Cold Mountain Turns 30, and Asheville's Holiday Kickoff Belongs to Monday

Planning to pick up a case of Cold Mountain at Highland Brewing this weekend? You'll need a ticket for that. From Friday, Nov. 13 through Sunday, Nov. 15, every adult coming onto Highland's campus at 12 Old Charlotte Highway needs a Cold Mountain admission ticket, and that includes people who only want to buy packaged beer. Highland's own FAQ puts it simply: "Sorry, no exceptions!"

That's the 30th anniversary of a beer Highland first brewed in 1996. Since then the release has grown into the brewery's biggest weekend of the year, and Highland now calls it the kickoff to the holiday season. The beer itself, and much of what else opens in Asheville that week, is easiest to reach on the weekdays right after the festival.

How the Week Runs at Highland

Today is Thursday, Nov. 12, and the campus is already closed to the public. The Taproom, Meadow and recreation facilities are shut so Highland can host its Cold Mountain Beer Dinner, which is sold out. Taylor Montgomery, the 2026 James Beard Best Chef: Southeast winner, is cooking the menu, paired with Cold Mountain. Starting tomorrow, the week goes like this:

A three-day pass costs $30, and children 10 and under don't need a ticket at all. Highland's printed schedule lists a later Sunday closing time than its ticket page does, so check the hours before you plan a Sunday evening there.

The ticket gets you into the whole event. Friday includes live ice sculpting, a Cold Mountain Heritage Panel, beer-poking, a light show and the Great Cold Mountain Howl. Saturday opens with a 2v2 volleyball tournament at 9 a.m. and ends with the rooftop silent disco. This year the silent disco has more headphones and two new DJs, DJ TeaThyme and DJ Ujjayiu. Sunday starts with 4v4 volleyball at 9 a.m., and Highland runs kids' activities from 1 to 5 p.m., which makes it the most family-friendly day. All weekend, the disc golf course is open to ticket holders only.

If you want the full party, the $10 Sunday ticket is the cheapest way in. If you only want beer, the table shows a better option.

What's in the Cases for the 30th

Every year Highland releases spin-offs alongside the original, and the lineup changes. In 2025, WLOS reported that the packaged spin-offs were Coconut, Breakfast, Cinnamon Roll and Barrel-Aged, and that the weekend fell on Nov. 7 through 9. The 2026 packaged lineup is:

• Cold Mountain Winter Ale, 5.9% ABV, with vanilla, hazelnut, dark-fruit and cinnamon notes, in six-packs and 24-packs of 12-ounce bottles
• The 30th Anniversary Variety Pack, eight 16-ounce cans with two each of Winter Ale, Coconut, Chocolate Orange and Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Mountain
• Coconut, Chocolate Orange and Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Mountain, each in 16-ounce four-packs and 24-can cases
• Barrel-Aged Cold Mountain, 11% ABV, and Double Barrel-Aged Bourbon Pecan Cold Mountain, 13% ABV, both in wax-dipped 500ml bottles

For collectors, the variety pack is the one to get. It's the first time the Winter Ale has come in a can, and the variety pack is the only place you'll find it canned. The labels are new for the anniversary, and Highland says the Winter Ale recipe hasn't changed.

The bottles are where the weekend ticket really pays off. Highland calls the Double Barrel-Aged Bourbon Pecan its first bottled double-barrel-aged Cold Mountain. Both barrel-aged beers go on sale at the start of each session, Friday through Sunday, in very small quantities, and Highland suggests getting there early to line up at the Distribution Area. Each adult can buy up to two Barrel-Aged bottles and only one Double Barrel-Aged bottle. There are no preorders bundled with tickets this year, so every bottle and case is sold in person, while supplies last.

Monday, and Then the Shelves

On Monday, Nov. 16, Highland sells whatever packaged Cold Mountain is left and pours the remaining varieties on draft, with no ticket required. Highland also says it has a large allotment of the Winter Ale six-packs and cases, the variety pack and all three spin-offs for each day from Friday through Monday. The barrel-aged bottles aren't on that list. They're tied to the ticketed sessions.

Monday is also the day to try the draft-only beers if any are still pouring. The anniversary lineup includes four small-batch versions you won't find in a package: Chai, Sour Cherry, Apple Cider Donut and Imperial Cold Mountain.

On Tuesday the campus closes. That same week, starting the week of Nov. 16, Cold Mountain goes out to select retailers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, and Highland's beer finder will list locations after Nov. 15. So a regular six-pack of the original never needed the festival.

Oscar's Pizza Changes the Campus

This weekend is also the first look at Oscar's Pizza, Highland's new restaurant right next to the main taproom. It serves thin, crispy New Haven-style pizza and has open and covered seating on the wraparound deck. The Asheville Citizen Times reported that the restaurant is named for brewery founder Oscar Wong, who opened Asheville's first craft brewery in 1994. His handwriting inspired the logo and signage. The pizza boxes carry an illustration of his arm and the words "This side up," a nod to a story he loved telling about the first pizza he ever carried.

According to that same report, Oscar's soft-opens with a limited menu during the Cold Mountain weekend, starts regular service over Thanksgiving weekend, and has a grand opening planned for December. During the release you can order slices from Oscar's, and a food truck lineup will be on site too.

The kitchen also changes the rules for dogs. Many people have brought their dogs to Cold Mountain over the years, and Highland acknowledges that. Highland's FAQ says that with Oscar's adding food service, it will follow state health code rules for food establishments and allow only service animals inside the Taproom and event spaces. Leashed dogs are still welcome on the Patio, the Meadow and the Disc Golf Course. Highland moves daytime Meadow music indoors when it's cold or wet, and all evening music is indoors anyway. On a raw November night, that means a dog spends the evening outside while the bands play inside.

The Same Pattern Across Town

The other two big openings that week follow the same pattern as Cold Mountain, with a gate on the weekend and an open door midweek.

1. Friday, Nov. 13. Winter Lights opens at the North Carolina Arboretum and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. The show promises more than one million lights along a one-mile walk, plus three new displays: Forest Floor, Beneath the Riverbed and Between Water and Woods. Tickets are sold per car, so everyone in the vehicle gets in for one price. Prices fall into Value, Standard and Peak tiers depending on demand, and choosing a less popular date costs less. Buying at the gate adds a fee, and members get $5 off. Tier dates and car prices are on the Arboretum's ticket page.
2. Monday, Nov. 16. The National Gingerbread House Competition is judged at The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa, behind closed doors.
3. Tuesday, Nov. 17. The gingerbread display opens and stays up through Jan. 3, 2027. Anyone can view it Sundays after 6 p.m. and Monday through Thursday during regular resort hours. Fridays and Saturdays are reserved for registered resort guests and people with confirmed dining reservations. The display is also closed to the public on Nov. 26; Dec. 6, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31; and Jan. 1. The resort has no free parking this season. Self-parking is $35 and valet is $45, and the resort's Holiday Parking Partners Program has given more than $1.4 million to Western North Carolina nonprofits since 2013.

On Monday, Nov. 16, Cold Mountain is ticket-free on the Highland campus. From Tuesday through Thursday, Cold Mountain is reaching retailers and the gingerbread display at the Grove Park Inn is open to the public.

If you'd rather spend Cold Mountain weekend in your own living room than in a ticket line, we'd love to help you find the right place for it. Talk to Heather and the team at H. Scott & Associates about homes within an easy drive of East Asheville and the Arboretum, or start with what yours is worth today. Get Your Home Value.