Tuesday 3 December to Sunday 8 December 2024
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 3rd December to Sunday 8th December.
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.
Entering a Tree or Nativity Scene in 2024
The application form for individuals, schools and organisations to enter a tree or nativity scene at this year’s Christmas Tree Festival is now open. It will close on 31st October, or earlier if all spaces are taken. There is no charge for entries. Please apply early to avoid disappointment.
To enter a tree or nativity scene, please click on the green ‘Apply’ button below:
Hard copy forms are available at the back of the church if that is your preferred way to submit your application.
Benefiting Charities for the 2024 Christmas Tree Festival
We are excited that the local charities chosen as our beneficiaries for this year are:
Christians Against Poverty (CAP). CAP works in partnership with the local church to deliver debt help through local centres, supporting people of any or no faith to find their way out of poverty. Each debt centre relies on the funding raised from local churches, donations from individuals and one-off grants. Since Salisbury’s debt centre opened in 2014, 109 people have become debt free and 41 people have responded to Jesus’s gospel of love. Money raised during this year’s Festival will support continued service provision.
Morning Star Salisbury. This faith-based charity supports those of any or no faith who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, those wanting to be free from addiction and those who struggle with the storms of life, including mental health issues. Money raised during this year’s Festival will support Life Recovery Courses and key services delivered at the charity’s new Victoria Park Centre in Salisbury.
Contact us
Email: treefest@stthomassalisbury.co.uk
The Rector and congregation of St Thomas’s look forward to welcoming all exhibitors, musicians, singers and visitors to the 2024 Festival.
2023 Christmas Tree Festival – a community celebration
St Thomas’s Church held its 19th Christmas Tree Festival from Tuesday 5th December to Sunday 10th December 2023. As a community event the Festival was enjoyed by more than 12,000 people local to Salisbury and many others from as far afield as Vancouver, Canada, to Victoria, Australia. There was no charge to enter a tree or nativity scene. As in previous years, we were joined by 94 local organisations, charities and businesses as well as individuals, schools and play groups who delighted and amazed us all with highly original, inspiring and creative entries, each of which told its own story of Christmas.
Just as important as the Christmas trees and scenes was the full and varied programme of inspiring music provided throughout the week. Fifty-five individuals and groups of musicians, singers and school choirs, from nursery age to the nineties, entertained our visitors to a non-stop feast of choral, instrumental and folk music. The Church Festival Café was busy providing a delicious feast of home-baked cakes throughout the week which were extremely popular and much enjoyed.
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 donate £7,000.00 to each of two charities in 2023, Salisbury Trust for the Homeless and Salisbury Alzheimer’s Support. The Church itself benefited from an equal sum towards its maintenance and work in the parish and city.
The Festival Committee was most grateful for the time and talents of many members of the congregation and volunteers from the wider community who helped to make the whole event possible.
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
- Thank you. Look forward to next year!
What BBC South Today said:
