seasonal
Bellevue Holiday Guide
From the nightly Snowflake Lane parade to Garden d'Lights and the giant tree at Bellevue Square — the full holiday playbook for Bellevue.
In this guide
Bellevue does the holidays bigger than any other Eastside city. Here's the working list.
Snowflake Lane
Nightly parade down Bellevue Way at 7pm from late November through Christmas Eve. Drummers, dancers, snow machines. Genuinely good.
Garden d'Lights
Late November through January at Bellevue Botanical Garden. 500,000+ lights, walkable in an hour, get tickets early.
The tree at Bellevue Square
Lit the day after Thanksgiving. Worth one trip with a coffee in hand.
Holiday markets
- Bellevue Holiday Market at Meydenbauer Center.
- Old Bellevue strolls with Main Street decorated.
Skating
Outdoor rink pops up at Bellevue Square plaza most years.
Food
Book your holiday dinner now. Daniel's Broiler, John Howie Steak, and El Gaucho all run prix-fixe menus. Cafe Cesura runs a panettone window pickup.
Family plan
Snowflake Lane at 7 → hot chocolate at Belle Pastry → Garden d'Lights on a different night → ice skating on a third.
Quieter holiday
For locals tired of the parade: walk Mercer Slough in the snow if you're lucky, then dinner at Bis on Main.
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Featured in this guide
Places to know
Bellevue Botanical Garden
4.8A free 53-acre public botanical garden in Wilburton with the celebrated Perennial Border, Yao Japanese Garden, Ravine Experience suspension bridge, and the annual Garden d'Lights holiday show.
Mercer Slough Nature Park
4.7A 320-acre freshwater wetland preserve in the heart of Bellevue with seven miles of trails, boardwalks over open water, a working blueberry farm, and the Environmental Education Center run in partnership with Pacific Science Center.
Newport
Meydenbauer Bay Park
4.7Bellevue's downtown waterfront: a swim beach, a pier, and kayak rentals ten minutes below Old Bellevue.
Old Bellevue
Lake Hills Greenbelt
4.6Wetland greenway with a working farm and trails.
Eastgate
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