|

Tips for Planning a Festival of Nativities

For several years in a row, I had the privilege of chairing our Church’s Festival of Nativities. It was a lot of work, but the end result was totally worth it. I know that many of you are planning similar Nativity Festivals (or Creche Festivals) and maybe looking for ideas for your event.  Here are some of the details of our event. Hopefully, this will help you out as you plan your event.

I’m excited to share with you today the project I’ve been working on for the last 4 months.  It’s the reason behind all the guest posts this month and the total lack of Christmas projects on this blog! This is the 2nd year that I was involved in our church’s Festival of Nativities and this year I was the chairman.

Most of the time I kept thinking “am I even old enough to be in charge of something like this?” ” They must have the wrong person”.

Hosting a Festival of Nativities

The Festival of Nativities was a giant undertaking with lots of moving parts.  We had to make sure that all of the Nativity sets we borrowed would end up back with their original owners and that they would be all in one piece. We also had to figure out how to transform our church building into a space capable of displaying over 250 Nativity Sets.

My Nativity Festival committee was wonderful.  I felt like the entire event was a true collaboration of everyone’s ideas.  I did not do this without help These are NOT all my ideas, I just happen to be the one that is blogging about it.

The event consisted of people from our area from our church congregation and from other denominations, bringing nativity sets from their homes. Then lending them to us for the week to display.  Everyone was then invited to come to view the nativity sets and eat some yummy refreshments. Attendees would also be able to listen to wonderful Christmas music. For the kids, we planned a children’s room complete with dress-up area and crafts.

Festival of Nativities

To be honest, this was a lot of work for everyone involved. I got discouraged several times during the weeks leading up to the event and during the setup.  When I got feeling overwhelmed I just reminded myself that doing this was my way of making a tiny contribution to preserving what I believe is the true meaning of Christmas.

On a personal note, my family and I celebrate Christmas. I realize that this blog reaches a worldwide audience, and not everyone celebrates as I do.  If your family doesn’t celebrate Christmas hopefully you can find some other creative inspiration somewhere in this post.

Festival of Nativities

Transforming the Gym; Church Christmas Party Decorating and Lighting Ideas

To set up the gym at church we arranged 8 round tables in the center clustered around a variety of Christmas trees.  The star in the center was made with PVC pipe “shimmed” into the hole in the floor for the volleyball standard.  We then strung lights down and in between the tables. A lit star topped off the whole arrangement.

Festival of Nativities

On the center tables, we placed the larger nativity sets.

Festival of Nativities
Festival of Nativities

Additional Gym Layout Ideas:

We placed 4 sets of tables around the edges of the gym and organized the Nativity sets by color & style on the tables (we had a table of all wood nativity sets).

To help guide the visitor through the room we printed the Christmas Story from Matthew on foam boards around the room (they are just pinned to the cork boards at the church). The foam boards were made by applying vinyl onto simple white foam core boards that we purchased at the craft store. FYI: I don’t know the name of the font, or have the files I did not make the signs.

Festival of Nativities
Festival of Nativities

This year we added these stars dropped from the wire strung over the alcoves of the church.  They were inexpensive and added a bit of charm to the gym.

Live Nativity Details & Christmas Music Venue:

I know the photo is terrible, I forgot to take a good one of the stage.

One of our committee members’ husbands built the most beautiful backdrop for us to use on the stage.  Each piece is a 4×8 piece of MDF cut out with the silhouette of Old Jerusalem.  The panels are all moveable so depending on how many people were on the stage we could rearrange them as necessary.

I bought the star (from Grandin Road) at the last minute (after Thanksgiving sale YES!!) – I think it added a nice touch to the stage.

On the stage, we hosted a live nativity and Christmas music.  It rotated between musical acts and the live nativity all day.

More Fun Church Christmas Decorating Ideas:

Festival of Nativities

Heather a committee member, had the ingenious idea of making door stops. She used empty boxes with bricks in them then wrapped them to look like presents.

Individual Rooms for Displaying Nativities:

Nativity Sets from Around the World:

Festival of Nativities

In addition to the church gym, we had 5 smaller rooms decorated with themed nativity sets. We had international sets that came from all over the world. This was my favorite room by far and has inspired me to start collecting Nativity sets from around the world.

Festival of Nativities
Festival of Nativities
Festival of Nativities

We also had rooms for Glass & Crystal nativity sets, White Nativity Sets, Handcrafted nativity sets, Village sets, and Children’s nativity sets.

Festival of Nativities

I loved all of the smaller rooms because we asked people to decorate them and told them to do whatever they wanted.  Each one of them knocked it out of the park. Seeing the individuality of each room was one of the highlights of the event.

Christmas Party Children’s Room Ideas:

here was also a room for children.  All of that holding still and “not touching” wore them out a bit so we provided a room where they could “play”.

Nativity Photo Backdrop & Dress Up Area:

Festival of Nativities
Festival of Nativities

There was a dress-up corner, where they could dress up and pose for a photo. (I don’t know where the sheep came from, my Mother in law has had it for years, I think it’s from England). One of the members of our church had all of the nativity costumes.

Kids Nativity Play Set:

Festival of Nativities

This year I took my little people nativity set over and set up a play table for the kids.  We thought it would be okay if there was ONE nativity set they could touch!

Kids Nativity Craft Idea:

The kids also got to make a little craft.  Brandi came up with this one last year and it was a big hit. It’s made from a toilet paper roll, a wooden doll, a paper towel, and some raffia. Each of the kids was able to craft their own baby Jesus in a manger to take home with them.

Festival of Nativities

We also had Christmas cookies served as refreshments.

I’m so happy with how the event turned out and so grateful to every single person that helped us set this up and clean it up.  It took a village.

For more photos of our Festival of Nativities in previous years, see THIS POST

More Christmas Decorating Ideas:

How to make Hanging Star Lanterns

Christmas Home Tour

10 Ways to Display Christmas Cards

Similar Posts

31 Comments

  1. I just had to tell you how amazing I think your Festival of Nativities is. I know a few people who have beautiful and special unique nativity sets who display them with pride in their homes each Christmas but this would a wonderful way to share them.
    I just wish I could have come and seen it myself. Well done to you and your entire village.

  2. What a fantastic celebration! As a Christian family, we struggle all Advent for more Jesus and less Santa. What a wonderful way to keep the focus on the real meaning of the season. The pictures from the childrens’ room brought tears to my eyes – the ability for them to experience the miracle of Christ’s birth on their own terms and at their own level is precious.

  3. Oh that looks like an amazing event, such artistry in those nativity sets, and the set up of each of the rooms as well was brilliant, well done to you all!

  4. Wow, it’s awesome! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I wish I could come. I love that you had one that the children could touch!

  5. It looks terrific! I was just on the committe for ours this last weekend as well, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s definitely worth it!

  6. Just lovely to look at, and it is evident that many people put the finest into this… how nice of your group to sponsor something likely this to come to… it must be very unifying for both your church and your guests…

  7. This was amazing & very moving. Thanks for posting all the pictures. What a great way to get back to the real reason for the season & I echo the others in the praise for the children’s room & activities. What a special fellowship you all have at your church.

  8. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. The pictures are beautiful. It must be wonderful to see the real nativities! Your church is very blessed to have you to serve in such a way. As one person has already stated, “More of Jesus, less of Santa.”. Merry Christmas!

  9. I just came across you site today and wanted to tell you what a blessing it was to see this! It’s so nice to see the REASON FOR THE SEASON – even if it is August! Everything looks so beautiful! I so do hope that you have a great turn out and blessed time next year. It’s so great to see all of the hard work that was done, and for a beautiful reason! Blessing to all – and I hope you and all involved in years to come have a truly blessed time doing it again! Thanks for sharing!.

    1. Thanks! I’m not in charge again this year, it’s time to “pass the torch” but it’s been a great activity to plan and get going in our area

  10. I was looking at a pin on pinterest of Nativities of a friend of mine and came across your blog on the Nativities from 2011. Thank you for posting about it. I read every word. I have been trying to start one in our little town in Mendon, Utah. A cousin of ours in Canada does one every year. She has around 300 sets, plus ones that she gets friends and neighbors to bring and set up. She numbers all her sets, some she buys from the thrift store and must find good boxes to keep them safe during transportation and storage. Each one is so unique and special. It is September 2013 and your post lives on.

  11. Hi – I love the photo of the nativity scene that has the yellow arch iwth the gold star. I am looking to buy something just like this – any idea where it came from? Juanita

  12. Don’t you love how Pinterest keeps great projects alive! This is one if those that will live on forever. Beautifully done! It’s hard to take a gym and make it sparkle and shine, and more importantly, make it sacred…but you and your committee did. Wish I could have participated! I can only imagine the atmosphere. So many little touches that added greatly! I loved the foamcore story boards. Where did you print those? Do you have the file you could share? I also loved your pvc tree, hanging stars and activities for the kids. What an amazing tradition your ward or stake has! It’s a lot of work for a few, that blesses many!

    1. Oh thanks, yes Pinterest is crazy, at first I thought “someone still is looking at that project!?!” I’m happy to say that I’m not in charge any more but that others have taken over and grown the event even more. It’s been a huge blessing for our community.

  13. We are doing this for our Christmas party this year! I would to know if you still have the file for the foam board cutouts? Or if you know where to find them?

  14. Our church is sponsoring a nativity This year I saw your work sheets one time and cannot find them will you share these with me. Iove your nativity festival. I hope ours goes well Ellen lunsfordellen lunsford

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.