Festival of Trees returns to light up Downtown Atlanta hotel

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - It’s hard not to feel the holiday spirit when you walk into the Embassy Suites Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park right now, thanks to the addition of more than thirty glittering Christmas trees to the hotel’s atrium.

The hotel’s Fourth Annual Festival of Trees is happening now through January 1st, featuring a collection of trees decorated by local non-profit organizations. 

Each non-profit is asked to decorate a single tree, and visitors can “vote” for their favorite one by making a monetary donation on behalf of that particular tree. And in the true spirit of the holidays, each agency gets to keep the money raised — and as a special bonus, the organization which nets the most money receives an additional $1,000 gift from Ruth’s Chris Steak House Restaurants.  Last year, the event raised more than $18,000 for the combined charities.  

The Fourth Annual Festival of Trees is open all day, every day through January 1st, and there is no fee for admission.  The Embassy Suites Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park is located at 267 Marietta Street in Atlanta.  Parking for festival visitors is free.

Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken never misses a chance to check out the Festival of Trees, so he spent the morning there chatting with representatives from some of the charities participating this year.