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, November 26, 2023
Miracle on Main Street opens at Chimney Rock Smokehouse
Nov 26 all-day
Chimney Rock Smokehouse

Miracle on Main Street will take over Chimney Rock Smokehouse from November 24 to December 31st. Featuring craft cocktails, tons of decor, award winning bbq, and weekly events. This place will make even the Grinch smile.

Monday, November 27, 2023
Miracle on Main Street opens at Chimney Rock Smokehouse
Nov 27 all-day
Chimney Rock Smokehouse

Miracle on Main Street will take over Chimney Rock Smokehouse from November 24 to December 31st. Featuring craft cocktails, tons of decor, award winning bbq, and weekly events. This place will make even the Grinch smile.

Tree Sale
Nov 27 all-day
online

SURPRISE – we’re also having a tree sale to clear out inventory that has gotten too large to be stored in the hoop houses over winter. These are species not typically given away at our adoption events, so here is your chance to add something unique to your home or business.

Handmade Ornament Sale
Nov 27 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Give the gift of holiday joy in the form of a unique, beautiful, locally made ornament! Handcrafted ornaments made by local artists will be for sale in our lobby on our Christmas tree through the middle of December. Gift the gift of art this year and support local artists in the process!

An Evening with Spirit + Fundraiser for Asheville Cat Weirdos
Nov 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Highland Brewing Company

A unique event featuring a group mediumship reading and a silent auction is set
to raise funds for local non-profit, Asheville Cat Weirdos, a local non-profit organization that
provides assistance with emergency veterinary costs for cats in Western North Carolina.
Since the organization relies 100% on donations and volunteers, local psychic medium, Kelly
Palmatier, was inspired to donate a fundraising event, “An Evening with Spirit & Fundraiser for
Asheville Cat Weirdos.” It is scheduled for Monday evening, November 27, 2023, from 6 to 8
p.m. and will be held at the Hi-Wire Brewing Event Space in Biltmore Village at 2B Huntsman
Place, Asheville, NC 28803.
For skeptics and believers alike, Palmatier aims to channel loved ones who’ve crossed over and
bring inner peace to audience members, although event details make it clear that not every
audience member will receive a reading.
“I named my company Channeling White Light because it’s a metaphor for making a positive
difference in the world,” says Palmatier, “so I love donating fundraisers and helping the
community in any way I can.” She and her assistants are handling and paying for every detail of
the event, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Asheville Cat Weirdos.
Star Broadnax, Interim Director for the Asheville Cat Weirdos Emergency Fund
(AshevilleCatWeirdos.org), expresses gratitude for the event: “Our organization thrives on
donations and the selfless efforts of volunteers. We are incredibly thankful for this event and
the support it provides in our mission to help cats in need.”
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for the silent auction, followed by the group mediumship reading
beginning at 6:30 p.m. The event also features a cash bar provided by Hi-Wire. Tickets are $25
per person or $40 for a couple and can be purchased online at ChannelingWhiteLight.com.

Silent Films / Loud Music
Nov 27 @ 7:30 pm
DIFFERENT WRLD

Silent Films, Loud Music is a screening of silent short films, accompanied by local bands providing live music. This will be a night of silliness, collaboration, and expressions of queer joy! Proceeds will support Fierce Flix programs for 2024. Come listen to original music, enjoy films by awesome local filmmakers and show support trans queer and femme youth! Doors at 7:30, show at 8!

Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Miracle on Main Street opens at Chimney Rock Smokehouse
Nov 28 all-day
Chimney Rock Smokehouse

Miracle on Main Street will take over Chimney Rock Smokehouse from November 24 to December 31st. Featuring craft cocktails, tons of decor, award winning bbq, and weekly events. This place will make even the Grinch smile.

Tree Sale
Nov 28 all-day
online

SURPRISE – we’re also having a tree sale to clear out inventory that has gotten too large to be stored in the hoop houses over winter. These are species not typically given away at our adoption events, so here is your chance to add something unique to your home or business.

Growing Minds Farm to School Mini-Grant
Nov 28 @ 6:30 am
online
ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools throughout the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.

Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding. 

Applications due by:

  • November 30, 2023
  • January 30, 2024
  • March 30, 2024

If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Learn more and apply here!

Handmade Ornament Sale
Nov 28 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Give the gift of holiday joy in the form of a unique, beautiful, locally made ornament! Handcrafted ornaments made by local artists will be for sale in our lobby on our Christmas tree through the middle of December. Gift the gift of art this year and support local artists in the process!

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred
Nov 28 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sigal Music Museum
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

 

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

 

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

PARENTS LOUNGE LEAF Global Experience
Nov 28 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Experience

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

LEGO Builders Club
Nov 28 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Come down the Pack Memorial Library and play with LEGOs!
Show off your building skills and make new friends with other LEGO maniacs.

Please leave your personal LEGOs at home, because we’ve got plenty.

School Age – (grades K-5)
Holiday Cookie Baking
Nov 28 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tempie Avery Montford Community Center

Perfect your cookies so you’ll be ready to make some for Santa. We provide dough, you cut it into festive shapes and decorate!

Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
Nov 28 @ 6:30 pm – 10:45 pm
AyurPrana Listening Room

⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Asheville. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer at AyurPrana Listening Room under the gentle glow of candlelight.
General Info📍 Venue: AyurPrana Listening Room📅 Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector⏳ Duration: 60 minutes (doors open 45 mins prior to the start time and late entry is not permitted)👤 Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult♿ Accessibility: this venue is ADA compliant❓ View the FAQs for this event here🪑 Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone🕯️ If you would like to book a private concert (min 15+ people), please click here🎻 Check out all the Candlelight concerts in Asheville🎁 To treat your friends and family to a Candlelight gift card, click here
Tentative Program
“Time” from Inception“This Land” from The Lion King“Zooster’s Breakout” from Madagascar“Supermarine” from Dunkirk“Honor” from The Pacific“A Dark Knight” from The Dark KnightWonder Woman SuiteGladiator Suite“Cornfield Chase” from InterstellarDune Suite“Discombobulate” from Sherlock HolmesPirates of the Caribbean Suite
Performers
Listeso String Quartet
Reviews of Candlelight Concerts💬 Dixie L. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Incredible talented and entertaining. The venue was beautiful:) so thankful for a beautiful experience.”💬 Daisha T. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “This was great! The talent, the ambiance, the vibe made for a really great evening.”💬 Iliana D. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Great experience! I loved every single piece played.”

Curtis on Tour
Nov 28 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Brevard Music Center

Renowned violinist Erin Keefe, concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and Curtis faculty member, joins dynamic conductor, clarinetist, and composer Osmo Vänskä and Curtis’s extraordinary emerging professional musicians for a tour of North America. Built around the septet version of Sibelius’s evocative tone poem En Saga, this eclectic program features cherished classics by Mozart and Sibelius, alongside striking early twentieth-century works such as Dohnányi’s string trio, Serenade in C major, and Schulhoff’s fiery, folk-influenced Concertino for flute, viola, and double bass.


Auditorium seating is reserved.

DJ Lyric in The Draftsman
Nov 28 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
The Draftsman Bar + Lounge

“Join us for a rhythm-filled night at The Draftsman with Lyric Jones! Elevate your Tuesday nights with electrifying live music performances from local performers while sipping on our unique cocktails. Unwind, tap your feet, and indulge in a perfect blend of melodies and mixology.

People in the biz get half off select appetizers and burgers all night!”

NOLAN TAYLOR with Logan Halstead
Nov 28 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

NOLAN TAYLOR

Nolan Taylor is a singer-songwriter based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. His voice ranges from the soft fall of rain to a heavy crack of thunder, underlining songs of hard times, wild nights and heartbreak. The emotional impact of his sound is not only heard, but felt, in the bones and in the blood. Themes of longing, desperation, joy and sorrow ring true and genuine from his lips. When Nolan sings, it will make you feel like all of the heartbreak you have ever experienced found a voice and learned how to play guitar. His passion and his energy are contagious and will draw you into his stories.

LOGAN HALSTEAD

“Logan has that mystic quality that every songwriter seeks to harness each time they put pen to paper, and he’s just getting started. ‘Dark Black Coal’ is a striking lamentation on growing up in coal country, and he takes you there.”
– Hippies and Cowboys Podcast

“A talented lyricist whose song content authentically revolves around his experiences growing up and living in the heart of Appalachia, Halstead is one of the driving forces in the scene of young artists hailing from the Appalachian region.”
​​- Whiskey Riff
“There’s a starkness and a wisdom in this guy’s voice that is way beyond his years. ”
– Grady Smith
POSTMODERN JUKEBOX – LIFE IN THE PAST LANE
Nov 28 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Ages 18+

Even in our futuristic age of AI chatbots and virtual realities, there is still nothing in the world that compares with the thrill of hearing classic genres of music, performed live by a group of exceptional singers and musicians that have truly mastered the ability to move an audience.

That’s the philosophy behind Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, whose Life In The Past Lane World Tour returns to 40 US cities this Fall. The revamped show will blend modern-day earworms and iconic pop hits with the original styles that put American popular music on the map: Ragtime, Swing, Big Band, Country / Western, Doo Wop and Soul. Equal parts time-traveling musical variety show and career-launching talent platform, Postmodern Jukebox (or “PMJ”) will feature a cast of performers from their wildly popular YouTube channel, to bring the musical universe to life. Everything New is Old Again-leave the AI at home and take a road trip to experience Life in The Past Lane! Dressing in vintage attire is encouraged.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Miracle on Main Street opens at Chimney Rock Smokehouse
Nov 29 all-day
Chimney Rock Smokehouse

Miracle on Main Street will take over Chimney Rock Smokehouse from November 24 to December 31st. Featuring craft cocktails, tons of decor, award winning bbq, and weekly events. This place will make even the Grinch smile.

Tree Sale
Nov 29 all-day
online

SURPRISE – we’re also having a tree sale to clear out inventory that has gotten too large to be stored in the hoop houses over winter. These are species not typically given away at our adoption events, so here is your chance to add something unique to your home or business.

Growing Minds Farm to School Mini-Grant
Nov 29 @ 6:30 am
online
ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools throughout the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.

Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding. 

Applications due by:

  • November 30, 2023
  • January 30, 2024
  • March 30, 2024

If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Learn more and apply here!

Handmade Ornament Sale
Nov 29 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Black Mountain Center for the Arts

Give the gift of holiday joy in the form of a unique, beautiful, locally made ornament! Handcrafted ornaments made by local artists will be for sale in our lobby on our Christmas tree through the middle of December. Gift the gift of art this year and support local artists in the process!

WNCSource’s Bargain Hendo Thrift Store closing sale
Nov 29 @ 10:00 am
Bargain Hendo Thrift Store

Bargain Hendo Thrift Store will be permanently closing its doors on December 13th.
• WNCSource operates the small thrift store which is located on the corner of King Street
and 2nd Avenue in Hendersonville.
• Bargain Hendo first opened in December of 2020 and was meant to support the programs
and services WNCSource provides in 4 western North Carolina Counties. Unfortunately,
low sales and competition from other local thrift stores has made the store less than
profitable.
• But don’t worry, starting Thursday, November 2nd, Bargain Hendo will be open
Wednesdays through Fridays 10AM to 4PM and Saturdays from 10AM to 2PM with some
incredible bargains and sales to clear the shelves.
• Bargain Hendo’s last day is December 13th

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred
Nov 29 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sigal Music Museum
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.

 

Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.

 

Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.

And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!

Museum Store Sunday
Nov 29 @ 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Asheville Art Museum

Save your shopping for Museum Store Sunday and join us on November 26 to find the perfect treasure for your holiday list!

Museum Store Sunday is the global annual day to Be a Patron. Online and in-store visitors can look forward to shopping conscientiously and supporting museum stores and their missions worldwide.

MUSEUM STORE SUNDAY 2023 FUN

  • Receive a raffle entry for every $25 spent in-store. Prizes include a Family Membership and an Asheville Art Museum branded bundle!
  • Take advantage of a special 20% off select items. Use code SupportMuseumStores.
  • Enjoy complimentary coffee, holiday music, and a live performance at 2:40pm by Café String Quartet.
  • Free Asheville Art Museum tote bag for every $100 spent in-store.
  • Free domestic shipping on orders more than $100. Shop online at shop.ashevilleart.org. Offer available midnight–11:59pm on Sunday.
  • Museum Members receive 10% off Museum Store purchases year-round (excludes consignment items).
Shop the Museum Store Now

Find perfect treasures for your holiday list this Sunday

Just in time for the holidays—find local, unique and memorable gifts filled with inspiration and educational value. Through your purchases, you will also help support small businesses, independent suppliers, and artisan makers whose products are featured in the Asheville Art Museum Store.

Discover the Joy of Public Speaking
Nov 29 @ 6:15 pm
South Buncombe Library

Join us at Keynote Speechcrafters and

Discover the
Joy of
Public Speaking!

It’s natural to enjoy things you do well,
and you will get good at this.

Our members are committed to meeting each week because

steady progress
requires
steady practice.

Our motto:

When you show up
You speak
Every meeting
Every week

So come join us at the South Buncombe Library on Wednesday evenings and prepare to become a better you.

Please Click here to let us know you are coming.

Guests are always welcome. We look forward to speaking with you!

Trivia Night
Nov 29 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Tavern

Every Wednesday

Trivia Night

Trivia Night at Hickory Tavern
Nov 29 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Tavern

Trivia Night at Hickory Tavern

Big Freedia’s Christmas in Central City Tour
Nov 29 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
– ALL AGES

– STANDING ROOM ONLY

Big Freedia has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go to The Ally Coalition’s work to support homeless and at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth.  Asheville and Knoxville are rescheduled dates and will not be participating in the PLUS1 partnership, but ticket buyers should keep an eye out for ways to work with The Ally Coalition on getting involved in local LGBTQIA+ organizations in their city!

BIG FREEDIA

New Orleans icon Big Freedia is dreaming of the future of bounce music. Over the past two decades, the Queen of Bounce has expanded the booming sounds of Southern rap on a string of high-energy, twerk-inducing projects, while showcasing her inimitable charisma on blockbuster hits by Drake and Beyoncé. But where some might rest on their laurels, the Queen Diva still sees plenty of opportunity to expand her empire.

“Bounce has been through many iterations—from Triggerman to Sissy to Cash Money Bounce—but my new single is something I call Bigga Bounce,” says Freedia, heralding this new chapter for the genre. “Welcome to Central City, y’all, where I pay homage to my city, my roots, hip-hop, and to the art of creating a new sound.”

The tireless mogul broke into television in 2013 with Fuse’s Big Freedia Bounces Back, released her memoir Big Freedia: God Save The Queen Diva in 2015, launched a cannabis line called Royal Bud in 2022, and is on track to open her very own Hotel Freedia in New Orleans in 2024.

In addition to promoting Central City Freestyle, and $100 Bill Ft. Ciara, the Queen Diva is gearing up to launch a new original series, Big Freedia Means Business, which will explore her prolific entrepreneurial endeavors. Visuals and even more new music are already in the works too. But in the greater scheme of things, Big Freedia hopes her voice and platform as an unapologetically authentic artist will inspire, especially at a time when the rights of LGBTQ+ people are under constant attack.

“We gotta keep pushing, and I hope this album speaks to my community and everyone who feels they don’t have a voice,” she adds. “I am living proof of why you don’t let yourself get dragged down. We keep going. We keep fighting.”

HAIKU HANDS

ANJELIKA “JELLY” JOSEPH