Friday, Nov. 29 All Is Calm | Friday, Nov. 29-Sunday, Dec. 22 | Times vary | North Carolina Stage Company | $5+ | See the remarkable true story of ceasefire, camaraderie, and music in a time of war.
Rock N Roll Rewind | 8 p.m. | The Orange Peel | $15+ | Hear local musicians play rockin’ hits — a portion of proceeds benefit No Hungry People, and you can also drop off a toy for The Jingle Bell Trolly of Woodfin.
Saturday, Nov. 30 Makerspace | 1-4 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum | Free | Drop in to make stickers inspired by the museum’s exhibitions.
Holiday Tree Lighting Block Party | 4-9 p.m. | Grove Arcade | Free | Shop the market, watch performances from the Asheville Ballet, listen to live music, and meet Santa himself.
Sunday, Dec. 1 Rueda de Casino | 2-5:30 p.m. | Stephens-Lee Community Center | Free | Practice your Cuban salsa dancing — beginners and advanced dancers are welcome.
Red Reminds Me... Day With(out) Art | 4-7 p.m. | Citizen Vinyl | Free | Reflect on the emotional spectrum of living with HIV through seven commissioned videos.
Monday, Dec. 2 Handmade Holidays | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Black Mountain | Free | Find a gift for everyone on your list with these offerings from local artists.
Catan Tournament | 6-9 p.m. | Well Played Board Game Cafe | By donation | Show off your trading and building skills during this tournament to support Meeples for the Mountains — donate a new, unwrapped board game for entry.
The City of Asheville has received ~5,000 requests for lead testing kits. Results currently take 4-6 weeks, but the city is working to shorten the turnaround. Pro tip: The Water Resources Department will be at the Stronger Together Community Resource Fair to hand out kits, on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Shop
The Asheville Downtown Association and Bank of America have launched the Shop Small, Win Big program to encourage shopping local. All you have to do is shop in person at a participating business, spend $25+, and submit a photo of your receipt — then you’ll be entered to win a weekly prize of $500 for you and $500 for the business.
Arts
Art and music nonprofit Lamplight AVL has begun the second phase of its Helene recovery with the Art Remains Grant. The nonprofit will offer grants of $10,000 or $20,000 to Asheville area artists and organizations that “have a broad impact on their communities.” Explore requirements, and submit an application.
Kids
Safe Kids WNC is hosting a car seat distribution on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Reynolds Fire Department. The organization will have car seats for kids of all ages, and the team will be on hand to install the seat and provide guidance on safe use. Call 828-418-0525 to set your pick-up appointment.
Cause
The Community Foundation of WNC awarded a $2 million grant to Lutheran Disaster Response Carolinas and Mennonite Disaster Service for their project rebuilding private bridges destroyed by Helene. The project will give priority to hardest hit areas in several counties, including Buncombe, and bridges that serve multiple families or vulnerable persons.
Eat
As it winds down its emergency efforts with World Central Kitchen, Bear’s Foundation, the charitable arm of Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, has announced a new aid initiative to provide 360,000 meals from January through March 2025. The project will also support the Equal Plates Project to help support long-term food security. (Mountain Xpress)
Number
$879. Per WalletHub, that’s the average 2024 holiday budget of an Ashevillian. The research calculated the max holiday budget for 550+ US cities using metrics like population, income, age, and ratio of savings to monthly expenses. Pro tip: Start with our gift guide.
Featured Home
We literally don’t have the space to list all the amenities at this turnkey, fully furnished condo within the Residences at Biltmore. But trust us when we say it truly has it all (think: Whirlpool bath, stone fireplace, and so, so much more). Take a look inside.*
Finance
How much could you borrow from your home? Get HELOC quotes now — calculate your payment.*
Category
Arts
Show support with your holiday shopping
See Kit Paulson’s glassworks at the December event. | Photo via Big Crafty
WNC’s favorite art event (for 16 years running, might we add) returns next weekend — in a big way. The Big Crafty is the first event being held at Harrah’s Cherokee Center since Helene hit and will bring together 150+ artists to sell their wares.
In addition to offering its usual free vendor spaces to makers in need of support, this year, storm-impacted artists were also given a no-cost opportunity to join the event.
When Big Crafty organizer and Horse + Hero owner Justin Rabuck asked participating artists how the event could best support this community, many gave variations of the same answer — just by happening. “It’s a big part of everyone’s sales for the year and such a celebration of art and craft,” said Laura Ray of Fair Isle. “I think this year will especially be uplifting and sustaining for everyone,”
The Big Crafty runs Saturday, Dec. 7 through Sunday, Dec. 8, 12-6 p.m. Saturday admission is $10, and Sunday is free. So if you haven’t started holiday shopping yet, you know where to go.
The Buy
The Buy
Don’t miss five more brands with stellar Black Friday sales:
Now that Thanksgiving is over, I am out of excuses for avoiding holiday shopping. So this weekend, I’m adding as many holiday markets to my schedule as possible in an attempt to get it done efficiently, locally, and with cheer + hot chocolate in hand. But tonight — you’ll probably find me at one of our holiday pop-up bars for some seasonal spirits first.
