Downtown Snohomish Holiday Events 2026: A Weekend Guide

On the Saturday of Winterfest, one First Street address hosts two of the weekend's family events. Breakfast with Santa runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Feather Ballroom, 801 1st St. Gingerbread house parties with Santa and Mrs. Claus follow at Top It Yogurt Shoppe, 801 1st St., Suite 203. A family could do both without ever crossing the street.

That building sums up the 2026 season. Nearly everything on the calendar from early November to mid-December happens behind a shop door, inside the Snohomish Carnegie Building, or on Averill Field. That holds up well in a year when the cost of closing downtown streets has already cost Snohomish one of its longest-running traditions.

Why closing the street got harder this year

Downtown's fall classic car show ran for more than 40 years. It did not happen in fall 2026. As the Snohomish County Tribune reported on July 22, the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce ran the show until 2025 and then handed it to a nonprofit, We Heart All, citing rising costs for street closures and traffic control and a shrinking pool of volunteers. We Heart All stepped away after one year.

Some car events moved out of downtown. Stocker Farms hosted the Kla Ha Ya Days car show on July 19 and offered to be its permanent home. The Chamber started Fields of Wheels at Craven Farm in 2025. Chamber director Krystal Dhondt told the Tribune that Fields of Wheels is not meant to replace the downtown show, but it reflects a commitment to events that are "financially sustainable, volunteer-supported, and beneficial to local businesses." She said the classic car show could come back downtown if an organization takes on the planning and volunteer work it needs.

The holiday calendar reads differently with that story in mind. Its events lean on storefronts, the Carnegie, a ballroom, a church hall, and a ballfield. Those spaces bring their own hosts, so the season never needs First Street shut down for a whole day.

November 6 and 7: the season starts with open doors

The Holiday Open House is the first holiday event on the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association calendar. It runs Friday, November 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, November 7, from noon to 8 p.m. HDSA lists decorated windows, extended shopping hours, treats and drinks, and live music.

The Friday page lists 26 participating businesses, so the event covers much of downtown rather than one block:

• Food and treats: Snohomish Pie Company, Snoqualmie Ice Cream, The Cinamon Stik
• Home and gifts: Snohomish General Store, My Eclectic Home, Rhapsody Interiors, Little Shop of Light, Joyworks, Lamb and Co Storefront
• Vintage and boutiques: The Raven and the Swan Vintage Mercantile, Mimi's a shabby chic country boutique, Maple + Moss Boutique, Peaches, MARIE, Le Menagerie, WORTHY, Annie's on First
• Makers, art, and books: Anna Marie Creative Collective, Arts of Snohomish Gallery, Studio DG, Strikke Yarn & Supply, Eternal Endings Romance Bookstore
• Flowers, beauty, and more: The Petal And The Stem, Edit an Olive & Bloom Company, Sprig Beauty Co, Humidity Cigars & Tobacco

The Saturday page still says its shops and performers will be announced soon, so check it before you plan a Saturday route.

November 28: the tree lighting at the Carnegie

Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so the Snohomish Tree Lighting is the Saturday after. It runs from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Snohomish Carnegie Building, 105 Cedar Ave., and is free. The City of Snohomish and HDSA organize it together.

The schedule is short:

1. 3 p.m.: Santa arrives, with photos inside the historic Carnegie building.
2. 4:45 p.m.: A live-music countdown and sing-along starts on the Carnegie Plaza.
3. 5 p.m.: The tree is lit.

Here too, the main event sits on a plaza and inside a public building, not in a closed street.

Late November to December 20: Santa moves from shop to shop

The next day, the season moves into individual stores. Santa in the Shops runs from November 29 to December 20, noon to 3 p.m., with one host business each day. Visits are free, families bring their own cameras, and HDSA notes that every location is ADA accessible.

Six of the seven hosts are on First Street, with addresses running from 709 to 1204. Every date also brings families into a different store. Four of the hosts, Snohomish General Store, The Raven and the Swan, Snoqualmie Ice Cream, and Peaches, are also on the Open House list, so their November and December traffic comes from both events.

December 11 to 13: Winterfest, day by day

Winterfest is the busiest weekend of the season, and almost every event has a named indoor host. HDSA says the schedule may still change and that prices and registration links will be posted later.

Friday, December 11

• 2 to 3 p.m.: Gingerbread House Party at Top It Yogurt Shoppe
• 5 to 9 p.m.: Santapalooza, a holiday pub crawl and costume contest. Venues and tickets for 2026 have not been posted.

Saturday, December 12

• 10 a.m. to noon: Breakfast with Santa at the Feather Ballroom
• Noon to 6 p.m.: Santa in Flight, a Santa photo experience at the Snohomish Carnegie Building
• Noon to 3 p.m.: Fire & Ice at Andy's Fish House, 1229 1st St., with a live ice-sculpting contest and fire pits with s'mores
• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.: Gingerbread House Parties at Top It Yogurt Shoppe
• 4 to 8 p.m.: Holiday Wine Walk, checking in at the Carnegie. HDSA describes it as "Sip & Stroll under the Holiday Lights."

Saturday is also Anna Marie Collective's Santa in the Shops day at 916 1st St., so Santa has a lot of stops that afternoon.

Sunday, December 13

• Morning: Snohomish Reindeer Games, a 5K and Kids Dash starting at Averill Field, 400 2nd St., on the Centennial Trail. Its registration page lists a 9 a.m. start for 5K runners, 9:15 for joggers and walkers, and 10:30 for the Kids Dash. Entry is $45 for the 5K and $15 for the Kids Dash, with no refunds. HDSA and the city calendar list slightly different overall hours, and the city still shows the permit as pending, so check the race site the week of the event.
• 10 a.m. to noon: A second Breakfast with Santa at the Feather Ballroom
• Noon to 4 p.m.: The Snohomish Historical Society's Parlour Tour, a self-guided tour of historic homes and churches decorated for the holidays. Check-in is 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 329 Avenue A, where tickets are exchanged for wristbands. Tickets are $30 through December 12 and $35 on the day. Proceeds support the Blackman House Museum and the society's archives.
• 1 to 5 p.m.: Youth Art Show at the Snohomish Carnegie Building
• 2 to 3 p.m.: A final Gingerbread House Party at Top It Yogurt Shoppe
• Time and place to be announced: Santa photos with pets

The Parlour Tour may be the best example of the season's indoor approach. Its whole route is the inside of private homes and churches, opened by volunteer docents for one afternoon.

Parking this season, and the change coming to Avenues B and C

Downtown parking this holiday season works the same way it always has. On October 14, the Snohomish County Tribune reported that the city's consultant is designing a plan to make Avenues B and C one-way between First and Second streets. Traffic would run clockwise with right turns only, and the change could add about 40 parking spaces. The Tribune said no implementation date has been set. The city's October 6 business bulletin expected the design and implementation work to be done in spring 2027.

Those 40 spaces would land on the blocks that connect First Street to the events on Avenue A and Cedar Avenue. They will not be ready this December. On Winterfest Saturday or the tree-lighting afternoon, plan to park a few blocks away and walk.

The season's last listed event is outdoors. The city calendar shows a Riverfront Trail Winter Solstice Walk on Monday, December 21, from 4 to 7 p.m., still marked as pending a permit.

The shops that host Santa and stay open late for the Open House are a big part of why downtown homes are valued the way they are. If you live near First Street and want to know how that walkable holiday calendar shows up in your home's value, Hawkins & O'Bryant would be glad to walk you through it. Request Your Free Home Valuation.