Morganton's Holiday Season Runs on Two Weeknights. Here's How the Rest of the Calendar Fits Around Them.
Downtown Morganton's busiest holiday stretch this year falls on a Monday and a Tuesday. CoMMA hosts "A Motown Christmas" on Monday, Nov. 30, and the Morganton Downtown Development Association runs the "MOTOWN EXPRESS" Christmas Parade the next evening, Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m.
Most of the season is built for walk-ups. The Winter Carnival, the carriage rides and Santa's evenings on Courthouse Square run on sign-up lists and open hours, with no advance tickets. The nights that call for a plan are the ticketed ones at CoMMA, and the two biggest fall on weeknights in a row.
If a Tuesday parade looks odd on the calendar, it's been the custom for a while. The City's 2024 announcement set that year's parade for Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. on Green and Sterling Streets. In 2025, The News Herald listed it for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Paper reported that year's theme as "Christmas Through the Ages."
For 2026, the City's Oct. 9 release keeps the format the same:
The theme is about trains. The release asks you to "imagine Downtown Morganton transformed into a magical Christmas train, where every float, vehicle, and walking group becomes a festive passenger car, all linked together and rolling the same merry direction down the rails." Groups that want to ride along as one of those cars can apply through the participation link in the same release.
The 6 p.m. start on a Tuesday is the one time on the downtown calendar this season to plan your evening around.
The night before, CoMMA at 401 S. College St. books a show that fits the parade's Motown theme. "A Motown Christmas" runs Monday, Nov. 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. The performers are The Motortown All-Stars, described as vocalists and musicians drawn from The Miracles, The Contours and other Motown legends, backed by Detroit players.
Tickets for this one need some thought. CoMMA lists adult seats at $22 to $72 and youth seats, for ages 18 and under, at $12.50 to $37.50. Those prices include a $3 facility fee, and the 6.75% North Carolina sales tax is added on top. That's a wide range, so the cheapest seats are the ones to go after early.
Put together, a Motown concert on Monday and a Motown-themed parade on Tuesday make two downtown evenings in a row. You need a ticket for the first one. For the second, all you need is a spot on Green or Sterling Street.
The weekend events go the other way. Each one is centered on the Historic Burke County Courthouse Square, and none of them asks for an advance reservation.
Winter Carnival, Saturday, Nov. 21. The City's listing puts the afternoon block from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. It includes Santa visits, free carriage rides, an ice slide, face painting, hot chocolate at Frosty's Diner and Letters to Santa. From 5:30 to 6 p.m., the Downtown Lighting Ceremony and a Fire and Ice demo close out the day. The carriage rides are free only at the carnival. On the season's other carriage nights they cost $5.
Holiday carriage rides, Nov. 27–28 and Dec. 4–5. Rides run from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on those two Friday-and-Saturday pairs. The ticket window opens at 5 p.m. at the Courthouse Square corner of East Meeting and South, behind the stage. You put your name on a list there, and the City notes "No call ahead reservations." The price is $5 per person. Since the list starts when the window opens, arriving at 5 p.m. is the only advantage you can get.
Santa's Workshop, Friday and Saturday evenings, Nov. 28 through Dec. 20. Santa is back on Courthouse Square on weekend evenings starting at 5:30 p.m. The City's page gives the closing time as 8 p.m. in its description and 8:30 p.m. in its calendar block, so plan on the earlier time.
On the Friday and Saturday right after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and 28, carriage rides and Santa share the square. The same goes for Dec. 4 and 5. Those four evenings let one trip downtown cover both.
One event on this year's calendar is new. On Thursday, Nov. 19, Burke United Christian Ministries hosts its first "Community Stew and Brew" at CoMMA from 6 to 9 p.m. The organization calls it "the pinnacle of our fundraising efforts for BUCM this year as part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month."
Here's what's planned:
A single ticket costs $35. Two or more cost $30 each with the promo code SAVE5. Both prices include the $3 facility fee, sales tax is added on top, and every attendee needs a ticket, infants included. All sales are final. Chefs who want to enter a stew, breweries or groups interested in a collaboration beer, and sponsors can sign up through BUCM's event page.
The night before, Wednesday, Nov. 18, CoMMA stages "The Nutcracker with a Live Orchestra" at 7 p.m. With the Winter Carnival that Saturday, Nov. 18 through 21 is the first busy stretch of the season, a full week before Thanksgiving on Nov. 26.
| Date | Event | Where | Plan ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | The Nutcracker with a Live Orchestra | CoMMA | Check CoMMA listing |
| Thu., Nov. 19, 6–9 p.m. | Community Stew & Brew | CoMMA | Ticketed, $35 or $30 each for two+ |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 2:30–6 p.m. | Winter Carnival and Downtown Lighting | Courthouse Square | Walk-up, free carriage rides |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 27–28 | Carriage rides and Santa | Courthouse Square | Walk-up, $5 rides |
| Mon., Nov. 30, 7 p.m. | A Motown Christmas | CoMMA | Ticketed, $22–$72 adults |
| Tue., Dec. 1, 6 p.m. | MOTOWN EXPRESS Christmas Parade | Green and Sterling Streets | Free, pick a spot |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5 | Carriage rides and Santa | Courthouse Square | Walk-up, $5 rides |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 11–12 and 18–19 | Santa's Workshop | Courthouse Square | Walk-up |
| Wed., Dec. 16, 7 p.m. | Western Piedmont Symphony Holiday Spectacular | CoMMA | Check CoMMA listing |
| Sat., Dec. 19, 2 and 7 p.m. | Frosty: A Musical Adventure | CoMMA | Check CoMMA listing |
After the parade, the calendar slows down. Downtown has weekend Santa evenings until Dec. 20, and CoMMA has two more holiday shows: the Western Piedmont Symphony's Holiday Spectacular on Wednesday, Dec. 16, and two performances of "Frosty: A Musical Adventure" on Saturday, Dec. 19. On Dec. 19, Frosty and Santa's Workshop are both downtown, so a family can do the 2 p.m. matinee and then visit the square when Santa arrives at 5:30.
Listed hours can change before the season starts. The City's Main Street pages and the CoMMA event listings are the places to check closer to each date.
Whether you're planning for the Dec. 1 parade or just want to know which downtown evenings are worth a weeknight out, our agents live and work around this calendar too. RE/MAX Legendary is glad to share what we know about the season in Morganton. Call a Legendary Agent today.
Our agents will secure you a property in this seller's market OR call on one of our legendary agents to give you a free value of what your house is worth. You might be surprised what your house is worth in today's market.