Winter / Holiday 2024 Festivals & Events Guide

Winterfest, November 7-February 16, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Please note: While every effort is made to verify event listings, many of the events listed here were submitted prior to the impact of Hurricane Helene. Much of the Blue Ridge region is still recovering, and due to logistical limitations we are unable to reconfirm the details for many of these events. We strongly recommend you check ahead with individual events before planning to attend.

Photo Above: Winterfest, November 7-February 16, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Please keep the areas of the Blue Ridge affected by hurricane Helene in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.


Our biggest compendium of festivals and events ever brings you hundreds of perfect gatherings for fun across 7 mountain states!

NOVEMBER

Nov 1 — Dia De Los Muertos Celebration. Winchester, Virginia. 

Nov 1-3 — Mistletoe Market. Abingdon, Virginia.

Nov-Dec (select evenings) — Tweetsie Christmas. Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Nov 1-Jan 5 — Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Nov 2 — Montpelier Hunt Races. Montpelier Station, Virginia.

Nov 2-3 — Head of the Hooch Regatta. Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Nov 2-Jan 5 — Christmas at Biltmore. Asheville, North Carolina.

Nov 7 — Winter Magic & Chili Cookoff. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Nov 7-10 — Food & Wine Festival. Highlands, North Carolina.

Nov 7-Feb 16 — Winterfest. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Nov 8-10 — Toe River Arts Tour. Mitchell and Yancy County, North Carolina.

Nov 9 — Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival. Lynchburg, Virginia.

Nov 14-17 — Film Fest Knox. Knoxville, Tennessee.

Nov 15-17 — Christmas Made in the South. Dalton, Georgia.

Nov 16-17 — Chattanooga Christmas Village Holiday Market. East Ridge, Tennessee.

Nov 18-Dec 23 — Mountain Country Christmas in Lights. Hiawassee, Georgia.

Nov 22-Jan 4 — Enchanted Garden of Lights. Lookout Mountain, Georgia. 

Nov 23 — Christmas Parade, Tree Lighting & Jingle Market. Dawsonville, Georgia.

Nov 23 — Market in the Park Celebration of Lights. Fairmont, West Virginia.

Nov 23 — Mistletoe Market Craft Show. Blairsville, Georgia.

Nov 24 — Christmas Open House. Corbin, Kentucky.

Nov 26-Dec 1 — Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community Thanksgiving Show. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Nov 27-Dec 1; Dec 6-8, 13-15, 20-24 — Christmas Wonderland at Darnell Farms. Bryson City, North Carolina.

Nov 29 — Lighting of the Village. Helen, Georgia.

Nov 29-30 — Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Town. Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Nov 29-30 — Festival of the Mountain Masters. Harlan, Kentucky.

Nov 29-Dec 1 — Windependent Weekend. Winchester, Virginia.

Nov 29-Dec 24 — Holiday Express Tour on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Nov 30 — Enchanted Island of Lights. Cherokee, North Carolina. 

Nov 30 — Light Up Blue Ridge & Christmas Parade. Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Nov 30; Dec 1, 7, 8 — Christkindlmarkt. Helen, Georgia.

DECEMBER

Dec 1 — Tree Lighting on Main Street. Westminster, South Carolina.

Dec 1-30 — Tour of Trees. Blairsville, Georgia.

Dec 2 — Christmas Parade. Westminster, South Carolina.

Dec 3 — Dickens of a Christmas. Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Dec 5 — Merry Marion & Christmas Tree Lighting. Marion, Virginia.

Dec 5-7 — 54th Annual Holiday Fair. Greenville, South Carolina.

Dec 6 — Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. Galax, Virginia.

Dec 6 — Christmas Tree Lighting. Greer, South Carolina.

Dec 6 — Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Dec 6 — LDI’s Christmas Tree Lighting. Luray, Virginia.

Dec 6 — Light Up Elkin. Elkin, North Carolina.

Dec 6 — Light Up Woodstock and Holiday Parade. Woodstock, Virginia.

Dec 6 — Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Holiday Festival. Luray, Virginia.

Dec 6 — Night of Lights. Greenville, South Carolina.

Dec 6 — Veteran’s Ball. Niota, Tennessee.

Dec 6-7 — Balsam Range Art of Music Festival. Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

Dec 6-8 — A Small Town Christmas. Banner Elk, North Carolina.

Dec 6-8 — Old Town Winter Village. Winchester, Virginia.

Dec 7 — Christmas on Main. Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Dec 7  Christmas on the Square. Blairsville, Georgia.

Dec 7 — Christmas Parade. Corbin, Kentucky.

Dec 7 — Christmas Parade. Gate City, Virginia.

Dec 7 — Holiday Jamboree on the Mountain. Mountain City, Georgia.

Dec 7 — Holiday Market & Tree Lighting. Norton, Virginia.

Dec 7 — Hometown Christmas Festival. Hinton, West Virginia.

Dec 7 — Kris Kringle Mountain Market. Blairsville, Georgia.

Dec 7 — MAINx24. Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Dec 7 — Poinsettia Christmas Parade. Greenville, South Carolina.

Dec 7 — Winter Wonderfest. Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Dec 7 — Wintertide. Monterey, Virginia.

Dec 7-8 — Farmers Market Christmas Festival. Greer, South Carolina.

Dec 7, 14 — Santa on the Chimney. Chimney Rock, North Carolina. 

Dec 8 — Christmas Parade. Simpsonville, South Carolina.

Dec 8 — Yadkin Valley Christmas Parade. Elkin and Jonesville, North Carolina.

Dec 14 — Christmas Celebration & Parade. Niota, Tennessee.

Dec 14 — Christmas Parade. Cherokee, North Carolina.

Dec 14  Christmas Parade. Helen, Georgia.

Dec 14 — Christmas Parade. Luray, Virginia.

Dec 14 — Tour de Lights. Knoxville, Tennessee.

Dec 14 — Vogel State Park Tree Lighting. Blairsville, Georgia.

Dec 31 — Dropping of the Edelweiss. Helen, Georgia.

Dec 31 — New Year Fireworks at the Fairgrounds. Hiawassee, Georgia.

Dec 31 — New Year’s Coal Drop. Welch, West Virginia.

Dec 31 — New Year’s Eve Apple Rise. Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Dec 31 — New Year’s Eve Celebration. Helen, Georgia.

Dec 31 — New Year’s Eve Fireworks. Cherokee, North Carolina. 

Dec 31 — New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show and Ball Drop. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Dec 31 — NYE Apple Drop. Winchester, Virginia.

Discover More Great Mountain Festivals & Events:



The story above first appeared in our May / June 2024 issue.




You Might Also Like:

Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA, - May 15, 2021: Reenactment at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park of the Siege of Fort Watauga in 1776.

Revolutionary Roundup

On July 4, 1776, a new nation was born. In honor of this historic day, we explore the forts, battlefields, museums, trails, and more that trace the Patriots’ journey to freedom in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
2025 Festivals and Events

2026 Festivals & Events Guide

From the Virginias and the Carolinas to Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, our annual compendium is the perfect travel companion.
A happy 8-year-old Eula Mae standing in front of her father, Woodrow, in this Golding family photo taken in 1952.

My Beloved Scenic

Before it became America’s Favorite Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway was a farm family’s front yard, playground, and memory lane.
A bee clings to the center of a sunflower at Mill Springs Farm, located just up the road from historic downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee. From the photographer: “The farm grows a yearly crop of a variety of sunflowers. The bees love them!” Photo by Jay Huron

Among The Blooms: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers wandered the mountains in late spring and early summer to capture critters big and small frolicking, nibbling, and buzzing about.
2027 Best of the Mountains Awards

2026 Best of the Mountains Awards

Submit your nominations for the finest in the Blue Ridge today!
Hikers willing to take on a moderate climb are rewarded with incredible panoramas from the summit of Marys Rock.

An Insider’s Guide to Shenandoah National Park

This year is a landmark one for this treasured piece of mountain land in Virginia: the 100th anniversary of Congress authorizing its establishment and the 90th anniversary of its dedication.
Blue Ridge Country Parkway Guide 2026

2026 Blue Ridge Parkway Guide

Start planning your next trip on America's Favorite Scenic Highway
A Virginia Historical Marker stands at the entrance to Green Pastures.

Green Pastures’ picnic area was build by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s.

Green Pastures Reborn

When it officially opened in 1940 — in the depths of the Jim Crow era — Green Pastures was likely the first U.S. Forest Service recreation area in the nation constructed for African Americans.
Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park rewards a steep climb with exceptional mountain views.

Inset: Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s Chimneys Picnic Area sits beside the West Prong of the Little Pigeon RIver.

11 Picnics with a View

These bucket-list destinations are perfect spots to kick back, enjoy a delightful meal and take in the great outdoors.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS