See four displays made mostly of food at Gingerbread Village in Sheraton Grand Seattle, 1400 6th Ave. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., extended to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Donation box. The theme changes every year.
Expect a long line of cars waiting to see the festive houses on Candy Cane Lane, located on Park Rd NE in Seattle. Or choose a night for walkers only. Open 4 to 9:30 p.m., extended to 11 p.m. Fri. & Sat.
Resolution Run 5K and Polar Bear Dive includes an optional dip in the cold waters of Lake Washington, awards, snacks, and a beer garden at Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE in Seattle.
Join 1000 people running into Lake Washington at noon to celebrate the new year at the Polar Bear Plunge, or just watch from shore. Costumes are encouraged. Parking is limited at Matthews Beach Park, 5100 NE 93rd St. The Polar Bear Cub for kids is 11:45 a.m.
Watch model trains run through detailed scenes of the Pacific Northwest, and see railroad-history exhibits at the Model Train Festival at Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. Free for children age 5 and younger. No library passes.
Jump into the cold waters of Puget Sound at Polar Bear Plunge at Point Defiance Marina, 5912 Waterfront Dr. in Tacoma. Afterward, warm up at heating tents with hot drinks. Separate kids’ plunge (11:30 a.m.).
Bundle up to admire a million holiday lights and displays at Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo, 5400 N Pearl St. in Tacoma. The kids’ area has goats. Closed Dec. 24 & 25.
Buy a ticket online, and then drive two miles past “300
illuminated holiday displays” while you hear holiday music on radio station 1700 AM at Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, 14905 Bresemann Blvd. S in Spanaway. Discounted after Dec. 25. Open every day.
Tulalip Lights & Ice has 7.8 million lights on plants surrounding the casino entrance ponds and the Tulalip Amphitheater at 10400 34th Ave. NE in Tulalip. Ice skating, food for sale, and a beer garden.
See WildLanterns’ amazing luminary displays, have animal encounters, and visit themed lounges selling specialty cocktails and food during Night Owls at Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave. N in Seattle for age 21+. Your ticket includes a Chinese show in the visitors’ center (5, 6, and 7 p.m.).
Enjoy furry costumes, art vendors, games, panel discussions, and a masquerade dance at Anthro Northwest at Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St. in Seattle. See minors policy if younger than age 18.
See a dozen Christmas trees decorated by local businesses during Festival of Trees at White River Valley Museum, 918 H St. SE in Auburn. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1.
Grand Kyiv Ballet performs Snow Queen, based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, with a simple background and music by Grieg, Massenet, Mozart, and Vivaldi at Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, 400 S 2nd St. in Renton.
Play board games, card games, role playing games, and miniatures games during OrcaCon, which includes panel discussions, workshop, and vendors in Hilton Bellevue, 300 112th Ave. SE in Bellevue.
La Galette des Rois features galettes accompanied by a French cider tasting and soft drinks in a room above the French bakery at Centennial Tower, 2515 4th Ave. in Seattle.
A ticket to The Sound of Music film starring Julie Andrews includes “a tote bag filled with interactive surprises,” attendees in costume, pre-movie trivia, and subtitles on screen so you can sing along at The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave. in Seattle.
National Geographic Live presents scientists, photographers, filmmakers, and adventurers live on stage with amazing photos and video at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St. in Seattle. January is about the Great Barrier Reef.
Banff Mountain Film Festival promises “an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world” when it screens films that are award-winners and audience favorites for $44 at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St. in Seattle.
SAAS Summit is “an all-ages, multi-modal experience with thought-provoking discussions, interactive breakout sessions, and networking activities” featuring dozens of local speakers at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1201 E Union St. in Seattle. Held in multiple months.
The annual Community Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. includes a breakfast, a keynote speaker, live music, and a community conversation at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. SW in Seattle. [The website recommends that you register by Jan. 3.]
Kidstock offers musical performances, theater, arts education workshops, games, dancing, and a carnival for kids at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N in Edmonds.
Your $93 ticket to Taste of the Northwest includes six oysters plus 12 tastes of wine, beer, and whiskey, with live music and light appetizers at Campbell's Resort on Lake Chelan, 104 W Woodin Ave. in Chelan. Optional Saturday dinner buffet.
WildLanterns features “large-scale animal and nature scape lanterns representing wild places from around the globe” including bugs, lions, pandas, parrots, and dragons, with snacks for sale and a performance in the entrance building at Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave. N in Seattle. See closed dates.
UW Dance Presents “showcases original choreography by internationally recognized faculty and visiting artists” to live music in Meany Hall for the Performing Arts at 4040 George Washington Lane NE in Seattle.
Puyallup Flat Track features motorcycles and quads racing on an indoor track for $10 at the door of Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Enter at the green gate. Children age 5 and younger are free.
“Discover a celestial pathway of lustrous light, cosmic visions, and astral song” at Astra Lumina, a pricey walk with special-effects lighting and sound in Seattle Chinese Garden at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. SW in Seattle.
Legally Blonde: The Musical is an upbeat song-and-dance tale about a sweet sorority sister named Elle, known for her all-pink wardrobe and her chihuahua Bruiser, who goes to Harvard Law to win back her boyfriend, at Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave. in Everett.
The Great Train Show features model train layouts and hundreds of vendors at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Children age 2 and younger are free.
Bohemia is a “macabre and mystical dream cabaret” that combines classical music, art nouveau, green fairies, aerial numbers, dance, burlesque, classical piano battles, comedy, and original songs at The Triple Door, 216 Union St. in Seattle. Must be age 17+, or age 21+ for the show at 8:45 p.m. Closed Monday.
Watch 110 minutes of short films selected from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival program, including “fiction, documentary, and animation from around the world” at Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour at Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave. in Seattle.
Dress warmly for Lake Chelan Winterfest, which features ice sculptures, live music, wine & ale tasting, kids’ activities, a polar bear splash, a giant beach bonfire, and fireworks on the sunnier side of the state. Schedules for Jan. 19 and Jan. 24 to 26.
An endearing but naïve clown takes a self-discovery journey to a bizarre, exotic world in Kooza, performed by Cirque du Soleil in a giant heated tent at Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE in Redmond.
Enjoy delicious samples from eight artisan vendors on the highly rated $70 Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market. Meet your friendly tour guide in front of Simply Seattle at 1600 1st Ave.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day includes an indoor rally (11 a.m.), a march to city hall (12:30 p.m.), and then a bus ride back to Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave. in Seattle.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration features “two new exhibitions, a resource expo, community conversations, family activities, storytelling, book giveaways” and free admission to the Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts St. in Seattle.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration features a fair with local organizations (11 a.m.) and a program (1 p.m.). Free parking at Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Commerce St. in Tacoma.
Made famous by the Alfred Hitchcock film, Dial M for Murder is a bone-chilling thriller about a marriage gone wrong, performed live at Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N in Issaquah.
An $93 ticket to Robert Burns Tasting includes a bagpipe band, the reading of poems by Robert Burns, Scottish appetizers, a welcome cocktail, and four tastes of whiskey at The Barrel Thief, 3417 Evanston Ave. N #102 in Seattle for age 21+.
The $17 Totally ‘80s Sing Along projects 30 subtitled music videos on screen so you can sing along to Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Billy Idol, George Michael, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, and David Bowie at Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave. in Seattle.
Check out hundreds of recreational vehicles at the Tacoma RV Show in the Tacoma Dome, 2727 East D Street in Tacoma. Children age 16 and younger are free. Repeats in Oct.
Shop for food and bigfoot gear; take a bigfoot workshop; hear live music; taste local beer, wine, and cider; visit the children’s arts & crafts area; see the film Sasqualogist; and meet “renowned researchers and authors” at sQuatch Fest at Cowlitz County Fairgrounds, 1900 7th Ave. in Longview. Children younger than five years old are free. Poster.
Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Winter Festival at Nordstrom Recital Hall in Benaroya Hall has a free recital before each performance. Repeats in July.
“Soar with the Blue Angels in a thrilling new documentary” on the giant Imax screen, with a speaker discussing the history of flight at Science and a Movie: Blue Angels at Pacific Science Center, 200 2nd Ave. N in Seattle.
Celebrate the year of the dragon at Microsoft Asian Spring Festival Celebration, which has a family-friendly afternoon festival (games, gifts, food court, afternoon performance, and photo booth with traditional Chinese outfits) plus an evening gala performance at Overlake Christian Church, 9900 Willows Road NE in Redmond.
Kids meet the Snow Sisters, eat “tea sandwiches and desserts,” make a snowflake magic wand, get crowned with a rhinestone tiara, sing, dance, and watch snow fall at the Winter Royal Ball at Tea and Tiaras Party Parlor, 1809 99th St. E in Tacoma. Costumes welcome.
Tết in Seattle offers live performances, hands-on activities, foods, crafts, games, fashion, martial arts, and a marketplace at Fisher Pavilion and Seattle Center Armory, 305 Harrison St. in Seattle.
Watch tournaments and competitions, try your hand at archery and thrown weapons during open hours, play games, and shop from artisans at the quirky Ursulmas Medieval Faire at Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE in Monroe. Public days are Sat. & Sun. Children age 12 and younger are free.
See frogs, snakes, geckos, and other exotic creatures at the Pacific Northwest Reptile and Exotic Animal Show at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Bring no pets. Held in January & July.
Drop off “gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories,” enjoy light refreshments with fellow swappers, and then at 5:30 p.m. find new-to-you items at $5 Seattle Zero Waste Clothing Swap at 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub, 1215 4th Ave. 15th Floor in Seattle.
Washington Sportsmen’s Show has seminars and exhibitors at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Children age 5 and younger are free.
Walk to a dozen restaurants serving a variety of soups (gumbo, ramen, pozole, chowder, chili, Jamaican curry) during Fremont Soupocalypse, which requires no ticket and offers a prize after you collect eight soup stamps. The restaurants include Fremont Mischief Distillery, 132 N Canal St. in Seattle.
Tacoma Home + Garden Show features home-improvement vendors, seminars, and thousands of plants in the Tacoma Dome, 2727 East D Street in Tacoma. Children age 12 and younger are free.
A $136 ticket to Burns Night includes live Highland music, the reading of poems by Robert Burns, “Burns-inspired passed hors d'oeuvres,” and a curated tasting of rare single malts at Westland Distillery, 2931 1st Ave. S in Seattle for age 21+.
Buy a handmade ceramic bowl at Empty Bowls to fund charity, and you’ll also get a bowl of soup with bread, dessert, and a drink at Burien Community Center, 14700 6th Ave. SW in Burien.
Celebrate the eagles that return in winter to the Stillaguamish River at the Eagle Festival, which offers guided tours, speakers, demonstrations, live music, an art and photography show, and horse-drawn wagon rides in Arlington.
Strange beer festival
January 31 - Feb. 1, 2025
Port Townsend (57 miles NW via ferry)
Enjoy beer in odd flavors from dozens of breweries and watch live music and entertainment at $34 Strange Brewfest indoors and outdoors at the American Legion, 209 Monroe St. in Port Townsend. Bring age 21+ ID. A two-day ticket is $55. No pets.
Olympia Funk Festival promises “three days of electrifying funk music, non-stop dancing, and pure celebration” in the Olympia Ballroom and at Capitol Theater, 206 5th Ave. SE in Olympia.
Seattle Boat Show has 800 boats and watercraft on display plus 150 boating seminars at Lumen Field, 800 Occidental Ave. S in Seattle. A free shuttle goes to boats in the water at Bell Harbor Marina. Children age 17 and younger are free. Tickets for Feb. 4 are two-for-one if bought online.
The Sleeping Beauty is a “historically-informed re-imagining” of the classic fairy tale about a princess under a spell to sleep for 100 years until awakened by the kiss of a prince. It’s set in a a Pacific Northwest-inspired fairyland at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. in Seattle.
Each paying adult can bring two children for free (age 12 or younger) during Kids & Critters Weekends at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, 11610 Trek Drive E in Eatonville. Valid on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Feb. 17.
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