Christmas Tree Festival

Summer seems to now be nearly over; the children are heading back to school and all eyes turn to….yes, Christmas!

Midsummer Place is delighted to announce that its much-anticipated Christmas Tree Community Festival officially opens today, launching a festive celebration that offers local businesses prime festive exposure in exchange for supporting local charities.

From 15 November through to 24 December 2025, participating businesses will have the unique opportunity to sponsor and decorate one of the 20 available Christmas trees within the mall – giving their business huge exposure during increased footfall.

Previous business sponsors have included Redbull Racing, Franklins Solicitors LLP, Hays Travel, Redway Runners and many more.

The fee to secure a tree is just £300 and all proceeds collected during the campaign will be added to the prize fund and distributed among the three trees receiving the most public votes—50% for first place, 30% for second, and 20% for third.

“Kicking off today, the Christmas Tree Community Festival offers local businesses not just tremendous visibility in our mall over the festive period, but also a meaningful way to give back to our community,” said Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place. “We’re excited to welcome creative entries that shine throughout the season and help make the holidays brighter for everyone.”

Shoppers will be able to vote for their favourite trees between 15 November and 24 December 2025.

Businesses and organisations interested in sponsoring a tree are encouraged to complete the application form via the Midsummer Place website. Be Part Of Our Community Christmas Tree Festival | Midsummer Place

Check out our coverage of last year's Christmas Tree Festival to see what's in store...

The 2024 winners of the Midsummer Place annual Christmas Tree Festival have been presented with their cheques, bringing a perfect start to 2025 for the local charities and their partners.

2024’s festival saw an incredible 4,444 unique votes and 12,132 overall votes cast—an impressive 47% increase compared to last year’s event – and it’s set to return in November 2025 too!

The winners of Midsummer Place’s Christmas Tree Festival 2024 were:

1st Place: Slimming World Milton Keynes with Jane, supporting Alzheimer's Research UK – 1,845 Votes (£1,750 prize)
2nd Place: Probadge Limited, supporting Medical Detection Dogs – 1,350 Votes (£1,050 prize)
3rd Place: Samaritans Milton Keynes, supporting Samaritans Milton Keynes – 1,078 Votes (£700 prize)

The winning charities were awarded their prizes on Thursday, 9 January to celebrate the efforts of all participants. Kirsty McGiff, Marketing Manager at Midsummer Place, said:

“The response to this year’s Christmas Tree Festival has been extraordinary. Not only did we see a significant increase in votes, but we also heard so many heartwarming comments from shoppers who were inspired by the creativity and causes represented. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the local sponsors, participants, and visitors who came together to make this festival a highlight of the season. Your support truly reflects the spirit of Christmas.”

"We’ve been delighted to take part in the tree festival again this year and are so thankful to have won for our charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, to support further research to find a cure for this dreadful disease." said Jane Hammonds from Slimming World Milton Keynes.

"This has been a wonderful community event to be part of and has helped to raise our profile to a new audience in one of busiest times of the year. We're delighted to have placed 2nd and would like to congratulate all entries for their amazing and festive spirit." Said Kathy Lewis from Probadge supporting Medical Detection Dogs.

"It’s been amazing to be a part of this brilliant competition. It’s great exposure for our branch of Samaritans and lets people know we are always there. This will help us save lives and support people in their darkest time." Said Clair Roberts from Samaritans Milton Keynes.

This year’s event featured 14 beautifully decorated trees sponsored by local businesses and organisations, each supporting a charity close to their hearts, the full list of sponsors were: