The 2018 Picks

As this year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some truly extraordinary theater ranging from splashy musicals, moving dramas and locally written plays.

Asheville's thriving comedy scene remains active with local artists while also attracting major touring acts.

The past year has brought forth a bumper crop of superb albums in every genre from artists local (or with strong connections) to Asheville and the surrounding region.

In Western North Carolina, 2018 held numerous examples of the arts-infused actions aimed at collective liberation.

There are countless ways to see out the old year and welcome the new one. Read on for parties, concerts, dances and more.

While this city still has a long way to go to when it comes to equity and representation of diversity within the local art scene, 2018 showed strides in that…

Costumes and comic books Batman: 2018 was a big year for geek culture in Asheville.

The holiday program of music, dance, poetry and stories from Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Iceland returns to Asheville Community Theatre on Dec. 29.

The Asheville area is blessed with opportunities to groove and shimmy, nearly every day of the week.

Asheville-based roots rockers Paul Edelman and Dave Baker play Isis Music Hall on Dec. 29.

Each year, Xpress publishes the thoughtful, vibrant and engaging creative work of Western North Carolina K-12 students, along with listings of local and regional summer camps. The 2019 theme is…

From medals at prestigious national competitions to Asheville's oldest brewery changing its look after 24 years, 2018 was full of major brewing news.

Landmark restaurants changed hands, established chefs experimented with new concepts and Asheville lost one food festival and gained a new one.

In a city that's always hopping with food and drink events, here are a few that stood out from 2018.

From unexpected expansions to hemp beers, the local brewing industry overlapped in a handful of standout areas over the past year.

Several bars focusing on the creative end of mixed drinks opened in Asheville in 2018.

Feast of Seven Fishes returns to Strada Italiano. Also: New Year's celebrations at Postero, Golden Fleece, Jargon and Rustic Grape Wine Bar. Meanwhile Punk Wok returns to Buxton Hall Barbecue.

Health and wellness are always important topics in the life of our community, and this year was certainly no exception to that rule. Though developments in the proposed acquisition of…

From hemp to herd shares, 2018 was a year of growth and change for WNC farmers and gardeners.

Scott Douglas and Francis X. Friel pick their way through "a reasonable overview of a perfectly acceptable year at the movies." 2018, they said, involved watching many good films but…

“Roma” wins SEFCA’s Best Film of 2018 award, Asheville comedian Hilliary Begley stars in Netflix's "Dumplin’" and more.

Western North Carolina’s wild places and creatures lie at the heart of the region’s appeal, inspiring local artists and attracting visitors from across the globe. Events in 2018 promised to…

Twelve years: That’s how long humanity has left to hold global warming below the key level of 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to an October report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel…

Some community members who died in 2018 lived long and respected lives. Others met sudden ends by way of traffic accidents or illnesses, while some had their lives cut short…

As the investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene ground on into 2018, Buncombe County witnessed steady turnover in many of its top positions.

We are revisiting some of our best Instagram posts from 2018.

See what historical events captured readers' attention throughout 2018.

Asheville has gotten whiter over the past two decades. The proportion of African-American residents in the city dropped from 17.6 percent in 2000 to 12.3 percent in 2016, a change…

Even after a full year of developments in the criminal investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene, Buncombe County has still not reached the end of this tumultuous chapter in…

Local media operations mostly held their own in 2018. While the Citizen Times staff are now tenants in their historic building in downtown Asheville, the paper bagged first place for…

Asheville’s human population growth has been matched by an increase in the number of vehicles on the region's roads. Efforts to accommodate the resulting traffic — or move people around…

Asheville is an activist’s town, and 2018 controversies in local government, including the ongoing fallout from the investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene and the police beating of Asheville…

The history lessons and talks of 2018.

Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Kit Cramer weighed in on the year's top economic development accomplishments in Buncombe County, starting with funding progress on the Interstate 26…

As the Democratic Party retook control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections, Buncombe Dems managed to hold onto a few key positions in local elections…

Change proved the only constant among staff members in Asheville city government during 2018. Firings, resignations, reassignments and new hires left the city’s bureaucracy radically changed from its makeup at…

With apologies to Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a resident of Western North Carolina in possession of little fortune must be in want of affordable housing.…

Terry Joe Self was one of 22 homeless and formerly homeless people in Asheville remembered at an interfaith service Dec. 19 at Haywood Street. At the climax of the ceremony,…

On Dec. 19, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners met in closed session to winnow 33 applications it has received for the position to a more manageable number. The county…

"Well said, Martha S. Bradley, Esq. [“Women Didn't Kill Civic Clubs,” Dec. 12, Xpress]."

"They all know exactly where the improvements to I-26 should be made and when. With absolutely no idea how much their ingenious planning ideas will cost the taxpayers!"

Interim Buncombe County Manager George Wood summarizes some of the county's most notable achievements in 2018.

Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods' Chair Amy Kemp shares her perspective on issues that had the greatest impact on the city's neighborhoods in 2018.

"Why is it self-interested for people to work to preserve their medical services and ensure diverse representation on the DHT board, but altruistic for Mission board members to anoint themselves…

Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau's Stephanie Pace Brown makes her pitch for the area's tourism industry's top accomplishments of the past year.

According to news reports, Debra Campbell could have had her pick of city or county manager positions in the Southeast. Xpress asked why she chose Asheville.

The pay (just kidding). I get to represent the awesome people of Asheville, who are compassionate and truly care about making our community a better place to live for everyone…

Readers, you had a lot to say about local politics and civic goings-on in the region this year. From tourism and development to bears and the county government scandal, here’s…

Your continued participation in this locally focused journalistic conversation — this project of growing and sustaining a healthy, vibrant community whose members speak up for the changes that matter to…