Free activities and events in New York City

NYC Mulchfest 2026

Published: January 3, 2026; Aithor: Julia Sonrisa

Bring your Christmas tree to Riverside Park to be recycled into mulch that will nourish plantings in the Park all year long!

These wood chips are used to nurture trees and plants on streets and park-wide. Here’s the best part — you can take a bag of Christmas tree mulch home with you!

Here’s how you can join in.

1. Volunteer (on January 10th)

Volunteers are needed to “de-Christmas” the trees left for recycling. We will be removing ornaments, lights, and getting the trees ready to chip. Then, we’ll spread Christmas tree mulch around street trees along Riverside Drive. Please register here on Eventbrite to volunteer and review our health and safety protocol below.

2. Treecycle (from December 26 — January 31)

Recycle your Christmas tree in Riverside Park. Drop your tree at any park entrance, and we will bring it to our chipping site to be Treecycled. The chips from your tree will be used as mulch throughout the park. You can even take home a bag of mulch to provide warm winter protection for the street tree in front of your apartment. No need to register — just come on by!

More than 25,000 trees were recycled last year city-wide. Help us top this number!

Note: Please remember to remove all lights and ornaments before bringing the tree to a MulchFest site. For more info on citywide tree drop-off and chipping sites, please visit the website

Each volunteer must:

• Bring your own water in your reusable water bottle
• Wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing that can get dirty.
• Keep all personal items with you at all times, as we will not have an area for bags.

Time: 11:00 am EST

Free!

Registration

Detailed information and discussion of the event.