The Explore Asheville Event Calendar is one of the most popular pages on our website—a go-to resource showcasing the vibrant events happening across Buncombe County. We’re excited to share that we've expanded our main event calendar into three distinct calendars, designed to serve more audiences!

Now, your events will appear on either the Leisure Event Calendar, the For Locals Event Calendar, or the Industry Event Calendar, based on how you categorize them on the event submission form. Read the breakdown below.

Tagging your events correctly ensures they reach the right audiences. Check out the Comprehensive Guide to the Explore Asheville Event Calendar below for more details on submitting events, our new calendars, and tagging events.

Asheville has received $225 million in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds following Hurricane Helene. The City of Asheville's Small Business Support Program will use up to $17 million of that total to directly support small businesses through grants and technical assistance focused on keeping doors open, retaining jobs, and re-establishing operations.

The Small Business Support Program is open to both small businesses recovering from Helene and new small businesses helping our economy diversify and recover. For full eligibility requirements, click here.

What's Happening Now

A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) opened at the end of October for organizations to apply to help disburse financial assistance to eligible small businesses. This NOFO is not for small business owners. There is nothing business owners need to apply for or fill out at this time.

How to Prepare

Applications for small businesses are expected to open in spring 2026. Here's what you can do now to be ready:

• Gather tax statements, profit-and-loss records, and proof of ownership.
• Register for a Unique Entity ID (UEI) at sam.gov if you don’t already have one.
• Register for a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code at cage.dla.mil if you don’t already have one.
• Confirm your NAICS code to determine eligibility at naics.com
  
  

Residents and business owners of Swannanoa are being invited to help shape the future of their community through the Swannanoa Small Area & Resilience Plan. A dedicated Swannanoa Steering Committee of 13 local volunteers has been working with the community to develop a shared vision for the future of Swannanoa. 

Vision Statement Poll Now Open

Using feedback from recent public input, the committee has drafted a Vision Statement that it hopes reflects the community’s aspirations and priorities. A new poll invites residents to review the draft Vision Statement, provide feedback, and share their thoughts on what areas should be prioritized in the Swannanoa Small Area & Resilience Plan. The poll will remain open through January.

Community Design Workshop - December 3

Swannanoa residents and business owners are also invited to attend the kickoff Community Design Workshop to share input and ideas regarding future development, conservation, resilience to future hazards, and growth in the area. Drop in Dec. 3 at the Owen Middle School cafeteria from 4:30–7:30 p.m. Free pizza will be provided for attendees from Swannanoa’s own Good Company Pizza. 

Learn more about the Swannanoa Small Area Plan and Steering Committee’s progress at engage.buncombecounty.org/swannanoasmallarea.

In case you missed it: during the October 29 BCTDA board meeting, County Commissioner Terri Wells shared essential food assistance resources currently available to residents in need, as well as ways the community can lend a hand. 

Getting Assistance

• MANNA Foodbank makes it easy to find food near you here
• Food Connection serves to-go meals weekly: Tuesdays (Fairview), Wednesdays (Leicester), Thursdays (Candler), Fridays (Weaverville), Saturdays (Swannanoa)
• Community Engagement Markets provide food in the form of groceries at rotating locations throughout the month
• YMCA Mobile Markets deliver free groceries to various sites across the community
• For more community food resources, click here.

County-Wide Food Drive

Buncombe County is running a county-wide food drive to support MANNA FoodBank, which serves more than 137,000 people per month in WNC. The food drive is prioritizing shelf-stable foods like canned fruits and vegetables, proteins like chicken and tuna (pouches preferred), and dried beans and rice. 

Drop off non-perishable food at any one of the 12 library branches during hours of operation now through Nov. 25. We recommend reading the full list of MANNA's most-needed items so our neighbors can eat healthy foods.

• 828 Golf SIM
• Ace and Eagle
• Artbeat Gallery and Lounge
• Artful Way
• Asheville Acai Co
• Catering by Corey
• Ella
• Finch Gourmet Market and Wine
• Harry's Car Service LLC
• Little Jumbo
• Magic Rocket Vintage
• Moonwater Beverages
• Nicolette Leigh Arts
• Nightshade
• PennyCup East Asheville
• PennyCup North Asheville

• PennyCup RAD
• PennyCup Woodfin
• PennyCup at the YMI
• Periscope Bar
• Plant Bar - Coffee and Tea: South Slope
• Quench! Wine Bistro
• RAD Rendezvous
• ReMix It
• Revival
• SSS Studio LLC - Scott S. Smith Photographer
• Thrive Coworking - Asheville
• Western North Carolina Disc Golf Association