ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Warren Haynes unveiled the first wave of headliners for his 34th Christmas Jam, booking a Dec. 12 night at ExploreAsheville.com Arena that pairs Greta Van Fleet with indie act The War on Drugs, plus Haynes’ own Gov’t Mule, JJ Grey with Mofro, and Daniel Donato & Friends.
Guests already confirmed include Jesse Welles, Lukas Nelson, blues guitarist Christone Kingfish Ingram and Yola, and organizers say more names will follow. Haynes framed the roster as a cross-section of the styles the hometown benefit has always chased.
Ticket windows open in stages next week. Travel and VIP packages start at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. A local box-office-only presale follows at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. General sales open online and at the arena at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23.
The Jam started in 1988 as a holiday gathering at the tiny 45 Cherry club. By 1998, Haynes and Stefani Scamardo were routing the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. Organizers now tally nearly $3 million raised for Asheville Area Habitat, enough support for more than 50 houses plus neighborhood infrastructure work. BeLoved Asheville will share this year’s proceeds as it tackles housing insecurity.
Helene’s 2024 blow forced that year’s show off the Asheville calendar. Haynes instead helped stage a Madison Square Garden Soulshine night that pulled in over $4.5 million toward Helene recovery work. The Jam came home again in 2025, and the Dec. 12 2026 date keeps the charity night on its home stage.
Side bills such as day shows, the traditional Before The Jam warm-up and the Lend A Hand volunteer shift will be detailed later. For now, the main arena night and the Oct. 20-23 sales ladder are the hard dates on the calendar.
Fans planning holiday travel should lock packages early once the VIP window opens, then watch the Oct. 23 public onsale for remaining seats inside ExploreAsheville.com Arena.
Section: More Asheville NC events news