Mark your calendars for our upcoming events
Our event calendar showcases the festivals and events we produce.
We hope you’ll join us this year!
Avl Food Series happening each month…
We invite you to mark your calendars, gather your friends and family, and join us for a monthly celebration of culinary excellence and community spirit. Let the "AVL Food Series" be your monthly escape into the world of gastronomy and camaraderie.
At the heart of Asheville's thriving food scene, the "AVL Food Series" at Devil’s Foot Beverage expansive tasting room, The Mule transforms ordinary evenings into extraordinary culinary adventures. This exclusive event series leverages an inviting atmosphere with the vibrant flavors that make Asheville a food lover's paradise.
For more information and a list of all the events check out our website, AVL Food Series.
This Event Series will be produced by Shay & Company in partnership with Devil’s Foot Beverage.
PROpel Avl Grow Series
April 24, 2024
In our April installment of the PROpel AVL GROW series for young professionals, Sarah Benoit presents "Beyond Authenticity - How to Truly Be Yourself in the Workplace."
Join us for productive exercises and discussions to identify what “being yourself” really means. Leave with practical tips and resources for creating a stronger, more balanced and more confident professional life.
About our presenter:
Sarah Benoit is co-founder and lead instructor of the JB Media Institute, a digital marketing school, and President of Creative Original, Inc., a small business web design and consulting firm. She is an SEO, social media, and marketing strategist who has worked in the field since 2003. She has also led classes, workshops, and presentations about digital marketing and entrepreneurship across the U.S. since 2006.
Habitat for humanity blueprint breakfast for dinner
June 6, 2024
Stable, healthy housing is a blueprint for a vibrant community. Join Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and some of Asheville’s culinary best for a fun and delicious evening of creative cuisine and craft beverages in support of one of our region’s most pressing issues– housing.
Stay tuned for Chef Announcements and Partnerships for this amazing event held at Pleb Urban Winery in the River Arts District
Carolina CiderFest NC
June 22, 2024
Join us for Carolina CiderFest NC featuring ample tastings of hard cider, mead, and apple wine, along with artisanal food, live music, workshops, and more! Proceeds from this fundraiser benefit the NC Cider Association.
We are excited to announce that this year on June 22, 2024 we will be closing the South Slope Street outside of Urban Orchard to host this years Carolina CiderFest. Tickets coming soon and announcements of participating vendors, sponsors and participants. For more information check out our website, Carolina CiderFest
James Beard Taste America
august 21, 2024
The James Beard, Taste America tradition continues in 2024 in Downtown Asheville.
Presented by Capital One, is a nationwide initiative to bring together chefs, special guests, and diners from across the country to celebrate the local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities.
Stay Tuned for Ticket Sales and Chef Announcements.
OUr events
Events at our venues
Events and festivals happening at our venues.
PAST Events
A glimpse at some past festivals and events we’ve produced.
WomanUP Workshop: Seeking Work-Life Harmony
March 28, 2024
WomanUP welcomes Meredith Ellison, co-founder of Quility, to talk about moving from a concept of work-life balance to work-life harmony. Join us to explore how this idea can shift how we approach our professional and personal lives.
The traditional notion of work-life balance suggests a clear, often rigid, separation between the time and activities dedicated to work and those dedicated to personal life, implying a need to balance the scales between the two. The pursuit of work-life harmony offers a more integrated and fluid approach, focusing on how work and personal life can complement and enrich each other, leading to a more fulfilling and abundant life.
About our speaker:
Meredith Ellison played an integral role in the founding of Symmetry Financial Group and Quility, where she now provides leadership in organizational well-being. Quility empowers insurance agents with an industry-leading sales enablement platform and a suite of proprietary, fully digital insurance products, creating a frictionless experience from quote to underwriting to policy placement. Through Ripple Model™ and other company initiatives, Meredith is able to support the success and personal development of both agents and employees.
2023 WomanUP Celebration
November 3, 2023
Join us in celebrating outstanding women in business! This fall, we will gather in the lovely, historic Grove Park Inn to make valuable connections and learn from other women who have made significant strides in their careers while offering valuable support to others in the workplace and greater community.
The year 2023 is also the Chamber's 125th Anniversary year, and our WomanUP Celebration will feature historical as well as forward-thinking elements to inspire, support and engage women in our region.
We're looking forward to celebrating with you!
Outstanding Women in Business Awards:
Outstanding Woman Nonprofit Leader, presented by TD Bank
Woman Executive of the Year Award, presented by MAHEC
Women Entrepreneurs, Best in Business Award, presented by Webb Investments Services, Inc.
Rising Star Young Woman Professional Award, presented by Western Carolina University
Impact Award, presented by Kudzu Brands
STEM Award, presented by Pratt & Whitney
Suzanne DeFerie Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by First Bank
Beer city comi con
Sept 29- oct 1, 2023
Calling all science nerds, comic fans, cosplay enthusiasts, and those curious about our scene, the inaugural Asheville Beer City Comic Con will exceed your expectations and delight all your senses. This dynamic event will be marvelous thanks to exciting comic book and pop culture vendors, brave local artists, magnificently big brained speakers, and yummylicious beer from Western North Carolina’s best craft breweries. We’re packing into one weekend a super amount of musts, including:
Intellectual seminars with renowned brainiacs from comic, academic, and civic circles discussing the Con community’s role in keeping our planet safe from harm!
Panel discussions about the psychology of comic book characters and their influence on modern culture!
Pop-up dance and costume events with DJs for all you freaks and geeks!
Fancy philosophical conversations about the ontological themes of sci-fi, comics, and human nature!
Shamazing artwork from locals you won’t find anywhere else!
Speciality batch beers made only for BCCC—slurp!
Asheville area Chamber of commerce’s 125 anniversary celebration
September 28, 2023
This year, the Asheville Chamber of Commerce is marking our 125th anniversary by celebrating Asheville Through the Looking Glass. A reflection of business prosperity and success and a connection to Asheville’s future progress and growth.
This lively garden party will commemorate 125 years of the Chamber’s accomplishments, ongoing business partnerships, and the impactful nonprofit work conducted in our community. In honor of our very important date, we plan to award twelve $10,000 grants to nonprofits at our event that support our mission of “Building Community Through Business.” Whether we look backward, forward, or even down a rabbit hole, the Asheville Chamber sees the importance of supporting businesses in our community.
Garden & Gun
Cocktails and Conservation
@ Hickory Nut Gap Farm
Sept 21, 2023
Following a 2022 debut, G&G’s Champions of Conservation celebrates and salutes leaders and innovators in sustainability whose groundbreaking work and environmental projects are making a global impact.
Honoring the newest class of leaders, G&G and Explore Asheville invite guests to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a cocktail reception and thought-provoking discussion hosted by G&G editor-in-chief David DiBenedetto, featuring the 2023 champions.
Chow Chow
Food + Culture Festival
Sept 7-10, 2023
Chow Chow's mission is to celebrate and enrich the unique foodways of the Southern Appalachian region. Chow Chow Food + Culture Festival is the organization's flagship annual event, held every year on the weekend after Labor Day. In 2023 we will gather September 7-10th to eat, drink, and be merry while we explore the themes of Cultivating, Preserving, Collborating, and Innovating with a robust line-up of presenters.
As makers, chefs, artists, farmers and business owners, our vision is an equitable and thriving regional food system, where culinary and creative enterprise are central to community identity and resilience. We welcome the collective sum of differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, and talent our makers and guests bring to Chow Chow, and we look forward to celebrating together.
Womanup Workshop- Embracing Authenticity: stories of Self-Discovery
August 8, 2023
Finding our authentic professional path can take many turns, and the task of embracing our authentic selves is ever unfolding. In this WomanUP Workshop, you'll find encouragement and inspiration in the stories from three successful, local business women: Leah Wong Ashburn (Highland Brewing Company), Sandar Leung (Manna FoodBank) and Molly Gaffney-Keebler (Spherion Staffing & Recruiting). They'll share the twists and turns of their on-going journeys to discovering their authentic selves through life, family and career.
About our speakers:
Leah Wong Ashburn is the second-generation family owner of Highland Brewing Company and serves as President and CEO. She has served on several boards including the Asheville Chamber, Buncombe County TDA, Riverlink and A-B Tech and currently serves on the UNC Board of Visitors and the NC Brewers Guild. She is also recipient of the 2019 WomanUP Woman Executive of the Year Award.
Sandar Leung is Director of Operations at MANNA FoodBank. Prior to her role at MANNA, she served as Senior Manager of Fabrication Value Stream at Thermo Fisher Scientific where she was responsible for long-term capacity and technology strategy. She is also a Functional Board Member of the Asian Children's Mission which advocates for the welfare and education of children in Myanmar.
Molly Gaffney-Keebler is the Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Licensed Franchisee for WNC and Tri-Cities, TN and is president of the Spherion Franchise Advisory Board. In her tenure at Spherion, she has won multiple awards including Rookie of the Year in 2017 and Franchisee of the Year in 2020. Spherion Asheville has been the fastest growing market in Spherion history.
Love.Shine.play Festival
@ Asheville masonic Temple
July 20-23, 2023
Please join us for the 7th annual Love♡Shine♡Play Festival, July 20-23, 2023, taking place against the breathtaking backdrop of the world's oldest mountains in gorgeous Asheville, NC.
The festival classes take place in beautiful venues throughout downtown Asheville as well as an outdoor market in Pack Square Park. You will be able to choose from a variety of offerings including yoga classes, meditation, talks, hikes, and more. The pedestrian friendly festival will allow you to immerse yourself in the vibrant life of a city brimming with cultural arts, culinary delights, and many independent shops.
Taste America®
James Beard Foundation
@ La Bodega By Cúrate
July 20, 2023
Taste America, presented by Capital One, is a nationwide initiative to bring together chefs, special guests, and diners from across the country to celebrate the local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities.
The dinner at La Bodega by Cúrate will be an intimate gathering with a multi-course menu created by chef Matt Caudle of Curate in Asheville, chefs Christine Ha and Tony Nguyen of Xin Chào in Houston, and chef Matt Brown of Cúrate in Asheville. The menu will reflect their signature styles and highlight the uniqueness of their restaurants and communities. The dinner will also include beverage pairings for each course.
GrindFest
May 26-28, 2023
GRINDFest is a free, 3-day festival that celebrates Black Businesses as well as the success of Black entrepreneurs and business owners in the Asheville Area. A block-party style event will take place on 8 Rivers Arts Place! This incldes a weekend full of music, games, live performance, food, local vendors, and learning, employment, and partnership opportunities.
Don’t miss Big Boi, Waka Flocka Flame, & Talib Kweli LIVE IN CONCERT at the Salvage Station Outdoor Stage Sat. May 27th, 2023 at 5 pm.
ArborFEST Expo
March 31 - APril 2, 2023
ArborFest EXPO gives you the opportunity to interact with fellow arborists while seeing the latest gear from leading manufacturers in our industry. Learn from the best arborists in the world through indoor seminars and outdoor demos. Test and try on the gear you have always wanted with a full size retail booth. Don’t miss the raffles, exclusive attendee party, and much more all in one location.
More information: arborfestexpo.com