Festival of Trees Annual Holiday Tradition Returns December 3-6 to Benefit Young Patients in Need at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital

(PRUnderground) December 2nd, 2025

Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital invites the public to ring in the holiday season and support patients in need at the 55th annual Festival of Trees, a treasured Utah holiday tradition open to the public Dec. 3-6 at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.

The Festival of Trees features 550 beautiful, handcrafted holiday trees twinkling with a half-million lights, wreaths, nativities, gingerbread houses, quilts, centerpieces and more for auction and purchase.

There will also be scones, live music and dance performances, visits with Santa Claus, and 5,000 pounds of locally renowned Festival of Trees fudge. All items are made and donated by community volunteers from Utah and surrounding states.

Funds raised will support Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, provide care to patients in need, and continue building the nation’s model health system for children.

The Festival of Trees is presented by Intermountain Foundation – and brought to life by a dedicated 87-member volunteer board. Tickets and information about sale items and silent auction, scheduled from 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, are available at FestivalofTreesUtah.org.

“There is nothing like the Festival of Trees to begin the holiday season in a fun and meaningful way,” said Dustin Lipson, president of Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “Many items have been lovingly curated, with every detail chosen to honor a Primary Children’s Hospital patient. We’re grateful for the countless donated items and community support that has helped generations of children to heal and thrive at Primary Children’s Hospital for 55 years – and counting.”

Attending the festival will help kids like Livie.

At just 14 years old, Livie was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), a rare form of bone marrow cancer. Livie began treatment with a class of chemotherapy medications specifically designed to target CML, but after a year, they stopped being effective. She needed a bone marrow transplant.

The hospital team began searching for a bone marrow donor through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). They also planned to use a cutting-edge stem cell transplant technique called Alpha/beta T-cell depletion. This method uses nano magnetic beads to selectively remove the donor’s alpha/beta immune cells before transplantation. The result: a significant reduction in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and fewer medications needed post-transplant.

Livie became the first patient at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital to receive this type of transplant. And it worked. After six weeks in the hospital, she was able to return home and begin the long process of rebuilding her immune system.

“My doctors and nurses were not only my medical team – they became my closest allies and friends,” Livie said. “Their compassion and professionalism made an incredibly isolating journey more bearable, especially during nearly a year in quarantine.”

Today, Livie is 17, a senior in high school, and cancer-free. She loves pickleball, baking, and reading thrillers. She’s also an active member of her school’s HOSA Future Health Professionals organization and proudly advocates for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), helping raise awareness about the importance of bone marrow donations.

“I’m honored to serve as a Patient Champion for the Festival of Trees and am grateful for the chance to share my story, and to give back to Primary’s Children’s Hospital in return for all that my family and I have been given,” she said. “If you want to help save a life and be a bone marrow donor, please see the NMDP booth at the Festival of Trees to swab and join the registry.”

The community can help kids like Olivia receive the innovative, compassionate, expert care they need by attending Festival of Trees Dec. 3-6.

Fun Facts

  • 550 trees twinkling with a half-million lights
  • 5,000 pounds of locally renowned Festival of Trees fudge
  • 80,000+ annual attendees
  • $3.4 million raised in 2024

Festival Info

NOTE TO MEDIA: Images and video available upon request.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/. For more information, see intermountainhealth.org/ or call 801-442-2000.

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