Five fabulous, fun weekends of festivities await you for celebrating the season with your family and friends. Our charming towns come alive with performances, holiday markets and family-friendly activities. Enjoy sparking light displays all around the Olympic Peninsula with cheerful events for all ages every weekend from the end of November through the New Year’s celebrations.
Be sure to book your overnight reservations HERE because you can’t do this much fun in just a day! We have great rates with a wide range of lodging around the peninsula—perfect for every kind of holiday celebration.
Here are some itinerary suggestions for five fun-filled holiday weekends. Choose a weekend, or several! Mix and match to suit your interests. Some activities are date specific, but others run throughout the holiday season. It’s a great time of year to grab your partner, your family, your best friends, your girl or guy friends, and head out to share the magic of the season, Olympic Peninsula-style. We can’t wait to share the winter wonders of this holiday season with you.
• November 28 – 30: Thanksgiving Holiday Kick-off in Port Angeles and Sequim
• December 5 – 7: Port Townsend Holiday Glow Fun
• December 12 – 14: A Grab Bag of Festive Fun
• December 19 – 21: Holiday Merriment Around the Peninsula
• December 31 – January 1, 2026: Ring in the New Year
November 28 – 30
Thanksgiving Holiday Kick-off in Port Angeles and Sequim
Start your post-Thanksgiving morning with some fresh air and exercise! Explore the Moments in Time trail near Lake Crescent or hike to magnificent Marymere Falls. Rent e-bikes and ride along the Olympic Discovery Trail. In the afternoon, head to downtown Port Angeles for holiday shopping or some exhilarating outdoor ice skating at the Winter Ice Village (open 11/21/25 through 1/5/26). Friday night, enjoy the opening of Wintertide Makers Market at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, and Webster’s Woods Light Art Experience.
On Saturday, head to Sequim for Small Business Saturday and the Hometown Holidays celebrations. Downtown merchants have decked the halls and stocked the shelves to welcome holiday shoppers. Santa arrives for an afternoon of photos and visits with youngsters of all ages. And at dusk, enjoy the holiday tree lighting followed by the magical Holiday Tractor Parade. You will have earned a good night’s rest before heading home Sunday!
While you’re in the area, don’t miss the spectacular holiday light displays at Dungeness River Nature Center in Sequim and all around the Jamestown S’Klallam tribal campus in Blyn, from mid-November through December.
December 5 – 7
Port Townsend Holiday Glow Fun
Start your fun-filled weekend in Port Townsend on Friday night with a performance of Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Christmas Show at Key City Public Theatre (performances 11/28 – 12/28). On Saturday, kick off the morning with a steaming cup of cocoa or fresh brewed coffee and a delicious locally made pastry from one of Port Townsend’s coffee shops, then wend your way along Water Street. Local shops offer delightful one-of-a-kind gift ideas for everyone on your list. Throughout the day, explore the KPTZ Holiday Extravaganza and the Salish Sea Makers Market at the Cotton Building. At 2 pm, head to Pope Marine Park for Santa’s arrival on the Kiwanis Choo Choo. At 4 pm, join the festivities at Haller Fountain for the Community Tree Lighting with Santa!
Looking to do something new and different this holiday season? Lace up your sneakers, grab your headlamp and set off to nearby Blyn for the Jamestown Glow Run/Walk, a fun way to take part in the “twinkle season.”
On Sunday, travel to Port Angeles to enjoy afternoon ice skating at the Winter Ice Village then head out to Lake Crescent in the late afternoon for the beloved local tradition of the Lighting of Lake Crescent at Lake Crescent Lodge. Enjoy carolers and a chance to meet with Santa, too!
December 12 – 14
A Grab Bag of Festive Fun
With so many holiday events, choose your own path to festive fun. You’ll definitely need more than one day to enjoy this sampler!
Friday night is a great night for theater, and you have several to choose from:
• Port Townsend: Key City Public Theatre – Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Christmas Show (11/28 – 12/28)
• Sequim: Olympic Theatre Arts Center – Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (12/5 – 12/21)
• Port Angeles: Port Angeles Community Players – Sugar Plum Done (12/5 – 12/21)
On Saturday, head to Sequim for the Dungeness Schoolhouse Christmas Tea. Or travel south along Hood Canal to Hoodsport for their Yuletide / Hoodsport Festival, with a walking, caroling, lantern family parade and food, drink and fun. If your plans include Port Angeles, you can enjoy the Wintertide Festival of Lights at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center on Saturday night, or catch a Sunday afternoon performance at Field Arts and Events Hall with local favorite Amanda Bacon in her Tinsel and Twang concert.
And for a very special side trip, consider taking the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC to experience magnificent Christmas Magic at The Butchart Gardens (12/1/25 – 1/6/26)! While in Victoria, don’t miss Habitat Victoria’s 17th Annual Gingerbread Showcase or the many light displays in downtown (best enjoyed via horse-drawn carriage!).
December 19 – 21
Holiday Merriment Around the Peninsula
Holiday shopping nearly wrapped up? It’s time to just enjoy making memories with your friends and family. In celebration of the shortest day of the year (December 21), let’s turn our attention to the light, and all the many places on the Olympic Peninsula you can enjoy some “merry and bright.”
• Webster’s Woods Light Art Experience / “Nature After Dark” – Port Angeles
• Jamestown S’Klallam / 7 Cedars Lights – Blyn
• Railroad Bridge Park – Sequim
• Downtown/Uptown Lights – Port Townsend (Adams St. Park Light Display)
• Solstice Celebration at Finnriver Cidery – Chimacum (12/21)
Or perhaps you’re searching for some new adventures to share with your holiday guests? How about a field trip to enjoy some of the natural wonders of the Olympic Peninsula? Here are some suggestions guaranteed to be memorable:
• Head west on Highway 112 to Neah Bay and hike the Cape Flattery trail to THE furthest northwest point in the contiguous United States.
• Visit Forks and the nearby wild Pacific Ocean beaches – Rialto, First Beach, Ruby Beach or Kalaloch – for an exhilarating winter beach walk. Be mindful of the tide tables.
• Explore the many trails of the Quinault Rain Forest, discover giant trees and magical waterfalls, and warm up at the end of the day at historic Lake Quinault Lodge.
• Head to the coastal town of Seabrook for their Winter Glass Float Find, a delightful all-ages scavenger hunt.
• Enjoy a beautiful drive down the Hood Canal, on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, and stop in Lilliwaup or Hoodsport to sample their famous oysters.
December 31 – January 1, 2026
Ring in the New Year
And here we are, on the cusp of a new year! The Olympic Peninsula offers you a variety of fun, fresh ways to celebrate.
Consider attending Port Townsend’s beloved First Night, an all-ages celebration, starting at 3 pm in downtown Port Townsend. This year’s theme is “Extraterrestrial Extravaganza” and promises live music, circus arts, lantern parade, stargazing and more. Join the local community in bringing in the new year with music, laughter and fun.
Check out Fishes and Wishes at Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum for another New Year’s Eve celebration.
On New Year’s Day, head to Lake Crescent Lodge, near Port Angeles to enjoy a New Year’s Day Buffet from 8 am – 1 pm and “jump in” with their Polar Bear Plunge from noon – 2 pm. What a way to start out the year!
We look forward to welcoming you with your family and friends to the Olympic Peninsula for this joyous holiday season!
Header photo courtesy of Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau.
Click HERE to see what other events on the Olympic Peninsula are coming up soon!
