Description
Winter Lights is Asheville’s big holiday light show: a one-mile walk-through trail of more than a million LED lights across the formal gardens of The North Carolina Arboretum, south of downtown off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Now in its 13th year, it is the Arboretum’s largest annual fundraiser, and it has become the thing locals take visiting family to between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
The 2026–27 season runs November 13, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Gates open at 6 PM, final entry is at 9 PM and the gardens close at 10 PM. It runs in all weather, so dress for a cold night walk rather than a quick stroll.
What’s new for 2026
The Arboretum adds new nature-themed areas every year. For 2026 it has announced three: Forest Floor, where lit mushrooms carpet the ground; Beneath the Riverbed, a walk below the lily pads; and Between Water and Woods, with giant dragonflies overhead. Returning favorites include the 50-foot animated Tree of Light and the Quilt Garden synchronized to holiday music.
Tickets: one price per car
Tickets are sold per vehicle, not per person, so everyone in the car gets in for one price. Advance prices for a standard passenger vehicle are $45 on Value dates, $60 on Standard dates and $75 on Peak dates, before taxes and fees. Opening weekend (November 13–14) is a Value date; December 18–26 is Peak. Large vehicles with 9–14 seats are $85 / $110 / $135. Buses of 15 or more book by phone.
Tickets are date-specific and non-refundable, and advance sales close at 5 PM on the day. Buying at the gate costs more and depends on availability, and peak nights sell out, so book ahead through the Arboretum’s ticket page. Arboretum Society members get $5 off advance tickets with the promo code in their email.
If you would rather not drive, the Arboretum runs a Winter Lights Trolley from Biltmore Park Town Square with Gray Line, ticketed separately through the same page.
What is available?
A one-mile lit walking trail through the gardens; hot cocoa and s’mores at the Cocoa Shacks; fire pits; seasonal food and drinks at the Education Center; live local music and story times; holiday shopping at the Connections Gallery gift shop.
Located inside of: Outdoors, The North Carolina Arboretum gardens (walk-through; you arrive by car and walk)
Special tips for the festival?
Pick a Value or Standard date and go on a weeknight if you can, since the December 18–26 stretch is both the most expensive and the first to sell out. Arrive close to your entry window; the trail is a mile, so allow an hour or more. Paths are paved, accessible parking is available and a limited number of loaner wheelchairs can be borrowed. No pets (service animals only), and children under 16 must be with an adult. Daytime Arboretum admission does not cover Winter Lights, so a daytime visit and the light show are two separate trips.
Make a night of it with dinner on the way back into town: see our guide to Asheville’s cheap eats or our kid-friendly restaurants. For the rest of the season, Christmas at Biltmore runs from early November and the Asheville Holiday Parade is the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Location: The North Carolina Arboretum, 20 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828-665-2492 (tickets and groups: 828-412-8570)
Opening Hours: Gates 6:00 PM, final entry 9:00 PM, close 10:00 PM
Dates: Nightly, November 13, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Parking: On site, included with the per-vehicle ticket; accessible parking available
Location of the Festival: The North Carolina Arboretum, south Asheville, off the Blue Ridge Parkway near I-26 exit 33
