Downtown Snohomish's 2026 holiday calendar starts Friday, Nov. 6, and runs to the winter solstice. Events don't come at an even pace over those seven weeks. In November there's about one event per weekend. By the second week of December, the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association's Winterfest, the Snohomish Historical Society's Parlour Tour, a Centennial Trail 5K and a rotating Santa visit all fall on the same three days. Most of that lands on Sunday, Dec. 13, and the week after it is quiet again.
Friday night starts the clock
The Holiday Open House runs Friday, Nov. 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 7, from noon to 8 p.m. Shops stay open late with holiday displays, refreshments and live music. Saturday's lineup includes Rustic Reeds, Tarnished Brass and Erika Scordamaglia.
The Open House also starts the season's longest event. The Window Display Contest runs from Nov. 6 through Dec. 13. You vote by scanning QR codes in the storefront windows, and voters are entered in a raffle for a $25 gift card to a downtown business. The winner will be drawn Dec. 15. The contest closes on Dec. 13, the busiest day of the season, so a walk past the windows during a quiet November week gives you time to look before the crowds arrive.
November is spread out
Over the rest of November, there's about one event per weekend, plus a couple of outings just outside downtown:
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Pilchuck Secret Valley Farm opens its U-cut Christmas tree season at 9533 Mose Road in Arlington. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The farm is closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Thanksgiving, and lists weekend food trucks and free candy canes for kids.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: The Snohomish Farmers Market holds its 8th Annual Harvested Holiday Market at Snohomish High School from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with 175+ vendors, indoor shopping and dining, Santa photos and live music.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: The free Snohomish Tree Lighting at the Carnegie Building, 105 Cedar Ave. Santa arrives at 3 p.m. for photos inside the Carnegie, a live-music countdown and sing-along starts on Carnegie Plaza at 4:45 p.m., and the tree is lit at 5. The City of Snohomish and HDSA organize it together.
The tree lighting falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In 2025 that was Nov. 29, according to the City of Snohomish calendar, with the same 3-to-5 p.m. window at the Carnegie. The day changed with the calendar, but the format stayed the same.
Santa moves to a different shop every weekend day
The day after the tree lighting, Santa leaves the Carnegie and starts visiting shops. Under HDSA's Santa in the Shops schedule, he spends noon to 3 p.m. at a different downtown business each Saturday and Sunday. Visits are free and families bring their own cameras.
| Date | Shop | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Spada Farmhouse Brewery | 709 1st St. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Snohomish General Store | 922 1st St. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | The Raven and the Swan | 119 Glen Ave. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Anna Marie Collective | 916 1st St. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Snoqualmie Ice Cream | 923 1st St. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Sprig Beauty Co. | 1204 1st St. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Peaches | 1024 1st St., Suite 104 |
HDSA says all seven locations are ADA accessible. Up through Dec. 6, the shop on the schedule is the only Santa downtown that day. That changes the next weekend.
Winterfest fills Dec. 11 through 13
HDSA's Winterfest runs Friday, Dec. 11, through Sunday, Dec. 13.
Friday is quieter. Top It Yogurt Shoppe hosts a gingerbread house party with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 2 to 3 p.m., and Santapalooza, a holiday pub crawl and costume contest, runs from 5 to 9 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12, is where Santa's schedule starts to overlap. Breakfast with Santa runs at Feather Ballroom from 10 a.m. to noon. From noon to 6 p.m., the Snohomish Carnegie Building hosts Santa in Flight, a Santa photo setup. Andy's Fish House holds Fire & Ice from noon to 3 p.m., with a live ice-sculpting contest and fire pits with s'mores. Top It Yogurt Shoppe runs gingerbread parties at 12:30 and 2 p.m. In the evening, the Holiday Wine Walk runs from 4 to 8 p.m., with check-in at the Carnegie.
From noon to 3 that Saturday, Santa in the Shops has Santa at Anna Marie Collective. That puts Santa on the schedule at the Carnegie, Anna Marie Collective and Top It Yogurt Shoppe at the same time. If you're planning a Santa visit with kids, Saturday afternoon gives you three places to choose from. Earlier weekends give you one.
HDSA notes that the Winterfest schedule may change and that ticket details will be added later.
Sunday, Dec. 13, hour by hour
Sunday is the peak. Here is the day in order, combining Winterfest, the Historical Society's tour and Santa in the Shops:
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8 a.m. | Snohomish Reindeer Games 5K and kids' dash | Averill Field, on the Centennial Trail |
| 10 a.m. to noon | Breakfast with Santa | Feather Ballroom |
| 11:45 a.m. | Parlour Tour check-in opens | Zion Lutheran Church, 329 Avenue A |
| Noon to 3 p.m. | Santa in the Shops | Snoqualmie Ice Cream, 923 1st St. |
| Noon to 4 p.m. | Parlour Tour homes open | 15 homes and churches |
| 1 to 5 p.m. | Youth Art Show | Snohomish Carnegie Building |
| 2 to 3 p.m. | Gingerbread house party with Santa and Mrs. Claus | Top It Yogurt Shoppe |
The City of Snohomish calendar also lists the Reindeer Games on the Centennial Trail that morning. If you're running or cheering, the 5K starts two hours before the first Santa breakfast. Between 2 and 3 p.m., Santa is listed in two places at once.
This is also the last day of window voting. You could vote on the windows, see the art show and do the Parlour Tour all in one afternoon.
The Parlour Tour explains why everything lands on Sunday
Most of the other Winterfest events are an hour or two long. The Parlour Tour takes up the whole afternoon and covers much more ground. The Snohomish Historical Society opens 15 historic homes and churches from noon to 4 p.m. The tour is self-guided and can be done by car or on foot. Walking the full route is about 3 to 4 miles. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 on tour day.
Check-in opens at 11:45 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 329 Avenue A, where you pick up a wristband and tour materials. Day-of tickets are sold there and at the Waltz Building, 116 Avenue B. Zion's lot has parking as space allows, and the rest is street parking along the route. The Society asks visitors to keep driveways, intersections and sidewalks clear. If you live along the route, expect cars parked on your street from about noon to 4.
The Waltz Building is the tour's warming station, with free cocoa and cider, restrooms and tables from Snohomish PUD, Earthwise Salvage, First Avenue Homes and others. The Blackman House Museum next door is open, and the Society has a new gift shop. The tour is the Society's main annual fundraiser, and ticket sales support the Blackman House Museum and its collections.
If the tour gets you curious about your own house, the Society scheduled a grand opening for its Research & Records Room at 118 Ave. B on Sept. 13. According to the Snohomish County Tribune, it has an old-house research library and records you can search by subject, name and address.
After the peak, a quiet night on the river
The season wraps up on the next weekend. Santa visits Sprig Beauty Co. on Dec. 19 and Peaches on Dec. 20. The window contest winner is drawn Dec. 15.
On Monday, Dec. 21, HDSA's free Winter Solstice walk lines the River Trail with luminaries from 4 to 7 p.m., and you can start anywhere along the riverfront trail. There's no check-in and no set route.
If you'd rather enjoy a crowded Sunday than avoid it, Dec. 13 is the one day this season to spend downtown. And if your own home is one you're curious about, Wanis Nadir can share the sold-home history on your street before you visit the Records Room. Request an instant home valuation and you'll have both.
