Tiverton's Holiday Trees Are Made by Whoever Signs Up by November 22

"They all have to light up in some way. That is part of the deal." Back in 2014, organizer Jennifer Sunderland gave The Newport Daily News that summary of the rules for re-Tree, the Four Corners Arts Center's outdoor show of trees built from salvaged material. That year's show was billed as the second annual. The lighting rule still stands, and so does the bigger rule behind it. The trees on Main Road in December are made by families, artists, businesses and anyone else who registers in time.

This year, the deadline is Sunday, November 22.

The town's largest waterfront dining room is closed for the season. The Boat House Waterfront Dining served its last meals after dinner on October 3 and is being renovated. The plans call for a refreshed dining room, new indoor and outdoor bars, and larger North and South patios, with a reopening planned for late spring 2027. Between now and then, the busiest dates are inland, along Main Road at Four Corners and at Tiverton Middle School on Quintal Drive. Each of them ties back to the trees.

The Entry Rules

The Arts Center's call to makers for 2026 is open to "families, individuals, community, businesses, artists and arts enthusiasts of all ages." Registration opened October 12 and closes November 22. Each entry costs $25, and the finished tree gets a 4-by-6-inch plaque with its makers' names or the name of the business.

The building rules are short:

• At least 90 percent of the tree must be recycled, reclaimed or repurposed material.
• It must be lit by solar or LED, and electrical outlets are available on site.
• It must be built for outdoor weather and stand securely.
• It must be at least 5 feet tall and no more than 9 feet.
• It must be installed by Bright Night on December 4 for the first round of judging, and kept in good shape through December 18 to stay in the running for the popular vote.

The 90 percent rule is the one that matters most. Under it, a tree comes from whatever a household, a workshop or a storefront already has on hand, and that is why no two entries come out alike. The Arts Center calls the 2026 show its 13th annual. All the trees will stand on Main Road, on the grounds of the Soule Seabury House at Tiverton Four Corners.

How a Tree Wins

Judges score each entry in three areas. The first is overall design, concept and creativity, which the Arts Center calls the "WOW Factor." The second is structural integrity, meaning stability and construction. The third is sustainability, meaning how recycled materials were used and their impact. The prizes are decided on two separate days:

Because the awards are split, a tree has two chances. Best of Show is judged the night the display opens. The popular vote stays open for two weeks after that, and only trees kept up through December 18 can win it. That's why the maintenance rule is on the entry form.

The sponsor list shows how local the show is. Alongside the Four Corners Arts Center, it includes Humphrey's Building Supply, The EDC, West Place Animal Sanctuary, Tiverton Farmers Market, the Tiverton Four Corners Merchants Association and The Bay.

November 22: Registration Closes on Cranberry Market Day

Registration closes on Sunday, November 22, the same day as the Tiverton Farmers Market's Annual Thanksgiving Cranberry-Craze Specialty Farmers Market. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Tiverton Middle School, 10 Quintal Drive. The Four Corners events calendar describes it as "a story of our community intertwined with the bounty of our local farms and talented artisans."

The farmers market is also a re-Tree sponsor, so its Thanksgiving Sunday and the last day to enter a tree fall together. Anyone who has been planning a tree but hasn't registered yet has until that Sunday. The Tiverton Farmers Market pop-up events page has the full details for both of its holiday markets.

December 4 and 5: The Trees Go Up

The display opens with the 2026 re-Tree & Holiday Bright Night in T4C on Friday, December 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. Best of Show is judged that evening, and the outdoor exhibition stays up through December 18.

Last year's Bright Night spread across the whole village. On December 5, 2025, Santa and a cocoa bar were at Cheese Wheel Village Market. The Greater Tiverton Community Chorus sang at Cédian Painting/Four Corners Gallery, and The Yellow House poured Sakonnet Vineyard tastings. Wrigley Studio hosted the FarmCoast Experience double-decker bus. The 2025 list of open businesses also named Cabana Collective, Artemis, Groundswell Cafe, Lou Lou's Decor, Courtyards, Tiffany Peay Jewelry, Gray's Ice Cream, Four Corners Grille and the Amicable Church Thrift Shop. That was last year's lineup, and the 2026 evening will have its own.

On this stretch of Main Road, street numbers give a sense of the walking distances. The Four Corners merchant directory lists Wrigley Design at 3852 Main Road, Groundswell Table + Provisions at 3879, Groundswell Garden + Home at 3895 and Courtyards at 3980. The Arts Center's Meeting House is at 3850 Main Road.

The next afternoon, the Meeting House hosts the opening weekend's other main event. The Newport String Quartet plays there on Saturday, December 5, at 2 p.m. as part of its Newport County Concert Series II. The program is Haydn's String Quartet in B minor, Op. 64; Andrea Tarrodi's "Madardal"; and Debussy's String Quartet. The listing notes that the concert falls on the Bright Night and re-Tree opening weekend.

The trees on the Soule Seabury House lawn and the quartet at the Meeting House are both Arts Center events in the same few blocks of Main Road. Taken together, they give the first weekend of December a full Friday evening and a Saturday afternoon.

December 18 to 20: The Vote Closes, Then the Market Returns

Popular voting closes on Friday, December 18, which is also the last day of the display and the day the popular-vote and Kids & Family winners are named. Two days later, on Sunday, December 20, the farmers market is back at Tiverton Middle School, 10 Quintal Drive, for its Annual Christmas Specialty Farmers Market. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is free and open to the public, and brings in more than 70 regional vendors, with live music from Prairie Bird Music.

Both markets are at 10 Quintal Drive. The Cranberry market on November 22 marks the last day to enter a tree, and the Christmas market on December 20 comes two days after the last vote is counted. Both are run by an organization whose name is on the re-Tree sponsor list.

The Calendar, Start to Finish

1. Now through Sunday, November 22: re-Tree registration is open at the Four Corners Arts Center, $25 per tree.
2. Sunday, November 22, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.: Thanksgiving Cranberry-Craze Specialty Farmers Market, Tiverton Middle School.
3. Friday, December 4, 4–7 p.m.: Holiday Bright Night in Four Corners, with the re-Tree opening and Best of Show judging.
4. Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m.: Newport String Quartet at The Meeting House, 3850 Main Road.
5. Friday, December 18: Last day of the re-Tree display; popular vote and Kids & Family winners.
6. Sunday, December 20, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.: Christmas Specialty Farmers Market, Tiverton Middle School, with more than 70 vendors.

After December 20, the next date on the list belongs to the waterfront, when the Boat House plans to reopen in late spring 2027 with its expanded North and South patios.

Kira Greene follows the Tiverton and Little Compton calendar year-round, from the Four Corners lawn in December to the Sakonnet shoreline in summer. If you're thinking about what your Tiverton home is worth, or what the coming year might look like for it, Request a Complimentary Market Consultation and we'll walk through it with you.