Seattle Christmas Lights 2026: Where to See Them, by Neighborhood

Top photo courtesy Woodland Park Zoo.

Last verified: October 28, 2026. Every date below was checked against the organizer or a current listing, and anything not yet posted for 2026 says so. We recheck through December.

Seattle doesn’t have one big lights show. It has a dozen good ones spread across the city, the Eastside and the water, and the best night out depends on which side of town you’re on.

This is the 2026 version, neighborhood by neighborhood: what’s on, what it costs, what changed, and where to get something hot afterward. Dates marked 2026 come straight from the organizer. Where an organizer hasn’t posted yet, we give last year’s schedule and say so.

The short version

• The big ticket: WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo, Nov 13, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027. Timed tickets, $29 to $55.
• The classic street: Candy Cane Lane in Ravenna. Free, Dec 5, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
• Cheapest garden lights: Garden d’Lights in Bellevue, $5 on select weeknights and free for kids 10 and under. Tickets have been on sale since Oct 15.
• From the shore, free: the Argosy Christmas Ships, Nov 27 to Dec 23, ending at Gas Works Park.
• Gone: Enchant at T-Mobile Park. It hasn’t run since 2024 and isn’t coming back in 2026.

Phinney Ridge: WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo

First, the name. Woodland Park Zoo’s old WildLights show ended years ago. The zoo’s holiday event is now WildLanterns, giant lit lanterns themed around the seven continents and an underwater world.

• Dates: Nov 13, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027, 4 to 9 p.m., last entry 8:30. Closed Nov 16 to 18, 23, 26 and 30; Dec 7, 14, 24 and 25; and Jan 4 to 6 and 11 to 13.
• Tickets are timed to one date, non refundable, and it runs rain or shine. The zoo says 2026 tickets run $29 to $55, depending on the night, the time and the ticket type, with the flexible ticket at the top. Buy by Oct 31 for 10 percent off.
• Special nights: Low Sensory Nights Nov 15, Dec 1 and Jan 10. Adults only Night Owls Nov 20, Dec 18 and Jan 2. A Holiday Senior Stroll on Nov 22, 40 percent off for 65 and up.
• Parking went up: $15 plus fees in the Otter and Lion lots, $10 in the others, from 3:30 p.m. The member discount doesn’t apply.

Cocoa after: Stone Way Cafe, 3525 Stone Way N, is open until 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Most cafes near the zoo close by 5 or 6.

Ravenna: Candy Cane Lane

Candy Cane Lane is Park Road NE, just off NE Ravenna Blvd at 21st Ave NE: 23 homes that have decorated together since the 1940s.

In 2026 it opens Saturday, Dec 5 at 4 p.m. and runs through Friday, Jan 1, 2027, 4 to 9:30 p.m. nightly and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. You can walk or drive it, and some nights are pedestrian only; those dates go up on the street’s Facebook page. It’s free; bring canned food for the U-District Food Bank bins.

Cocoa after: Seven Coffee Roasters Market and Cafe, 2007 NE Ravenna Blvd, about a block away, open daily until 7 p.m.

Also north: Olympic Manor, north of Ballard, where homes along 20th to 24th Avenues NW decorate. Expect a slow line of cars. Last year Nov 28 to Jan 3.

Seattle Center and downtown

• Seattle Center Winterfest: Nov 27 to Dec 31, 2026. Lights in the trees across the grounds, plus the Winterfest Train and Village in the Armory, daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids can drive the train for a small donation. Free.
• Seattle Christmas Market, under the Space Needle: Nov 20 to Dec 26, 2026, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Through Dec 13, weekdays 4 to 9 p.m. and weekends from 11:30 a.m.; longer hours Dec 19 to 23. Ticketed; kids 6 and under free.
• Downtown tree lighting and fireworks: Friday, Nov 27, 2026, back in Westlake Park. Activities start at 11 a.m., and at 5 p.m. the tree and star light up, with fireworks right after. It’s free. Last year about 16,000 people came.
• Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Grand, 1400 6th Ave: Nov 19, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027, its 32nd year. Free, with a suggested donation to Breakthrough T1D. (It’s at the Sheraton, not the Fairmont.)
• Pike Place Market: Magic in the Market is Saturday, Nov 28, 2026, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Small Business Saturday. Free Santa photos run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the line closes at 3. At 5 p.m. the Market lights up under the Public Market sign, with the Can Can dancers and a concert by Carly Ann Calbero.

Cocoa after: indi chocolate, 1901 Western Ave, makes its own drinking chocolate, open until 7 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. Or see our four favorite hot chocolate spots in Seattle.

On the water: the Christmas Ships

Argosy’s Christmas Ship Festival runs Nov 27 to Dec 23, 2026. Lit boats with a choir on board stop at beaches and parks around Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and watching from shore is free. Some stops have a bonfire.

A few good ones to catch from shore:

• Fri Nov 27: Alki Beach, 8:35 p.m.
• Dec 10: Golden Gardens, 8:15 p.m.
• Fri Dec 11: the Lake Union Parade of Boats, with a stop at Evanston Plaza in Fremont, 8:20 to 9:10 p.m.
• Dec 17: Pier 62 downtown, 5:10 and 8:10 p.m.
• Wed Dec 23, the Grand Finale: Gas Works Park, 9:10 to 9:30 p.m., with a free public event on shore.

The schedule can change, so check Argosy’s page the day of. To ride a ship, buy ahead; 2026 fares aren’t posted.

The Eastside

• Garden d’Lights, Bellevue Botanical Garden: Nov 28, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, closed Christmas. $10 on general nights, $5 on Nov 30 to Dec 3 and Dec 7 to 10, free for kids 10 and under. Timed half hour entry, tickets on sale since Thursday, Oct 15. The garden lot ($5) fills, so park free at Wilburton Hill Park, a quarter mile east.
• Snowflake Lane, Bellevue: a free parade with falling “snow” on Bellevue Way NE, every night at 7 p.m. from Nov 27 to Dec 24. Garage parking at The Bellevue Collection is free.
• Redmond Lights: Dec 5, 2026 to Jan 4, 2027 at Downtown Park, with a kickoff on Dec 5, 4 to 8 p.m., and free crafts.
• Clam Lights, Renton: free lights along Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, Dec 5, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, 4 to 9 p.m. nightly, with an opening night celebration Friday, Dec 4, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Bonus: the Christmas Ship stops there on Dec 4 at 8:20 p.m.

Cocoa after Garden d’Lights: HoneyMe Bakery and Cafe, 1805 136th Pl NE, open until 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday and later Friday to Sunday.

Worth the drive

• The Lights of Christmas, Warm Beach Camp, Stanwood: Nov 27 to Dec 28, 2026 on select nights. Big change: it’s now mostly a walking event, priced per person, $25 to $35 for adults and $16 to $25 for kids depending on the night. If you’d rather stay in the car, the drive through only nights are Thursdays Dec 3, 10 and 17, at $20 a car. Tickets must be bought ahead at thelightsofchristmas.com; there are no tickets at the gate.
• Fantasy Lights, Spanaway: a drive through every night, Nov 27 to Jan 3. See our Tacoma lights guide for prices and what happened last year.

Where to get something hot afterward

The trouble with Seattle cafes is that most close by 5 or 6 p.m., not long after dark (sunset is about 4:20 p.m. in December). These are the ones open late enough. Call ahead, because December hours change.

• Near the zoo: Stone Way Cafe, 3525 Stone Way N, until 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
• Near Candy Cane Lane: Seven Coffee Roasters, 2007 NE Ravenna Blvd, until 7 p.m. daily.
• Downtown: indi chocolate, 1901 Western Ave (until 7 p.m. Thursday to Sunday), or Baxter and Frost, 1419 1st Ave (until 7, Saturday 8).
• Bellevue: HoneyMe Bakery and Cafe, 1805 136th Pl NE.

Which cafe does your family go to after the lights? Tell us, and it could end up on the Explore Washington State Card.

Seeing lights beyond Seattle this season? Our 2026 Washington Holiday Lights Map puts the best displays in every corner of the state on one page, region by region. For the rest of your trip, start with our Seattle guide.

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