Woodland Park Zoo's winter light festival swaps strings of bulbs for large illuminated lanterns shaped like animals and habitats, set along the zoo's paths after dark. It runs from mid-November well past the holidays, into mid-January, which makes it one of the few big light shows still glowing after New Year's. Gates open at 4 […]
For 32 years, architects have teamed with the Sheraton's chefs to build a village of six-foot gingerbread structures in the downtown hotel, each season built around a new theme you only learn when you visit. Last year's was a toy shop time machine. The display benefits Breakthrough T1D and type 1 diabetes research, and the […]
Seattle Center's South Fountain Lawn turns into a European-style Christmas village for five weeks, with wooden stalls from local and European vendors, a carousel, a walk-through tree, daily snow showers and Santa visits. The heated Alpen Haus inside Fisher Pavilion has tables for warming up with food and festive drinks. Tickets are timed and cheapest […]
The Oregon Zoo trades daytime animal-watching for a nighttime walk through grounds wrapped in light displays, from the main paths to the hillside trees. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. each night, with timed tickets sold online in advance and priced by date, so the Value Nights in late November, early December and January 3 are […]
Downtown Hillsboro kicks off the season a week before Thanksgiving with an afternoon that ends in a tree lighting on the Civic Center Plaza at 6 p.m. Before that, there's an artisan market, carolers and live music on the Cultural Arts District stage, and downtown shops open with in-store activities. Kids can find Santa at […]
For its 30th season, the Northwest's big Christmas light festival at Warm Beach Camp, north of Marysville near Stanwood, becomes mainly a walking event. Guests stroll at their own pace past more than a million lights, with a Christmas market, food, costumed characters, mini-golf, a light maze and train rides along the way. It runs […]
Since 1949, a decorated Christmas Ship has sailed around Puget Sound and Lake Washington with a live choir on board, stopping off waterfront parks for 20-minute concerts piped to shore. You can ride the Spirit of Seattle itself, join the 21-and-over Follow Boat, or just show up at a beach with a thermos. Shore stops […]
For three weekends starting the day after Thanksgiving, the Japanese Garden in Washington Park dresses for the season with traditional winter decorations. Visitors can shop Japanese and Japanese-inspired gifts, have them wrapped in furoshiki cloth, and leave with a take-home origami ornament. Seasonal teas and treats are on at the Umami Café, and garden tours […]
Downtown's holiday season officially starts the day after Thanksgiving, back in a renovated Westlake Park after last year's move to Westlake Center during construction. From 11 a.m. there are craft tables, costumed characters and sweets for kids, and at 5 p.m. the giant tree and star are lit, followed right away by fireworks. Last year's […]
Santa arrives in Vancouver by river: he sails down the Columbia with an escort from the Christmas Ships, steps ashore at the waterfront's Terminal 1, then rides a parade of lighted vehicles up to Esther Short Park. The park program runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m. with music, entertainment and refreshments, rides on the Loci, […]
Tacoma's long-running holiday light show takes over Point Defiance Zoo after dark, with light displays strung along the zoo's paths above Commencement Bay. It's a walking show rather than an animal visit, since the exhibits close for the evening, so come for the lights, a hot drink and a loop of the grounds. Tickets are […]
The Grotto's wooded sanctuary in Northeast Portland turns into a quarter-mile walk of lights each evening from November 27 to December 30. The music is the draw: school, church and civic choirs sing in the Chapel of Mary's acoustics, the Grotto Carolers perform at the bottom of each hour, and a puppet show plays in […]
