17 Dec 2025
Every three years, the aisles, chancel and vestibule of St Saviour’s Church is packed to bursting with dozens of festooned firs for the ever-popular Christmas Tree Festival.
This year’s event – which is based around the theme of Past, Present and Yet to Come – has seen more than 90 local charities, schools and other community groups sponsor and decorate their own tree.
They include the likes of Loreto College, Phillips Funeral Services, various Scout and Guide groups, St Albans Postboxes, the Abbey Theatre, Friends of Bernards Heath, Open Door, Home Instead and the St Albans District branch of Soroptimists International.
Until next Monday, December 22, there will be free viewing and live music, as well as three special tickets events sponsored by Ayletts Nurseries and Atlas Translations.
Father Richard Watson, vicar of St Saviour’s, joked that the origins of the festival have been lost to the mists of time.
“Twenty-three years ago was the 100th anniversary of the church and there was a big push to have 100 trees for the 100th year, so it started before that, but we’re not quite sure when. There are people that we need to ask, but we’ve not been counting!
“2022 was the last festival – it should have been 2020 but obviously things went a bit pear-shaped then! The next one is 2028, and we’re already looking ahead to that.”
A team of nine people have been working on the festival since last January: “It takes a huge amount of organisation. The team meet in the January of a festival year to outline plans, come up with a potential theme, and get some idea of the timeline.
They include Laura Summers, who decides on the final location of each tree: “If they’ve had one before then I tend to ask whether they’d like to be in the same place, but every year there are new people,” she explains.
The trees arrived wrapped up last Friday, when a team of volunteers position them, fold down the branches and put the lights on so when the tree decorators arrive they are ready for them to add their finishing touches.
“We’ve got over 90 different groups who have contributed this year, most of whom have also sponsored their tree and paid the cost for it before adding their own unique decorations.
“Events like this are so important because they connect with the community in a way that nothing else really does. We’ve always had a very clear sense of wanting to be a community hub. The church is there for everyone, it’s not just for the people who worship here, there are all these opportunities for other people to engage and integrate and just celebrate community, which is what we’re all about.”
Acts appearing over the week include folk combo Maggie Lane, ukulele group Katie’s Jumping Fleas, St Albans City Band, Fleetville Swing Band, Abbey Primary School Choir and St Albans Chamber Choir.
The Pub in the Pines, the festival’s very own licensed bar, opens from 4pm each day (3.30pm on Sunday) serving a range of cask and keg ales, mulled wine, Prosecco and plenty of alcohol-free alternatives, alongside a café dishing up tea, coffee, hot chocolat and mince pies.
Various street food outlets will be setting up on different days throughout the festival, selling dishes ranging from pizza and Japanese fried chicken, Canadian poutine and Greek gyros, but do check the website – stsavioursstalbans.com – to find out what is available when you attend.
Donations from the festival will be shared between Herts Young Homeless and the St Saviour’s Development Fund, which will go towards providing new toilets, office, meeting rooms and storage, the parish organ restoration and other improvements.
Father Richard explained: “The theme of Past, Present and Yet to Come is very much where we are as a church at the moment. We’re obviously very aware of our heritage and all that’s gone on in the past, but there’s a lot happening now as well. We have a heated floor after two and a half years of no heating at all, which is the first stage in trying to make the building fit for purpose and future-proof.
“We’ve go other plans for an internal reordering to provide a permanent bar and kitchen, toilets and other stuff in the church, and all those things means we’re looking to the future.”
Photos by Toby Shepheard
