Christmas Traditions 

Celebrating 34 Years of the Festival of Trees 

The Ruby Mountains are capped with snow, the morning air has a bite and winter is approaching, which means a timeless community tradition is right around the corner. The 34th Annual Festival of Trees will take place December 4th-December 7th at the Elko Conference Center. Come see the transformation to a winter wonderland featuring beautifully decorated trees, wreaths, and other holiday themed décor. These items donated by local businesses and citizens are available for purchase through silent auction with proceeds from the event donated to local charitable organizations selected by the Elko Convention & Visitors Authority Board of Governors. 

This year’s theme is Christmas Traditions, and the public can view items in person beginning Wednesday, December 4th at 8am and online 24/7 with bidding exclusively online through Greater Giving. Festival of Trees would not be the same without Santa Claus, so bring your camera/cell phone as he will be roaming the halls Friday, December 6th, 3pm-7pm and Saturday, December 7th , 9am-11:30am. Be sure to stop by and listen to the local Elko High School String Orchestra from 11am-Noon on Saturday, December 7th. For a complete event schedule please visit www.ExploreElko.com. 

The Elko Convention Center and Mybrary, Your Community Library is excited to announce Kindergarten story time will be held Wednesday, December 4th-Thursday, December 5th. Story time will begin each day at 8am and for those wishing to participate, please call KaCee Carroll at 775-738-3066 ext. 232. 

For those wishing to contribute an item to the 2024 Festival of Trees, please visit www.ExploreElko.com as the item registration link will be available Friday, November 1st. In 2023 the Festival of Trees auction raised $44,120.00 due to the continued support and generosity of business owners, area residents and service organizations. 150 items were available at the auction which saw over 490 active bidders. The Elko Convention & Visitors Authority is anticipating an equally successful event and looks forward to seeing everyone from the community come together this holiday season.