Christmas in July

Hours: Thursday and Friday - 10am to 6pm Saturday - 10am to 4pm

BY NATHAN HAM

Christmas in July returned to the streets of downtown West Jefferson in 2022 after cancellations the previous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Folks packed the downtown area to celebrate the triumphant return of one of the most popular festivals in North Carolina. The festival also moved vendors back to Jefferson Avenue, the main thoroughfare in the heart of West Jefferson. This was another highly popular decision that citizens and visitors had been hoping for ever since vendors were moved to the “back street” several years ago.

2023 will mark the 35th anniversary of the festival, and the crowd is expected to be as big as ever when the festival kicks off on Friday, June 30, and continues on Saturday, July 1. Each year, the Christmas in July Festival celebrates the Christmas tree industry and mountain heritage with arts, crafts, and local entertainers representative of the region.

The music lineup for this year’s festival has already been released and it features a wide variety of music from local bands, ranging from bluegrass to beach music to classic rock.

Steve Lewis, Eric Hardin, Randy

Greer and Josh Scott will kick off the entertainment on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. with some bluegrass tunes. Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will take the stage at 7 p.m. before the night concludes with the Special Occasion Band playing some popular beach music to dance to at 8:30 p.m. Saturday kicks off with the Jeff Little Trio at 10 a.m. Country musician Tim Elliott will take the stage at 11:45 a.m. Wayne Henderson & Friends will follow Elliott’s performance Saturday afternoon and then the day will conclude with The Lucky Strikes Orchestra as the closing act. They will be performing a variety of motown, beach, swing and classic rock.

For more information and updates on the festival, follow the festival on Facebook by searching “Christmas In July Festival” or visit www.christmasinjulyfestival.com to learn more about the music lineup as well as the food and craft vendors that will be on hand for the weekend.