Last updated on November 22, 2024
Get into the Christmas spirit when you attend some of the best and brightest events in North and South Carolina!
Charlotte Vacation Activities
Winter Festival at Carowinds โ winter festival is the most immersive holiday event in the area. November 15 โ January 4. Details
Holiday Lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway โ See over 5 million lights over 4 miles at this incredible display! November 22 โ January 5. Details
Light the Knights Festival at Truist Field โ One of Charlotte's newest events allows visitors to snowboard, ice skate, and see the field lit up. November 27 โ January 3. Details
Ballantyne's Backyard Holiday Lights Spectacular: Witness over 1 million lights along a half-mile walking trail, plus a nightly visit from Santa! From December 5 to 29. Details
Gingerbread Lane at The Ballantyne Hotel โ A classic family tradition, see gingerbread houses for all ages. From December 15 to 28. Details
Christmastown USA in McAdenville โ One of the top attractions in North Carolina, McAdenville is Christmastown, USA, where you can see countless houses decorated for the holidays! From December 2 to 26. Details
Kannapolis Celebration of Lights: See the holiday lights and the Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra. November 16 โ December 30. Details
Holidays at the Garden at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden – A beautiful light walking tour through the gardens. November 29 โ December 29. Details
Pirate Christmas Lights at High Seas Mini Golf โ Miniature golf and lights โ what could be better? November 22 โ January 19. Details
Camp North End Mistletoe Market โ Shop on 76 acres, get creative with art activities and ice skating, and enjoy live musical performances every Saturday from December 7-21. Details
Go ice skating carowinds, Birkdale Village, Whitewater centerand Far North Camp! Please check each website for opening dates and times.
Lake Norman Christmas Lighted Boat Parade โ See boats beautifully decorated with Christmas lights at multiple viewing points around Lake Norman on December 21 at 5:30 p.m. Details
Western North Carolina Holiday Events
Christmas at Biltmore: See America's largest house, all beautifully lit for the holidays. November 2 โ January 5. Details
Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum โ Known as Asheville's Brightest Christmas Tradition! November 15 โ December 31. Details
Canton Ice Rink โ Head to Sorrells Street Park for some winter fun at โThe Rinkโ in Canton. It opens December 1, just in time for the festivities at Sorrells Street Park. Details
Waynesville โOne Night Before Christmasโ Street Fair: A winter wonderland with hundreds of luminaries lining brick sidewalks, twinkling baubles on trees and downtown store windows, plus live music and caroling. The event is usually held in mid-December. Details
Downtown Waynesville Christmas Parade โ This year's theme is Haywood's strong mountain traditions, where prizes will be awarded to the top three floats in the parade! December 2 at 6 pm Details
Christmas in Saluda's Hometown: Saluda's local businesses are the heart of this event. Experience the warmth of the holiday season with activities designed to delight all ages! December 13. Details
Light up the night in Brevard – experience twinkling lights, illuminated snowflakes, and beautifully decorated storefronts. December 7 From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Details
Holiday activities in the Highlands
Ice Skating โ Ice skating in the town of Highlands is an unbeatable Christmas tradition! Open for the season on November 21st. Details
Snow Tubing: Highlands Outpost is open for snow tubing until the end of the season! Details
Home for the Holidays โ Celebrate the most magical time of the year at Highlands PAC with their annual Christmas extravaganza. From December 6 to 21. Details
Cashiers 50th Annual Peppermint Stick Parade – a beloved tradition for fifty years! Saturday, December 7 at 3 p.m. Details
Boone/Blowing Rock Holiday Events
Festival of Lights at Chetola Resort โ Tour the Chetola Resort while it's all decked out for Christmas! November 29 โ January 25. Details
Choose and cut your own Christmas tree! There are many farms to choose from. Appalachian Evergreens Inc is now open for the season on select dates from November 16th to December 8th. Details (link to AT blog post once published)
Boone Holiday Parade โ See marching shows, decorated floats, Christmas costumes, and see Santa himself. December 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. Details
Blowing Rock Christmas Walk โ See all the shops decorated for Christmas and enjoy snacks along the way. December 13. Details
Christmas in the Park and City Lighting: Watch Blowing Rock light up and enjoy hot chocolate, caroling, and visits with Santa. November 29 from 12:00 to 18:30. Details
Tweetsie Christmas โ Christmas activities for the whole family, including a 20-minute outdoor evening train ride. November 29 at 5 pm โ December 30 at 9 pm Details
Chetola Festival of Lights: Enjoy thousands of dazzling illuminations throughout the resort. November 29 at 5 pm โ January 26 at 9 pm Details
Blowing Rock Christmas Parade: November 30 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Details
Christmas activities in triad
Nutcracker Ballet: See the holiday tradition at the Tanger Center in Greensboro. From December 6 to 8. Details
Winter Wonderlights โ Experience the wonders at the Greensboro Science Center. Open now until December 31. Details
Tanglewood Festival of Lights: Tanglewood Park is transformed into a sparkling Winter Wonderland with over a million twinkling lights. November 17 to January 1 Details
Downtown Greensboro Christmas Parade โ Be a part of this treasured Christmas tradition! December 7th. Details.
Downtown in December: A variety of holiday events held downtown in the month of December and some continuing into January. Details
Winterfest โ This event will feature numerous vendors, bounce houses, game trucks, Santa Claus, and of course, the amusements of City Lake Park. December 14 Details
Triangle Festive Events
Annual Downtown Raleigh Tree Lighting: Nov. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Details
Winter Wonderland in Park West Village: Kids can enjoy storytime with Santa, train rides, face painting, crafts and a screening of The Polar Express on Saturday. From November 22 to 24. Details
Downtown Durham Christmas Tree Lighting: Nov. 23 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Details
The Rink at Red Hat Amphitheater: Ice skating from November 23 to January 20. Details
Lake Myra Christmas Lights: Experience this spectacular drive-in style light show, featuring more than 400,000 lights synchronized to holiday music. November 22 to December 31 Details
North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival โ Come see the Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary transformed into a magical setting with all-new illuminated lanterns. From November 16 to January 12. Details
Christmas Gift Market with Carousel at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds – a triangle tradition for over 37 years. From November 29 to December 1. Details
Holiday in the Park: Head to the Museum of Life and Science to see the park lit up to celebrate the holiday season. Selected nights in December. Details
The Cary Night Market โ Shop Christmas markets on select nights through December 12. Details
Siler City Christmas Parade: This year's theme is “Songs of the Season!” December 5 at 7 pm Details
Annual Cary Gingerbread House Contest โ Visit downtown Cary as it transforms into a traveling gallery of amateur gingerbread houses. From December 7 to 15. Details
Christmas activities in the north of the state
Holiday Lights and Local Nights in Woodruff: Celebrate the holidays at McKinney Park Lighting on December 5 and participate in various holiday activities through December 15. Details
A Dickens Christmas โ Join the city of Spartanburg for our 30th annual A Dickens Christmas this winter! December 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. Details
Christmas on the Farm โ where picking up your tree is a festive event with cocoa, vendors, games, crafts and more! From November 29 to December 1 and from December 7 to 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details
Ice on Main โ An open-air, outdoor ice skating rink in the heart of downtown Greenville. Comes back on November 25! Details
Night of Lights: Watch Main Street light up as you swing around the 30-foot Christmas tree adorned with 25,550 LED lights. December 6. From 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Details
Poinsettia Christmas Parade โ For more than 75 years, the parade has marked the start of the Christmas season in Greenville! December 7 at 6:30 p.m. Details
Greenville Christmas Market โ Experience the enchanting festivities of a European Christmas market combined with Southern Christmas traditions. From November 29 to December 31. Details
Hilton Head Holiday Events
Holiday Lights and Tree โ Holiday lights and a beautiful 28โฒ tree will be on display from Thanksgiving week through January 7th. Great for photos! Details
Gift Gallery โ Shop for handmade gifts by local artists. Weekly on Monday, November 26 to January 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details
The Salty Dog's Christmas Village in South Beach: An unbeatable display of Lowcountry Christmas lights, letters to Santa, holiday treats and more. From November 29 to December 22. Details
Santa at Shelter Cove Harbor & Marina – a special day of shopping, train rides and a visit from Santa. November 29 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Details
Christmas Brunch with Santa at The Westin โ Celebrate the season with brunch and photos with Santa, letters to Santa, ornament decorating and more. December 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details
Winter Wonderland Festival at Shelter Cove Community Park: Play carnival games, watch the children's parade, go hunting for golden candy canes, and more. December 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. Details.
Polar Pines Express Holiday Wagon Ride: All aboard this festive wagon full of holiday fun at Sea Pines Resort! December 21 at 1:00 p.m. Details
Allen Tate is the largest real estate company in the Carolinas with more than 70 offices and 1,800 real estate agents in the Charlotte, Triad, Triangle, High Country, Upstate SC, Highlands/Cashiers and Asheville/Mountain regions. Allen Tate is a partner at Howard Hanna Real Estate, the largest private real estate brokerage in the U.S., with 500 real estate, mortgage, insurance, title and escrow services offices and 15,000 sales associates and staff. in 13 states. For more information, visit www.allentate.com and www.howardhanna.com.
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