Woodinville's holiday season has two starting lines this year. The tree at the Harvest Yard goes up on Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The Celebrate Woodinville Winterfest tree in DeYoung Park follows on Saturday, December 5.
This is the first December with the Yard open, and its arrival splits the season between the riverside Harvest development and the downtown blocks that have long hosted Winterfest. A road connection that opened on November 3 changes how you get from one to the other. Each center has a different calendar, a different crowd of businesses, and a different reason to go.
The calendar, end to end
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 15 | PNW Holiday Heritage Grand Affaire | The SOMM Ballroom | 2:30–6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Holiday Sip & Shop | Wine Alley, 13590 NE Village Square Dr. | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Tree lighting, The SOMM lobby, then Harvest Yard | Harvest | 4–5:30 p.m.; Yard at 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Winterfest 5K | Wilmot Gateway Park, Sammamish River Trail | 9:30 a.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Winterfest Holiday Fair & Tree Lighting | DeYoung Park, The Schoolhouse District, Woodin Creek Village | 3–6 p.m.; tree at 5:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Sparkman Cellars Winter Market | 14300 NE 145th St., #102 | Noon–5 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Santa Brunch | The SOMM Ballroom | Seatings 10 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Winterfest Car Parade & Festival | Downtown Woodinville | 6–8 p.m. |
Harvest owns the front half of the run. Downtown owns the back half, starting December 5. December 13 is the one day both sides have something scheduled, with Santa Brunch at The SOMM in the morning and the downtown car parade after dark.
Harvest opens the season, and the Yard is new
The Yard is a large place to open in time for the holidays. The Woodinville Chamber of Commerce reported on October 14 that the Yard was complete. It covers 100,000 square feet of commercial space over 652 underground parking spots and was nearly 90% leased, with tenants opening on a rolling schedule through the fall and into 2027. The SOMM Hotel & Spa next door was marking its first anniversary at the same time.
That means the November 27 lighting is the Yard's first holiday gathering since it filled in. The SOMM calls it the Second Annual Tree Lighting. The evening starts in the hotel lobby from 4 to 5:30 p.m. with gourmet hot chocolate, warm cider, cookies and carolers. A young guest lights the lobby tree at 5 p.m., and the Yard tree is lit at 6 p.m. The event is free and needs no RSVP. The hotel says more than 20 retail tenants will be open for holiday shopping, and it suggests dinner at Bin 47 or The Shed, with reservations through OpenTable.
The SOMM fills in the dates around that evening. On Sunday, November 15, the PNW Holiday Heritage Grand Affaire in the Ballroom runs 2:30 to 6 p.m. with holiday shopping, bubbles and festive bites. Santa Brunch with photos follows on Sunday, December 13, with seatings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are required.
What you'll find at the Yard after the lights come on
These Yard businesses had opened as of late October:
- Brass Steak & Seafood, Suite D20 at 14486 147th Place NE, opened October 24 with Prime steaks and Pacific Northwest seafood. EatInSeattle reported the room at about 3,400 square feet with seating for roughly 85. Executive Chef Kyle Quinn runs the kitchen, and the announced hours are Sunday through Thursday 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m.
- House Balthazar, Suite D25, serves champagne and macarons. Announced hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- Elm Candle Bar, Suite D23, offers hands-on custom candle making.
- Elk Haven Winery and Rainfire Spirits share a tasting room in Suite E34 at 14480 147th Pl NE, with posted hours of noon to 6 p.m.
- Gård Estate Wines has a fireplace, a wine club room and a dog-friendly patio.
- J.P. Trodden Distilling runs a small-batch bourbon tasting room and bottle shop.
- Avennia and Grosgrain tasting rooms, and Vaunt Gallery, were open by mid-October.
- Houseguest and Bumble & Bee, a family- and pet-focused boutique, round out the shops.
The Chamber's tenant rollout also listed Visible Coffee and Edit for November, and Sugo Hand-Rolled Sushi, Matcha Magic and Honor Pilates for December. Lachini Vineyards and Walla Walla Vintners were listed for later in the fall. Cactus, The Crawlspace Gastropub, a new restaurant from chef Hari Nayak, and Zirckle-Rousch are listed for 2027. Kiln, a 22,045-square-foot workspace, is listed for fall 2027. Because openings are rolling, the Yard on November 27 won't look exactly like the Yard in mid-December, so check a business's hours before you plan a visit around it. Parking is underground, and street parking runs through ParkMobile zone 45688, so check the posted signs.
Downtown takes over on December 5
Eight days after the Yard lights up, the Chamber's Winterfest fills a full Saturday downtown. The day starts at 9:30 a.m. with the Winterfest 5K from Wilmot Gateway Park on the Sammamish River Trail. The Holiday Fair runs 3 to 6 p.m. across three areas: DeYoung Park, The Schoolhouse District and Woodin Creek Village.
According to Celebrate Woodinville, DeYoung Park will have pictures with Santa, wreath-making, ornament-making, holiday treats and performances by local schools. The Chamber booth collects toys for the Forgotten Children's Fund, and the tree lighting is at 5:30 p.m.
The Yard's lighting is built around an indoor reception and shopping at the stores around it. The downtown lighting is built around a park, a toy drive and school performances, which makes it a different kind of evening. Since the two fall on different days, you can attend both.
The new route between the two
The road connecting the two halves of the season changed this month. As of Tuesday, November 3, 2026, all lanes are open in both directions on 133rd Avenue NE, Woodinville-Snohomish Road and Little Bear Creek Parkway, which now meet at a new roundabout. A dedicated pedestrian and bicycle tunnel runs under the roundabout, so Eastrail users can cross without meeting car traffic.
"This new roundabout and tunnel connection creates another important link to downtown Woodinville and improves access for our community."
That's from the City of Woodinville's project page, which describes the roundabout as an alternative route through downtown that helps relieve traffic on the NE 175th Street corridor. The center of the roundabout will hold River, a sculpture by Wildheart Designs.
The new route matters most on Sunday, December 13. That evening's Winterfest Car Parade, organized by the Woodinville Chamber, runs from 6 to 8 p.m. It travels through Woodin Creek Village and down 175th Street to a festival near Haggen and TRF downtown, according to Visit Woodinville. This is the first parade night with the new connection open.
The wineries fill the gap weekends
Between the two tree lightings, the tasting rooms keep the season going. On Saturday, November 21, the Wine Alley Holiday Sip & Shop runs noon to 5 p.m. at 13590 NE Village Square Dr., with vendor shopping alongside neighborhood wineries including Tsillan, Baer and Rooted Souls.
The day after the downtown fair, Sunday, December 6, Sparkman Cellars holds its free Winter Market from noon to 5 p.m. at 14300 NE 145th St., #102. Expect vendors, food and live music, and bring donations for the Maltby Food Bank, which the winery encourages. If you're tracking the toy drive at Winterfest and the food bank drive at Sparkman, those are two giving opportunities on back-to-back days.
If you're wondering how the Yard and the new roundabout affect your own home and your plans for 2027, Mary Lee & Associates can walk you through it. Schedule a free consultation.
