Last Updated on December 3, 2024
Bright lights, festive decorations, and happy memories! Feel the holly, jolly spirit when you take in some of the best and brightest holiday events in and around Highlands-Cashiers, NC.
The Bascom’s Holiday Market
November 2–December 28
The Bascom’s Holiday Market is transforming into a holiday wonderland filled with unique, handcrafted gifts perfect for everyone on the holiday list—from children to adults. Beyond shopping, the Holiday Market will feature a variety of seasonal activities, including holiday-themed workshops, a Santa Letter Writing Station, Kids Make-and-Take Ornaments, and creative fun in the SmART Space. Don’t miss the holiday photo selfie station, a perfect way to capture memories of the season!
Town of Highlands Ice Rink
November 21–January 2, 2025
The Town of Highlands Ice Rink is a holiday tradition that can’t be beat! Enjoy the chill of the mountain air as you create wonderful memories. Coffee and hot chocolate will also be available. Private parties can be scheduled on Mondays and Tuesdays, but must be booked two weeks in advance.
Candlelight Tours at the Cashiers Historical Society
December 6 @ 4:00–7:00 PM
Visit the Cashiers Historical Society and experience a magical evening that captures the warmth and wonder of the season. Enjoy a candlelit tour of the historic Zachary-Tolbert House, beautifully decorated for the holidays, and step back in time to explore festive traditions unique to Southern Appalachia. There will also be live holiday music, Christmas crafts, seasonal treats, and a cozy fireside gathering, where visitors of all ages can make s’mores and raise a cup of holiday cheer.
Home for the Holidays at Highlands PAC
December 6–22
Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with Mountain Theatre Company’s annual holiday spectacular! Fun for all ages, this festive seasonal music revue promises dazzling costumes and high energy choreography. It’s sure to fill audiences with plenty of good, old-fashioned holiday cheer.
Olde Mountain Christmas Parade in Highlands
December 7 @ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
What happens when the bands, camels, and floats arrive in Highlands? An amazing small-town Christmas Parade that you don’t want to miss! Gather all your family, friends, and neighbors, and join the merry making on Main Street for this long-standing Highlands Christmas tradition.
50th Annual Cashiers Christmas Parade
December 7 @ 3:00–5:00 PM
Don’t miss this milestone year for the Cashiers Christmas Parade: 50 years of Christmas cheer with family, friends, and festive floats. The parade kicks off in the heart of Cashiers with new surprises, a fresh parade route, and the long-awaited return of Santa and Mrs. Claus on the final fire truck. Nicole Smith Russell will serve as Grand Marshal, celebrating the legacy of her mother, Sandie Smith, who started the beloved Peppermint Stick Parade in 1974.
Fireside at the Farm
December 12 @ 6:00–8:00 PM
Get ready for the return of Fireside at The Farm: A Holiday Evening with Mike Kinnebrew! Head over to the Half-Mile Farm, a luxury country inn by Old Edwards, for a cozy, festive evening of holiday melodies. With his warm, heartfelt performance style, Mike Kinnebrew—a Highlands favorite—brings the magic of the season to life. Experience the charm of this talented singer-songwriter and let the spirit of the holidays surround you.
Lighting of the Menorah in Highlands
December 25
Hanukkah is an eight-day winter festival of lights, celebrated to mark the triumph of light over darkness. One candle of the giant menorah will be lit on the first night of Hanukkah and an additional candle each successive night.
Additional holiday activities in and around Highlands-Cashiers
- Kick off your holidays at the foot of Sylva’s historic courthouse during their tree lighting, holiday concert, and fireworks event.
- Shop the Mistletoe Market and stay for the tree lighting on Cashiers’ Village Green.
- After the Highlands Christmas Parade, keep the festive spirit going with a delicious pork BBQ lunch at the Church of the Incarnation.
- Celebrate the enchanting Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries festival, a dazzling holiday tradition held annually during the first two weeks of December.
- Choose and cut your own tree at a nearby Christmas tree farm.
- Participate in the Highlands Audubon Society’s Christmas bird count.
- Book a one-on-one meeting with Santa and Mrs. Clause in Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park on December 24. Come share your wish list before Santa begins delivering gifts!
- Go snow tubing at Highlands Outpost.
About Allen Tate Realtors
Allen Tate is the Carolinas’ largest real estate company with more than 70 offices and 1,800 Realtors in the Charlotte, Triad, Triangle, High Country, Upstate SC, Highlands/Cashiers and Asheville/Mountain regions. Allen Tate is a partner of Howard Hanna Real Estate, the largest privately held real estate broker in the U.S., with 500 real estate, mortgage, insurance, title, and escrow service offices and 15,000 sales associates and staff across 13 states. For more information, visit www.allentate.com and www.howardhanna.com.
