Festival of Trees goes virtual, but the trees are real enough to land in your home
.jpg "“Charlie Brown Christmas” at the 2020 Festival of Trees.")
The fantastical creations of the annual Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees can be previewed in the virtual world for 2020. But, if you purchase one, the real thing will show up on your doorstep the next day.
Saturday (Dec. 5) is the 34th iteration of the event, and it will have its usual live auction — virtual, of course — and an exclusive performance from Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Grant.
Proceeds from the event support patients at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and their families.
The Festival of Trees auction website has a gallery of all 16 trees. Bidding has already started but goes live at 7 p.m. Saturday with an auctioneer and emcee.
Some of trees this year include:
▪ A vintage Lionel Electric Christmas train.
▪ A beach cottage getaway in the Florida Keys.
▪ Round-trip Alaska Airline travel vouchers.
▪ Forno Venetzia outdoor pizza oven.
▪ Two club-level tickets to the 2021 CMA Awards.
▪ $2,000 in VISA gift cards.
The gala pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Saturday through the online auction site maxgiving. Grant’s performance begins at approximately 8 p.m.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at FestivalofTreesTacoma.org.
The trees will be delivered on Sunday. Designers will not enter homes but will be available to offer set-up tips, according to MultiCare spokeswoman Anna Agnew.
A Christmas tree for children has been set-up outside Mary Bridge with a red mail box where they can drop off letters to Santa through Dec. 23.
