On Friday, November 27, the doors open at Summit Charter School at 10 a.m. By the time the tree at The Village Green Gazebo lights up at 5:45 p.m., Cashiers will have run a holiday festival, an artisan market, Santa visits and a tree-lighting ceremony within a few miles of each other in one afternoon.
That has been roughly the shape of Thanksgiving Friday for the past few years. In 2026 it's different because the biggest piece is about to take a year off. According to The Plateau Magazine, this year's Cashiers Festival of Trees is the last annual one. The organizers are switching to every other year, and the next festival after this one is set for 2028.
So this Friday is as full as it gets. Next year's will be lighter. And if you want the version that works with kids, out-of-town family or a race bib, the planning starts this month.
Why the Festival Is Stepping Back
The change was planned. Festival Director Melissa Hudson told The Plateau Magazine, "We had a vision for the festival to go every other year once it met a level of growth, and we feel like we are in a position to do that." She said the extra planning time is meant to keep the event strong and to support the donors and volunteers who put it on.
The festival has grown a lot since it started in 2021. The same article reports it has raised more than $2.3 million for Summit Charter School and other nonprofits, including more than $500,000 last year alone. Organizers hope to match or beat that in 2026. Hudson also said this year's results are meant to help carry Summit through the year between festivals. That gives the 2026 auction a little more riding on it than usual.
The money is spread wider than one campus. According to the Cashiers Festival of Trees site, when a fellow nonprofit decorates a tree or wreath, 80% of that item's sale goes back to the nonprofit. A bid on a tree decorated by a local charity mostly lands with that charity.
Toast to the Trees, the summer fundraiser, stays on an annual schedule. Only the Thanksgiving weekend festival moves to every other year.
What Happens Friday, Hour by Hour
The festival runs both Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Summit Center and High School, 370 Mitten Lane. Adult admission is $5 and covers both days. Anyone 18 and younger gets in free. Besides the trees, wreaths and gift baskets, which you can bid on in person or online, The Plateau Magazine lists a teddy bear workshop, food trucks, a vendor village, a game-day lounge for football fans, and blacksmithing and glassblowing demonstrations. The festival's site says the teddy bear workshop is a pop-up from O.P. Taylor's.
Everything else happens on The Village Green that same day:
| Time on Fri., Nov. 27 | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Cashiers Festival of Trees, day one | Summit Center and High School | $5 adults, free 18 and under |
| Noon to 5 p.m. | Mistletoe Market | Lewis Hall, The Village Green | Local artisan gifts |
| 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. | Santa on the Green | Lewis Hall, The Village Green | Registration only, $5 donation per child encouraged |
| 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. | Christmas Tree Lighting, tree lit at 5:45 p.m. | The Gazebo, The Village Green | Free |
From 1 to 4 p.m., the festival, the market and Santa are all running at once. Families with young kids will probably want the festival in the morning and Lewis Hall in the afternoon, which still leaves time for dinner before the 5:45 lighting. After that night, The Village Green's Lights on the Green display stays up, rain or shine, from Thanksgiving weekend into early February.
High Hampton has its own Friday schedule. Its 2026 Thanksgiving agenda lists gingerbread decorating at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for $30++ per family, plus a holiday mixology session at 2:30 p.m. for $60++ per person. Call the resort to ask whether those sessions are open to the public before you plan around them.
If you'd rather head up the mountain Friday night, Highlands is about 10 miles away. Highlands Performing Arts Center has Candlelight Celtic Christmas at 7:30 p.m. that evening. Highlands' own Santa in the Park runs earlier that day, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, according to the Highlands Chamber of Commerce holiday page.
Three Dates Come Before the Turkey
A day this crowded rewards early planning, and some of it can't wait until November:
- Tuesday, October 27. Registration opens for Santa on the Green. Visits are by registration only, so a family that shows up at Lewis Hall without signing up may not get in.
- Friday, November 6, at noon. This is the last chance to register for Gobble on the Green and still get a T-shirt. The race's RunSignup page says the final shirt order goes in at 1 p.m. that day, and no extra shirts will be on hand race morning this year.
- Wednesday, November 25, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Early check-in for the 5K at Lewis Hall, 160 Frank Allen Road. Runners pick up bibs and shirts, and organizers strongly encourage it so the race can start on time.
The festival's tree, wreath and gift basket design applications closed October 16, so it's too late to enter a tree this year. Bidding is still open to everyone.
Thursday Morning Sets the Pace
Thanksgiving Day itself starts on The Village Green. The Gobble on the Green 5K Run/Walk starts at 9 a.m. RunSignup lists the fee as $40, with race-day check-in inside Lewis Hall from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. The Village Green's own event page lists slightly earlier check-in hours, so confirm the window before you leave the house. Kids can run the free Junior Warrior Course at The Village Green Playground from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. 2026 is its fifth year.
A few details from the organizers matter on race morning:
- The course covers gravel, grass, dirt and pavement. Strollers start at the back of the group.
- Dogs can't run, even though the park is usually dog friendly. Spectator dogs have to stay leashed.
- Parking is at The Village Play, the Jackson County Recreation Center, The Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library, the post office lot except the row closest to the building, and the grass lot behind United Community Bank. Each is about a five-minute walk from the start.
- The top two overall male and female finishers win pies along with their medals. Age-group awards go to the top two in seven categories.
The Village Green says race registrations help pay for its more than 270 days of free community events and programs. That includes the lights and the tree lighting a day later.
High Hampton also has a 9 a.m. Fun Run on Thanksgiving morning, $30++ per person and free for kids 10 and under. In the evening it serves a Thanksgiving buffet with seatings at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., $75++ per adult and $45++ for children 3 to 12. High Hampton's Thanksgiving page takes dinner by reservation, so call early if you're hoping for a table.
Saturday Is the Calmer Second Chance
Saturday, November 28, is day two of the festival, with the same hours, and the $5 adult admission you paid Friday covers it. Nothing else is scheduled on The Village Green that day, so it's the better pick if you want to walk the trees slowly or check the auction once more before it closes.
Highlands fills Saturday with its Small Business Saturday Holiday Stroll, starting at 11 a.m. The Highlands Chamber schedule lists a Cookie Crawl from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., music in Town Square from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., story time at Hudson Library from 1 to 2 p.m., face painting at The Bascom from 1 to 3:30 p.m., and ice carving in Town Square from 3 to 4 p.m. That evening, Light Up the Park & Main runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park. Cashiers lights its tree Friday, and Highlands lights up for the season Saturday. The Highlands Christmas Parade isn't part of the weekend. It's on Saturday, December 5, at 10 a.m. on Main Street.
For something outdoors, High Hampton's agenda lists a guided hike to Chimney Top Mountain on Saturday at 10 a.m., booked through the resort concierge.
There won't be a Festival of Trees on Thanksgiving weekend 2027. The trees come back to Mitten Lane in 2028.
If you've got family coming for Thanksgiving and they keep asking what Cashiers is like in winter, bring them to the Gazebo at 5:45 on Friday. At Mountain Real Estate Rocks, we're always happy to talk about life on the plateau beyond the holidays too, whenever you're ready. Find Your Mountain Home.
