Fort St. John asks for Christmas trees for Winter Fest 2026

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John is inviting people to drop off their old real Christmas trees to be repurposed for Winter Fest 2026. 

The former High on Ice Festival, renamed Winter Fest for the first time in 2026, is set to take place during the whole month of February. The festival will feature various winter-themed activities including professional ice carving and ice slides in Centennial Park.  

Trevor Bolin, councillor for the City of Fort St. John, shared: “This year, the trees will be used to create something really special at Winter Fest.”

Additionally, a main feature of the festival is the slides, which were used 21,072 times in High on Ice Winter Festival in 2025. 

He said: “If folks remember High on Ice in previous years, there’s a lot of trees that are incorporated into the slide design and the hill that the slide goes on. 

“[This is done] just to make it much more fun for the kids.

“This year with our new Winter Fest, you’re going to see that happening again.

“The slide’s going to be bigger, faster and better than ever and with that comes trees. So it’s kind of a bonus for residents.” 

Residents can drop off Christmas trees at no charge in Centennial Park behind the museum until January 9th. 

“The trees need to be clean. No papers, decorations or tinsel on them. When you drop them off, they [need to be] ready to be recycled and reused for this purpose,” Bolin told Energeticcity.ca. 

Over 80 to 90 trees were collected last year and Bolin suspects there will “probably be a similar amount this year” too. 

He shared: “What doesn’t get used on the slides and on the hills, I believe they’re also used for the ice and heat event that’s at the close of the event.” 

He said the response for this event in the past has been great. “I think that people know that it’s an easy way to dispose of your tree without it winding up in the landfill or in your yard. 

“They can last a little bit longer into the season and more people get enjoyment out of them.”

Additionally, the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) says people can bring their trees to any of the three regional landfills or tier one transfer stations, where they will be chipped down and mixed with soil for waste cover. 

PRRD also suggests people donate artificial trees to a local thrift shop or charity shop such as the Salvation Army. 

Landfills and transfer stations can be found here.