2021 Festival of Trees & Lights

38th Annual Festival of Trees & Lights is Back in Person with COVID Safety Precautions.

Blank Children's Hospital is proud to announce the 38th Annual Festival of Trees & Lights will be back in person for 2021 at the Iowa Events Center – Veterans Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center.

"The health and safety of our community is our top priority. We are pleased to be back in person this year for the Festival of Trees & Lights with a number of safety precautions in place, including required masking, designated visiting times, one-way traffic and lots of hand sanitizer," says Steve Stephenson, MD, executive vice president and COO of Blank Children's Hospital. "The decision to be back in person for Festival was not made lightly. A clinical team from Blank Children's Hospital as well as the UnityPoint Health - Des Moines hospital incident command strike team tasked with reviewing community events both reviewed and discussed COVID precautions to be implemented and agreed to moving forward with the event in 2021."

The annual event is the largest fundraiser for Blank Children's Hospital and is a central Iowa tradition to kick off the holiday season. The 38th Annual Festival of Trees & Lights will feature: A guided, one-way path to view the beautifully decorated trees and read impactful stories of children cared for at Blank Children's. In addition, visitors can shop the Holiday Gift Shop or purchase specialty bakery items participate in a ginger-bread contest, Children's activities will be available to-go for more Festival fun at home!

"Festival may look different, but we are working hard to ensure it will continue to be a family-friendly, fun and safe way for our community to support Blank Children's Hospital while kicking off the holiday season," says Alissa Mckinney, Senior Director of Development at Blank Children's Hospital Foundation.

When: 3 Days Only: Friday, November 26 to Sunday, November 28

Hours:

Friday, November 26 - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 27 - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, November 28 - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Location: Iowa Events Center - Veterans Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, 833 5th Avenue | Des Moines, IA 50309

Tickets: Get your tickets online in advance and choose your 2-hour timeslot. Tickets are $5 per person, 2 and younger are free. Timeslots are limited due to COVID precautions. Masks are required for all attendees ages 2 and over.

Why: Festival of Trees & Lights provides support to two critical services at Blank Children's Hospital: Child Life and the Center for Advocacy & Outreach. Child Life meets each patient where they are, making them feel safe and comfortable. This specialty trained team helps patients understand what's going on, which is even more critical right now. The work of the Center for Advocacy & Outreach keeps children out of the hospital through educational programs and services that promote safety and injury prevention. Both Child Life and the Center for Advocacy & Outreach programs supported by philanthropy. A clinical team from Blank Children's Hospital, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Incident Command team and the UnityPoint Health - Des Moines strike team tasked with reviewing community events reviewed and discussed COVID precautions to be implemented and approved moving forward with the event in 2021.