Your Seattle Guide To the Best Winter Break Ever

With the whirlwind of final papers, projects and tests the last few weeks of the quarter brings, it seems impossible to think about any day past tomorrow… which is why we’ve compiled this list of 10 fun holiday excursions in Seattle once you’re free at last!

It’s holiday break—you finally have time to relax, remember how to breathe and go have some fun!

Seattle:

• Ice skating at Seattle Center’s Winterfest.

• Gingerbread Houses at the downtown Sheraton. This year’s theme: “25 Years of Cheer: A Celebration of Seattle.” 

• Stroll through Zoolights at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
• For those of you 21+… SantaCon. Enjoy the fun of dressing as the jolly man himself on this festive Seattle pub crawl. 

• Ready to try something different? Check out the The Triple Door’s “Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker,” a classic Christmas tale with a risqué twist or “Wonderland”  at the Can Can Kitchen and Cabaret (17 years and up.)

• For those who prefer the original: George Balanchine’s version of The Nutcracker will be performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet at McCaw Hall.
• If you’d rather skip the dancing, but still want to take in a show: Holiday Inn is now showing at the 5th Avenue Theater.

• If it’s comedy you seek: Unexpected Productions’ “A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol.”
• Take in some Christmas carols at the Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Contest hosted by the Pike Market Senior Center. This is no snooze-fest—the crowds get rowdy over these tunes!
• And finally, at the top of my personal list, check out this Ballard dad who literally built Diagon Alley for Halloween… and decided to keep it up until New Years.

University District: 

• If you’d prefer to stick closer to campus, check out Jet City Improv’s holiday comedy show: “Uncle Mike Ruins Christmas.” 
• Hit the Varsity Theater on University Avenue for a showing of “White Christmas.” 

Take a drive:

• Stroll down Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square to enjoy a holiday spirit extravaganza. 

• Visit Seattle’s own little Bavarian town: Leavenworth Christmas Lighting Festival

• Grab some cocoa and take a drive to check out some neighborgood holiday light shows:
  • Garden d’Lights, Bellevue Botanical Garden. More info
  • Ivar’s Clam Lights, Gene Coulon Memorial Park, Renton. More Info
  • Fantasy Lights, Spanaway Park. More Info
  • The Lights of Christmas, Warm Beach, Stanwood. More Info
  • Candy Cane Lane, Ravenna, More Info
  • Olympic Manor, Ballard More Info
  • Woodinville Wonderland, Woodinville. Info

After a quarter full of grinding away at the library, you’ll want to make the most of every moment this winter break. Enjoy some well-deserved R&R, but don’t forget to take advantage of some of Seattle’s holiday festivities!

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