Kennedy Krieger Institute is bringing its Festival of Trees back to the Maryland State Fairgrounds for a 37th year, with the three-day holiday celebration set for November 27 through 29. The Cow Palace in Timonium will once again fill with hundreds of designer-decorated trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses, all on display and for sale as part of a fundraiser that has become a fixture of the Baltimore-area holiday season.
What to Expect This Year
According to Kennedy Krieger Institute, this year's festival will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The institute says hundreds of designer-decorated trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses will be displayed and sold throughout the Cow Palace during that window. As WBAL News Radio reports, those pieces are decorated by area businesses, community groups, schools and individuals.
Sarah Ryan, assistant vice president of engagement at Kennedy Krieger Institute, told WBAL News Radio the festival is “an amazing place of creative expression.” The station also notes the event has attracted more than 1 million people over the years, making it one of the region's longer-running holiday traditions.
A Fundraiser With a Three-Decade Track Record
The festival exists to raise funds for children with disabilities and their families served by the institute, according to the same Kennedy Krieger history page, which adds that the event benefits the patients and students at Kennedy Krieger more broadly. The Maryland State Fair likewise describes the event as benefiting the patients, students and programs at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Kennedy Krieger traces the tradition back to December 8, 1990, when the first Festival of Trees opened at Festival Hall in downtown Baltimore. More than 25,000 people attended that original eight-day event, which raised nearly $400,000. The location shifted in 1994, when organizers moved the celebration from Festival Hall to the Cow Palace at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, where it has remained since.
Decades of Growth, With a Pandemic Pause
The festival has grown considerably since its downtown Baltimore debut. Kennedy Krieger reports that the 2018 edition drew 50,000 attendees over three days and raised nearly $1.2 million, and by 2019 the event was marking its 30th year and welcoming its one-millionth visitor. The institute now calls it the largest holiday event of its kind on the East Coast.
The celebration wasn't immune to pandemic disruption. The festival went virtual in 2020, and a recap from Baltimore Style said the online version still attracted 30,000 views and raised $650,000. By 2021, the traditional sale of trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses was conducted online, while the in-person component was a drive-through toy drive. The festival was in its 32nd year, running November 26 through 28, per that outlet.
Recent Editions Keep the Tradition Alive
More recent festivals have continued to draw crowds to Timonium. CBS Baltimore reported that the 36th annual event displayed more than 850 trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses at the Timonium Fairgrounds, and that the festival has raised more than $24 million since 1990. Kennedy Krieger's own tally, published separately, puts the lifetime total at more than $26 million raised and over one million visitors welcomed since the festival began.
The Festival of Trees benefits Kennedy Krieger's patients, students and programs. Kennedy Krieger's festival history page also describes the event as featuring nearly 900 trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses decorated by local families, organizations and businesses, a hallmark the 2026 edition is set to continue when it opens in the Cow Palace later this month.
