Seasonal
Through Mon Dec 23
Christmas Ship Festival Our waterways are filled with lights throughout the holiday season, but no vessel can compete with Argosy Cruises' Christmas Ship, which docks in 65 waterfront communities to serenade people onshore and onboard with its resident choir. Those who choose to board the ship will enjoy photos with Santa, a reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and kids' activities. For a less family-oriented option, you can trail behind in a 21+ boat with rotating themes each week. It's also free to watch from the shore. (Various locations, free—$50)
Through Tues Dec 24
Snowflake Lane Every year, downtown Bellevue turns into a winter wonderland not just for one night but for a whole dang month, with (fake) falling snow, jolly live music, and a nightly parade filled with dancers and toy drummers. (Bellevue Collection, 7 pm, free)
Through Thurs Dec 26
Seattle Festival of Trees The historic Fairmont Olympic hotel celebrates the winter season each year with a fancy dinner, caroling, an impressive display of decorated trees in their lobby, and a teddy bear suite. (Fairmont Olympic Hotel, free—$225)
Through Sun Dec 29
Enchant Christmas Following a successful first year, Enchant Christmas will transform T-Mobile Park into a winter wonderland complete with an impressive light maze, light sculptures, a market curated by Urban Craft Uprising, and more. This year's theme is "Mischievous," so expect to see sly little elves roaming about. (T-Mobile Park, $20+)
Through Tues Dec 31
Fire + Ice Festival Winter is a time for snowpeople and warm fires to complement each other from a distance, and the holidays wouldn't be complete without them. For its third annual Fire + Ice Festival, the Museum of Glass hosts a variety of holiday-themed performances and demonstrations. (Museum of Glass)
Garden d'Lights Whimsical flora and fauna, birds, animals, and cascading waterfalls get the holiday light treatment at Bellevue Botanical Garden's annual display. (To be clear, actual birds and animals will not be strung with lights.) Wander the grounds and take photos among the "half a million" bulbs. (Bellevue Botanical Garden, 4:30—9 pm, $5)
Winterfest From a winter train village to an ice rink, and from music and dance performances to ice sculpting, Winterfest promises five weeks of free festive cheer for all ages. (Seattle Center, free)
Through Wed Jan 1
Sheraton Grand Seattle Gingerbread Village For the 27th year in a row, diabetes research center JDRF Northwest has invited local architecture firms to use their skills for a holiday tradition: crafting an elaborate gingerbread village. This year's theme is #ElfLife, featuring pixies, gnomes, and pucks from across genres. (Seattle Sheraton Hotel and Towers)
Through Sun Jan 5
Lumaze This year, Santa is enlisting the help of young princes and princesses in helping him find six hidden presents. In addition to the prize-bearing hunt, this kid-oriented indoor festival will also have a gift market (complete with fresh produce and seasonal treats) and a light display. (Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (Pier 91), 3—9 pm, $15+)
WildLights The zoo will light up with thousands upon thousands of (energy-efficient) LED lights that re-create wild scenes and creatures. You can also throw fake snowballs at your friends, get up close with certain animal residents, and sip hot chocolate. (Woodland Park Zoo, $23)
Zoolights Holiday traditions don't get more classic than strolling through a zoo when it's transformed into a luminous wonderland of 3-D animal light installations. Displays from previous years have included hammerhead sharks and sea turtles, a majestic polar bear family, and a giant Pacific octopus. (Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, 5—9 pm, $11—$13)
Dec 6–22
Christmas Lighting Festival Holiday cheer abounds in Washington's own Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, which celebrates the season with live Christmas music, visits from both St. Nicholas and Santa Claus, sledding, and more—all culminating in glorious lighting ceremonies every Saturday and Sunday. (Leavenworth, WA, free)
Dec 13–15
Annual Holiday Native Gift Fair & Art Market Find gifts for loved ones by local Native artists and makers at this annual market. (Duwamish Longhouse, free)
Dec 14–15
Renegade Craft Fair Shop for crafts from new and returning makers while you enjoy live DJs, food trucks, and cocktails. (Magnuson Park, 11 am— 5 pm, free)
Sun Dec 22
Giant Menorah lighting & Gelt Drop The first night of Hanukkah will be met with a menorah lighting, traditional treats like latkes, jelly doughnuts, and chocolate coins (which will rain down in a "great gelt drop"), and kids' activities. (Bergen Place, 5—6 pm, free)
Grand Menorah Lighting Join Chabad of Capitol Hill for a menorah lighting to welcome the first night of Hanukkah. (Volunteer Park, 5—6 pm, free)
Grand Menorah Lighting A human dreidel on stilts will shower you with gelt on the first night of Hanukkah—can't get more festive than that. Also on the docket: a giant menorah lighting and live music. (Kirkland Marina Park, 4:15—6:45 pm, free)
Light up the Night - Burger Fest Spend the first night of Hanukkah witnessing a giant menorah lighting; eating gourmet burgers, latkes, and doughnuts; sipping hot beverages; and learning about Judaism from a Mitzvah tank. (Westlake Park, 5—8 pm, free)
Jan 17–26
Lake Chelan Winterfest Lake Chelan hosts two weekends of wintery diversions for the whole family, including ice sculptures, live music, wine and beer tastings, a polar bear splash, snow yoga, a massive beach bonfire, and a fireworks show. (Lake Chelan Valley)
Sat Jan 18
Bavarian IceFest Each year over MLK Jr. weekend, Washington's Bavarian-style village, Leavenworth, celebrates winter's bounties with twinkling lights and frosty activities like frisbee sweeping, ice cube scrambling, and "smooshing." You can also enjoy live ice carving, ice fishing, a fireworks show, and more. (Downtown Leavenworth, 9 am—4 pm, $5)
Community
Mon Jan 20
Seattle MLK Day March and Celebration This annual day of events celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with an opportunity fair, workshops, and pre- and post-march rallies. (Garfield High School, free)
Music
Thurs Dec 12
Depression Fest This inaugural multimedia festival organized by musicians Ruben Mendez (DYED) and Abigail Swanson (Belva) will raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and promote mental health awareness in these Trumpian times. The lineup includes synth punks ONONOS, Archie, art-rockers Tissue, fiction author Richard Chiem, avant-rockers Children's Hospital, poet Sarah Galvin, visual artist Tara Thomas, and others. (Fred Wildlife Refuge)
Tues Dec 31
Resolution 2020 Resolution is an annual end-of-the-year electronic music bash that gathers extremely popular and mainstream EDM and nü-rave artists into an arena-like space and unleashes their energy onto a throng of writhing young adults. This year's lineup includes massive figures in the scene like Adventure Club, Knife Party, Madeon, Tchami X Malaa, and many more. (WaMu Theater, 6:30 pm, $102)
Jan 24–25
Timbrrr! Winter Music Festival 2020 Former Stranger contributor Brittnie Fuller has written, "This event in Leavenworth—the infamous German-themed town/tourist attraction nestled in the Cascades—looks like the coziest mid-winter music festival, filled with beardo-magnet amenities like skiing and snowboarding, a hot-toddy garden, wine tastings, and festival-branded flannel shirts. The weekend's musical offerings are generally varied, with numerous local and national acts ranging from indie rock to hip-hop." This year's roster is no exception, boasting sets by Pedro the Lion, Bully, Bearaxe, Lisa Prank, Ivan & Alyosha, CarLarans, Bryan John Appleby, and many more. (Leavenworth Festhalle, 4—11 pm, $65—$840)
Food & Drink
Dec 20–21
Winter Solstice Night Market As the first official day of winter arrives, stay warm at this two-day indoor holiday night market, where over 150 booths and food trucks will offer up locally made wares and tasty fare. Plus, check out the market's indoor beer hall, where a separate ticket allows you to try wintry craft beers from over 25 local breweries. (Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 4 pm)
Sat Jan 25
10th Annual Belgian Fest Brewing beers with Belgian yeast yields a range of ales with a distinctive fruity flavor. This festival featuring more than 100 Belgian-style beers crafted by Washington breweries is the perfect opportunity to taste them all, including funky lambics, tangy saisons, dubbels, tripels, abbeys, and wits. (Fisher Pavilion, $37/$45)
Feb 20–22
Seattle Wine and Food Experience This annual extravaganza of all things edible and drinkable is an ode to gluttony in three parts. First up is Comfort, a festival of "feel-good foods and crafty brews," complete with bars for french fries, Bloody Marys, hot toddies, and milk and cookies. Next, POP! Bubbles and Seafood capitalizes on the felicitous pairing of bubbles and bivalves with a celebrity shucking contest and more than 30 sparkling wines from around the world. Finally, the Grand Tasting will showcase local and regional wines, beer, cider, spirits, and tastes from big-name Seattle chefs, with plenty of opportunities to watch demonstrations and meet artisan food producers. (Various locations, $60—$250)
Sat Feb 22
Hops and Props 2020 Hops and Props celebrates craft brews from across the Northwest (and a few from other places). Enjoy three-ounce pours from more than 100 breweries and cider houses, a spread of bites from McCormick & Schmick's, and live music. (Museum of Flight, 7—10 pm, $100)
Sat March 7
Cocktail District You'll find pop-up cocktail bars, tastings, bar takeovers, food trucks, music, classes, demos, and more at this weekend-long "carnival of cocktails" during Seattle Cocktail Week (March 1—8). Wander through sections like the "Whiskey Woods," "Vodka Village," and "Gin Garden" to discover new spirits from over 100 brands and shop for bottles to take home. (Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 12—10 pm, $45.99)
March 7–8
Penn Cove Musselfest Thanks to the nutrient-rich outflow of water from the Skagit River, beautiful Penn Cove's famous mussels grow full-size in record time and are harvested young, making them impossibly firm, fat, and sweet. This annual festival, which bills itself as a celebration of all things "bold, briny, and blue," features boat tours of the Penn Cove Mussel Farm, a mussel eating contest, cooking demonstrations with local chefs, a waterfront beer garden, and the main event: a tasting competition with restaurants from all over Coupeville vying to have their mussel chowder declared the finest in town. (Coupeville Recreation Hall)
Culture
Thurs Feb 6
Kijiji Night The Seattle Art Museum and One Vibe Africa (a local nonprofit that aims to educate the general public about African culture and promote social welfare and economic empowerment) present this free art, music, poetry, and performance festival whose name means "village" in Swahili. (Seattle Art Museum, 6— 9 pm, free)
Sat Feb 8
Lunar New Year Ring in the Year of the Rat at this massive Lunar New Year celebration that showcases the diversity, richness, and culture of the Asian American community. See traditional dragon and lion dances, taiko drumming, martial arts, and other cultural performances on the main stage, plus arts and crafts, family activities, and the $3 food walk. (Chinatown-International District, 11 am—4 pm, free)
March 14–15
Irish Festival This festival is chock-full of performances, live music ideal for practicing your Irish jigs, short film screenings, genealogy workshops, food, and more. (Seattle Center, free)
Geek
Jan 10–12
OrcaCon 2020 Set aside your consoles and VR headsets for two days of tabletop games including board and card games, role-playing games, and miniatures games. Novice and experienced players are welcome. (Hilton Bellevue Hotel, 10 am—6 pm)
Sat Feb 1
NerdFaire Con! 2020 If you consider yourself a nerd or a geek, you're bound to find something to hold your interest at this family-friendly catch-all mini-con featuring local shops and creators. (Lynnwood Convention Center, 10 am, $5—$25)
March 12–15
Emerald City Comic Con Geeks across fandoms save their most inventive cosplay for the biggest local comic event of the year, Emerald City Comic Con. The four-day event is filled to the brim with panels, meetups, special events, fun parties, and tons and tons of guests hanging out in the artist alley. In addition to the main events at the Convention Center, this year's newest addition is Pop Asia, a buzzy anime, manga, and K-pop event at the Sheraton Hotel. (Washington State Convention & Trade Center, $30—$349)
