Community
Intermountain Festival of Trees 2026
Intermountain fills the Helena Civic Center with decorated trees and wreaths for five days after Thanksgiving and auctions them to pay for children's mental health services.
When
Wednesday, December 2, 2026 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Wednesday through Sunday the week after Thanksgiving
Where
Helena Civic Center
340 Neill Ave, Helena, MT 59601
Cost
Each event is ticketed separately. 2025 prices: Tea in the Trees $350 per table of 8 or $50 per guest seat; Evening in the Trees $30; Starlight Gala $150 per seat (invitation only); Jingle Bell Jam $25; Family Days $5, kids 3 and under free. 2026 tickets go on sale November 3.
By Intermountain (Helena nonprofit providing children's mental and behavioral health services)
On the calendar now
Listings from organizers' calendars that are part of Intermountain Festival of Trees.
About Intermountain Festival of Trees
The Festival of Trees is Intermountain's largest yearly fundraiser. Intermountain is a Helena nonprofit that provides mental and behavioral health services to children and families, and the festival money goes straight to those programs. Design teams and community members decorate ballroom trees, tabletop trees, wreaths and gift baskets, which fill the Civic Center ballroom and the silent auction mezzanine. The ballroom trees go to the live auction at the Starlight Gala, and the mezzanine items are sold by mobile silent auction. Intermountain says the silent auction alone raises about $30,000 a year, and around 300 volunteers helped run the 2024 festival.
The 2026 festival is the 39th, running Wednesday through Sunday, December 2-6, with the theme Hollywood Holiday: Lights, Camera, Christmas. The schedule is Tea in the Trees on Wednesday, December 2; Evening in the Trees on Thursday, December 3; the Starlight Gala on Friday, December 4; the Jingle Bell Jam on Saturday night, December 5; and Family Days on Saturday and Sunday, December 5-6. Tickets go on sale November 3. In 2025 Family Days ran 10am to 4pm with Santa photos, cookie decorating, a gingerbread village and youth performances in the auditorium, and the Jingle Bell Jam ran 7 to 11pm with line dancing and a live band.
What happens
- A ballroom of designer-decorated trees sold at the Starlight Gala live auction
- Silent auction mezzanine of tabletop trees, wreaths, swags and gift baskets, with mobile bidding
- Family Days with Santa photos, cookie decorating, crafts and youth performances ($5 tickets in 2025)
- Jingle Bell Jam, a 21 and over Saturday dance night
- Evening in the Trees, a 16 and over walk-through with live music and hors d'oeuvres
Tips
- Every event needs its own ticket, and Tea in the Trees and the Starlight Gala require buying in advance
- The Starlight Gala is invitation only; request an invitation through Intermountain well before December
- Family Days is the event for kids. Evening in the Trees is 16 and over and the Jingle Bell Jam is 21 and over
- Online silent auction bidding closed at 4pm on the final Sunday in 2025, so bid on the mezzanine pieces you want before then
Intermountain Festival of Trees FAQ
- when is the festival of trees in helena 2026
- The 39th Intermountain Festival of Trees runs Wednesday through Sunday, December 2-6, 2026, at the Helena Civic Center.
- how much are festival of trees tickets
- Each event is priced separately. In 2025 Family Days cost $5 (kids 3 and under free), Evening in the Trees $30, the Jingle Bell Jam $25, Tea in the Trees $50 a seat or $350 for a table of 8, and the Starlight Gala $150 a seat. 2026 tickets go on sale November 3.
- what is the starlight gala
- It is the festival's formal, invitation-only dinner and live auction of the ballroom trees, held on the Friday of festival week. A seat was $150 in 2025. In 2026 it is Friday, December 4.
- when are family days at the festival of trees
- Family Days are the Saturday and Sunday of festival week, December 5-6 in 2026. In 2025 they ran 10am to 4pm with Santa photos, crafts and youth performances.
- where does festival of trees money go
- Proceeds go to Intermountain's mental and behavioral health services for children and families. It is the organization's largest annual fundraiser.
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Festival of Wines
Saturday, November 7, 2026 · Helena Civic Center
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Reeder's Alley Holiday Market
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Community