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:

Issaqueena Falls

Fall Magic in the Upcountry

With breathtaking mountain views, majestic waterfalls, and brilliant fall foliage, the Upcountry of South Carolina is the ultimate autumn destination to experience the magic of the great outdoors.
Built in Roanoke, Virginia, in the 1950s, the “Queen of Steam” remains one of the nation’s most celebrated steam locomotives.

The Queen Still Reigns

More than 70 years after she first took to the rails, the legendary Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 continues to inspire both passengers and the volunteers who keep her running.
In West Virginia, the rugged trails of Dolly Sods Wilderness lead to sweeping overlooks and untamed mountain scenery.

Blue Ridge Base Camp Towns

More than outposts for gearing up, these seven mountain communities are destinations in their own right, pairing easy access to some of the region’s best outdoor adventures with walkable downtowns, local flavor, and much more.
Interior designer Maisie Leach and her pup Stella Bea traded Roanoke’s bustling Grandin Village for a slower pace of life in Eagle Rock

Refuge in the Woods

A log cabin in Eagle Rock, Virginia, is the latest project for Maisie Leach of Hermione Interiors—and her most personal.
Author Tim Carmichael’s grandmother, Granny Woman Stella Gosnell Norton, served her Madison County, North Carolina, community as a trusted healer and caregiver.

The Heart of the Hills

Long before modern healthcare reached many Appalachian communities, Granny Women became trusted healers and caregivers, delivering babies, treating illness and injury, and preserving generations of healing knowledge.
Sherwood Anderson and printer Howard White outside the Marion news office, in one of the last photos taken of Anderson.

Finding Home in the Mountains

In 1926, renowned writer Sherwood Anderson moved from center stage in Chicago to the mountains of far Southwest Virginia. Why?
Carly Pearson smiles at the summit of McAfee Knob in Virginia

Trailblazer

Former wildland firefighter Carly Pearson became an accidental advocate for people with disabilities.
The hotel’s rooftop terrace, affectionately known as The Perch, offers exceptional mountain views.

Walking in the Footsteps of an American First Lady

The owners of Wytheville’s Bolling Wilson Hotel and Graze on Main make sure the town never forgets her legacy.
Roanoke, Virginia, USA downtown skyline at dawn

2026 Happiest Mountain Towns

Ten years after this poll’s inaugural launch, we once again turned to our knowledgeable readers for their picks. The results? A brand-new collection of 71 exceptional Blue Ridge communities that excel at bringing big smiles to the faces of both residents and visitors.
Kayaks on Toccoa River Below the Falls

7 Fabulous Float-to-Stays

Paddling trips on scenic rivers to great mountain towns make for perfect summer getaways.