Festival of Trees 2024- “Once Upon a Time”
On Display November 20, 2024 - January 5, 2025
Admission is FREE!
Sponsored by Explore Auburn
Festival of Trees is a community-based holiday exhibit at the White River Valley Museum. Each year the Museum selects a new community partner and theme. Partners decorate trees provided by the Museum that creatively incorporate the theme. Past partners have included local artists. ethnic heritage groups, and the King County Library System. This year we are turning to the business community to bring this awesome holiday tradition back to the Auburn community.
Participation Details:
Registration deadline: October 18, 2024.
Each business will be provided with a 7ft. artificial green tree to decorate. Decorations should be creative and fun! While they can be reflective of your business, the best trees will be those with a “wow factor”. Our 2024 theme is “Once Upon a Time” - lots of room for interpretation!
Each business will provide text about their tree inspiration, a logo, and a QR code. This information will be used to create a label that will display beside your tree.
Tree decorating days will be November 14 or 15th from 10am - 5pm. Each business will schedule a 2hr block to decorate their trees. Take down will occur January 8 -10.
Every business will be featured on the Museum’s website, in eblasts, and on individual, business history-centered social media posts.
NEW THIS YEAR! Want to participate, but don’t have the time? For a $500 donation to the Museum we will design, purchase supplies, and decorate your tree for you - and it will be ah-mazing! Just email rmcalister@auburnwa.gov if you would like this option.
People’s Choice Award!
Museum guests will vote for their favorite tree. The winning tree team will receive bragging rights, a cool trophy, and a free, 4 hour full-Museum rental on a mutually agreeable date to occur in 2025.
Decoration Rules:
Each artist or group will have access to at least one outlet or power strip to light their tree. More lights = better tree.
Tree decoration can NOT contain: food, living plants or animals, high-voltage or vintage lights, anything combustible, battery operated items, glow products, or glitter.
NO permanent alterations can be made to the tree (examples: paint or cutting branches.) If you would prefer to use your own tree rather than the plain, 7ft. green tree provided please let us know.
No religious or political themes.
For most trees you will only be able to view 2/3, as their backs will be up against an exhibit. There are a few locations that would allow to build-out or include décor that is beside the tree.
GREAT Tree Examples. Creative décor, lots of lights, thinking outside of the box
BAD Tree Examples: Sparse décor, no lights, looks thrown together, does not follow participation rules :)
