There will be free entertainment with merriment, music, and memories for every age and interest at the 23rd Annual Dickens Christmas Festival on December 2–4 in the historic Biltmore Village. Musicians, choral groups, singers, dancers, and the Montford Park Players will perform throughout the weekend on the main stage.

More than 300 performers will take the stage as well as roving throughout the Village entertaining on the streets and in the shops and restaurants. Friday and Saturday evenings will feature main stage concerts for the entire family. As dusk settles in, more than 250,000 sparkling lights will outline the historic Village buildings, combining with the streetlights to enhance the ambiance. Shops, with many of the shopkeepers dressed in Victorian-era garb, will stay open both evenings until 7 p.m.

The popular horse-drawn carriage rides return this year, taking visitors through the tree-lined Village streets. The carriage rides will be available all day Saturday and Sunday. For an authentic historic holiday celebration, follow your nose to the main stage where the scents of Sakshi Gentenbein’s roasted chestnuts fill the air.

The Village will be decked out with Fraser fir holiday wreaths on each streetlight, on the entrance doors to the shops, and at other special locations throughout. Hours for the festival are 5–7 p.m. on Friday, 11–7 p.m. Saturday, and 1–5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit biltmorevillage.com or call 828.274.8788.