Enchant Christmas returns to Seattle: Worth the splurge?

After four years away, Enchant Christmas is back at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. At 300,000 square feet, it’s billed as the largest Christmas light maze in the world. Enchant Seattle debuted in 2018 and returned for an encore the following year. Covid canceled the 2020 season. Last year, Enchant was revived in Washington, D.C., Dallas, St. Petersburg and Las Vegas — but snubbed Seattle. There’s no word yet on whether Enchant will land in Seattle in 2025, so catch it while it’s here. Enchant is open now through Dec. 29.

T-Mobile Park turned winter wonderland

You won’t recognize the baseball stadium. It’s now a winter wonderland, with a 100-foot-tall Christmas tree as its centerpiece, surrounded by glittering light sculptures and 4 million twinkling lights. There’s ice skating, visits with Santa Claus, festive drinks, a holiday market and photo ops everywhere you look. New this year, a Ferris wheel on the field!

The Ferris wheel is new this year. The two-minute ride is too short for the additional cost.

Enchant Christmas: The good and the bad

Five years is a lifetime when you are a kid. In 2019, I had a preschooler, and I could not wait for my now much bigger kids to experience Enchant Christmas again. We went to check out Enchant on opening night/media night and it was 100 percent worth blowing past bedtime. My kids lobbied to stay until close, and we nearly did. We even shared the parking garage elevator with delirious toddlers on their way home.

The following day, I woke up to a flood of saccharine Enchant reels in my Instagram feed. I’m not an influencer and I don’t sugarcoat things, so here’s what I found at Enchant, the good, the bad, and everything in between:

Enchant is like Disney. Go in with a Disney mindset, and you’ll be fine. What I mean is that Enchant is beautiful and magical. The kids will absolutely love it. But prepare to pay an arm and a leg for admission and, once inside, to be nickeled and dimed on everything.
Plan on extra time. We parked in the Mariners’ garage across the street. Even so, it took a full hour to park, get through security, enter the event, and get onto the ice. The line at the entrance snaked out the door and down the street.

Ice skating rink

Everything costs extra. Ice skating is another $16 for adults and $11 for children ages 4-17. Santa’s Landing looks like a meh mall Santa and picture packages start at $43.04. The Ferris wheel was $8 with an hour-long line. After the ride, which lasted all of 2 minutes, I overheard another party mutter, “What a ripoff!”
Enchant was disorganized. Hopefully, this was an opening night hiccup, but it felt like the event staff was winging it. Ask a question, and you’ll get 10 different answers from 10 different people. The screens to sign ice skating waivers kept freezing. Three separate people checked my ticket. I asked a young employee when the event ended; she scrolled her phone but ultimately shrugged, unable to find an answer. (It’s 11:30 p.m.)
Premier passes were confusing. It took an hour to determine what our premier passes included and how to use them. Save yourself an hour of your life and pick up paper vouchers at Guest Services on the 100 concourse level. Ask them to staple your vouchers together. Why? I have no idea.

On the hunt. The highlight of the night was the scavenger hunt. Pick up a scratch-off card at the entrance to the light maze. Wander through the maze and help the head elf find eight missing star gears for Santa’s magic timepiece. At the exit, collect a piece of Lindt chocolate as your reward.

Interactive light-up floor located in the light maze

More tips

T-Mobile Park is a wonderfully family-friendly venue. You’ll see the same kind of ushers we’re accustomed to from Mariners games. Restrooms are every few feet on the concourse. Choose from many food options, from quesadillas to Xiao Long Bao to Dippin’ Dots. It was chilly enough to need coats, but the retractable roof kept us dry.

About those fancy drinks: I saw people with lightbulb drinks in hand and thought it would be fun for kids. The only non-alcoholic options, however, were plain Dasani water or a Coca-Cola. Yech.

Slim pickings in the holiday marketplace, but you’re not really there to shop. The vendors (complete list here) looked a little sad and lonely.

Parents should know: Strollers are not allowed on the field level. There’s a stroller valet on the concourse, but save yourself the trouble and bring the baby carrier. Watch your step on the field. The plastic flooring barely pokes up in places, just enough to trip a distracted parent.

Away from the crowd

If you need a quiet break, one end of the concourse has a kids’ zone with coloring sheets, soft toys, and storytime with Mrs. Claus. (Mrs. Claus turned out to be a lady in slacks and a red scarf.)

Enchant is thrilling and expensive. To give you an idea of the cost, the $37 general admission ticket, $28 premier pass, $31 parking and $16 ice skating added up to a whopping $112 for one adult. I’m a big believer in experience gifts, because no one needs more stuff. Family tickets to Enchant are definitely a splurge, one the kids will remember for a long time.

Know before you go

Where: Find Enchant Christmas at T-Mobile Park, 1250 1st Ave. S., Seattle.
When: Enchant Christmas is open now and runs through Dec. 29. Hours vary by day; the earliest opening time is 4:30 p.m., and the latest closing time is 11:30 p.m.
Cost: Tickets range from $26 to $46, with the less expensive tickets on weekdays and a late evening timed entry slot. Children 3 and under are free.
Starting at $22, a premier pass upgrade includes express lanes, a $10 merch credit at the Enchant gift shop, and a lightbulb cup drink.
You cannot re-enter the stadium if you leave. This means that if you bring your own skates, you can’t put them in your trunk and come back in.
Food and drink: No outside food or drinks except baby food and formula are allowed.
Bag policy: The standard stadium rules apply. Only clear plastic or vinyl bags no larger than 12” by 6” by 12” are allowed. No backpacks or selfie sticks. Diaper bags are permitted. If you bring skates, they must have skate guards and be carried in a clear bag.
Getting there: Parking in the Mariners stadium garage is $31 in advance, $35 at the door. Cheaper parking can be found at the area’s open-air lots, but these parking lots are not monitored.