Community Calendar

ABSFest Friday FanDom Nerdlesque
VIP Doors: 7:00 PM
GA Doors: 7:30 PM
Show: 8:00 PM
AGES 18+
SEATED SHOW
LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE
Purchase Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/s/38222122
ABSFEST FRIDAY FANDOM NERDLESQUE
We're bringing back our Friday Nerdlesque show for our 17th year, bringing together national burlesque, sideshow and variety artists! See your favorite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Music and Pop Culture FanDoms flying their freak flags. Hosted by Atlanta’s stunning Lady of Leg-i-Tude, Lola LeSoleil!
VIPs enjoy Preferential Seating, VIP goodies, AND a special VIP show with doors at 7pm.
General Admission doors at 7:30pm.
Raffle benefits Sister Kitten animal rescue.

The 30th Annual Upstate Shakespeare Festival in beautiful Falls Park in downtown Greenville, SC features A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM opening May 21st, 2026 and runs through June 21st, followed by THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN running July 9th – 25th. This is not your English teacher's Shakespeare! Bring your dog, your kids, your cousin's wife's best friend, or a bottle of wine and a picnic basket. Admission is free and open to the public, and donations are greatly appreciated. Performances are Thursdays - Sundays at 7pm and run approximately 90 minutes with no intermission, weather permitting.

Harvest Moon was formed to pay tribute to the legendary career of Neil Young and CSN&Y.

AGES 18+

SEATED SHOW

LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE

ABSFEST FRIDAY FANDOM NERDLESQUE

We’re bringing back our Friday Nerdlesque show for our 17th year, bringing together national burlesque, sideshow and variety artists! See your favorite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Music and Pop Culture FanDoms flying their freak flags. Hosted by Atlanta’s stunning Lady of Leg-i-Tude, Lola LeSoleil!

VIPs enjoy Preferential Seating, VIP goodies, AND a special VIP show with doors at 7pm.

General Admission doors at 7:30pm.

Raffle benefits Sister Kitten animal rescue.

This popular shutterbug weekend includes presentations from top nature photographers, hands-on field courses, a friendly contest and the rare opportunity to photograph the mountain’s spectacular scenery before and after regular business hours.

This popular weekend welcomes all levels of photographers, making it fun and engaging no matter what your skill level is – while better connecting participants with the wonders and unique ecology of Grandfather Mountain. This year, more than ever, we hope to not only help participants learn about photography, but to also inspire them to preserve the natural world. Activities begin Friday evening and conclude Sunday midday. Registration opens April 9 at 10 a.m. and closes June 4 at 12 p.m. or when the event sells out. Advance registration required.

You’re invited to the 4th annual Trails & Trains Festival this June 4-6, 2026! Mark your calendar and help us celebrate the Great Trails State by joining us in downtown Old Fort, North Carolina. Come celebrate with us the rich history of our Blue Ridge Mountain community by focusing on its pathways and connections through the town’s notable railroad and Pisgah National Forest history. Keynote Speaker John Kelly, live music from renowned bluegrass musicians, and exhibitor booths from outdoor recreation brands. Vendor Village and Food Trucks.

The word craft-itarianism was coined by 2026 Center for Craft Curatorial Fellow Alyssa Velazquez to name artistic projects that generate employment, raise awareness, or offer therapeutic support through craft. These programs provide a space where people affected by addiction, incarceration, and gun violence can find solidarity while learning a skill.

Craft-itarianism: Community Action Through Craft celebrates nonprofits and artists who believe in—and actively practice—the power of craft to support and empower individuals and communities.

This exhibition was curated by 2026 Center for Craft Curatorial Fellow Alyssa Velazquez. Launched in 2017, the Curatorial Fellowship supports emerging curators exploring new ideas about craft with mentorship, professional development, and a $5,000 honorarium to realize an exhibition.

On view February 27, 2026–September 27, 2026.

A Conversation about Kundalini Yoga and Ayurvedic Wisdom with Dr. Vasant Lad and Jai Dev
Renowned Ayurvedic physician and scholar Dr. Vasant Lad joins internationally recognized Kundalini Yoga and Ayurveda teacher Jai Dev Singh, founder of the global training institution Life-Force Academy, for a live public dialogue examining the relationship between Kundalini Yoga and the classical Ayurvedic tradition. Together, the two teachers will explore how these traditions approach balance, vitality, perception, and human consciousness through both practice and lived experience. Presented in an intimate conversational format rather than as a formal lecture, the gathering offers a rare opportunity to witness an unscripted exchange between contemporary stewards of enduring wisdom traditions.
Dr. Vasant Lad
A native of India, Vasant Lad’s illustrious 40+ year career includes his service as Medical Director at the Ayurveda Hospital in Pune, India, for 3 years and Professor of Clinical Medicine at Pune University College of Ayurvedic Medicine for 15 years. He holds a Bachelor’s of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAM&S) from the University of Pune and a Master’s of Ayurvedic Science (MASc) degree from Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya. Vasant Lad’s training includes the study of Allopathy (Western medicine) and surgery. He established The Ayurvedic Institute in 1984 – the first Ayurvedic School in the U.S. – which is training Ayurvedic professionals in Asheville, NC. He is the author of 12 books (with over 700,000 copies in print in the U.S. alone), and his work has been translated into more than 20 languages. Vasant Lad is considered to be the premiere authority on Ayurveda outside of India.
Jai Dev Singh
Jai Dev Singh is a renowned international teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Ayurveda, and founder of Life- Force Academy (LFA), a global training academy for the yogic arts and sciences with members in over 60 countries around the world.
Jai Dev was raised by a loving Jewish family in upstate South Carolina. While his family environment was nurturing, there was a lingering sense that he didn’t quite fit in. As a young man, he developed health challenges. While modern medicine offered temporary relief, it couldn’t get to the root of the problem. This led him on a search for true health and a deeper understanding of the human body that has taken him across the world and back.
His intense love of music brought him to Middle Tennessee State University where he studied Production in the Recording Industry. It was in college that he found himself at his very first Kundalini Yoga class. Jai Dev didn’t know much about yoga but was magnetically drawn to it. After one class he was hooked and thus began his life-changing yogic journey.
Inspired by his teacher, Jai Dev soon began to teach himself. He almost immediately attracted an audience of eager students, making it clear early on that he had uncovered a natural gift that he continues to nurture to this day.
Over the years Jai Dev trained extensively in Kundalini Yoga and a variety of other yogic traditions. He moved to Nevada City, CA to study Ayurveda. There, he discovered the true root of his health issues and exactly how imbalances in the mind and body occur. This led him on an incredible path to restoration, healing, and teaching others how to do the same. After graduating, he became the Clinical Director at the College of Ayurveda until his teaching demands led him to create his own training school: The Life-Force Academy.
Jai Dev travels the world with LFA’s mission to help people restore their inner vitality, connect to their genuine sense of purpose, and learn to live a happy life. LFA offers (virtual and in-person) courses and workshops on Kundalini Yoga, Ayurveda, and meditation. The courses are designed to improve your health, mental wellness, inner-confidence, increase prosperity, and so much more. Jai Dev’s down-to-earth sensibility and humor, combined with a creative delivery of yogic teachings have influenced thousands of practitioners and teachers around the globe.
Today, Jai Dev is based in Nevada City, California. When not running his global training academy, he enjoys basketball, spending time with his son, and experiencing as much live music as possible.

Tour River Arts Studio tour, celebrating over 100 local artisans from Yancey, Mitchell and Avery Counties. Interact with local artisans in their studios and galleries. Celebrating 50 years of supporting the arts in Western North Carolina.

The Weirdo Arts & Community Flea Market is back in full effect starting May 2 11am-4pm, at Poe West Greenville! 556 Perry Ave. Sponsored by @sixandtwenty distillery! This will be our second year at the Poe West development in the Village Arts District of West Greenville. Every first Saturday of the month, May-December, (no market July) there will be over 75 unique local vendors of all types set up showcasing their items for sale. We will also have live music from fun local bands. And if you’re hungry, Fermetery Mobile Kitchen will be serving pizza, salads and pickles. (These are the same chefs that owned Carolina Bauernhaus, same delicious pizza you remember!) Grab a drink from Six & Twenty Distillery, Unlocked Coffee and grab a dessert from La Rue Chocolate! So much to see and do! Become a part of our amazing and inspiring market, support small businesses and tell your friends! See you there! Free parking and entry! (DM us for info on vending. Registration begins at the end of February.)