This year, the New Year’s tree in Rivne will be set up at a new location.

This year, the main Christmas tree in Rivne will be installed in Theatre Square. The artificial New Year tree has been handed over to the local drama theater for use during the international Christmas festival "Scrooge Fest." This was reported by Mykola Dyadius, the deputy mayor of the city, to ZAXID.NET.

According to him, the Rivne Regional Drama Theater approached the city council with a request to transfer the tree for installation in Theatre Square as decoration during the "Scrooge Fest" festival. It will remain there for the duration of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"All expenses for the installation of the tree will be covered by the drama theater. No funds have been allocated from the city budget for this," noted Mykola Dyadius.

Until 2022, the main Christmas tree in Rivne was traditionally set up in Independence Square, near the "Ukraine" cinema. However, following the full-scale invasion, city council secretary Viktor Shakiryzan stated that "the holidays need to be celebrated more quietly," and there will be no tree in the square, where farewells for fallen soldiers take place. In 2023, New Year trees were still placed at the entrances of the "Zlata Plaza" and Happy.Mall shopping and entertainment centers. However, the 18-meter artificial tree that the city purchased in 2021 for three million hryvnias remained in storage. For the first time in over two years, it will be installed near the drama theater as agreed.

Additionally, in June 2024, the Rivne Drama Theater presented the international project Christmas Theater Festival "Scrooge Fest." It will kick off on December 6, 2024 – on St. Nicholas Day. During the festival, performances will be held by groups from Kalush, Bolhrad (Odesa region), Dnipro, and the German city of Essen, which feature a staged interpretation of Charles Dickens' most famous work, "A Christmas Carol."