which boasts the world’s largest rhododendron garden and Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, the Toe River Arts Studio Tour is a free, self-guided journey of the arts. This arts adventure through Mitchell and Yancey Counties will take visitors along the meandering Toe River, across its many bridges, around barns, acres of fields and miles of forests all while visiting the 83 talented studio artists who often take inspiration from the mountains they call home and 8 galleries featuring local and international art.

 

It doesn’t matter if you live up the hill or across the state. The Studio Tour provides an adventure for the intrepid seeker of the art experience. Artist studios come in many iterations—the building off to the side of the house, or across the field or down the road or right off the main road or down a gravel one-lane. Two-stories with a gallery space or small and cozy with a table set up or cleared off for display. Still there are others that devote a corner to each artist sharing the space. Wherever and however they are set up, the studios are exciting places to visit because they demonstrate the dynamic process used to create a finished piece. Every artist has their own way of telling a story, inviting visitors to ask questions, hold their work, and share a moment.

 

The art is as diverse as the artists who create it and features the work of glassblowers, jewelers, printmakers, potters, fiber artists, ironworkers, painters, sculptors, and woodworkers.

Natural Collector | Gifts of Fleur S. Bresler
Dec 21 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Natural Collector is organized by the Asheville Art Museum. IMAGE: Christian Burchard, Untitled (nesting bowls), 1998, madrone burl, various from 6 × 6 × 6 to ⅜ × ⅜ × ⅜ inches. Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2021.76.01.
Natural Collector Gifts of Fleur S. Bresler features around 15 artworks from the collection of Fleur S. Bresler, which include important examples of modern and contemporary American craft including wood and fiber art, as well as glass and ceramics. These works that were generously donated by contemporary craft collector Bresler to the Asheville Art Museum over the years reflect her strong interest in wood-based art and themes of nature.

According to Associate Curator Whitney Richardson, “This exhibition highlights artworks that consider the natural element from which they were created or replicate known flora and fauna in unexpected materials. The selection of objects displayed illustrates how Bresler’s eye for collecting craft not only draws attention to nature and artists’ interest in it, but also accentuates her role as a natural collector with an intuitive ability to identify themes and ideas that speak to one another.”

This exhibition presents work from the Collection representing the first generation of American wood turners like Rude Osolnik and Ed Moulthrop, as well as those that came after and learned from them, such as Philip Moulthrop, John Jordan, and local Western North Carolina (WNC) artist Stoney Lamar. Other WNC-based artists in Natural Collector include Anne Lemanski, whose paper sculpture of a snake captures the viewer’s imagination, and Michael Sherrill’s multimedia work that tricks the eye with its similarity to true-to-life berries. Also represented are beadwork and sculpture by Joyce J. Scott and Jack and Linda Fifield.