Fifty designer-decorated trees will fill the Orlando Museum of Art from November 14 through November 22 as the Festival of Trees marks its 40th anniversary, a milestone that arrives just months after the museum clawed back its national accreditation following years of turmoil. The holiday exhibition, presented annually by the Council of 101, opens with a Treeview party on November 13 and runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through its nine-day run.
The anniversary festival carries the theme “Forty Seasons of Joy,” according to the Orlando Sentinel, which reported that past editions have featured Wicked-themed decor, oversized candy displays, and trees decked out in UCF colors. Council of 101 president Elizabeth Benoist said the festival celebrates “four decades of generosity, creativity and community spirit” while honoring the museum's 102-year legacy, per the same report.
That legacy runs deep. The Orlando Museum of Art traces its roots to 1924, when it was founded as the Orlando Art Association, and it now operates as an independent nonprofit that owns its building and land inside Loch Haven Cultural Park, according to the museum itself. The 45-acre park sits between three lakes and also houses the Orlando Science Center, Orlando Family Stage, Orlando Ballet, and Mennello Museum, per the City of Orlando.
A Six-Decade Fundraising Partnership
The Council of 101 was founded in 1965 by local arts advocate Marilyn Mennello as a volunteer group of 101 women supporting what was then the Loch Haven Arts Center, according to Ivanhoe Village. That organization formally became the Orlando Museum of Art in 1986, and Mennello later went on to co-found the nearby Mennello Museum of American Art bearing her name.
Six decades later, the all-volunteer group has swelled to nearly 300 women and has contributed more than $15 million to the museum since its founding, per the Orlando Sentinel's reporting. Beyond the Festival of Trees, the Council also funds the museum through its spring Art in Bloom floral exhibition and a year-round Corporate Lease Program that rents fine art prints from the Contemporary American Graphics Collection to Central Florida businesses, according to the Orlando Museum of Art.
AdventHealth is serving as the Platinum Presenting Sponsor for the 40th anniversary festival, a corporate partnership that also backs the Council's spring Art in Bloom fundraiser, according to Chip and Co. Sponsorships like that one help underwrite the production costs behind the museum's largest annual public event.
What Visitors Will Find This Year
Beyond the 50 designer trees, this year's festival includes wreaths, gingerbread creations, and holiday vignettes, along with shopping, visits with Santa, and the Festival Holiday Café, per the Sentinel. A slate of special events is planned throughout the run, including Breakfast with Santa, a Reindeer Romp children's party, Festival After 5, Heroes Day, Seniors Day, holiday workshops, and an Ugly Sweater Party.
Tickets run $23 for adults, $15 for children ages 3 to 12, and $15 for seniors, active-duty or retired military members, first responders, and educators with identification. Daily parking costs $8. Last year's festival, the 39th edition, drew more than 14,000 visitors across its 10-day run, offering a benchmark for what organizers might expect from the 40th anniversary, according to WFTV.
Museum's Recovery Adds Weight to the Milestone
The anniversary lands at a moment of genuine institutional relief for the Orlando Museum of Art. In March 2026, the museum earned full reaccreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, closing out a probationary period that followed the FBI's 2022 seizure of fraudulent Jean-Michel Basquiat artwork from a museum exhibition, as reported by The Community Paper. Fewer than 3% of U.S. museums hold that accreditation, per the same outlet.
Cathryn Mattson, who was appointed executive director and CEO in May 2023 following the leadership changes triggered by the scandal, has guided the museum through that recovery. She previously held leadership roles at Unilever and nonprofit advisory firms before joining OMA, according to a PR Newswire announcement of her appointment.
Donor confidence has followed the museum's institutional turnaround. In June, the Council of 101 presented the museum with a record $575,000 donation, its largest single annual contribution in the organization's six-decade history and a jump from the previous record of $540,000 set the prior year, WFTV reported.
Where the Money Goes
Festival proceeds flow directly into the museum's educational and lifelong-learning programs, which reach more than 38,000 residents and visitors annually, according to the Florida Sun Review. Those programs include specialized art workshops the museum conducts under a contract with Orange County Public Schools for students with autism and other special needs.
Hoodline previously covered the festival's 38th annual fundraising run in 2024, when organizers set similar attendance and giving goals. This year's 40th anniversary arrives with the museum's accreditation restored and its flagship volunteer fundraiser posting record numbers, giving Central Florida families an extra reason to walk through Loch Haven Park's trees this holiday season.
