Christmas Lighting Festival 2017
Join us for the most wonderful time of the year, when our quaint Bavarian town becomes a Village of Lights (over half a million of them!) and holiday cheer abounds!
On Friday evenings the lights are all on! Live musical performances of your favorite Christmas songs fill the streets, interrupted briefly at 4:30pm for the arrival of St. Nickolaus at the Front Street Gazebo, who welcomes children young and old with the story of his legacy and “gold” for the good boys and girls! Please note: There is no Lighting Ceremony on Friday’s!
On Saturdays and Sundays the festivities kick into full gear at 12:00pm with the Arrival of Santa and costumed holiday characters in a march from the Festhalle to the Gazebo!
Throughout the day you will find high-caliber performances in the Front Street Gazebo, including hand bell choirs, a top-ranking Army National Guard Dixie band, breakout solo artists, the best high school and professional choirs in the Pacific Northwest, and more!
You’ll also find carolers strolling through town, the smell of roasted chestnuts filling the air, sledding in Front Street Park, a traditional Gluhwein Tent (selling hot spiced wine and cider), costumed Christmas characters (including Santa, Mrs., Claus, and Father Christmas), and more! On Sundays, kids can collect free cookies by following the Cookie Crawl Map!
It all culminates each Saturday and Sunday with the Lighting Ceremony (4:30pm), when a bit of pomp and circumstance brings about the lighting of the village with over half a millions lights!
The winter fun doesn’t stop there! In and around Leavenworth you will find Holiday concerts, tubing, sleigh and dogsled rides, snowmobiling, alpine skiing and snowboarding, nordic skiing and snowshoeing – we have plenty of ways for you to make the most of our winter wonderland!
**A Detailed schedule of each Christmas Lighting weekend will be coming in November!**