Fund a Family: A Night to Remember at the Des Moines Burning Boat Festival
- Press Release Submission
- Dec 22, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
This New Year’s Eve, you can do more than attend an event — you can give a family a memory they’ll never forget.
At the Des Moines Burning Boat Festival, a beloved waterfront tradition rooted in reflection and renewal, a new community-driven initiative is taking shape: Fund a Family: A Night to Remember. It’s a simple, meaningful way for neighbors to help neighbors ring in the new year together — warmly, joyfully, and with intention.
When you Fund a Family, you’re not just covering tickets. You’re hosting an experience. One that includes:
• Event tickets
• Hot cocoa
• S’mores by the fire
• A warm, welcoming night of connection and celebration
Families simply show up and enjoy the magic.
For many local families, experiences like this are out of reach. A funded night at the Burning Boat transforms New Year’s Eve into something hopeful and unforgettable — especially for kids who deserve moments of wonder just as much as anyone else.
This isn’t charity.
It’s community showing up for community.
Why It Matters
The Des Moines Burning Boat Festival is more than a celebration — it’s a symbolic fresh start.
As the year comes to a close, attendees are invited to write down:
• What they’re ready to let go of
• What they hope for
• What they’ve endured
Those words are placed inside a handcrafted wooden boat, which is then set ablaze along the waterfront as the community welcomes 2026 together.
The ritual is powerful. It creates space for reflection, healing, and optimism — values that resonate deeply in a city that prides itself on connection and care.
Just as important, proceeds from the event support City of Des Moines Parks & Recreation Youth Scholarships, helping ensure that every child has the opportunity to play, learn, and grow — regardless of financial circumstances.
When you fund a family, your generosity ripples outward:
• A family feels seen
• Kids feel included
• Our community grows stronger
Join Us — or Start One of Your Own
The invitation is open: fund a family, gather friends to do it together, or even start your own version of this idea in your neighborhood.
Because sometimes the most powerful gift isn’t a thing.
It’s a shared moment.
Warmth on a cold night.
And a reason to believe in the year ahead.
Event Details
December 31, 2025
6:00–9:00 PM PST
In front of the Des Moines Pier
410 S 222nd St, Des Moines, WA
• $25 Adults
• $10 Kids (ages 6–18)
If you’d like to fund a family, make a youth scholarship donation, or become a sponsor, the Des Moines Legacy Foundation will match donations up to $5,000.
Contact Jeff Gross: jtgross938@gmail.com
As the final flames rise and the new year begins, this is a chance to close out 2025 by lifting one another up — one family, one fire, one unforgettable night at a time. 🔥✨
