St. Albans' Festival of Trees Traded Its Gala for a Nutcracker Ball. Here's What's on the 2026 Calendar So Far

Last December, a ticket to the Festival of Trees gala cost $40, or $70 for a pair, and came with $200 in casino chips. This December the ticket costs the same and comes with the same $200 in chips. The name has changed, and so has the list of charities the night supports. Three of the four organizations sharing this year's proceeds were not on last year's list.

Downtown Saint Albans has set the 2026 Festival of Trees for Saturday, Nov. 28 at 4:30 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. This year's theme is the Nutcracker. The theme reaches from Hallmark in the Park to the evening event that closes out the week's programming.

Same ticket, different beneficiaries

Last year's evening event was the Gala en Blanc, held Dec. 5. The St. Albans Messenger's 2025 preview described a "white hot night" of formal attire and casino tables for charity. This year it's The Nutcracker Ball, which Downtown Saint Albans bills as the festival's premiere celebration. It runs Friday, Dec. 4, from 6 to 11 p.m. at St. Albans City Hall, 100 N. Main St.

The Josh Pallotta Fund is the one organization on both lists. It's also the festival's named beneficiary for 2026, as it was in 2025. The Josh Pallotta Fund supports veterans and service members, and it opened its first wellness and recreation center, Josh's House, in Colchester.

The Messenger reported after last year's festival that Downtown Saint Albans gave more than $5,000 to four nonprofits. The Josh Pallotta Fund received $1,266. The other recipients were the Franklin County Senior Center, Northwest Family Foods and Laurie's House. That final list differs from the one in the 2025 preview, so the charities named before an event can change by the time the checks go out.

Gala tickets are sold through the event page, and sales close at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4, two hours before the doors open.

The museum is on both sides of the weekend

The Saint Albans Museum, at 9 Church St., is new to the beneficiary list, and it has its own event the next day. Santa's Workshop at SAM runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the museum's Bliss Room. The museum's description also mentions "Saturday 12/6," but Dec. 5 is the Saturday in 2026, and that's the date in the listing header.

So the museum is among the organizations the Friday ball supports, and on Saturday it opens its own doors for the festival's second weekend. Taylor Park, City Hall and Church Street sit within a few blocks of each other downtown, so the whole weekend is easy to cover on foot.

Downtown Saint Albans' sponsorship campaign says the sponsor money also goes to the same four nonprofits. It adds that sponsorships help keep the week's holiday programming free or low-cost for the community. Even the free events, then, are tied to the same set of charities as the ball.

The dates already on the calendar

The 2026 festival page lists two schedule items so far and shows eight more still to be posted. Here's what is set as of early November, in order:

1. Saturday, Nov. 28, from 4:30 p.m. The festival opens. Hallmark in the Park, which has the Nutcracker theme this year, is scheduled from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Taylor Park.
2. Saturday, Nov. 28 through Dec. 25. The Downtown Holiday Raffle runs from Small Business Saturday through Christmas.
3. During festival week, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Holiday Pottery Painting Extravangaza, as the schedule spells it, takes place at Maple Glazed Pottery.
4. Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 11 p.m. The Nutcracker Ball at City Hall.
5. Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Santa's Workshop at the Saint Albans Museum.
6. Sunday, Dec. 6, 4 p.m. The festival closes.

The 2026 schedule card for Hallmark in the Park gives the hours and Taylor Park as the location. It doesn't print a date, though it starts at the same hour the festival opens. Last year's version was more detailed. According to the Messenger's 2025 preview, families met Santa, played games, and warmed up with hot cocoa and a bonfire. A tree lighting was set for 4:45 p.m., and Santa arrived by St. Albans City fire truck at 5 p.m. That article also listed a dance showcase from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the festival's final Saturday. Those details describe 2025. The 2026 versions will appear as the remaining eight schedule items are posted.

The raffle makes a dinner downtown count toward the festival

The Downtown Holiday Raffle gives you one entry for every $100 spent at participating businesses. There are major prizes plus smaller drawings every day. Pick up a punch card at the register, fill out the back once it's full, and drop it in the box found at most participating businesses. You can also enter online with a photo of a full punch card or your receipts. This year's Platinum sponsor is The Eloquent Page, the downtown shop for new, used and rare collectible books.

For anyone planning dinner before the ball, the newest option on Main Street opened after last year's festival ended. Seven Days reported in August that chef Michael Boomhower, an Enosburgh native who most recently cooked at the Danforth in Portland, Maine, was opening Ralston's Restaurant in the historic Ralston building. The building is on North Main Street and has been owned by the City of St. Albans since 2021. The two-floor space was formerly Nourish Deli & Bakery. A grand staircase connects the upstairs bar to the downstairs dining room. Seven Days also reported that the menu includes a steak section with cuts from local farms, fresh pasta, and bar snacks such as tinned fish and fried olives.

The Messenger confirmed the opening in August and listed hours of 3 to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Monday. Those hours put it open on Friday, Dec. 4, with the 6 p.m. ball at City Hall a short walk up the same street. Boomhower told the Messenger the kitchen plans to expand its vegetarian options over the coming months.

Kingman Street has two stops this year

One of the two confirmed festival-week events is on Kingman Street. Maple Glazed Pottery, at 45 Kingman St., hosts the Holiday Pottery Painting Extravangaza from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Down the street, Maple City Music opened its storefront at 12 Kingman St. in September 2026. According to the Messenger, the shop sold online only before that. The paper listed hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. It's closed Mondays, so plan any gift shopping there for the other six days.

November's lead-up starts this weekend

Things start before Thanksgiving. The Welden Theatre has new films opening every Friday this month: The Cat in the Hat and Godzilla Minus Zero on Nov. 6, Ebenezer on Nov. 13, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on Nov. 20. Ebenezer arrives two weeks before Hallmark in the Park, which makes it the earliest holiday title on the Welden's schedule.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, herbalist Sarah Auer leads a Tea Blending Workshop at Spotlight Vintage, 20 N. Main St., from 11 a.m. to noon. The cost is $25 per person.

The Saturday-morning stop in Taylor Park is over for the year. The Northwest Farmers Market's 2026 season ran May 16 through Oct. 31.

At Northern Vermont Realty Group, we keep track of what's happening in town all year, from new restaurants to the events on the downtown calendar. If you're thinking about a move in or around St. Albans and want to know how the city spends its December, schedule a consultation and we'll walk you through it.