Dave Grohl and Warren Haynes, Christmas Jam 2018


On the evening of Nov. 12, Warren Haynes announced that his annual Christmas Jam will not return to Asheville, NC in 2019.

“I will certainly miss seeing you all this year,” Haynes wrote. “Christmas Jam has become such a special time for me, my family and our Asheville community, and we look forward to continuing the tradition that we have all built together for many years to come.”

The event celebrated its 30th straight year in 2018, with a particularly memorable collaboration between Dave Grohl and Gov’t Mule.

However, as Haynes explains, this year’s sabbatical doesn’t mean Christmas Jam is gone for good. “We are already planning a big show for 2020 and we can’t wait to share with you what’s in store. We will see you next year,” he wrote.

Christmas Jam is referred to as “one of the most celebrated and longest-running live benefit concerts in the U.S.” and it has raised almost $3 million for the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

Check out Relix‘s photo gallery from Christmas Jam 2018 here.

For updated information – including a list of Christmas Jam-adjacent events for 2019 – visit XmasJam.com.

Read Haynes’ full statement below:

“Since we started the Christmas Jam in 1988, it has grown in every way we wished for, and in many ways that we could have only hoped for when we first set out. After three decades, and an amazing two-night 30th Anniversary last year, it feels like the right time to take a brief moment to press pause. We have poured our heart and soul into creating this annual event and our commitment to serve the Asheville community and Habitat for Humanity remains strong.

I am so grateful to our many partners that help us bring the community together around the Christmas Jam every year, including the city of Asheville, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, WNCW, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., CID Entertainment, all of our production partners, venues, hotels, and local businesses, our incredible staff and volunteers, and countless others. And, of course, all the fans who have supported the Christmas Jam. We can’t do it without you.

I will certainly miss seeing you all this year. Christmas Jam has become such a special time for me, my family and our Asheville community, and we look forward to continuing the tradition that we have all built together for many years to come. We are already planning a big show for 2020 and we can’t wait to share with you what’s in store. We will see you next year.”