Festival of Trees Celebration Begins Friday: Amazing Trees, Jingle Bell Jam, Boutique Vendors

RIVERSIDE, CA - The Yuletide spirit will come alive Friday at the Riverside Convention Center, where the 27th annual Festival of Trees will get into full swing for a weekend-long celebration featuring elaborately adorned firs.

The event, hosted by the Riverside University Health System Foundation, transforms the convention center into a Christmas "wonderland," bedecked with dozens of "designer trees" -- each manifesting its own unique theme -- for visitors to view, touch and photograph, according to organizers.

Santa Claus and a "Jingle Bell Jam" are part of the mix, along with a number of boutique vendors, whose sales benefit pediatric programs at the Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

KOLA-FM will be broadcasting live from the festival Friday afternoon, and a variety of activities are planned Saturday and Sunday, organizers said.

More than 10,000 visitors are expected to check out the fest, which will coincide with the inaugural weekend of the 24th annual Festival of Lights in downtown Riverside.

More information is available at www.RUHEALTH.org/Foundation .

— By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock