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Christmas lights at night in Seattle
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Christmas lights · Seattle, WA

Christmas lights in Seattle

Seattle's lights are mostly ticketed: lanterns at the zoo, a garden show in Bellevue, and, north of the city, the Lights of Christmas in Stanwood. The free classic is Candy Cane Lane in Ravenna.

5 displays · 2 free · 3 with 2026 dates announced

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Where to see them

Where to go: with kids, on a date, with friends

With kids

Short walks, Santa, rides and something to do besides looking.

For a date

Somewhere to walk slowly, a drink in hand, and look good in the photos.

With friends

Cheap by the carload, or a long evening with food and music.

Free neighborhoods

No ticket, but the best-known ones get very crowded. Go on a weeknight if you can, and read the card for how to get in.

Candy Cane Lane — illustrationIllustration
Neighborhood·Ravenna, north of the UWFree

Candy Cane Lane

A small loop of houses in Ravenna that residents have decorated together for decades, with a carousel in the middle — a Seattle holiday landmark. Walk it rather than drive.

🧒 With kids

What's there

  • Free
  • Carousel in the middle
  • Walkable loop
  • A Seattle tradition

What visitors sayGoogle 3.8 ★ · 37 reviews

Families with small children love it and remind others that residents do this on their own time. Others expected something bigger and found it no more impressive than an ordinary decorated street.

A sweet short stop with little kids — not worth a long trip for grown-ups.

2025 season
Dec 6, 2025 – Jan 1, 2026 (2026 dates not yet announced)
Last year's dates — this year's aren't out yet.
Cost
Free

Getting in and parking

  • Park Road NE in Ravenna, north of the UW. Park outside the loop and walk — it's one lane, and cars crawl.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Residents keep it going by tradition; be quiet late in the evening.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Seattle Met (2025)

Walk-through: gardens, zoo, parks

Mostly ticketed per person, and on foot. Check the hours before you set out.

WildLanterns — illustrationIllustration
Zoo·Woodland Park Zoo

WildLanterns

Woodland Park Zoo after dark, filled with giant silk lanterns of animals and plants glowing along the paths.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night

What's there

  • Giant animal lanterns
  • Zoo paths at night
  • Runs into January

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 23,692 reviews

The zoo is well liked as a big, walkable family day out.

Seattle's best family light walk — wear rain gear.

2026 season
Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 17, 2027 (some evenings closed)
4 – 9 pm, last entry 8:30 pm
Cost
$32.45–$40.95 (2025)

Getting in and parking

  • Woodland Park Zoo, Phinney Ridge. Parking in the zoo lots.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • The live animals are asleep; the lanterns are the show.
  • 21+ nights add cocktails.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Seattle Met (2025)

Official site
Garden d'LightsPhoto: Mike Murry · CC BY-SA 2.0
Bellevue - Garden d'LightsGarden D'lights

Photos: Curt Smith · CC BY 2.0 · Photos: Anupam_ts · CC BY-SA 2.0

Garden·Bellevue Botanical Garden

Garden d'Lights

Half a million bulbs shaped into plants, flowers and animals across the Bellevue Botanical Garden — a small, sweet walk for $10 with hot chocolate.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night

What's there

  • Lights shaped like plants and animals
  • $10 entry
  • Hot chocolate
  • Great with toddlers

What visitors sayGoogle 4.7 ★ · 1,127 reviews

Families make it a yearly tradition — a device-free night out with hot chocolate — and are impressed by how the lights become animals and flowers, even in the rain. A few wanted more to do, more food options and more than one restroom.

Great value and very Seattle — go with young kids.

2026 season
Nov 28, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027 (closed Christmas Day)
Cost
$10 per person aged 11 and up; $5 on Mon–Thu nights Nov 30–Dec 3 and Dec 7–10; children 10 and under free (2026). Tickets only online.

Getting in and parking

  • Bellevue Botanical Garden. Premium parking in the garden lot is $5, first come first served; free with a disability permit.
  • Bellevue's free BellHop shuttle can drop you at the garden.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Arrive within your 30-minute window. Last entry 9 pm; lights out at 9:30.
  • No dogs; service animals only. Wheelchairs aren't provided.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Seattle Met (2025)

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
Snowflake Lane 2015 @ The Bellevue CollectionPhoto: GoToVan · CC BY 2.0
Snowflake Lane 2015 @ The Bellevue CollectionSnowflake Lane 2015 @ The Bellevue Collection

Photos: GoToVan · CC BY 2.0

Walk-through·Bellevue CollectionFree

Snowflake Lane

Every evening at 7 pm through Christmas Eve, a parade of drummers, dancers and lights moves along the Bellevue Collection streets while fake snow falls.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Nightly 7 pm parade
  • Falling 'snow'
  • Free
  • Shopping and restaurants all around

What visitors sayGoogle 4.5 ★ · 19,453 reviews

Shoppers say the 7 pm Christmas parade with snow and lights is a must for kids. The mall gets very crowded in December, but the parking garage is well lit and easy.

A free, short and joyful show — arrive a little before 7 for a good spot.

2025 season
Through Dec 24, 2025, nightly
Last year's dates — this year's aren't out yet.
Cost
Free

Getting in and parking

  • Park free in a Bellevue Collection garage and pick a spot on the route. Bellevue Place, under the Hyatt, is the easiest garage.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • The show runs nightly at 7 pm between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Seattle Met (2025)

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
The Lights of Christmas — illustrationIllustration
Walk-through·Stanwood, north of Seattle

The Lights of Christmas

The Northwest's big Christmas lights event at Warm Beach Camp in Stanwood: meticulously designed light displays, its own Christmas radio station, Santa, puppet shows, photo booths, food and crafts. The 30th edition is mostly walk-through, with a few drive-thru nights.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Huge light displays
  • Santa and kids' activities
  • Food and craft shopping
  • A few drive-thru nights

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 1,073 reviews

Families say it's better than expected and has become a yearly tradition — mesmerising lights, lots of photo booths and activities, kind staff, and a reasonable price for everything included. It's remote, and tickets must be bought ahead.

Worth the drive north — the best all-round Christmas lights outing near Seattle.

2026 season
Select nights Nov 27 – Dec 28, 2026
Cost
Advance online tickets required; limited capacity per night and hour. On sale in the fall.
Where
20800 Marine Drive, Stanwood, WA 98292

Getting in and parking

  • About an hour north of Seattle. Walking nights: show your ticket QR at the front entrance and you'll be directed to parking. Drive-thru nights have no parking.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • No pets on walking nights; on drive-thru nights pets stay in the car.
  • Online tickets only.

Checked 2026-09-23 · thelightsofchristmas.com

Official site

Before you go

Why some dates say 2025

Most displays announce the season in October or November. Until they do, we show last year's dates and say so, rather than guess this year's. Every card shows the day we last checked it and where the facts came from.

Santa services in the USChristmas markets in Seattle

Christmas lights in other cities

Questions

Which Christmas lights in Seattle are free?
Candy Cane Lane (Ravenna, north of the UW), Snowflake Lane (Bellevue Collection). None of them sell tickets, but some charge for parking and the busiest neighborhoods have long lines, so check each card and go on a weeknight.
When do the Seattle light displays open this year?
So far WildLanterns (Nov 13, 2026 – Jan 17, 2027 (some evenings closed)) and Garden d'Lights (Nov 28, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027 (closed Christmas Day)) and The Lights of Christmas (Select nights Nov 27 – Dec 28, 2026) have announced their 2026 dates. The rest publish in October and November; until then this page shows last year's dates, marked as such.