The Grande Prairie Hospital Foundation is hosting a modified Festival of Trees for 2020. The first notable revision is that the festival will now run for eight days, rather than its original three. The idea of extending the timeline of operations is to spread out the number of people who will be attending at any given time.
Hospital Foundation Executive Director Keith Curtis says the safety of the attendees, sponsors, and staff is the foundation’s top priority.
“While we may have modifications to accommodate safety this year, we know keeping the Festival tradition of
launching the Holiday Season is as important to our community as it is to the Foundation,” he says.
Guests who wish to attend the festival in person will have to buy their tickets for a designated day online. Alternatively, a virtual tour is available online for those who either can’t make it physically or do not wish to be around people without necessity.
The foundation has also released virtual reality goggles for sale that are designed to plug into a cell phone or smart device. The VR tour will be accessible through an app. Following the festival, the foundation’s goggles are compatible with Google Expeditions, which allows users to take virtual tours around the world.
Curtis adds the virtual tours don’t solely operate within the event hall itself.
“We have created new ways for our supporters to attend the Festival virtually, not just our events like Mistletoe Mixer and Teddy Bear Breakfast, but with the purchase of Foundation VR goggles, people can have a fully emersed Festival tour all from the comfort of their home,” he says.
Online ticket sales will be open starting on September 25th, 2020. Physical and virtual events will run between November 21st and 29th.