May Events in Transylvania County, NC

Ballroom Dance Group Lessons and Social Dancing – Mondays at 7 PM

Head to the DFR Lounge located at 44 East Main Street in Brevard for an hour of ballroom dance lessons, followed by social dancing! The cost to attend is $20, and this event is held every Monday.

White Squirrel Weekend – May 23 through May 25

Baby & Toddler Playdate – Tuesdays from 9AM to 12PM

This weekly gathering is the perfect opportunity for little ones to explore the outdoors in a space designed just for them, while parents can relax, connect, and enjoy the morning together.

Sip on a fresh-brewed coffee or indulge in a delicious snack from Brew Cycle and 99’ Ice Cream Bar, knowing your kiddos are having a blast in a safe and engaging environment. Plus, enjoy a free kids’ steamer with the purchase of any adult drink!

The Yard is located at 284 Railroad Avenue in Brevard.

The History of Lake Toxaway: An Independent Film Fundraiser

This class is designed for painters who have been instructed in preparing canvas, color mixing, composition, value, basic shapes, and drawing. The level of students would be Intermediate to Advanced.

Students will learn how to set up a still life, lighting, and filling in basic shapes with correct color selection and value. Lectures will cover shadow areas, reflections, and background selection to complete a painting. Relax and have fun in our non-judgmental, supportive art class. Each student will work at their own pace and will have personal attention in each class. All students should complete 2 or more original paintings. Discussions of realism, impressionism, and other styles of painting are encouraged. Any medium is acceptable to use, however application is primarily for oil. Click here for more information!

Elizabeth Rush, Terrance Hayes & Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle | Author Readings – May 16 & May 17

Join the Transylvania County Library Foundation and Brevard College for two unforgettable evenings of live readings and conversation with nationally acclaimed authors, part of the 2025 Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference.

Friday, May 16 – Porter Center, Brevard College (1 Brevard College Drive):

Award-winning novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, author of Even As We Breathe, will open the series with a reading and conversation. The first enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel, Clapsaddle is a celebrated voice in contemporary Appalachian and Native American literature. Her debut was a finalist for the Weatherford Award and was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. She lives in Cherokee, NC, where she also works as an educator and advocate for emerging writers.

Saturday, May 17 – Rogow Room, Transylvania County Library (212 S. Gaston Street):

Elizabeth Rush is the author of Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and The Quickening: Antarctica, Motherhood, and Cultivating Hope in a Warming World. Known for her elegant and urgent nonfiction, Rush writes about climate change through the lens of lived experience, vulnerability, and resilience. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Orion, and Harper’s, and she teaches creative nonfiction at Brown University.

Terrance Hayes is a poet and educator whose seven collections include Lighthead, winner of the National Book Award, and American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, a finalist for the National Book Award. His writing blends formal innovation with personal and cultural depth, exploring identity, history, and language. A former MacArthur Fellow, Hayes has received fellowships from the NEA and Guggenheim Foundation and currently teaches creative writing at NYU.

Each event includes a Q&A and book signing. Books available on-site from Highland Books.

Trailside Market at The Yard – Every Thursday at 4PM

Join the community from March through October, at The Yard, for a Trailside Market! Discover a vibrant gathering of local farmers, producers, and artisans offering fresh goods and handcrafted treasures. Enjoy live music, delicious treats, and a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere celebrating community and connection. Located at 284 Railroad Avenue in Brevard!

Annual Upper French Broad River Clean Up Day – Saturday, May 17

The Annual Upper French Broad River Clean Up Day remains the best volunteer gig in town: a free canoe ride down the river, along with a complimentary breakfast, lunch, and all the garbage bags you can fill. Since the inception of “The Upper French Broad River Clean Up Day” in 1992, the annual river clean-up has netted more than 2,900 garbage bags, 4,500 old tires, and roughly 13 additional tons of trash along the Upper French Broad River. Over 3,000 volunteers have participated in the event, many of them returning year after year. Click here for more information!

KOKEDAMA MOSS PLANTING WORKSHOP WITH JULIE GUY – Saturday, May 17

Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Japanese gardening with our Kokedama Workshop. Kokedama, which translates to ‘moss ball’, is a traditional Japanese art form where the root ball of a plant is wrapped in moss and can be suspended in the air or displayed as a decorative centerpiece. Kokedama can last for years with proper care and watering!

In this workshop, Julie will present the fundamentals of working with Kokedama method, resulting in a living piece of art for you to take home. Plants will be sourced through our local vendor, Farmhouse Foliage, so that we can keep it local! Click here for more information!

Sowing Seeds of Wisdom with Laura Sperry – Saturday, May 17

Herbalist and Historian Laura Sperry delves into the age-old tradition of “Planting by the Signs.”  This program is part of the “Mountain Legacies: Exploring Appalachian Culture” exhibit and program series, which celebrates the resilience, ingenuity, and cultural fusion of Appalachia through crafts, trade, and traditions. It is supported by a grant from the NC Humanities. 

Square Dance Brevard – Last Friday of Every Month

Put on your dancing shoes and hit the dance floor! Learn to square dance at Grace Brevard, located at 55 East Jordan Street. The suggested contribution is $10. Click here for more information.

Outdoor Bluegrass Jam and Community Potluck – Saturdays from 2 PM to 4 PM

From the Cedar Mountain Canteen: This jam will cater to musicians who love Bluegrass music, in its traditional and non-traditional styles. We will focus on songs that feature vocal melodies, harmonies, and instrumental breaks. Typical instrumentation includes guitars, banjos, mandolins, resophonic guitars (Dobros), fiddles, and a bass, but we welcome other instruments like the dulcimer, ukulele, harmonica, and autoharp, too. *This is a ZERO WASTE event, so bring what you need from home!*

Check out the Cedar Mountain Canteen’s Facebook page for the performance schedule!

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class with Reneee Trudeau – Sundays from 9:30 AM to 11 AM

Join a supportive, relaxed, welcoming environment for an expressive movement class designed to help you get unstuck, enjoy cardio movement, boost immune health, dissolve anxiety/stress, and celebrate community. Show up 10 minutes early, and bring your yoga mat, water bottle, and journal! The class is located at the Dunns Rock Community Center at 461 Connestee Road in Brevard. Click here for more information.

Transylvania Farmers Market- Weekly on Saturdays

The Transylvania Farmers Market is a local favorite in Downtown Brevard. Held every Saturday from 10 AM to 12 PM at 200 East Main Street. Browse local vendors for handmade and baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, live music, and more! Check out the vendor schedule here.

Transylvania Heritage Museum

Join the Transylvania Heritage Museum every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 3 PM for their Mountain Legacies: Exploring Appalachian Culture event. The museum is located at 189 West Main Street in Brevard and is open every Thursday through Sunday from 12 PM to 4 PM.

Brevard Music Center

Brevard Music Center is a staple here in Brevard for concerts, festivals, and education. They host an annual Summer Festival that draws hundreds of music lovers to Brevard. Take a look at the remaining summer concerts and upcoming events here.

Brevard Philharmonic presents All-American Finale – Sunday, May 18

Join us for a powerful season finale that celebrates the brilliance and creativity of American composers. The program features Hailstork’s Fanfare on Amazing Grace, Barber’s Violin Concerto and Adagio for Strings, and Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo.

Guest artist William Shaub, acclaimed violinist and Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, brings his Juilliard-trained artistry to this unforgettable performance. Celebrate the bold spirit of American orchestral music with us! Click here to buy tickets.

Community Yoga At The Yard – Sunday, May 10, 10AM to 11AM

Join us for a gentle, inclusive morning yoga flow in the open air at The Yard. This one-hour class is designed for all levels and all bodies; come as you are.

After class, stick around to connect and enjoy your favorite sip from the beloved Brew Cycle airstream—coffee, matcha, smoothies, tea, or even ice cream if that’s your vibe!

The Family Place’s Day Out with Deerwoode Reserve

Blue Ghost Firefly Tours

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. 

The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. 

You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 8:45 pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm.

Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! Click here for more information!