North Carolina’s 9 most magical winter festivals
Nights are brighter and filled with cheer at these family-friendly winter festivals held across North Carolina.
When winter’s chilly temperatures and long, dark nights start to put a damper on the mood, it’s high time to get out of the house and celebrate all the wonders of the season with a visit to one of North Carolina’s many winter festivals. From home-grown gatherings set in picturesque town squares to high-energy affairs held at family farms, amphitheaters, and even one international equestrian center, the Tar Heel State delivers this year with a myriad of winter festivals sure to bring cheer to even the grinchiest among us.
1. Mike’s Farm Festival of Lights
Located about 90 miles southeast of Raleigh, Mike’s Farm in Beulaville is a historic tobacco farm that’s evolved into a diverse ecosystem offering Christmas trees, educational programs for children, a restaurant, and an animal petting area. Come wintertime, Mike’s Farm pulls out all the bells and whistles for their annual Festival of Lights, running from mid-November to December 28. Hop onto a wagon for a 30-minute hayride through 1.5 miles of Christmas lights, decorations, and music, and top it off with an old-fashioned hot dog roast. In the mood for dinner and a show? On select dates, Mike’s Farm presents Supper with Santa, featuring live readings of time-honored Christmas tales and a buffet of Southern comfort foods, as well as “The Magic of Christmas” and “Ho! Ho! Christmas Show,” variety shows boasting tons of holiday cheer with delicious meals included.
2. North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival
From November 15 through January 11, an immersive, technicolor world of wonders awaits at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, located in Raleigh’s southwestern edges. The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival is a family-friendly event pairing live performances with thousands of handmade lanterns and light displays that illuminate the Tar Heel State’s rich, multicultural history. Tickets are available now for either twilight or evening sessions, and guests are encouraged to arrive by NC by Train, which offers five round-trips daily from Charlotte and Raleigh.
3. Blowing Rock WinterFest
Don’t let snowy weather deter you from making the drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway up to Blowing Rock, the site of a four-day winter festival promising excitement for all ages. After all, the festival’s theme this year is, “Don’t hibernate. Celebrate!” From January 22-25, 2026, Blowing Rock WinterFest will host a series of winter-themed events and activities: Try your hand at creating your own ice sculpture during an ice carving demonstration, and then treat yourself to a pint brewed at a local brewery at the WinterFest Beer Garden. Take the Polar Bear Plunge at Chetola Resort and Spa, and dress up in a costume for a chance to win the annual Golden Plunger Award. Not feeling like dipping your toes into a freezing lake? Dip your spoon into a warm bowl of chili at the Rotary Chilly Chili Challenge at the Blowing Rock School Gym.
4. Moore Square Winterfaire
Raleigh will soon welcome its 1st annual Moore Square Winterfaire from December 11-14. This free event will feature a European-inspired Christmas market boasting more than 60 local vendors, a food truck rodeo, a beer garden, live musical performances, visits with Santa Claus, and all the s’mores you care to roast over an open flame. Hosted by the MAKRS Society, a Raleigh-based collective hosting festivals, farmers markets, and pop-up events, the Winterfaire promises to create new wintertime traditions for Raleigh-area families.
5. Holidays on Hatteras
The upcoming holiday season marks the perfect time to visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, a maritime museum located on Hatteras Island that transforms into a winter wonderland for one day only. On December 13 from noon to 5 p.m., Holidays on Hatteras is a free, all-ages event offering live holiday music performances and plenty of activities to keep the children in high spirits. A children’s craft station offers seashells collected from nearby shores to create Christmas ornaments to take home, while another area invites guests to share their wishes in writing a letter to Santa. Raffle drawings promise exciting prizes, and the museum gallery will be open for tours.
6. Downtown Morganton Winter Carnival
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morganton is a quaint, small town that celebrates winter’s arrival with one massive celebration: the Winter Carnival. Held November 22 in the downtown Morganton Courthouse Square, this all-day event begins at 10 a.m. with a holiday market offering locally made crafts, gifts, plants, and produce. At 2:30 p.m., carnival events begin, with an ice slide, face painting, letter writing to Santa, and games galore. Hop in a carriage ride for a picturesque trot around the city square, watch a live ice carving demonstration, or pay a visit to Santa Claus himself at this family-friendly gathering. When the clock strikes 5:30 p.m., the square will light up in holiday colors.
7. Winterfest at Tryon International Equestrian Center
The young and young at heart alike will marvel over all the winter-themed excitement contained within Winterfest, the annual celebration held at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring. Located about 80 miles west of Charlotte, this massive space will host an ice skating rink, live musical performances, a petting zoo, a market chock full of local vendors, plus opportunities to meet the jolly one himself. Cozy up with some s’mores in the fire pit area, don some merry accessories for the photobooth experience, or add your creativity to the tree decoration station. Farm-grown Christmas trees are also available for purchase here, making this event the perfect opportunity to kickstart the holiday season.
8. Jacksonville Winterfest
Located near the mouth of the New River, about an hour’s drive north of Wilmington, Jacksonville is a city that takes winter cheer quite seriously. Its annual Winterfest is held this December 5-7 at Riverwalk Crossing Park, and activities include an artisan market, photos with Santa, live performances, sledding, ice skating, hay rides, pony rides, and train rides, not to mention visits to the Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe and Santa’s workshop. On December 6, a tree lighting ceremony will be followed by a flotilla of boats decked in holiday displays cruising through the New River waterfront.
9. Kersey Valley Christmas
Two million lights strung from tree to tree—and everywhere in between—will transform a family farm into a winter wonderland every weekend in December. Kersey Family Christmas, located in Archdale, about 15 miles southwest of Greensboro, pulls out all the stops for this annual, family-friendly celebration. Get a lay of the land on either a Kersey Valley Express train ride through a Wild West-themed Christmas display, or hop onto a Wonderland Wagon to explore Santa’s workshop, complete with elves at work and reindeer at the ready. An exhaustive menu of games and activities includes a 200-foot slide, zip lining, trampolines, pedal karts, s’more making, and pig races. Note that tickets to Kersey Valley Christmas must be purchased in advance through their website, and events inside the park are cashless.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
