The Wright Museum of World War II wrapped up its public season on October 31. On its regular schedule, the museum at 77 Center Street is closed to the public from November through April, with group visits by appointment. The Festival of Trees is the exception. Every December, the Wolfeboro Festival of Trees puts more than 100 decorated trees on two floors of the building. The festival's own site says the exhibits stay open during the event and visitors can tour them. In 2025 the museum said it was officially closed for the season while it hosted the festival. For a few days a year, a building that runs on a summer calendar works as a holiday hall for the town.
Your ticket money also goes to specific places. Each October a volunteer committee picks the year's beneficiaries, and the 2026 list reads like a map of Wolfeboro: the rail trail, the farmers market, Meals on Wheels, a children's sailing program, and a group that helps school families.
Two ways into the same building
The festival costs less than a regular summer visit to the museum. Tickets are sold at the door, and the dates are short.
| Regular museum season | Festival of Trees 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Daily, May 1 to October 31 | Dec. 5 and 12; Dec. 6 and 13; plus the Dec. 3 gala and Dec. 9 evening event |
| Hours | Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun. noon–4 p.m. | Saturdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sundays noon–3 p.m. |
| Adult admission | $17 | $10 |
| Children | Students 5–17: $8; 4 and under free | Ages 4–10: $5; under 3 free |
| How to pay | Online discount available | At the door, cash or card |
On a December Saturday, an adult pays $7 less than in July and gets the museum's collection plus a hundred-odd trees. The Wright Museum's visit page has the regular-season rates, and the festival lists its own prices on its About Us page.
How the trees get there
The trees aren't brought in by a vendor. The festival says local businesses, community organizations, school groups and others sponsor and decorate them every year. Registration for 2026 cost $45, with a November 1 deadline, so this year's roster is already set.
The tree guidelines explain why the displays look the way they do:
- Fire rules require every tree to be artificial, on a proper stand.
- No tree can be more than 4 feet in diameter.
- Small lights are preferred, with no blinking lights or spotlights.
- No edible decorations, no political statements, and no glitter.
- No giveaways or take-homes on or under the trees.
Because nothing comes off the trees, decorators put their effort into the design itself. The guidelines encourage them to use decorations that reflect their business or organization.
Setup starts on one of the busiest days on the town calendar. Decorators can drop off trees at the museum between 9 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, and the Wolfeboro Lions Club helps set them up. Decorating continues Sunday, Nov. 29, from noon to 4 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 30, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every tree has to be finished by the 7 p.m. closing.
November 28 is also the day of the Christmas in Wolfeboro Parade, which runs up Main Street from Brewster Academy north to Mill Street. The Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce lists gingerbread-house decorating, a toy collection, a community tree lighting and visits with Santa that same day. The 28th Annual KRHS Craft Fair is that morning too, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kingswood Regional High School, 396 South Main Street, and admission is free. The Chamber's calendar has the full parade-day lineup.
What the 2026 money pays for
The festival began in 1999 as a fundraiser for L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry. Today it's a two-weekend event that raises money for a different set of local nonprofits each year. It's planned by a volunteer committee led by co-chairs Jackie Kempf and Schelley Rondeau. The festival's beneficiaries page says the committee meets every October to choose recipients, and that the event has raised more than $400,000 over the years.
Each 2026 recipient has a specific plan for the money:
- Cotton Valley Trail Committee. The group maintains the 12-mile Cotton Valley Rail Trail through Wolfeboro, Brookfield and Wakefield. It plans to buy and install HiRAIL pedestrian crossing platforms as a pilot, to test how well they hold up, how much upkeep they need, and how they work for trail users.
- KIND Cooperative (Kids In NeeD). This volunteer-led group works with school counselors, social workers and family liaisons across the GWRSD, Alton, Barnstead, Middleton and Wakefield. It covers needs like clothing, shoes, heating, school activities and summer programs.
- Wolfeboro Area Farmer's Market. The grant goes to its SNAP Market Match program. When a shopper pays with SNAP/EBT, the market matches up to $30, and that money is spent with the market's small-business vendors.
- Wolfeboro Area Meals on Wheels. It delivers meals Monday through Friday in Brookfield, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro. The grant will pay for extra weekend meals and non-perishable items during the winter months.
- New Hampshire Boat Museum. The grant buys two sailboat dollies for the Community Sailing Program it runs with Wolfeboro Parks and Recreation. The dollies make it safer and easier for the program's 65 to 70 young sailors each year to move boats from the storage racks to the water. The Boat Museum announced the grant on October 30.
Recipients change every year. The 2025 list was Child Advocacy of Carroll County, Granite VNA, Kingswood Cal Ripken Baseball and Wolfeboro Community Television. In 2024 it was Crescent Lake School PTO, the Wolfeboro Senior Program, The Wolfeboro Children's Center and L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry. The Cotton Valley Trail Committee has been picked twice, in 2023 and again this year. In February, Granite VNA reported receiving more than $7,000 from the 2025 festival.
Four ways to go, priced differently
The festival has four kinds of admission. Each one gets you into the same rooms at a different price.
Preview Gala, Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and must be bought in advance through Eventbrite. The gala includes drinks and food from local caterers and restaurants, live music, a silent auction, and the first look at the trees. The tree registration page says more than 200 people attend. Details are on the Preview Gala page.
Weekend days, Dec. 5–6 and Dec. 12–13. Saturdays run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 3 p.m., with music and dance performances on both weekends. The Annual Artisan & Craft Fair is Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Santa and Mrs. Claus, Sunday, Dec. 6. They visit midday. The festival's Santa page will post the details and final hours.
Pizza in the Pines, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 to 8 p.m. This evening is 21 and over, with tickets at $25 at the door. It includes tree viewing, wine, beer and pizza, music by The Carolyn Ramsay Band, and a 50/50 cash raffle. Brewster Academy and Trenta sponsor the pizza. More is on the Pizza in the Pines page.
Sunday the 13th is the last day of the festival, and that's when the trees leave. Decorators can break down from 3:15 to 5 p.m. that afternoon and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14. After that the museum is closed to the public until May 1.
The Thursday stop on the way
One of this year's beneficiaries is open every Thursday during the festival's two weeks. The Wolfeboro Area Farmer's Market moves indoors to the Abenaki Ski Lodge, 390 Pine Hill Road, from mid-October through December 17. It runs Thursdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The market's own site and the Chamber calendar have the details. According to a local events guide, there's no market the week of Thanksgiving.
The market runs the SNAP Market Match the festival is helping fund this year. It operates outdoors from mid-May to mid-October and indoors from mid-October into late December. That gives you two Thursdays, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, to pair a market stop with the festival. The Dec. 3 market comes before the Preview Gala that evening. The Dec. 10 market is the day after Pizza in the Pines. The last indoor market is Dec. 17, four days after the trees come down.
Older buildings around the lake have their own schedules, like a museum that's closed half the year and reopens for one December festival. Chip has spent decades building and remodeling homes like that, and he's happy to talk through what an older house or a lake cottage needs before the snow settles in. Chip Hornbeek Realty is here when you're ready. Contact Chip for a free Lake-Market consultation.
