Make this holiday season merry and bright - literally! Spark up some much-needed holiday cheer with the third annual Holiday Fireworks in Downtown Sylva. On Dec. 16, from 7:30 - 8:30 pm, witness the luminescent display over the town of Sylva. Get here early and enjoy holiday music while finding the perfect gift for your loved ones at our unique downtown shops, or grab dinner at one of our award-winning non-chain restaurants.

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Sapphire Valley offers the area’s finest skiing facility, boasting a state-of-the-art quad lift, a learning center slope and newly expanded, multiple lane, 500-foot snow tubing run. The actual open date is weather dependent but typically around the second to third week of December. Just above 3,400 feet elevation, Sapphire Valley offers a 1,600-foot main run with a vertical drop of 200 feet and a 500-foot snow tubing run. And now, Sapphire Valley Ski Area offers a moving carpet to quickly transport you back to the top of the slopes for multiple runs throughout each 1.75 hour session.

Join us for the exciting Outhouse Races, taking place on February 18, 2023, at 3 pm in Sapphire. Crazy? Maybe. Dangerous? Perhaps. Fun? Without a doubt! You won't find Outhouse Races on Snow anywhere else in North Carolina! Dozens of outhouses race to compete for the throne. Spectators come from throughout the southeast to line the course and cheer on those brave enough to see if the outhouse crashes and burns or sails across the finish line. The Outhouse Races have been named a 'Top 20' event in the Southeast for February by Southeast Tourism Society. WHAT ARE OUTHOUSE RACES? Your Homemade Outhouses can be made of wood, cardboard, plastic, or any other homemade items. There are three people to a team and outhouses are secured on a set of skis, which can be provided to you by the Sapphire Valley Ski Area. These skis are pushed by two team members, while one team member 'sits' inside. Outhouses are equipped with a seat with at least one (1) hole, and a roll of toilet paper, or alternative wiping source. The race course is a two-lane track on packed snow (or on ice), with two teams racing each other head to head over a length of approximately 120 feet (40 yards), the first 30 feet being propelled by the pushers and the last 90 feet under its own gravitational power. This event is as exciting as 'Drag Racing' if you use your imagination. Outhouses can be very simple, or as elaborate as […]

The Greening Up the Mountains Festival, now in its 26th year, is a heritage arts festival that celebrates the arrival of Spring through both traditional and contemporary forms of Appalachian art, music, food, and beverage which honor our community and local artisans. The festival is sponsored by both the Town of Sylva and the Main Street Sylva Association and will be held in historic downtown Sylva, North Carolina. In addition to a variety of arts, crafts, and food vendors, attendees can enjoy a 5k run, youth talent contest, beverage arts featuring local craft breweries, and live music throughout the day on two stages.