Return of the Glass Tree: How art, community & sustainability collide at Yerkes holiday event
The World’s Tallest Glass Tree returns to Yerkes Observatory next month, allowing guests the chance to help build the 36-foot-tall structure and to access the historic observatory itself.
John Donaubaurer, of Jason Mack Glass, hands a wand of molten glass to Pauline Javorsky at last year’s World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival. This year, the glass tree will glow red.
“This festival is about more than a spectacle,” said Rob Elliott, producer of the World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival. “It’s about giving people a hands-on way to experience art, community and sustainability all in one place.”
Glass artisan Jason Mack is seen here creating the World’s Tallest Glass Tree in 2022. The World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival returns to Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay for six days in December.
WILLIAMS BAY — Next month, guests at the World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival can help create the 36-foot, red-glowing structure.
The festival returns Fridays-Sundays, Dec. 5-7 and 12-14, at Yerkes Observatory, 373 W. Geneva St., Williams Bay.
Hours for Fridays are 4-7 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays noon-7 p.m.
On Sunday, Dec. 14, the festival closes with the Star Topping Celebration, starting at 4 p.m.
At the celebration, a hand-blown glass star will be placed atop the tree. Festival organizers suggest arriving early for the best experience.
Unlike in previous years, those who have festival tickets can now access the observatory itself.
Set on the shores of Geneva Lake, Yerkes is regarded as the birthplace of modern astrophysics, according to a World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival press release.
Its founding in 1897 marked the first university department dedicated to astrophysics, and it remains home to the world’s largest refracting telescope, which once drew scientific legends Albert Einstein, Nancy Grace Roman and Edwin Hubble, among others.
During the World’s Tallest Glass Tree Festival, the observatory grounds are transformed into a holiday village filled with live music, firelight, art and family activities.
“This festival is about more than a spectacle,” said Rob Elliott, producer of the event. “It’s about giving people a hands-on way to experience art, community and sustainability all in one place.”
Tens of thousands of visitors from Wisconsin, Illinois and beyond are expected to take part in the live creation of the world’s tallest glass sculpture built from molten, recycled glass.
Build the tree
Each evening, glass artist Jason Mack and his team will invite visitors to take a gathering iron tipped with 2,000-degree molten glass and drizzle it onto a spinning steel frame, helping build a glowing monument of color and collaboration.
“When families help add glass to the tree, they’re literally shaping something that represents imagination and togetherness,” Elliott said. “It’s a really fun experience.”
On festival days, there will be live music from 4-7 p.m.
There will also be a heated Winter Market Tent featuring regional artisans, gift shops, and a bar for beer and wine; chainsaw sculptors, outdoor fire pits, and lounge seating for cozy gatherings; a warming tent with children’s activities provided by the Williams Bay Recreation Department; and a Magpie’s Den & Pen food truck, coffee and hot chocolate huts.
An environmental mission
This year, the festival expands its environmental mission through a new partnership with Don’t Trash Glass, a national program from the Glass Packaging Institute.
It is an initiative bringing new glass recycling services to Wisconsin and Illinois restaurants and bars, collecting and redirecting thousands of bottles back into the manufacturing stream instead of landfills.
Glass can take over one million years to break down, according to the press release, but it is infinitely recyclable, able to be remade again and again without losing quality.
Recycling glass conserves raw materials, reduces carbon emissions and transforms what would otherwise be waste into an enduring resource.
Last season, the World’s Tallest Glass Tree team collected 17 tons of glass.
Just over 3,000 pounds were used to build the tree, while the rest was cleaned, crushed and sent back into the circular economy.
After each festival, the tree’s glass strands are remelted into limited commemorative mini trees for the following year.
“Through Don’t Trash Glass, we’re proving that recycling can be both creative and effective,” said Elliott. “When people see the tree being built from their own recycled bottles, it clicks that what we throw away still has incredible value.”
Tickets & parking
Children ages 12 and under can attend for free, but children’s tickets should still be reserved in order to help event organizers plan accordingly.
For ages 13 and older, the cost is $20.
Guests can also purchase a $30 multi-day festival pass, good for all days of the event. Multi-day passes are not transferrable.
A VIP 4-pack — including on-site Yerkes parking, four admission tickets, four glass-adding experience passes and a $5 couple for the Mack Glass retail shop at the event — is $150.
Other glass-adding experiences are sold on-site only.
For those without VIP tickets, festival parking is located at the Geneva Street lot of Williams Bay High School.
A heated trolley will shuttle guests to and from the observatory every few minutes.
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to worldstallestglasstree.com.
The 36-foot-tall tree is being crafted from 3,000 pounds of recycled glass and will be up through Dec. 28.
