I thoroughly enjoyed coming up with the best things to do in Seattle in December because there’s so much going on. Granted the days are shorter, with sunset around 4:30 PM, and the weather is chilly, averaging 46°F, but the Christmas spirit and festivities more than make up for it.
With the holidays in full swing, local shops are hosting craft fairs to encourage shopping small, and there are holiday festivals happening all over the city. There are also a bunch of wintry activities just outside the city. So whether you’re a local or a first time visitor, here’s a list of the best things to do in December in Seattle!
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Best Things to Do in Seattle in December
Save this list to Pinterest for later, as I’ll update it every year with all the best activities in Seattle in December! For more December events, check out my Seattle events calendar.
Attend a holiday craft fair
Let’s face it: most of us wait until December to go holiday shopping, and why shouldn’t we? Seattle is teeming with markets celebrating all types of makers and wares. I curated a list of my favorite Seattle holiday markets. It has at least 100 markets, so here’s just a teaser of some of my favorites:
- Seattle Christmas Market (Nov 21-Dec 25, ~$16pp) – European-style outdoor market
- Urban Craft Uprising (Dec 7) – 150+ vendors selling aesthetic handmade goods
- PNA Craft Fair (Dec 7-8, $6pp) – PhinneyWood’s winter festival with 140+ vendors
Wine and dine at a food & drink event
December is the best time of year to experience food and drink festivals. Here are some that you can’t miss:
- Caviar & Champagne Party (Dec 5, $175pp) – 4 caviar and champagne pairings
- Holiday Cookie Crawl (Dec 7, $25pp) – Family-friendly cookie tasting event
- Kirkland Winter Wine Walk (Dec 13, $40pp) – Sip and shop event with 20+ libations
- Festival of the Holidays (Dec 15, $130pp) – 5 course food and wine dinner
- Winter Beer Fest (Dec 20-21, $65pp) – Beer festival featuring seasonal ales
Enjoy a restaurant-quality Christmas meal
One of the best things to do in Seattle in December is to take a break from cooking and let the pros do the work. Many Seattle restaurants offer take-home or dine-in options for Christmas and Chanukah dinner so you don’t have to stress about cooking. Chanukah kicks off on Christmas Day this year, so there are double the reasons to celebrate.
Restaurants open Christmas Eve & Day for dine-in
Here are restaurants open for dine-in on both Christmas and Christmas Eve unless otherwise noted. Remember, these are the spots offering traditional holiday meals, but Asian restaurants across the city are open per usual. Check out my list of the best Chinese food in Seattle for ideas of where to eat.
- Andare (Downtown) – A la carte Italian meal featuring lasagna
- Ben Paris (Downtown) – $75pp for 3-course surf ‘n turf dinner or $29pp Christmas Day breakfast
- Cedar & Elm (Kenmore) – $125pp for 5 courses and optional wine pairing
- Cedarbrook Lodge (Tukwila) – $125pp for 5 courses and optional wine pairing
- The George (Downtown) – $85/adult, $50/kid 5-12 for 3 course family-style meal
- The Lakehouse (Bellevue) – $95/adult, $35/kid under 10 for 4 courses
- Metropolitan Grill (Downtown) – A la carte dining Christmas Eve only
- Shuckers Oyster Bar (Downtown) – $95/adult, $50/kid 5-12 for 4 courses
- Tidal+ (Downtown) – A la carte with surf ‘n turf Steak Oscar special
- Water’s Table (Renton) – $95pp pre fixe dinner or a la carte brunch
Restaurants offering take-home meal preorders
Here are the spots offering take-home meals for Christmas and Chanukah:
- Chef Brambila (Edmonds) – A la carte pozole packages until sell out
Other holiday meals throughout December
If you want to experience a fun meal, but aren’t married to it being on Christmas Day, here are some options:
- Santa Brunch (Dec 1) – Water’s Table is hosting Santa for pics and a meal with a view
- Breakfast with Santa (Dec 7, 14, 21) – Beardslee Public House will host Santa for pics and breakfast
Immerse yourself in Astra Lumina
website | neighborhood: West Seattle (get directions) | dates: Dec 1, 5-8, 12-15 | price: ~$21-25pp | best for: enchanted night walk
If you’ve ever wanted to go on an enchanted night walk, now’s your chance. The Seattle Chinese Garden is hosting a multimedia night walk where visitors will set off across the gardens to observe beautifully crafted light installations with celestial bodies that appear to float through the air. I went last year and thought it was so cool how they time the lights to music and truly immerse all your senses.
Partake in one of the many Christmas activities
With the holidays comes quintessential Christmas activities, and Seattle has more than its fair share. I have a whole article dedicated to the best Seattle Christmas activities (spoiler: it’s LONG). Here are some of the most popular:
- The Nutcracker Ballet (Nov 29 – Dec 28, ~$65+pp)
- A Christmas Carol (Nov 29 – Dec 27, ~$10-81pp)
- Snowflake Lane in Bellevue (Nov 29 – Dec 24, free)
Savor an orchestra concert by candlelight
Pair the romance of a candlelight performance with the love of your favorite bands. Fever’s Candlelight Concert Series offers enchanting covers of some of the most recognizable scores. In December, there’s:
- Christmas Carols (Dec 3, 21)
- The Nutcracker (Dec 5, 19, 20)
- Adele (Dec 10)
- Nirvana (Dec 10)
- Queen (Dec 18)
See a performance
Break out of your comfort zone with a live performance this holiday season. On December 28-29, The Amazing Bubble Man will be performing spectacular bubble-blowing tricks in Kirkland ($24-34 pp).
On December 6-7, Cirque Dreams Holidaze will entertain with whimsical, family-friendly tricks centered around holiday storybook characters ($39 pp).
If you’re looking for a musical, experience Wicked the Musical at Paramount Theater from November 6 to December 2 ($55+pp) or Legally Blonde in Issaquah from November 12 to December 22 ($93-123pp).
Catch a band
Many performers swing by Seattle while they’re on tour. Here are some happening in December that caught my eye:
- Cyndi Lauper (Dec 1)
- Patty Griffin (Dec 2)
- Senses Fail and Saves the Day (Dec 2)
- Billie Eilish (Dec 5-6)
- Fishbone (Dec 12)
- Gregory Porter (Dec 30)
- Pink Martini (Dec 31)
Go hunting for Christmas lights
One of the best things to do in Seattle in December is to walk the neighborhoods and look at the Christmas lights. Come December, here’s where to get your fix.
Neighborhoods known for lights
- Candy Cane Lane (Ravenna)
- Olympic Manor (Crown Hill)
- Queen Anne near Kerry Park
- Timberline Neighborhood (Sammamish)
- The Very Merry Christmas House (Kent)
Neighborhood tree lighting festivals
For neighborhood tree lighting festivals, here are some options:
- Everett Holiday Laser Light Show (Nov 23)
- Everett Wintertide Kickoff Celebration (Nov 29)
- Snohomish Tree Lighting and Santa (Nov 30)
- Lodge at St. Edward Park Tree Lighting (Nov 30)
- Renton Holiday Lights (Nov 30)
- Evergreen Christmas Lights in Bothell (Dec 1)
- Mountlake Terrace Tree Lighting (Dec 6)
- Redmond Lights (Dec 7)
- Kent Winterfest Tree Lighting (Dec 7)
- Snoqualmie Holiday Lights (Dec 7)
- Glorious Lights of West Seattle (Dec 7)
- Light Up Your Holidays in Stanwood (Dec 7)
Large light installations
If you want to see thousands of lights in one go, attend one of these holiday light events that spend big bucks on creating hypnotizing displays:
- WildLanterns (Nov 15 – Jan 19, ~$49.50 per adult) – Light displays at the zoo
- Enchant Christmas (Nov 22 – Dec 29, ~$40pp) – World’s largest Christmas light maze
- Tulalip Light & Ice (Nov 23 – Jan 12, $) – 6 million lights and ice skating
- The Lights of Christmas (Nov 29 – Dec 29, ~$40/vehicle) – Drive-thru light display
- Fantasy Lights (Nov 29 – Jan 5, ~$15-20/vehicle) – 300+ drive-thru lights
- Garden d’Lights (Nov 30 – Dec 31, ~$8pp) – Over a half a million lights at Bellevue’s Botanical Garden
- Holiday Magic (Dec 6-23, ~$20pp) – Large light and holiday festival with lights, food, music, and more
- Bloedel Preserve Solstice Walks (Dec 18-22, ~$25pp) – Both silent and family-friendly light walks
- Arboretum Solstice Walk (Dec 21-22, $30pp) – Arboretum lighted night walk
If you want to get near the water, the Christmas Ship Festival runs every weekend until Christmas. You can watch for free at one of their departure locations or hop aboard for $54pp.
Catch a game
If you’re a sports fiend, you’re probably willing to brace the cold to catch a game. In December, you can watch the Seahawks, Huskies college football, or the Kraken hockey league, so layer up and show your support!
Go on a food crawl
Seattle is known for its thriving food scene, and one of the best ways to take advantage is to go on a food crawl. My self-guided food tours include a curated tour across multiple foodie neighborhoods. In each tour, I cover tips on when to visit, what to order, and a few honorable mentions so you can customize your tour.
Or, you can take advantage of one of these in-person guided tours:
- Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market
- Seattle Chocolate Tour
- Craft Cocktail Gourmet Food Tour
- Coffee & Foodie Tastings at Pike Place Market
- Street Food Tour of South Lake Union
Embark on a wine tasting or brewery crawl
People tend to congregate in wineries and bars come winter, and Seattle is no exception, though we’re lucky to have options. Whether you’re looking for Seattle’s best craft breweries or urban wineries, there’s something for everyone. Or, take a quick drive to sample Woodinville’s best tasting rooms.
Sip a cocktail at a holiday pop-up bar
Prefer cocktails over wine or beer? There are a bunch of holiday cocktail bar pop-ups that offer one the best things to do in Seattle in December:
- Miracle on 2nd (Nov 8 – Dec 31)
- Jingle Bar at Grand Sheraton Seattle (Nov 15 – Jan 1)
- Christmas Dive Bar (Nov 23 – Jan)
- Rosebay Swiss Winter Bar (Nov 29 – Jan 2)
- The Elf Bar (Dec 4-22)
- Christmas Pop Up Bar (Dec 5-29)
Some restaurants known for good cocktails also go all out during the holidays. Don’t miss the festive libations and decor at places like Kamp Social House (who’s having a ton of holiday events) and Wooden City.
Visit a museum on their free days
One of the best free things to do in Seattle is to take advantage of the many museums that offer free days. They’re known as “First Thursdays” and offer visitors and locals a chance to experience a dose of culture on the first Thursday of every month (Dec 5). Here are the museums that participate:
- Seattle Art Museum
- Seattle Asian Art Museum
- National Nordic Museum – Must be reserved in advance
- Museum of History and Industry – 5-8 PM
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
- Henry Art Gallery – Suggested donation of $20 on other days
- Museum of Flight – 5-9 PM
- Volunteer Park Conservatory – Also the first Sat (Nov 2) for kids under 12
- Washington Park Arboretum Walking Tour – 11:30 AM-1 PM
- Seattle Japanese Garden – Free tour at 1 PM
These museums offer free admission every day:
- Frye Art Museum
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Center for Wooden Boats
- The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center
- Klondike Gold Rush Museum
- Center on Contemporary Art
Shop small at local stores
The holidays are the perfect time to duck into shops you’ve never explored and possibly walk away with unique gifts or wares you won’t find anywhere else. Of all the Seattle shopping neighborhoods, I’m partial to Ballard because I live there and because it’s home to countless independent shops. Capitol Hill is a winner if you’re into thrifting, while the U-District is also good for thrifting and mainstream brands like Banana Republic and H&M.
If you’re looking for specifically gift shops in Seattle, here are a few of my tried-and-true favorites:
- Seattle Art Source – Affordable original art with none of the pomp of traditional galleries
- Made in Washington – Pike Place mecca for Washington-made gifts
- Woodland Mod – Minimalist Scandinavian decor, ceramics, and accessories
- Baleen – Minimalist and statement jewelry made using recycled materials
- Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe – Off-beat books, puzzles, and games for the geek in your life
Attend a New Year’s Eve party
As the year draws to close you’ll find plenty of ticketed parties to ring in the new year. Here are some that caught my eye:
- Gatsby’s Penthouse ($175pp) – Includes prepaid drinks, access to the main ballroom, and 2 DJs
- New Years Eve at the Hotel Sorrento ($50pp) – Dress like your fave decade and enjoy Seattle views from the 7th floor of a historic hotel
- NYE Bar Crawl ($19-29pp) – All-in-one access pass to 10+ venues around Capitol Hill
- Xtreme Theatresports New Year’s Eve Party ($50pp) – Comedy improv battle and champagne toast
Take a holiday craft class
One of the more wholesome things I enjoy doing over the holidays is signing me and my family up for a craft class. Here are a few I’m considering:
- Athina (Dec 1 & 15, $65pp) – Learn how to make a wreath from a florist
- The Lodge at St. Edward (Dec 2 & 18, $95pp) – High-end wreath making
- Field Trip Society (Dec 7-8 and 14, $125pp) – Florist-led wreath making
- Dabble (Dec 3, $140pp) – Ocean resin art serving tray workshop
- Friday Afternoon (Dec 2, $50pp) – Tea blending workshop
- The Works (various dates, $88-128pp) – Wreaths, pie art, holiday charcuterie boards, and more
Learn at the Children’s Business Fair
website | neighborhood: Renton (get directions) | dates: Dec 7 | price: free | best for: educational kids activity
Citizens Academy is hosting the Children’s Business Fair, a chance for kids to learn the ins and outs of running their own business. They’ll have the chance to develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and finally open for customers at the one-day marketplace.
Peruse the Model Train Festival
website | neighborhood: Tacoma (get directions) | dates: Dec 22-Jan 1 | price: ~$14pp | best for: model train lovers
Kiddos and model Train aficionados will want to head to the Washington State History Museum to experience the Model Train Convention. Railroad clubs from around the Puget Sound will show off their room-sized layouts on every floor of the museum. There will even be the largest permanent model train on display, and train operators will be on hand to chat and answer questions.
Seek out snow
Seattle is deceptively close to some of the best snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in the Pacific Northwest, and I should know. My family and I head out on the trails every winter for the best cross-country skiing in Washington. So seeking snow is one of the best things to do in Seattle in December.
If you only have time for a winter day trip from Seattle, drive to Snoqualmie’s Summit Nordic Center for intermediate and advanced trails. Beginners will have luck at the White Pass Nordic Center closer to Mt. Rainier.
For a weekend getaway, I’m partial to Methow Valley Trails because they have the longest network of groomed cross-country trails in North America, and there’s plenty to do in Winthrop in winter. However, Winthrop is about 4.5 hours away from Seattle, so Leavenworth in Winter is another great option only about 2.5 hours away. It’s near Lake Chelan, another dreamy destination for winter.
More wintery activities around Seattle
After you check off activities on this list of best things to do in Seattle in December, check out my other guides for more winter fun.
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