When does Weaverville light its Christmas tree? The community tree lighting is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, December 11, as the opening moment of the Candlelight Stroll on downtown Main Street. The Holiday Parade comes six days earlier, on a Saturday morning, and a different organization runs it.
Weaverville's holiday season comes in two parts. The Town of Weaverville runs the parade. The Weaverville Business Association runs the Stroll. The Town's own events page describes the arrangement: the Town hosts the Holiday Parade, and it supports the events the WBA organizes, the Candlelight Stroll among them. The two events differ in time of day, in setting, and in what happens there.
The Town Takes Saturday Morning
The Town holds its Holiday Parade on the first Saturday of December every year. In 2026 that's Saturday, December 5, at 11 a.m., starting from the SECU parking lot on North Main Street.
The parade has a fixed number of slots, and the sign-up period ends soon. According to the Town of Weaverville's annual events page, the parade has 60 entry spots, and registration runs from October 15 through November 15. That makes Sunday, November 15, the last day for any church group, club, business, or scout troop that wants a place in line. Every entry has to register online, pay a $25 fee, and attend a required safety meeting at Town Hall on either November 19 or December 1. Questions go to Mike Deserio, the Community Center Manager.
The parade is a daytime event with a capped lineup that ends when the last entry passes. The lights, the carols, and the tree come the following Friday.
The Merchants Take Friday Night
The Candlelight Stroll is the WBA's event, and 2026 is its 21st year. It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 11, along Main Street and at the Community Center. The 6 p.m. tree lighting starts the evening, so anyone who wants to see it should be downtown when the Stroll opens.
The parade happens on one route. The Stroll covers two sites at once. A shuttle runs between Main Street and the Community Center, where the Dry Ridge Museum helps host a full program of its own. On Main Street, holiday characters are hidden along the sidewalk for a kids' scavenger hunt. Children collect a glow stick for each character they find, and anyone who finds them all can claim a prize at the WBA tent. The NBHS and NWR choirs carol through the evening, Santa makes his usual appearance on Main Street, and businesses along the street keep donation jars for Cops 4 Kids.
The Town Shows Up as a Guest
The Town has a role on Friday night too, but on Florida Avenue, as a guest at the WBA's event. During the Stroll, the Town hosts a small Winter Wonderland there with hot chocolate, photo spots that include Santa's sleigh, and a seating area with tables, chairs, and heaters. The Dry Ridge Museum sets up nearby with Town of Weaverville merchandise.
Willbloom Books is part of that Florida Avenue setup, listed as a mobile bookstore. The shop has also taken a storefront at 58 Weaver Village Way #103, in the Weaver Village shopping center just off Weaver Boulevard and less than half a mile from downtown. In an interview with 828 News NOW, owner Lindsay Johnson named book clubs, writing clubs, open mics, trivia, and screenings as possible community programs for the space. Willbloom's website lists hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Mondays closed.
What Main Street Puts Out on Stroll Night
Most of the Stroll is made up of what individual businesses decide to offer. The WBA's 2026 program lists each one's plans. Here's what local shops, restaurants, and makers are offering, sorted by the kind of stop each one is:
| Stop | What's planned |
|---|---|
| Leveller | A special beer on tap for the brewery's third anniversary |
| Lev & Lulu's | Dinner service 5 to 8 p.m., plus hot drinks and brownies |
| Blue Mountain Pizza | Free samples of homemade peppermint ice cream, slices to go, live music from Carolina Bluegrass Style |
| Twisted Laurel | A warm meal for anyone coming in from the cold |
| Well-Bred Bakery | Hot chocolate specials |
| Artisans On Main | Savory and sweet treats with holiday punch |
| Weaver House | A toy drive with a raffle entry for each toy donated, a full bar, a DIY photo booth, a mini art market, and soup sales with proceeds going back to the community |
| Silver River Chairs, below 5Monkeys Quilts | A woven reindeer ornament make-and-take, $10 suggested donation for two, drop-in with no registration |
| Mangum Pottery | Kids' clay |
| Curtis Wright Outfitters | Birds of prey and a storewide sale |
| Art Accents Frame Shop | Gingerbread treats and a raffle for two $100 gift certificates, with proceeds going to Mrs. Vann's BES class to buy Ingles gift cards for families in need |
| Miya Gallery and The Hidden Door | Gift shopping, with hot cider and cookies at Miya |
ArtFolk is running a community craft project on Main Street that night, sponsored by Reems Creek Nursery. Plan around one timing detail. The first reindeer ornament at Silver River Chairs takes about 20 minutes and the second about five, so a family making a pair should allow close to half an hour there. Lev & Lulu's stops serving dinner at 8 p.m., an hour before the Stroll ends.
Before December, and After It
The weeks before the parade have a short calendar of their own, and several of its dates are coming up soon.
- Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reems Creek Pottery holds a votive-making workshop. The finished pieces are meant for holiday decorating, and pre-registration and payment are required.
- Saturday, November 14, 6 p.m. The Town's Music on the Knoll series brings Chronology Music, a jazz act, to the Albert Weaver Room at the Community Center.
- Sunday, November 15. Parade registration closes.
- Tuesday, November 17, 6 to 8 p.m. ArtFolk's monthly craft club meets at the Weaverville Community Center. Adults are welcome, as are ages 12 and up with supervision.
- Thursday, November 19, or Tuesday, December 1. Required parade safety meetings at Town Hall.
- Saturday, December 5, 11 a.m. The Holiday Parade starts from the SECU lot on North Main Street.
- Friday, December 11, 6 to 9 p.m. The Candlelight Stroll begins with the 6 p.m. tree lighting.
The November 14 concert is the last Music on the Knoll show of the calendar year. The Town started the indoor series in 2023 and holds it on second Saturdays from October through March, with shows running 6 to 7:30 p.m. This season's schedule includes a "Deep Winter Break" after the November show. The series returns February 13 with the indie-folk-rock band Many a Ship, followed by folk musician Tina Collins on March 13.
That break shapes how the Town's events line up. The Town's last indoor concert of the year is November 14, its parade is December 5, and on December 11 it joins the WBA's evening on Florida Avenue. After that, the Town's published series is off until mid-February. For anyone keeping a December calendar, that leaves two Weaverville dates to plan around: a Saturday at 11 a.m. on North Main Street and a Friday at 6 p.m. under the tree.
If you're weighing holiday events against plans to sell in Weaverville next year, I'm glad to talk about how the town's calendar fits a listing timeline. Dave Noyes works with sellers across Weaverville and the rest of Western North Carolina. Let's Connect.
