Volunteer registration is now open—register today!
Location: The Maryland State Fairgrounds Cow Palace, 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21230
Volunteer shift times: Shifts last about four hours each.
Get ready to be part of one of Maryland’s most beloved holiday traditions! Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Festival of Trees is back this November, and we’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help bring the magic to life. More than 500 volunteers are needed for all phases of the three-day event (before, during and after), including setup, the event itself and breakdown. Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or new to the event, there’s a role for everyone.
Volunteer Tasks BEFORE Festival of Trees
November 20–26, 2025 (AM and PM Shifts Available)
Help transform the event space into a winter wonderland. Tasks include:
- Cleaning and preparing signage
- Building tree groves
- Tree assembly
- Holiday decorating
- Laying snow
- And more!
Volunteer Tasks DURING* Festival of Trees
November 28–November 30, 2025
Be part of the magic of the event and spread holiday cheer! Tasks include:
- Greeting & directing attendees
- Overseeing children’s games & activities
- Collecting ride tickets
- Helping Santa
- And more!
(*These shifts are the most critical to fill.)
Volunteer Tasks AFTER Festival of Trees
November 30–December 1, 2025
Help pack up the event so we can do it all again next year! Tasks include:
- Breaking down event space
- Tree packing
- Inventory of event supplies
- Distribution of trees and gingerbread houses
- And more!
- All ages and abilities.
- Volunteers under 16 years old must volunteer with a guardian. (This is a great opportunity to earn service hours for school!)
Volunteering with friends and colleagues is always much more fun!!
We encourage corporate and community groups to volunteer together! We can add your company or organization name to the registration process so that we'll know which volunteers are part of your group. For questions regarding volunteering, please contact: FestivalOfTrees@BreakADifference.org
Kennedy Krieger Employee Volunteer Opportunities
We rely on the help of Kennedy Krieger Institute employees to make Festival of Trees possible. Some of the unique volunteer opportunities for Kennedy Krieger employees and their friends and family are:
- Sales Booth: Assist attendees with their tree, wreath and gingerbread house purchases
- Information Booth: Assist attendees with general information questions
- Auction/ Raffle Booth: Watch over the auction/raffle items, sell raffle tickets, answer questions , and assist with online bidding (Outgoing personalities are appreciated!)
- General Operations/Floater: Assist where needed; fill in at various roles to cover for meal & rest breaks
*When signing up for a shift, please make a note if you are interested in one of these specific roles.
Kennedy Krieger Institute is proud to partner with Break A Difference to manage all volunteers for Festival of Trees. Break A Difference plans and implements impactful, memorable and fun volunteer experiences in its hometown of Baltimore and in cities across the United States and beyond.