Home Care In Scaly Mountain, NC

Bear Shadow Comes Out of Hibernation in 2026 with Headliners Trombone Shorty and Charley Crockett

After a year’s hiatus, Bear Shadow music festival will return to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau May 29 – 31 with a heady lineup helmed by New Orleans ambassadors Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue along with rising country star Charley Crockett. They’ll be joined by R&B/gospel legend and Grammy-winner Mavis Staples, inspirational singer/songwriter Margo Price, and more performing at Ferngrove, the festival’s new location in Highlands, NC.

Saturday’s festivities kick off with sets by the Crescent City’s J & The Causeways and Louisiana bluesman Marc Broussard, culminating with what promises to powerhouse performances by Mavis Staples and Trombone Shorty. Sunday’s vibe shifts to country and Americana with opening sets from Alabama-born music phenom Kashus Culpepper and Americana sensation Pony Bradshaw (a.k.a James Bradshaw) before Grammy nominees Margo Price and Charley Crockett attempt to set the stage afire to close out.

“We are bringing the heat with this lineup!” said Casey Reid, festival director and partner at Eleven Events. “After taking a year off, we knew our fans would be ready to rock again. The artists on our 2026 lineup are Grammy award-winners, nominees and performers – proof positive that Bear Shadow is a must for the industry’s top talent … and a must-see for our fans.”

Fans can also look forward to an exclusive and intimate pre-festival concert on Friday, May 29. This live music event will benefit , a public charity connecting advanced-stage cancer patients to lifesaving treatment, travel support, emotional-wellness retreats, and lung cancer research. More details to come.

Now in its fifth year, Bear Shadow was forced to skip 2025 after losing access to its original site at the picturesque Winfield Farms on Scaly Mountain located a few miles outside Highlands. Since 2021, Base Camp, as the site was called, hosted such national acts as Lukas Nelson and The Promise of The Real, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, The Head and The Heart, Spoon, Black Pumas, Grace Bowers and more.

Base Camp’s new location at Ferngrove will be just as beautiful and even more accessible located just minutes from downtown. With 85 acres of rolling fields, dappled streams, and forested tracks attendees can expect an immersive experience in the mountains of western North Carolina surrounded by music, nature and a communal spirit while giving back to the community through Stage4Hope.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Bear Shadow to Ferngrove and to share this experience with the Highlands community. It’s a beautiful way to bring people together through music and to highlight Stage4Hope,” said Stacy Carter, founder of Ferngrove and Stage4Hope. “Our new cancer wellness center at Ferngrove will extend that mission here in Highlands—a place where patients and families can breathe, find hope, and rediscover purpose again.”

Named for a bear-like shadow created by Whiteside Mountain that appears on the surrounding hills during October and November, Bear Shadow was created by Highlands Festivals, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, in partnership with Eleven Events to promote the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau as a vibrant and inspiring place to visit. The quaint mountain village of Highlands offers a diverse array of dining, shopping and lodging experiences while the surrounding area abounds with hiking and biking trails, lakes, streams and breathtaking vistas. Festival-goers can take advantage of Bear Shadow’s extracurricular offerings as well such as “Livesteam,” a guided fly fishing excursion led by Brookings Anglers, and “Summit & Sound,” a coordinated hike and mountaintop performance by Canadian folk group Wild Flowers.

Tickets, including VIP options, will go on sale Thursday, December 11 at 12 p.m. ET and can be purchased via the Bear Shadow website. For more information click on the links below.

Bear Shadow

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The holidays have come and gone, so now is the chance for a change of pace to enjoy all the winter activities on the Plateau. Bundle up and enjoy the great outdoors — it’s a wonderful way to leave your cares behind and focus on fun. Our fresh mountain air is sure to help you start your new year on a positive note.

Highlands Outpost at 7420 Dillard Road in Scaly Mountain offers snow tubing daily, weather permitting, from 10:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M., with extended hours on Saturdays from 9:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. Those extended hours also apply New Year’s weekend, January 1-3, Martin Luther King weekend, January 18-19, and Presidents Day weekend, February 13-16. While you’re there, don’t miss a ride on North Carolina’s longest gravity-powered mountain coaster, the Scaly Mountain Screamer. There’s even an on-site restaurant, El Guacamole Loco, where you can refuel after all that activity. For group sales or to confirm hours, call (828) 526-3737 or visit highlandsoutpost.com.

Downtown Highlands offers ice skating in picturesque Kelsey-Hutchinson Park. Open Thursday–Sunday, hours are Thursdays from 3:30 to 8:00 P.M., Fridays 3:30 to 10:00 P.M., Saturdays 1:00 to 10:00 P.M., and Sundays 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. They’ll also be open New Year’s Day from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M. Learn more at highlandsnc.org/recreation-ice-rink.

Ski Sapphire Valley offers skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing Fridays through Sundays from Noon until 6:00 P.M. They’ll also be open Monday, January 20, and Monday, February 16. Beginning skiers will enjoy the learning slope with lessons from top-notch instructors, while more experienced skiers and boarders can take advantage of the main slope’s state-of-the-art quad lift. For more information, to confirm hours, or to check the snow report, call (828) 743-7663 or visit skisapphirevalley.com.

Hikers shouldn’t hesitate to hit their favorite trails for the softer, quieter experience of winter. Casual walkers might enjoy the Highlands Greenway Trail, a loop around the lake at Highlands Biological Station, or a stroll through the Village Green in Cashiers.

For a change of pace, the Highlands Historical Society’s tour of preserved buildings is a great way to spend an afternoon. Maps are available at the Highlands Chamber of Commerce or the kiosk at Highlands Historical Village.