Owensboro, Kentucky Invites Travellers To Holiday Forest Festival Of Trees At Museum Of Fine Art

Published on October 31, 2025

The 48th Annual Holiday Forest Festival of Trees will again beryllium hosted by nan Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, starting pinch nan Holiday Forest Gala connected November 8, 2025. The show is unfastened to nan nationalist until December 31. During this time, it intends to beforehand communal productivity during nan vacation play pinch artistry and design, attracting guests from Kentucky and neighbouring states.

The show has been a item of Owensboro’s civilization ever since nan precocious 1970s. Each year, nan depository fills its galleries pinch a stunning wintertime forest, complete pinch enormous, artistically designed trees, themed exhibitions, and different creation installations, signalling nan commencement of nan city’s festive tourism season.

Owensboro lies on nan Ohio River successful occidental Kentucky and is astir 2 hours from some Louisville and Nashville. The metropolis is simply a awesome destination for a location time travel and play getaway. Visitors tin scope nan metropolis utilizing nan Audubon Parkway and U.S. Highway 60. Those travelling by level tin besides entree nan Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport, which offers a fewer home flights.

Located connected Frederica Street, nan Owensboro Museum of Fine Art is an easy walkable region from various attractions, shops, and restaurants on nan riverfront. The museum’s wide admittance is free, but typical events, specified arsenic nan gala, are constricted and require anterior registration.

As for nan remainder of nan holiday, visitors are encouraged to schedule their travel to Owensboro to coincide pinch nan Downtown Holiday Parade and nan Smothers Park Ohio River Light Displays.

Festival Highlights and Theme

“The Glenmore Distillery” continuously sponsors this year’s show pinch nan taxable of “Colorfull” to exemplify nan various forms of imaginative look from Owensboro and nan remainder of occidental Kentucky.

The accumulation will characteristic 21 monolithic Christmas trees, pinch each schoolhouse and organization group responsible for nan creation of a unsocial tree. The organization participants are nan St. Stephen Cathedral, nan Owensboro Herb Society, nan Daughters of nan American Revolution, nan Woven Together Basket Guild, nan Owensboro Art Guild, and various section and organization elder and schoolhouse organisations.

Along pinch nan Forest of Trees installation, 2 awesome creation exhibitions will characteristic nationalist and location artists pinch holiday-themed artwork. The Museum will besides showcase its freshly acquired items from nan imperishable postulation arsenic portion of nan caller postulation to beryllium retained aft nan opening gala.

Visitor Experience and Travel Appeal

While partaking successful nan Holiday Forest Festival of Trees, visitors tin bask a vivacious taste and creator offering that is captured successful nan gigantic four-meter-high trees which are intricately dressed up pinch location crafts and service arsenic awesome photography subjects.

Visitors can:

Participate successful nan themed creation workshops that return spot each saturday of nan month.

Engage pinch and observe organization creation installations passim nan month.

Take portion successful nan memorial circuit of nan depository that celebrates ky artists and their traditions.

Apart from nan ray exhibition, nan tours and sculptures connection a awesome repast by nan downtown Owensboro restaurants.

Moreover, families pinch young children are capable to prosecute pinch nan adjacent attractions of nan Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Smothers Park and Owensboro Science and History Museum, which are successful stepping region of nan Fine Art Museum.

Accommodation and Dining Options

Visitors attending nan show are met pinch a assortment of lodging opportunities, each located successful nan beautiful metropolis of Owensboro. The lodgings see riverside hotels, family-oriented properties, and quaint boutique inns. During nan festive vacation season, galore hotels connection play vacation packages.

Southerners are capable to afloat immerse themselves pinch nan well-recognised steaming barbecue, on pinch a good action of farm-to-table restaurants located by nan riverfront. People complete nan play bask lukewarm meals including seasonal casseroles from show cafes and bakeries, during nan wintertime season.

Itinerary Options for Visitors

Owensboro Two-Day Festive Break

Day 1: Arrive successful Owensboro and bask nan Holiday Forest Festival of Trees, and successful nan evening, locomotion nan riverfront to bask nan lights and person dinner.

Day 2: Visit nan Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum and past do immoderate section trade shopping successful downtown. Optionally, you could decorativeness your time astatine Smothers Park aliases nan Owensboro Science and History Museum.

Extended Weekend:

Add short trips to adjacent places specified as:

Beaver Dam and Whitesville for small-town Winter markets.

Rough River Dam State Resort Park for a restful, quiet retreat aft nan festival, nan parkland includes cabins and a quality walk.

Cultural and Economic Impact

The Holiday Forest Festival of Trees adds to nan increasing estimation of Owensboro arsenic a taste hub successful Kentucky. It blends creation pinch organization engagement and tourism. The show sponsors section artisans, student groups, and creation fundraising non-profits done cooperative creation and fundraising efforts.

The show brings successful visitors from each complete nan Midwest and confederate states each year, expanding seasonal tourism and edifice occupancy successful Owensboro. It adds to nan increasing almanac of arts tourism successful Owensboro, alongside nan Owensboro Symphony and Friday After 5 Summer Concert Series, strengthening nan city’s festival.

Important Visitor Information

Event Dates: November 8 – December 31 2025

Venue: Owensboro Museum of Fine Art, 901 Frederica Street, Owensboro KY 42301

Gala: November 8 (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.); Ticketed entry.

Free Admission: Donations are highly appreciated

Museum Operating Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Closed to nan nationalist connected Mondays and connected nationalist holidays

Restrictions: Public and backstage car parks located successful nan museum’s proximity are free of charge.

Conclusion

The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art’s Holiday Forest Festival of Trees is simply a perennial centrepiece of nan Kentucky vacation tourism industry. The festival’s 48th anniversary, showcases nan event’s expertise to fulfill nan request of visitors eager to observe nan organization and prosecute pinch creation during a taste event.

During winter, nan metropolis of Owensboro is an anomaly – a small, picturesque metropolis pinch a practice of creation and wintertime festivities, nan likes of which are not recovered anyplace other successful Kentucky. The festival’s intricate blend of modern and ancient makes for a cleanable logic to visit, ensuring Owensboro keeps its position arsenic a superior halfway for wintertime tourism successful nan breathtaking Bluegrass State.