Hallmark Films A Grand Biltmore Christmas Sequel in Asheville; Jonathan Frakes Returns

Filmmakers turned the Biltmore Estate and downtown Asheville into a seasonal set as production began for the Hallmark sequel A Grand Biltmore Christmas. Filming started Tuesday, January 22, 2026, following the 2023 release of A Biltmore Christmas, and will premiere this year as part of Hallmark Channel's 17th annual Countdown to Christmas programming event.

The sequel is a time-travel love story with Jonathan Frakes reprising his role from the first film. Production used several recognizable local sites, including Pack's Tavern and the Asheville Fine Arts Theatre, and staged scenes on Biltmore Estate grounds as well as locations around downtown Asheville. Reporters on scene were granted behind-the-scenes access and production representatives and cast members offered comments while crews worked in public areas.

For Buncombe County residents, the filming carries immediate economic and civic implications. Local restaurants, hotels, caterers and vendors often see increased business when productions move in, and visible placement of Pack's Tavern and Asheville Fine Arts Theatre could translate into a tourism bump when the film airs. Production work also brings temporary hiring opportunities for local crew and service workers, and footage shot on the estate and in downtown storefronts acts as a form of promotion for Asheville's hospitality and arts sectors.

At the same time, on-location shoots create short-term disruptions. Filming can require street closures, altered parking patterns and changes to pedestrian access, all of which affect residents who rely on downtown routes for work, school and appointments. Public safety and traffic coordination between production companies and Buncombe County or City of Asheville officials is essential to minimize those disruptions and maintain access to health care, transit and emergency services.

There is also a question of equity in how the economic benefits are distributed. When high-profile projects spotlight iconic sites, marquee businesses tend to capture outsized attention while smaller vendors and hourly service workers may see only marginal gains. Community leaders and permitting authorities can consider using film agreements to encourage local hiring, fair wages and contracts with locally owned businesses so revenue circulates more broadly through the county.

Hallmark's decision to film a sequel here continues a trend of entertainment projects choosing Asheville for its architecture and cultural cachet. The immediate next steps for residents are practical: expect intermittent traffic adjustments in downtown corridors while production wraps, and watch local outlets for public advisories about street access or parking changes. Longer term, the film's release during the Countdown to Christmas will likely bring renewed attention to Buncombe County's tourism and arts economy, making it important for local policymakers to balance visitor promotion with protections for workers, neighborhoods and public health.