Hayesville's Holiday Season Opens At The Beal Center, A Month Before The Parade

In Hayesville, the Christmas parade on the Historic Hayesville Square is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. That evening is the finale. The season starts four weeks earlier and a few steps from the square, when the WNC Festival of Trees fills The Beal Center on Nov. 13 and the Peacock Performing Arts Center's Billy Joel tribute that same night is already down to a waitlist.

From late October to mid-December, the 2026 calendar keeps pairing a daytime event with an evening at the Peacock on the same weekend. Once you see that pattern, it's easier to plan the next eight weeks.

Before November: The Peacock Carries October

Every October weekend from here on has something on the Peacock stage, and that's what fills the run-up to the holidays.

• Friday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.: The Dave Matthews Band Tribute. Tickets are $44.50 for adults, $40.50 for seniors 65 and older, military and public service, $34.50 for high school and college students with ID, and $10.50 for ages 12 and under.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m.: Songwriters Showcase 64, hosted by Rob Tiger, with Abigail Dowd, Nathan Evans Fox and Carlyle Griffin. Adult tickets are $29.50, with $10.50 for ages 12 and under.
• Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.: Stage Fright, the Halloween edition of the Scribes on Stage series. It has ghost stories, a costume parade with prizes and treats for kids. Adult tickets are $17.50, and ages 12 and under get in for $7.50.

Stage Fright is the cheapest adult ticket on the Peacock's fall and holiday list. The theater's listing says Scribes on Stage features area playwrights, poets, storytellers and musicians, "both amateur and experienced."

The next night, Saturday, Oct. 31, Trick or Treat on the Hayesville Square runs from 5 to 9 p.m., according to the Clay County Chamber of Commerce calendar. With Stage Fright the evening before, Halloween weekend is the first one this season that puts a Peacock show and a square event back to back.

Nov. 6 To 8: The First Stacked Weekend

The first weekend of November follows the same pattern and stretches it over three days.

On Friday, Nov. 6, the John C. Campbell Folk School holds Forge After Dark from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Clay Spencer Blacksmith Shop, 1 Folk School Road in Brasstown. The chamber listing promises master blacksmiths at work, live demonstrations, live music, hot chocolate and cider, and a look at auction prep. It's the only evening event in this lineup held in Brasstown.

On Saturday morning the Candy Cane Market opens at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1433 Highway 64 West. It's a free arts-and-crafts market with up to 40 vendors, running Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday night, the Ray Howard Band brings classic soul, R&B and Motown to the Peacock at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $39.50, $34.50 for seniors, military and public service, and $10.50 for ages 12 and under.

That gives you a forge Friday night, a craft market Saturday morning and a Motown band Saturday night. The holiday shopping on that schedule starts before the decorations do.

Nov. 13 To 15: The Weekend The Season Actually Opens

The 2026 WNC Festival of Trees runs Friday through Sunday at The Beal Center, 25 Herbert Street, in downtown Hayesville. The chamber's event page describes it this way:

"Stroll through a festive display of 75–80 beautifully decorated Christmas trees, enjoy unlimited personal photos with Santa, and enter for a chance to take home your favorite tree."

According to the same listing, the money goes to scholarships for local students.

Admission is $5 at the door, and children under 12 get in free. Every paid admission comes with two raffle tickets, cash and cards are both accepted, and Santa is in the Santa Room for the full festival hours. The listing also mentions free public parking.

The drawing has one practical catch. If you win a tree, you have to haul it home yourself. The festival wraps the trees to make pickup easier, but the drawing starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, right when the doors close. If you're entering, bring a vehicle that can carry a decorated tree.

The Peacock's lineup that weekend shows how much demand the season has before December. The Stranger, featuring Mike Santoro, plays Friday at 7:30 p.m., and its ticket page currently offers only a wait list. Saturday night is still open. Grammy-nominated musician Daniel Kimbro, who grew up on American roots music in eastern Tennessee, shares the bill with Americana singer Sam Lewis. Adult tickets are $26.50, and ages 12 and under pay $10.50.

For an adult, $5 at the Beal Center and $26.50 at the Peacock add up to $31.50. That covers a full Saturday downtown, with afternoon trees, Santa and the raffle followed by an Appalachian roots concert.

Dec. 4 To 12: The Run-Up To The Parade

Once the Festival of Trees closes, the calendar is quiet until the Peacock's first December date.

Friday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.: Swingin' in Harmony, a Frank Sinatra and Nancy Wilson holiday tribute starring Karla Harris and Joe Gransden. Adult tickets are $42.50, $37.50 for seniors, military and public service, and $10.50 for ages 12 and under.

Dec. 11 to 20: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some), a comedy by Michael Carleton, James FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez. Three actors give up on another round of Dickens and try to perform every Christmas story, tradition and carol at once. Adult tickets are $34.50, and ages 12 and under pay $10.50.

Its opening weekend lands on the busiest day of the season. Here is Saturday, Dec. 12, from start to finish:

1. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Fireside Sale at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, with handmade crafts and live holiday music in Keith House and Davidson Hall.
2. 6 to 8 p.m.: The Christmas Parade sponsored by the Clay County Progress on the Historic Hayesville Square. The chamber's 2026 listing still says "More information coming!" so route details may be posted later.
3. Same weekend: Every Christmas Story Ever Told is in its first weekend at the Peacock. Check the Peacock's ticket page for that weekend's show times.

The chamber calendar also still shows the 2025 parade, which was held Dec. 13 that year. Make sure the page you save is the 2026 listing.

The Folk School's two dates bookend the season. Forge After Dark on Nov. 6 opens the November lineup, and the Fireside Sale on Dec. 12 shares the parade's day. If you want to shop for handmade gifts that day, the sale closes at 4 p.m., two hours before the parade starts, which leaves time to drive back from Brasstown to the square.

A New Stop Between Events On Church Street

Downtown has a new place to sit down between the November and December dates. Weathered Vine & Vibes, at 50 Church Street, held its grand-opening wine tasting on Sept. 25, 2026. On its downtown business page, Historic Hayesville Inc. describes it as offering libations and local goods under the line "Sip Slow & Feel the Vibe." The page also says it is "quickly becoming a local favorite" with wine tastings, trivia nights and football. Besides wine, it also pours hard cider from Doc's Cider and Blake's Hard Cider Co.

Its hours line up well with the Saturday events. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and open noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Nov. 14, the Festival of Trees closes at 7 p.m., Weathered Vine stays open until 8, and the Kimbro and Lewis show starts at 7:30. All three fall in the same Saturday evening.

Your Saturdays, Mapped

Here is every date from this post in one place, so it's easy to save.

If you have family visiting over the holidays or friends asking which weekend to come up to Lake Chatuge, we're glad to help you choose a date on this calendar and suggest where to eat after the show. Lucretia Collins and our team spend these same weekends in Clay County. Let's Connect.