The Asheville Area Invites Travelers to Make the Holidays Their Own in 2026

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 20, 2026) – This winter, the Asheville area offers travelers a holiday season that bends to fit them. Couples, friends, multigenerational families and solo visitors alike will find fresh ways to make each moment their own alongside iconic seasonal traditions like Christmas at Biltmore, Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum, and Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa's National Gingerbread House Competition. This year, the whole country gets a preview with the premiere of “A Grand Biltmore Christmas” on Saturday, Dec. 5. Filmed on location at Biltmore, it is the second Hallmark Channel movie set in Asheville and the follow-up to “A Biltmore Christmas,” which premiered in 2023. The new installment will give Hallmark Channel viewers a glimpse of Asheville as it appears every December, with a Gilded Age estate dressed for the season and a glowing, historic city just beyond the gates.  

Traditions, Made Personal: Nostalgic Asheville-area holiday events in 2026  

The Asheville area’s holiday calendar is built on traditions that travelers return to year after year. This holiday season, visitors can embrace what feels familiar while discovering a new layer to their favorite seasonal rituals.   

Christmas at Biltmore illuminates the estate | The iconic Asheville tradition returns for its 131st celebration with 36 decorated Christmas trees, 45,000 lights and 442 candles inside Biltmore House alone. At Candlelight Christmas Evenings, guests can experience the glow after dusk accompanied by live musicians and choral performances. This year’s celebrations are made even more special by the premiere of Hallmark’s “A Grand Biltmore Christmas.”  

Merry music rings through the mountains | Warren Haynes’s Christmas Jam returns for its 34th year on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena. The marathon night of music features Greta Van Fleet, The War on Drugs and Gov’t Mule and benefits local nonprofits like the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and BeLoved Asheville. For a more classical take on the season, Asheville Choral Society presents its annual Yuletide Candlelight performances Dec. 4-5, filling Central United Methodist Church with seasonal favorites from a range of holiday traditions. On New Year’s Eve, the Avett Brothers return to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena for a second consecutive year, ringing in 2027 alongside Mountain Grass Unit and Homeboy Sandman.  

Holiday favorites take center stage for families | Asheville Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 11-13 at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, while “Frozen” runs at Asheville Community Theatre Dec. 4-20, offering the perfect first-theater-trip opportunity for younger audiences. 
 
Tree lightings spark the season | Just 20 minutes from downtown Asheville in Black Mountain, Peri Social House lays claim to the title of tallest lit Christmas tree in North Carolina, marking the occasion on Nov. 27 with a tree lighting celebration featuring an outdoor concert, letters-to-Santa writing station, scavenger hunt and hot chocolate bar. The next night, the Grove Arcade’s Holiday Tree Lighting Block Party lights up downtown Asheville with live music, dance performances and a holiday market. 
 
Celebrations in the streets | Downtown Asheville fills with floats, vehicles, costumes and performances on Nov. 21 for The Asheville Holiday Parade. In Black Mountain, Holly Jolly opens the season on Dec. 4 with shops open late, carolers, live entertainment and a visit from Santa in the walkable downtown, followed the next afternoon by the Black Mountain Christmas Parade down State Street.   

Kwanzaa lights up the night | The YMI Cultural Center, one of the oldest Black cultural centers in the country, marks the season with an annual Kwanzaa celebration. The gathering features drumming and music, storytelling and candle-lighting led by local artists and community leaders. 

Togetherness, with Room to Breathe: Multigenerational holiday activities and restorative moments   

For many travelers, the holidays are about gathering loved ones and making memories together. At the same time, the high-energy season calls for more personal space and time to recharge. The Asheville area offers room for both, with activities that bring generations together and restorative experiences to unplug and unwind.  
 
Gingerbread memories and restorative moments | The iconic National Gingerbread House Competition returns to Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa for its 34th year, with the display open Nov. 17 through Jan. 3. After making memories marveling over the gingerbread creations, find respite with a treatment at the award-winning subterranean spa. In the evening, settle in by one of the Great Hall’s massive stone fireplaces, built for 12-foot logs, with a holiday cocktail or a mug of house-made hot cocoa. Stay to ring in the new year with a seasonal feast at the Blue Ridge Buffet followed by Havana After Dark at Grove Park, a Cuban-inspired party with a live band and midnight countdown in the Grand Ballroom.  
 
Contrast therapy with a mountain view | Asheville’s A-frame hotel for outdoor enthusiasts, Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, is adding a brand-new fireside sauna to its winter wellness repertoire. Starting Nov. 1, visitors can book the property’s cedar-paneled sauna overlooking the French Broad River, with a cold rain shower and a campfire gathering space to complete the retreat.  
 
A  holiday stroll in Biltmore Village | Enjoy family brunch at Corner Kitchen with favorites like shrimp n’ grits or southern fried chicken and waffles paired with a leisurely stroll through charming Biltmore Village to take in the holiday decorations. Stop by new dessert spots Affogato Gelato & Espresso and Lake Norman Cheesecakery for an afternoon pick-me-up. 
 
Festive tours roll through town | Explore downtown Asheville on a special holiday tour with Gray Line Trolley’s Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley Tour Nov. 13 through Dec. 30, sharing local lore, holiday traditions and carols led by an onboard musician. LaZoom’s Hey Asheville Holiday Comedy Tour runs Nov. 24 through Dec. 27, offering 90 minutes of laughter and a built-in beverage break at a local brewery.  

Raise a glass to the season | After a day of making memories, adults can recharge at a bar dressed for the season. Hemingway’s Cuba offers heated, enclosed rooftop cabanas with mountain views November through February. The newly renovated Pillar Rooftop Bar transforms into a winter hangout complete with festive cocktails. Tiki Easy Bar, the South Slope speakeasy tucked behind Hi-Wire Brewing, creates the perfect winter escape with Sippin’ Santa, a tropical twist on the holidays with island-themed decorations, rum cocktails and a “Secret Santa” menu Nov. 17 through December. West Asheville’s The Golden Pineapple presents Miracle on Haywood Road, a holiday pop-up with a lineup of seasonal cocktails including the “Christmas Cricket,” a mix of blanco tequila, vanilla, a minty amaro, coconut pandan cordial, heavy whipping cream and several dashes of chocolate-mole bitters.  

Local Creativity: Markets, pop-ups and hands-on workshops to shop, make and gift this holiday season 

Travelers want holiday experiences they can do, make and remember, and the Asheville area's creative community delivers. Local markets, working studios and hands-on workshops turn gift-giving into an experience and spotlight the makers who define the region's creative spirit.   
 
Gifts made by hand | Asheville-area workshops make gift-giving more meaningful. At the North Carolina Glass Center, visitors can sign up for a glass blowing class and leave with a one-of-a-kind creation. Ignite Jewelry Studios offers hands-on jewelry-making workshops for all levels. Local Cloth teaches weaving, natural dyeing and eco-printing with local plants, while Waxon Batik & Dye Studios offers classes for a range of dyeing techniques, from batik to ice dyeing to classic tie-dye. Visitors can find more opportunities to make their own holiday gifts at ExploreAsheville.com.  
 
Holiday decor with a personal touch | At Carolina Flowers visitors can make a dried-flower wreath in a morning workshop throughout the winter, leaving with a personalized keepsake that adds a floral touch to their homes in the chilly months. 

Limited-time and locally loved | Holiday pop-up shops offer an opportunity to discover a new local maker or vendor. Show & Tell Holiday Pop Up Shop brings together more than 100 vendors selling handmade goods like jewelry, ceramics, clothing and ornaments Nov. 6 through Dec. 24 inside the Asheville Mall. In downtown Asheville, local retailers Fields Outfitting and NANAI have transformed a vacant storefront into “Fields and Friends,” a concept shop open through November. It features handmade clothing, ceramics, textiles, home goods and one-of-a-kind objects from independent artisans in Latin America and the U.S., plus seasonal events with local artists and makers, including on-site custom embroidery, DJ sets and performances. 

Markets spotlight makers | The Asheville-area creative community comes together at markets to celebrate, support and shop local makers from across the region. On Dec. 5–6, The Big Crafty returns to ExploreAsheville.com Arena with handmade work from more than 100 local and regional makers, plus food, drink and live music. In Fairview, Hickory Nut Gap hosts a Holiday Market Social Nov. 29. The event features local makers, a live bluegrass Christmas jam, food and beverages, hayrides, crafts and more, all on a farm decorated for the season. The North Asheville Tailgate Market’s Holiday Bazaar rounds out the season with local produce, baked goods and handmade gifts like wreaths, pottery and jewelry.

Windows worth a stroll | Window shopping becomes a main event with the Asheville Downtown Association’s Winter Window Display Contest, and visitors can vote for their favorite. This year’s theme, “A Vintage Holiday,” draws on classic colors, nostalgic decorations and timeless holiday traditions.  

Holidays in the Mountains: Seasonal activities with a Blue Ridge Mountain twist

 The Blue Ridge Mountains provide a cozy backdrop filled with crackling fires, misty ridgelines and warm cabins that invite visitors to settle into the season.Festive lights glow against mountain views, and classic traditions get an Appalachian twist. Across the Asheville area, visitors are immersed in a holiday season that feels distinctly Blue Ridge.  
 
The million-light mile | Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum runs Nov. 13 through Jan. 3, with more than one million lights along a one-mile walk through the gardens. Highlights include a 50-foot Tree of Light and the illuminated Quilt Garden synchronized to the sounds of holiday classics, plus live music, hot cocoa and s’mores.  

Highland raises a glass to 30 years | Highland Brewing marks three decades of Cold Mountain Winter Ale with a celebration Nov. 12–16. A beer dinner by James Beard Award-winning chef Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm kicks things off, followed by a weekend of live music, specialty food, anniversary beer releases and the Cold Mountain Classic Volleyball Tournament on Nov. 13–15. 

All aboard in the mountains | The Polar Express Train Ride at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad runs Nov. 6 through Jan. 3 from Bryson City, about 75 minutes west of Asheville, for a trip to the “North Pole” featuring hot cocoa and a visit from Santa. 
 
Main Street glows | The Weaverville Candlelight Stroll fills Main Street in Weaverville, just north of Asheville, on Dec. 11 from 6-9 p.m. with holiday shopping, storytelling, music and crafts for kids for the 21st year. The town tree is lit at 6 p.m.  
 
Santa gets a mountain makeover | Nearby in Leicester, Storytime with Appalachian Santa at Montgomery Sky Farm on Dec. 20 pairs a Christmas story with a chocolate charcuterie board, warm refreshments and cookies, with families encouraged to wear pajamas. At Chimney Rock State Park, Santa on the Chimney on Dec. 5 sends Santa rappelling down the 315-foot Chimney Rock with Fox Mountain Guides, along with a hike with an elf, holiday crafts and live music. 

For a full list of Asheville area holiday events, visit ExploreAsheville.com/events. A gallery of images approved for editorial use is available for download here (Credit: ExploreAsheville.com).  

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About Asheville 

Asheville is where the season's quiet beauty meets bold creative expression. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, the city sits among ancient peaks that turn still and silver in winter, while its studios, stages and kitchens glow with life. For generations, this deeply rooted and ever-evolving community has welcomed travelers like family, and the holidays are when that spirit shines most.  

Plan your holiday getaway at ExploreAsheville.com. Explore Asheville is the official Destination Management Organization (DMO) of Asheville, North Carolina.