The holiday season officially arrives in Akron on Saturday, when Akron Children’s 45th annual Holiday Tree Festival opens at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron with 154 decorated trees, 84 wreaths and 179 holiday gifts on display — all of it free to walk through, and all of it benefiting the hospital.
The festival runs Saturday, November 14 through Sunday, November 22 at the John S. Knight Center, 77 East Mill Street, Akron Children’s announced. The ribbon cutting is Saturday at 10 a.m., and opening-day hours run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Presented by the volunteers of Akron Children’s, the festival raises money for the hospital through the sale of the trees, wreaths and holiday décor, according to Akron Children’s. Proceeds support patient care programs, research and education at the hospital, Signal Akron reported. Every tree on the floor was decorated by a local business, organization, school or volunteer group.
Among this year’s entries is a tree with a story: Garfield Community Learning Center teacher Carrie Soful has been donating trees to the festival since the mid-1990s, and her 2026 entry, titled “Play It Again Rammy,” transforms discarded materials into decorations while nodding to her school’s Ram mascot, according to Akron Children’s. Soful teaches in the Energy and Environmental Protection Career Pathway at Garfield.
The popular Breakfasts with Santa are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 14 and Saturday, November 21, with registration required, Akron Children’s announced. Daily live entertainment from local choirs, bands and soloists fills the festival floor, and Santa visits are part of the run, according to Northeast Ohio Parent’s festival listing.
Hours for the rest of the festival are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, November 15 and 22, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, November 16 through 20, with no closed days, according to the festival listing. Admission is free on every day.
For Northeast Ohio families, the tree festival is the gentle start to a busy holiday stretch — Akron’s illuminated holiday parade and tree lighting follow on November 27. Families planning a visit this weekend should start with Saturday’s ribbon cutting and the first Breakfast with Santa, and can find the full schedule at akronchildrens.org/treefestival.