Forest Fest on April 15 to include Tree Seedling Giveaway, Paper Shredding Event, Spring Artisan Market & more

Monday, April 3, 2023 - 4:00pm

You’re invited to Forest Fest on Saturday, April 15, in historic downtown Wake Forest. Presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. in partnership with the Town of Wake Forest, this free family-friendly event is scheduled from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. – rain or shine – in several areas throughout downtown.

Celebrating the heart and history of Wake Forest, this year’s Forest Fest will include a free tree seedling giveaway and a free paper shredding event.

The Urban Forestry Board (UFB) will host the popular Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway in the Town Hall parking lot, 301 S. Brooks St. During the seedling giveaway, UFB members, Town staff, and volunteers will distribute over 3,000 ginkgo, oak, and river birch seedlings to residents - while they last.  For more information, visit https://bit.ly/WFTreeSeedlingGiveaway.

Forest Fest will also include an “Earth Day Shredding Event” sponsored by Civic Federal Credit Union. The drive-thru paper shredding event is scheduled from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (or until the two paper shredding trucks are full) in the parking lot of the Northern Wake Senior Center, 235 E. Holding Ave. For complete details, visit http://bit.ly/WFPaperShreddingEvent.

The day’s festivities will also feature the Wake Forest Guild of Artists Spring Artisan Market from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. inside the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre, 405 S. Brooks St.; extended hours by the Wake Forest Farmers Market along South Taylor Street; and a variety of local vendor and non-profit booths with educational activities along Brooks Street and in the Town Hall parking lot. The occasion will also offer various children’s activities along East Owen Avenue and live musical entertainment in Centennial Plaza. 

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase throughout the day at several downtown restaurants. Plus, the following food and dessert trucks will be on site: Wake the Truck Up, Smith's Smokehouse and Smoothies, and Lumpy's Ice Cream.

A special thanks to our 2023 Forest Fest sponsors: Bartlett Tree Experts, ISI Elite Training, Renewal by Andersen, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern, DAB Auto Sales & Leasing, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Yard Party.

For complete details about Forest Fest, including a map of important points of interest, visit https://bit.ly/WFForestFest or email Downtown Development Specialist Camryn Gutierrez at [email protected].  Please note: Vendor applications for this event are no longer accepted.

Forest Fest is a Wake Forest Outdoors event. To view a complete listing of Town-sponsored spring and summer outdoor events and activities, visit http://bit.ly/WakeForestOutdoors. To receive email notifications concerning special events in Wake Forest, sign up for E-Notifier at https://bit.ly/WFEnotifier.