Festival FAQs

The festival is Friday, November 13, through Sunday, November 15, 2026.

The festival is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The festival is held at The Beal Center, 25 Herbert Street, Hayesville, North Carolina 28904.

Admission is $5 per person and is sold at the door. Children under 12 are free. Each paid admission includes two raffle tickets.

Cash and cards are accepted for admission and additional raffle ticket purchases at the festival.

The 2026 festival is expected to feature approximately 75 to 80 decorated trees.

Santa will be available in the Santa Room during all festival hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Yes. Families may take as many of their own photos with Santa as they would like. The 2026 Santa Room is sponsored by Graves Directional Drilling.

Yes. Free public parking is available for festival guests. Additional parking guidance will be shared closer to the event.

Yes. The Beal Center has an elevator and an ADA-accessible restroom to help make the event accessible for all guests.

Place your raffle tickets with the decorated trees you hope to win. Winning tickets are drawn on Sunday beginning at 4 p.m.

Additional raffle tickets are 1 for $4, 3 for $10, 7 for $20, 20 for $50, or 50 for $100.

Drawings begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2026.

No, but you must provide a telephone number where you can be reached between 4 and 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The festival team will make two call attempts. If no one answers after the second attempt, a new winning number will be drawn.

All trees must be picked up by the winner or their designee no later than 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.

The festival team will wrap each tree to make it easier to transport. Winners are responsible for arranging and transporting their own trees.

The deadline to reserve a 2026 festival sponsorship is October 16, 2026.

Businesses, families, individuals, community groups, programs, and teams can participate. Available packages range from full-size business trees to tabletop and shared Community Tree opportunities.

With an All-in-One package, the festival team provides the decorations and decorates the tree. With a DIY package, the sponsor provides the decorations and decorates the tree.

You can reserve and pay online through Zeffy or download the sponsorship form from the Sponsorship page.

For $25, an individual can help sponsor the shared Community Tree. The festival team decorates the tree, and each sponsor’s name is displayed on its sponsor tag at the event.

Fill My Tree is a fundraising opportunity for a program, group, or team. For every 10 Community Tree Sponsorships the group sells, $100 is donated back to that participating organization.

Yes. Since 2022, the festival has welcomed sponsors from communities throughout Western North Carolina and North Georgia, including Murphy, Andrews, Swain, Cherokee, Rosman, Franklin, Hiawassee Dam, Robbinsville, Hiawassee, Blairsville, and Blue Ridge. You do not need to be a Hayesville business or student to participate. There are two ways your community can benefit:

• 01
  Tree Sponsorship

  For every three businesses from the same town outside Hayesville that sponsor at the Rudolph Tree level or higher, one $500 scholarship is provided to a school in that town.

• 02
  Fill My Tree

  Programs, groups, and teams from any area may sell Community Tree Sponsorships. For every 10 sponsorships sold, $100 is donated back to the participating organization, and each sponsor’s name is displayed on the Community Tree at the festival.

Yes. You can make a gift of any amount directly to the WNC Festival of Trees Scholarship Fund through the Donate page.

The WNC Festival of Trees operates under the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. EIN 56-2124393.

Visit the Volunteer page to sign up. Volunteers can help with setup, decorating, guest welcome, admissions, raffle tickets, Santa visits, tree pickup, and cleanup.

Yes. Friends, coworkers, school groups, teams, and community organizations are welcome to serve together.

Email wncfestivaloftrees@gmail.com before your visit so the festival team can help with accessibility needs or group planning.

Email wncfestivaloftrees@gmail.com or follow the WNC Festival of Trees on Facebook and Instagram for updates.