Biltmore starts the holiday season with arrival of 34-foot-tall Christmas tree

Christmas at Biltmore runs Nov. 1, 2019 , through Jan. 5, 2020

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Nov 01, 2019, 18:19 ET

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas at Biltmore began with a celebratory start today when the estate welcomed its holiday centerpiece into the Banquet Hall of Biltmore House – a 34-foot-tall Fraser fir Christmas tree.

Known for its monumental scale of traditional holiday décor and dazzling lights, Biltmore's annual Christmas at Biltmore runs Nov. 1, 2019, through Jan. 5, 2020.

It takes nearly 30 employees to lift and secure the towering Banquet Hall Christmas Tree inside Biltmore House. Staff uses 500 lights, 500 ornaments, and 500 wrapped gifts to decorate the 34-foot-tall tree. The tree comes from a Christmas tree farm in Newland, N.C.

Biltmore's holiday centerpiece - the towering Banquet Hall Christmas Tree - arrived Nov. 1, 2019, during the estate's annual tree-raising day. The event kicks off a two-month holiday celebration that includes daylight and candlelight evening tours of Biltmore House, tours through a poinsettia-filled Conservatory, a large light display in Antler Hill Village, and more.

Escorted by the Asheville High School Marching Band, the tree arrived atop a horse-drawn carriage, with Santa at the reigns. As a choir from T.C. Roberson High School performed music of the season, about 40 estate employees lifted and carried the 2,000-pound tree through the massive front doors of Biltmore House. Once inside, 30 additional employees hoisted the tree into place in the home's seven-story-tall Banquet Hall. Biltmore's floral displays team and engineering services staff spent the afternoon navigating scaffolding to hang 500 ornaments and lights on the Fraser fir's elegant boughs.

The Banquet Hall tree is the largest of the 62 hand-decorated Christmas trees in Biltmore House this year. Each room features the results of holiday designs months in the planning. More than 13,000 ornaments were used to decorate the trees. Miles of fresh evergreen garlands and swags provide additional seasonal beauty throughout the house.

"This year's decorating theme is Christmas Traditions," said Lizzie Borchers, Floral Displays Manager. Along with the towering tree, the décor in the Banquet Hall features red and gold ribbons gracing the fireplace, giving the room a regal feel.

For tickets, reservations, and more information about Christmas at Biltmore, visit www.biltmore.com.

About Biltmore
Located in Asheville, N.C., Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's largest home is a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family's original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. Biltmore estate encompasses more than 8,000 acres including renowned gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Today, Biltmore includes Antler Hill Village, which features the award-winning Winery and Antler Hill Farm; four-star The Inn on Biltmore Estate; the new Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; and Biltmore For Your Home, the company's licensed products division. To learn more about Biltmore, go to www.biltmore.com or call 877-BILTMORE.

SOURCE Biltmore