Asheville's Must-Attend Events & Biz Tips for May 21 - 28

From plateau-bustin' sessions to AI marketing hacks and can't-miss concerts. Here's your weekly guide to Asheville's vibrant scene.

Author

Jason De Los Santos
May 21, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Welcome to AVL BIZ Weekly—your local cheat sheet for what’s happening in Asheville’s small business and creative scenes.

Each week, I send out hand-picked events, marketing ideas that actually work, and a little local flavor to keep things fun.

My name's Jason and I'm writing this (connect with me here).

Spring in Asheville means one thing: the smell of honeysuckle, humidity creeping back into our lives, and more local events than parking spots downtown. If your calendar looks like a spilled smoothie of color-coded Google invites, you’re not alone.

This week’s newsletter has the goods: legit business events (no elevator pitches required), marketing wins that don’t involve TikTok dances, and concerts that’ll have your Airbnbs booked solid. Let’s get to it before another pop-up thunderstorm eats your Wi-Fi.

On Deck

  • 🗓️ This week’s in-person business workshops & networking

  • 📣 Marketing Quickies: The Google trick that boosts your rankings fast

  • 🎭 Fun Stuff: arts, drag & downtown festivals

  • 🎸 Bands on the Horizon: concerts you won’t want to miss

  • 🙋 Want your biz featured in front of a few really smart AVL business owners? Email me for details

Upcoming Events

  • 🗓️ Jazz for Justice – Wednesday, May 28 · 5:30 PM-8:00 PM @ Highland Brewing. Support legal aid and anti-poverty work while enjoying live music, local bites, and inspiring stories. Early bird tickets are $50, general admission $60-all for a cause that makes our community stronger.

  • 🗓️ AI for Business Owners Workshop – Wednesday, May 28 · 10:00 AM-12:00 PM @ Virtual Event. Stop being intimidated by AI and start putting it to work. This free workshop shows you practical tools that actually save time instead of creating more tech headaches.

  • 🗓️ Marketing & Branding Essentials Course | Friday, May 30 - Jul 11 · 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM @ Mountain BizWorks Asheville Office, 153 S. Lexington Ave, Asheville.

  • Simple Steps to a Marketing Plan Finding Your Audience: How to Attract Your Dream Clients | Friday, May 23 · 11:00 AM–1:00 PM @ Center for Craft, led by Jacqueline Boone. Learn to define and connect with your ideal customers

  • 2025 PROpel AVL Awards Celebration | Thursday, May 22, 2025 · 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM @ The Barn at Honeysuckle Hill. Celebrate young talent with Cookie Carter as MC and DJ Molly Parti.

Hosting something cool?

📬 Hit reply and tell me what you think. Or share an event!

Marketing Quickies

I’m a marketer and educator at heart. Here I’ll share interesting links that you can apply to your business to get more leads, make your life easier, hire better, and grow your business.

  • Tip 1: Create & Schedule in Advance

    Use Hootsuite’s Composer (or similar) to batch-create posts with AI tools, then schedule them for your audience’s peak times. No more scrambling for last-minute content.

  • Tip 2: Boost Local SEO with Weekly GBP Photos
    Upload fresh photos to your Google Business Profile every week—businesses that add photos see 42% more direction requests and 35% more website click-throughs, directly driving in-store traffic.

    🆘 If this stuff makes your head spin 🤪, or need help getting more local customers, shoot me a message. This is what I do 🙂

Fun Stuff Around AVL

  • 🗓️ ABSFest: American Burlesque & Sideshow | Sat, May 24 · 8:00 PM @ The Orange Peel – A jaw-dropping blend of cabaret, circus acts, and attitude. Perfect for a team outing (if your company is that cool).

  • 🗓️ Comedy at Catawba Brewing featuring Kate Willett | Fri, May 23 · 7:00 PM @ Catawba Brewing Co – Local comics and surprise headliners. Because laughter really is the best stress relief after tax season.

Bands on the Horizon

  • Julianna Jade & The Wild w/ McKinney & Eli Kahn – May 21 @ Pulp

  • Richard Shindell – May 21 @ The Grey Eagle

  • Many a Ship – May 21 @ The Grey Eagle

  • PHUNCLE SAM – May 25 @ Hatch Amphitheater

  • All Crawfish Go to Heaven – May 26 @ The Grey Eagle

  • Nolan Taylor – May 24 @ The Grey Eagle

  • Laurie Anne – May 24 @ The Grey Eagle

  • The Hill Country Devil – May 24 @ The Grey Eagle

  • The MGBs with the Rhythm Rockits – May 28 @ Pulp

  • Andrew Duhon – May 28 @ The Grey Eagle

  • Dark Star Orchestra – May 31 @ Asheville Yards Amphitheater – Grateful Dead tribute with a loyal cult following

  • Thee Sacred Souls – May 31 @ The Orange Peel – Funk-laden grooves that’ll keep you dancing all night

That’s all for this week!

Go make something awesome happen this week, Asheville. I’ll see you next Thursday!

Email me here and tell me what you think, or let me know about an event you’re hosting.

Until next week,

-Jason

Jason De Los Santos
Pixelated Stories Digital Marketing
(828) 585-4293