Tuesday 1st December to Sunday 6th December 2026
St Thomas’s annual Christmas Tree Festival is an exciting opportunity for local organisations, individuals, charities, businesses and schools to create and exhibit Christmas trees and nativity scenes which reflect what is important for them as they look forward to celebrating Christmas. The Festival includes a daily programme of inspiring music provided by local community and school choirs, music groups and individual performers. Our Festival Café provides delicious home baked cakes and refreshments throughout the week. As a community event, the Festival is loved and enjoyed by people local to Salisbury and visitors from far and wide. For many it is the start of their Christmas celebrations.
This year the Festival will run from Tuesday 1st December to Sunday 6th December. We are honoured and delighted that The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Salisbury, Councillor Jenny Bolwell, will open the Festival this year. Visiting the Festival is free but donations are welcome as visitors leave. Thanks to the generosity of visitors making donations, the generosity of our sponsors and the profits from the Festival Café, the church is able to donate equal sums to two benefiting charities, and the Church itself benefits from an equal sum towards its community work, maintenance and upkeep.
Benefitting Charities for the 2026 Christmas Tree Festival
We are excited that the local charities chosen as our beneficiaries for this year are:
Charlie’s Star: Charlie’s Star is a small local charity supporting families in the South West who have lost a child under 19. We provide funded seven-day respite breaks in Cornwall, offering a safe space for families to spend time together away from everyday pressures. Each break costs around £500 and includes accommodation, travel, and activities, easing financial strain so families can focus on healing. Through these breaks, we create hope and moments of comfort, helping families make new memories and begin to heal—for example, one family shared they were able to laugh together on a beach for the first time since their loss.
Horatio’s Garden South West: Horatio’s Garden South West supports people adjusting to life-changing spinal injuries at The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre, Salisbury District Hospital. After the devastation of a spinal injury, the future can seem bleak. Horatio’s Garden creates and runs beautiful vibrant gardens beside NHS spinal centres. Places where people can begin to find connection, enjoyment and calm. Our evidence-based support helps improve mental and physical health, offering distraction from pain while supporting sleep and long-term activity. Our mission is to open gardens in all eleven NHS spinal centres, so everyone affected by spinal injury can access a Horatio’s Garden.
Entering a Tree or Nativity Scene in 2026
In 2026 the Festival will run from Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th December. The application form for entering a tree or nativity scene will open on-line through the St Thomas’s Church website on 1st September. The entry form will be taken off-line as soon as entries are full. A few hard copy entry forms will be made available in the Church if that is your preferred way to enter. Places fill very quickly so do please apply early to avoid disappointment.
2025 Christmas Tree Festival – a community celebration
St Thomas’s Church held the 21st Anniversary of its Christmas Tree Festival from Tuesday 2nd December to Sunday 7th December 2024. As a community event, and despite some bad weather, the Festival was enjoyed by more than 12,000 people local to Salisbury and many others from across the UK and around the world. There was no charge to enter a tree or nativity scene. We were joined by local organisations, charities and businesses as well as individuals, schools and play groups who delighted and amazed us with over 100 highly original, inspiring and creative Christmas trees and nativity scenes, each of which told its own story of Christmas.
Just as important as the Christmas trees and nativity scenes was the full and varied programme of inspiring music provided throughout the week. Over 1,000 performers from choirs, schools and local music groups, from nursery age to the nineties, entertained our visitors to a non-stop enchantment of choral, instrumental and folk music and dance.
The Church Festival Café was busy providing a delicious feast of home-baked cakes throughout the week which were extremely popular and much enjoyed. The time and talents of many members of the congregation and volunteers from the wider community made the whole event possible, overseen by a small organising committee.
Entry to visit the Festival was, as always, free but donations were welcomed at the exit in aid of two local charities and the church itself. Thanks to the generosity of visitors making donations and the profits from the Festival Café, the Church was able to present cheques of over £8,000 to each of Clouds House and Julia’s House at the Carols for Busy People on 17th December. The Church itself benefits from an equal sum towards its maintenance and work in the parish and city.
The Clergy Team and congregation of St Thomas’s are already looking forward to welcoming all exhibitors, musicians, singers and visitors to Christmas Tree Festival 2026.
Contact us
Email: treefest@stthomassalisbury.co.uk
What some of our visitors and exhibitors said:
- A beautiful display bringing community together
- Very many thanks for giving so many small groups in Salisbury an opportunity to be part of the community
- Brilliant, clever and very moving in such a fantastic building
- The best festival I have ever been to
- Just gorgeous and inspirational
- It really lifted my spirits
- What a wonderful start to Christmas, what messages of joy
- Thank you. Look forward to next year!
