Celebrate the holidays with art, music, and locally made gems when the Mississauga Festival of Trees returns this month.
The annual festival, one of the city’s most beloved cultural traditions, returns to the historic Small Arms Inspection Building from December 5 to 14 – and there’s a lot to look forward to this year.
Discover artisan and culinary treasures at the bustling holiday market, take part in festive hands-on workshops, and enjoy beautiful tree art installations created by emerging and established Ontario-based artists, all while listening to live seasonal music from talented musicians!
Admission is pay-what-you-can, with all proceeds going to support the local artists and community programs.
Here’s a deeper dive into everything the festival has to offer this year:
A vibrant holiday market
The Mississauga Festival of Trees’ holiday market is the perfect place to find unique gems and get some gift shopping done while supporting local. The market is known for its bustling atmosphere, with tons of shoppers browsing handmade goods, sampling delicious treats, chatting with the friendly vendors, and enjoying hot food and holiday drinks.
This year the market will feature over 80 vendors, offering a huge variety of hot delicacies from culinary vendors, small-batch baked goods, seasonal beverages, and gift-ready items from local makers, just in time for holiday shopping.
Immersive art installations
Beneath a canopy of twinkling lights, visitors entering the festival will be treated to a visual delight of ten newly commissioned tree art installations, designed by artists right here in Ontario. These gorgeous and uniquely designed trees provide a perfect backdrop of seasonal décor, and they also make for some fantastic seasonal photos for your socials.
Creative workshops
Visitors are encouraged to get creative with a series of festive interactive workshops led by local artists and makers. Designed for all ages, these workshops are great for those looking to learn a new skill, or for simply spending time with friends and family while making fun seasonals crafts to take home.
The upcoming workshops will have participants make their own holiday cards, tree art with beads, glass tree ornaments made with soft pastels, needle-felted snowmen made from colourful wool, and much more.
Live music and entertainment
A line-up of talented musicians and entertainers will be performing throughout the festival, including live performances of festive songs that the holidays just aren’t complete without. Whether you’re shopping at the market, making art in a workshop or spending time elsewhere at the festival, the music from these talented performers will set the tone for the warm seasonal fun that the Mississauga Festival of Trees embodies.
Known for its visual magic, the festival transforms the historic Small Arms Inspection Building into a vibrant celebration of the winter season, making it one of Mississauga’s most anticipated arts and culture events every year.
It’s organized by CreativeHub 1352, a local org dedicated to preserving and elevating the Small Arms Inspection Building into a shared creative hub where visitors can enjoy unique cultural events all year round.
For more info on the festival, visit creativehub1352.ca.
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