Quite a few of this year’s NC Christmas events kick off on Thanksgiving weekend, with everything from Turkey Trot 5K runs to Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and holiday markets.
Honestly, it’s a great time to go to Western North Carolina, have a beautiful weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and get into the Christmas spirit right as December arrives.
Whether you visit the Great Smoky Mountains, Pisgah National Forest, or the NC High Country, a WNC Christmas celebration is sure to be festive.
Check out our guide to 20 Western NC Christmas celebrations worth visiting on Thanksgiving weekend!
READ MORE: 40 NC Mountain Towns Officially Open to Visitors
WNC Thanksgiving Weekend Guide
- Asheville
- Banner Elk
- Beech Mountain
- Black Mountain
- Blowing Rock
- Boone
- Brevard
- Bryson City
- Cashiers
- Cherokee
- Elkin
- Forest City
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Hickory
- Highlands
- McAdenville
- Sylva
- Tyron
- Waynesville
READ MORE: 20 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Blue Ridge Mountains
1. Asheville NC
There’s tons of good stuff going on in Asheville on Thanksgiving weekend.
Christmas at the Biltmore will be underway. Shops in Biltmore Village and Downtown Asheville will be stocked and ready for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Thanksgiving weekend is also one of the most popular times for heading to pick your Christmas tree at nearby tree farms.
Other events to check out are Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum, the Gingerbread House Competition at Grove Park Inn.
READ MORE: 18 Festive Ways to Celebrate an Asheville NC Christmas
2. Banner Elk NC
Our favorite Banner Elk shops are welcoming Christmas gift-buyers. Banner Elk restaurants will be serving up helpings of holiday cheer to go with their food, which has made this little North Carolina mountain town a culinary hotspot in the High Country.
The hotspots just outside of town can also help on this holiday mission. Snow Skiing season at Sugar Mountain Resort and Beech Mountain Ski Resort officially begins Thanksgiving weekend, with real snow falling as we write this!
And of course the NC High Country has some of the best Christmas tree farms in North Carolina for selecting choose-and-cut Christmas trees.
READ MORE: 10 Ways to Celebrate A Small Town Christmas in Banner Elk NC
3. Beech Mountain NC
Nothing makes Thanksgiving weekend smack of yuletide cheer quite like a pile of snow.
Beech Mountain will be opening their ski slopes in late November. Winter activities such as snow tubing, sledding, snowboarding, and snow skiing will be in full swing.
Other fun activities include the Annual Parade of Wreaths, where participants will have the opportunity to decorate their own Christmas wreaths.
The Holiday Market will also be open. It’s the perfect place for buying ornaments, artwork, pottery, crafts, soaps, woodwork, jewelry and more!
READ MORE: The 15 Best Christmas Towns in North Carolina
4. Black Mountain NC
Get ready for the Holly Jolly Kickoff which transforms downtown into something out of a Halmark Movie with magical lights and a Christmas Market.
On Saturday, be sure to check out the Christmas Parade, and the Circle of Lights event when the entire lake sparkles with a symphony of twinkling lights. Shops in Black Mountain’s Town Square will also be open for Small Business Saturday,
On Sunday, Holiday Stay-N-Play gets going at Christmount Christian Assembly and you can enjoy over 40 decorated Christmas Trees at the Deck The Trees event viewable around local businesses and at the Historic Monte Vista Hotel.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Christmas Parades in North Carolina
5. Blowing Rock NC
Blowing Rock NC is a fun place to be all year round, but the town is particularly magical around Christmas time.
It really gets going with Christmas in the Park,. It includes photos with Santa, carnival games, hayrides, live music, and the lighting of the town.
Saturday morning continues the party with the Blowing Rock Christmas Parade, with its floats, animals, and holiday cheer.
Other draws include carriage rides at Chetola Resort, as well as visiting choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms to find an authentic Christmas centerpiece.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Places to Celebrate Christmas in NC
6. Boone NC
Boone NC is ready to roll this Christmas, and the festivities this Thanksgiving weekend will leave little doubt that “It’s the Holiday Season.”
Located between Boone and Blowing Rock, the Tweetsie Christmas celebration includes open-air Christmas train rides, family activities, sing-alongs, s’mores by the fire, and other holiday treats.
The Festival of Lights at Chetola Resort is free to the public, and open nightly from 5 to 10 PM. In addition to thousands of Christmas lights, there are numerous charming holiday scenes to enjoy.
If you’re in the mood for a Scottish Yuletide Spectacular, check out the Highland Holiday Show at The Appalachian Theatre on Saturday night.
READ MORE: The 12 Best Boone NC Christmas Tree Farms
7. Brevard NC
A small town in NC that functions as a weekend gateway for both Pisgah National Forest and Dupont State Forest, Brevard is a hub of tourism all year-round.
It has all the charm you need for a quaint, Hallmark-style Christmas.
On Thanksgiving weekend, Brevard’s ATOM Aluminum Christmas Tree Exhibit will still be underway, and the Cedar Mountain Holiday Artisan Market will be just a few miles up the road.
But the big draw in town that weekend is the Holiday Window Competition, which will close a week later, with winners announced in early January.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Restaurants in Brevard NC for Foodies
8. Bryson City NC
Christmas gets crazy in Bryson City NC, one of the most popular hubs for holiday celebrations in Western North Carolina. The shopping, the chilly mountain air, and the prevailing spirit are just part of what’s going down.
The Great Smoky Mountain Railway runs Polar Express Christmas train rides through the Great Smoky Mountains throughout November and December.
If those tickets are sold out (or just too pricy for your budget), try the Drive-Through Smoky Mountain Christmas Light Spectacular.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Holiday Market will open, and the Downtown Light Display (with an oversized Christmas tree) will be lighting up the Downtown square.
READ MORE: 10 Festive Things to Do During Christmas in Bryson City NC
9. Cashiers NC
For those closer to the southernmost part of Western North Carolina, Cashiers NC might be the place to explore on Thanksgiving weekend.
Their Village Green will be decorated with all the trimmings, and all activities are family-friendly and free for visitors.
Highlights include Santa On The Green, Lights On The Green, and a Mistletoe Market all day long on Friday.
It’s a good idea to reserve space with Santa, which can be done online.
READ MORE: The 30 Best North Carolina Christmas Events
10. Cherokee NC
Heading to a Native American-run town on Thanksgiving weekend may not be seem like the most PC way to address a somewhat controversial holiday.
However, the town of Cherokee NC in the Qualla Boundary loves the Christmas spirit!
Oconaluftee Island is transformed into a winter wonderland of light displays, holiday music, and seasonal decorations.
Activities available at the Enchanted Island of Lights include ice skating, a food truck rodeo, visits with Santa, hot cocoa by the campfire, and plenty of festiveness. The Cherokee Christmas Parade kicks off on in mid December.
READ MORE: 20 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Smoky Mountains (NC & TN)
11. Elkin NC
Located in the fertile Yadkin Valley, Elkin is a small North Carolina mountain town that offers historic buildings, artisanal Appalachian traditions and loads of outdoor recreation options.
Christmas in Elkin starts with the Cypress Trails Festive Forest Winter Light Show. It has 3 different themed walking trails, a fire pit, holiday photo spots, and a new lighted maze.
Thanksgiving weekend also includes the Holly Jolly Marketplace, a fundraiser for local scouts, and Trim a Tree for Charity featuring decorated trees in the lot beside the Heritage Center.
The town’s main Christmas event, Light Up Elkin is the first Friday in December, with Santa’s arrival, late night holiday shopping, hayrides, train rides, live entertainment, holiday market vendors, a live nativity, and more!
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Elkin NC & the Yadkin Valley
12. Forest City NC
Forest City is always one of the top Christmas Towns for holiday cheer in Western NC!
Located about 25 miles east of Lake Lure & Tryon, the town starts its Christmas festivities on Thanksgiving night with the annual Forest City tree-lighting ceremony.
There will be an ice-skating rink and visits with Santa at the Pavilion on Park Square, Christmas carols sung by a local quartet, and a DJ spinning festive Christmas tunes.
The weekend culminates with the Forest City Christmas parade on Sunday.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Places to See Christmas Lights in North Carolina
13. Franklin NC
The town of Franklin NC will be holding a serious Christmas celebration on Saturday, Nov 30.
Along with Small Business Saturday, with loads of independent shops hawking their holiday wares, Franklin NC will hold its annual Winter Wonderland event.
This beloved community event offers free carriage rides and wagon rides as well as an opportunity to meet Santa. Live music will also be offered at the gazebo on the town square.
In the evening, the Tree Lighting ceremony begins at 7 PM, with a Candlelight Service shortly thereafter.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Places to Celebrate Christmas in NC
14. Hendersonville NC
Hendersonville NC offers a pleasant mixture of small-town loveliness with city-inspired restaurants and shops. The town’s Main Street is delightfully pedestrian, yet the population is stout enough to support real businesses.
Thanksgiving weekend has lots going on in town. Their Hendersonville Tree Lighting Ceremony runs from 5 to 8PM on Friday, including the lighting of Downtown and carriage rides.
In nearby Flat Rock, A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas offers a professional song-and-dance production of timeless holiday classics and modern favorites.
Herdersonville’s Home For the Holidays celebration also includes A Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt, Wine in Winter Wonder at Marked Tree Vineyard, the Hendersonville Christmas Parade.
READ MORE: Celebrating Christmas in Hendersonville NC: Home For the Holidays
15. Hickory NC
The town of Hickory has us moving towards the NC Piedmont, but it has to make this year’s list because their “Holidaypalooza” celebration is just too darn enticing to miss.
Although the Hickory NC Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony are held the weekend before Thanksgiving, the following weekend has a heap of holiday fun on offer.
Bright Star Theatre is putting on “Holidays Around the World,” and the town is embracing Shop Small Saturday. The Hickory Museum of Art is having a special sale on Friday, and the Winter Farmers Market is open on Saturday.
Downtown Hickory has really upped its game in recent years, and the holidays are a great time to check it out!
READ MORE: 20 Ways to Celebrate Christmas in the Blue Ridge Mountains
16. Highlands NC
The Christmas activities in Highlands NC occupy most of Thanksgiving week, not just Thanksgiving weekend.
Fun outdoor things to do include ice skating in the park, Walking Wednesday on Whiteside Mountain Trail.
On the weekend proper, The Bascom Center for Visual Arts hosts a Gingerbread Workshop, and Mark O’Connor’s Appalachian Christmas will be performed at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.
On Saturday, Light Up The Park and Santa in Highlands is scheduled from 6 to 8PM, offering holiday fun for families and elves of all ages!
READ MORE: 20 Awesome Things to Do for Winter in North Carolina
17. McAdenville NC
Known nationally as Christmas Town USA, McAdenville NC has very little left to prove regarding its prowess as a premier Christmas destination. In fact, it has such clout that the big events require a long Thanksgiving weekend!
While the Christmas Town 5K will take place on Saturday, most of the Charlotte suburb’s holiday events start on Monday.
On Monday night, Downtown McAdenville will light up for the first time this holiday season, and the Tree Lighting ceremony will take place at 5:30 PM. Shops and restaurants will open, and Christmas merriment will ensue.
Note that while it is possible to drive the entire route to see all the town’s colorful lights, walking offers the best personal experience, with time for photo opps and free hot cocoa.
READ MORE: Christmas Town USA: 10 Ways to Celebrate in McAdenville NC
18. Sylva NC
The little town of Sylva NC in Jackson County will be hosting a full-on Christmas party on Thanksgiving weekend.
Friday, brings the official Christmas Tree lighting for the town, a holiday concert, and a dazzling fireworks display.
On Saturday, small businesses will be open throughout Downtown Sylva so that shoppers can support the community.
Starting at 3PM on Sunday, the final event of Thanksgiving weekend will be the Sylva Christmas Parade.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Sylva NC & Dillsboro NC
19. Tyron NC
Just east of the I-26 as it cuts down into South Carolina, Tyron is a well-known town for equestrian enthusiasts. As it turns out, Christmas is pretty huge there, too.
Tyron International hosts a Christmas Market all of Thanksgiving weekend, with a Winterfest Fun Run (through a Christmas light show!) on Friday evening and Breakfast with Santa on Saturday.
There will also be a drone show on Friday and Saturday night, and Shadrack’s Drive-Through Lightshow will be open every night. The Bobcat Ice Skating Rink is open Friday through Sunday as well.
Winterfest Village provides an immersive holiday experience, with classic Christmas characters, cookies with Mrs. Claus, and The Whoville Experience.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Places for Horseback Riding In/Near Asheville NC
20. Waynesville NC
In Waynesville NC and surrounding Haywood County, there’s an eclectic collection of holiday activities, holiday shopping, and events to enjoy.
Santa Holiday Fun Farm Tours at Winchester Creek Farm are running from late November to late December. Looks for festive exhibits to check out at Haywood Handmade Gallery in Waynesville.
On Sunday, Classic Hikes of the Smokies is leaving from Maggie Valley for a community trek. And on Monday, the Waynesville Christmas Parade is taking over Main Street.
Lastly, a fun choice for all ages is to join the Haywood Country Arts Council’s Holiday Card Collection Series, making some crafty Christmas cards! –by Jonathon Engels
