This Weekend in Asheville

Hell or High Water

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

Friday-Sunday, October 16-18, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville

Experience one of the region’s premier craft events at the Summer Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. Featuring juried artists from across the Appalachian region, the fair offers handmade work, live demonstrations, and the chance to connect with makers in downtown Asheville.

Lake Eden Reunion + Live Life Like a Festival Book Launch

Friday-Sunday, October 16-18, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Lake Eden Retreat

Return to Lake Eden for a weekend of live music, dancing, art, camping, and outdoor adventures honoring 45 years of festival traditions. Featuring performances by The Suffers, of Montreal, Tyler Ramsey, and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, alongside creative workshops, wellness activities, and the debut of Live Life Like a Festival, a book celebrating the gathering’s history.

Frightful Folk Tales

Friday, October 16, 7 - 8 p.m. 
Vance Birthplace

Gather around the campfire for an evening of spooky stories from Appalachia and beyond. Storyteller Dr. Delanna Reed brings eerie tales to life as darkness falls, setting the scene for a Halloween experience suited for ages 12 and up.

Fall Festival

Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Irene Wortham Cener

Bring the family out for a day of autumn fun featuring bounce houses, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and games. Enjoy food trucks, sweet treats, prizes, and music from a live DJ.

Celebration in the Park

Saturday, October 17, 4 - 9 p.m.
Oak and Grist Distilling Company

Sierra Nevada welcomes fresh hop season with the release of its 2026 Celebration Fresh Hop IPA at the Mills River brewery. Enjoy the first pours of this seasonal favorite alongside live music from The Last Revel and small bites.

2026 Smoky Mountain Shootout Golf Tour: Grove Park Invitational

Sunday, October 18, 12 p.m.
Omni Grove Park Inn

Take on the historic Donald Ross-designed course at The Omni Grove Park Inn during the Grove Park Invitational, part of the Smoky Mountain Golf Tour. This one-day amateur tournament features a two-person best ball format, teams grouped by combined handicap, and guaranteed payouts of more than $1,000 per flight.

Sunday Social Oyster Roast

Sunday, October 18, 12 - 3 p.m. & 4 - 6:30 p.m.
Jettie Rae's

Jettie Rae’s wraps up its Sunday Social season with a Lowcountry-style oyster roast on the outdoor patio. Shuck freshly roasted oysters and dig into clam chowder, hush puppies with honey butter, Creole-spiced corn, and banana pudding while enjoying a relaxed afternoon of coastal flavors. Ticket purchase required.

Recurring Events

Eliada Corn Maze and Festival

Friday - Sunday, October 16-18 various times
Eilada Homes

Kick off fall with a trip through Eliada’s 8-acre corn maze, an Asheville tradition that turns weekends into autumn adventures. Take a tractor ride, bounce on the jumping pillow, tackle the maze, and enjoy games for the whole family.

The Haunted Trail

Friday-Saturday, October 16-17, 6 - 9 p.m.
Adventure Center of Asheville

Halloween comes to life along the Haunted Trail at the Adventure Center of Asheville, where families encounter 18 theatrical scenes filled with familiar characters, glowing skeletons, and plenty of playful scares. Continue the adventure on the illuminated Glow Trail, meet mermaids at Pirates Cove, play games, dance to Halloween music, and grab a bite during this family-friendly fall festival.

Luminere - FINAL WEEKEND!

Friday - Sunday, October 16-18, 4:30 p.m. - Nightfall
Biltmore

Experience Biltmore after dark as light, sound, and storytelling transform the estate into an immersive nighttime spectacle. Wander through illuminated gardens, glowing landscapes, and atmospheric installations that reveal a completely different side of America’s Largest Home.

Live Music, Comedy, Dance and Theatre

Asheville Music Hall

Friday, October 16:

• Patio Show: The 40, 20, 10s at Grey Eagle, 4:30 p.m.
• Asheville Drum Circle at Pritchard Park, 6 p.m.
• The Miller Sisters at French Broad River Brewery, 6 p.m.
• Sit a Spell |Traditional Music Jam at Ginger's Revenge, 6 p.m.
• Sunset Series - Live Music Fridays at Hemingway's Cuba, 6 p.m.
• SINGO! Music Bingo at 12 Bones Brewing, 6 p.m.
• The Tallest Man On Earth at Orange Peel, 7 p.m.
• PAN HARMONIA Celtic Corner Presents: Glencoe at Black Mountain Presbyterian, 7 p.m.
• Old Sap - Album Anniversary Show - Celebrating 10 Years of The Swan at AyurPrana Listening Room, 7 p.m.
• Andrew Scotchie at Sierra Nevada Brewing, 7 p.m.
• Modelface Comedy Presents Rob Haze at Funkatorium, 7 p.m.
• The Hope of Oz at Hazel Robsinson Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m.
• Joshua Ray Walker at Grey Eagle, 8 p.m.
• Don't Tell Comedy South Slope Asheville at Funkatorium, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 17:

• Luke Deuce at Sierra Nevada Brewing, 2 p.m.
• Live music with Todd Cecil and Dirt Yard Choir at Funkatorium, 2 p.m.
• StarTribe at Pack Square Park, 4:45 p.m.
• PATIO SHOW: The Scribblers & Killer Skillet at Grey Eagle, 5:30 p.m.
• DJ Night with The Art of House feat. Traveling with Jericho and Nex Millen at The Radical, 6 p.m.
• Maya De Vitry with Lyle De Vitry at AyurPrana Listening Room, 7 p.m.
• Gluten-Free Comedy: Dirty Chai Edition at Ginger's Revenge, 7 p.m.
• Misery at North Carolina State Company, 7:30 p.m.
• The Infamous Stringdusters at Pisgah Brewing, 7:30 p.m.
• Jeff Litte Trio at White Horse Black Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
• The Mind Reading Show at Story Parlor, 7:30 p.m.
• Carsie Blanton at Grey Eagle, 8 p.m.
• Iggy Radio at Bear's Back Alley Bar, 8 p.m.
• Log's Electric Space Whistle Sound Bath at Vintage Kava, 8 p.m.
• Asheville Symphony Masterworks 2: Nightfall at First Baptist Church of Asheville, 8 p.m.

Sunday, October 18: 

• Film Screening: American Pachuco at Asheville Art Museum, 2 p.m.
• Big Blue at Sierra Nevada Brewing, 2 p.m.
• Last of the Red Hot Lovers at Asheville Community Theatre, 2:30 p.m.
• FREE PATIO SHOW: East Coast Dirt at Grey Eagle, 3 p.m.
• Queer Girls Literary Reading at White Horse Black Mountain, 3 p.m.
• 369 Monologue and Short Play Festival part 4: Get Up STAND UP at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 3 p.m.
• Garrison Starr at Olivette Riverside Pavilion, 4 p.m.
• Homecoming Benefit Concert at Pisgah Brewing, 4 p.m.
• Asheville Comedy Night at LaZoom Room, 6 p.m.
• Misfit Improv Comedy Show at NC Stage Company, 6 p.m.
• Spooky Silly Skeletons, haunted comedy showcase at RAD Brewing, 7 p.m.
• Daniel Tosh: My First Farewell Tour at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 7 p.m.
• Comedy: David Nihill: Taking Tangents Tour at Grey Eagle, 7 p.m.
• Avery Anna at Orange Peel, 7 p.m.
• Lillie Syracuse Ft. Dulci Ellenberger at White Horse Black Mountain, 7:30 p.m.

Tailgate & Specialty Pop-Up Markets

Shop local at the Asheville area's numerous farmers, tailgate, and craft markets. Here's a look at some of the places you can shop this weekend:

• Swannanoa Community Yard Sale at Kearfott Corporation, Sat. 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Ooh La La Curiosity Market at Pritchard Park, Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Asheville Art in the Park at Pack Square Park, Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Asheville City Market at 52 North Market St., Sat. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Swannanoa Market at The Hub, Sat. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Life 107 Benefit– Pop-Up Market & Live Music at White Horse Black Mountain, Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• 5th Anniversary Sale/Party at Earth River Records, Sat. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Fall Fest Market at French Broad River Brewery, Sat. 12 - 4 p.m.
• Womyn Rising Artisan Market & Community Celebration at Hellbender, Sat. 2 - 7 p.m.
• Magical Market at House of Black Cat Magic, Sun. 12 - 6 p.m.
• Free at Sly Grog, Sun. 2 - 5 p.m.
• WNC Farmers Market at 570 Brevard Road, open 7 days a week, year-round, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.    

Visit an art studio or art exhibition 

Blue Spiral 1 Gallery

Asheville is home to hundreds of artists, galleries and studios making creative expression a way of life here in the mountains. Here is a look at some of the current art exhibitions in the city:

• Opening Reception: October's Ghost at Mark Bettis Gallery, Sat. 5 - 7 p.m.
• Special Event: LOOK CLOSER at Bottinelli Fine Art, Sat. 5 - 8 p.m.
• Special Event: CelebrateZimm! at 160 Broadway St., Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Luminere at Biltmore, through Oct. 18
• PostDiluvian Exhibition: The Work of Chrys Corn Goodman + Maryana Rivera at Pink Dog Gallery, through Oct. 25
• Drift, In and Out: Fine Art Exhibition by Linsey Gray at Table Asheville, through Oct. 28
• Katie Walker: "Laying it on the Line" at Blue Spiral 1, through Oct. 28
• Zack Noble at Blue Spiral 1, through Oct. 28
• "HOT POTS: Contemporary Clay" at Blue Spiral 1, through Oct. 28
• Freeze Frame: Sports Photography by Walter Iooss Jr. at Asheville Art Museum, through Nov. 15
• The Art of Paper at Asheville Art Museum, through Nov. 29
• Artist Open Studio at Artbeat Gallery & Lounge, through Dec. 31
• No Rain, No Flowers: The Art of Taylor Robenalt at Grovewood Gallery, through Dec. 31
• Warp, Weft, and the Grid at Asheville Art Museum, through Jan. 17
• On the Lathe: Shaping a Movement at Asheville Art Museum, through Mar. 21

Packages and Deals

Save some money this weekend with these special offers from area attractions and accommodations.

• Summit to Sip: Private Guided Hike & Wine Tasting at Pinecrest Bed & Breakfast
• Let Us Be Your Guest Bedroom: $50 Off the Third Night at The Inn at Amaris Farms
• Trolley ticket $25 special at Oakland Cottage B&B