SALISBURY — A festive winter wonderland will soon take over the Blue Ocean Event Center, as the Sea Festival of Trees returns this week.
The 13th annual extravaganza will kick off with the Spirits of Christmas Gala and tree lighting on Friday, and open a day later.
The festival is a popular event that has drawn in over 250,000 visitors and raised over $1 million to support the Salisbury Beach Carousel during its run.
This year’s festival will be chock full of activities for the people of all ages and feature over 145 themed trees.
The trees will be decorated and donated by townspeople, local businesses and more, raffled off and eventually taken home by raffle winners.
The festival will also include an indoor ice skating rink, a 10-foot tall sand sculpture, character meet and greets and more.
Visitors will also have the chance to attend theme nights like the new SantaCon vs. ugly sweater night where attendees can don their ugliest sweater or Santa attire.
Kathy Aiello, the festival’s managing director, said organizers are always looking for new additions to bring extra cache to the experience.
“We’re just always trying to find something different to bring the festival to life, and that might spark the attention of certain groups of friends or family to come out and enjoy an evening,” she said.
There will be a number of other theme nights and special events including Triton night, where Salisbury, Byfield, Newbury, and Rowley residents can attend for half price, holiday dance shows and more.
Aiello also said she believes the interactive nature of the festival sets it apart from similar events.
“I just feel what sets our festival apart and what makes it unique, and why we’ve been able to build it up to attract so many people from a large radius is that it’s just different,” she said. “You don’t just walk through. It’s not just seeing, it’s doing. There’s things to do,”.
Linda Boragine, Salisbury Chamber of Commerce president, said she will be decorating multiple trees this year and is looking forward to the event.
“I think it will be a spectacular year,” she said.
The festival will be open on weekends through Dec. 7, with additional theme night and special events.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 5. Those looking to learn more about the festival can visit: SeaFestivalOfTrees.com