Weekend events for kids and families. Erika’s Picks for Dec. 4-5 Seattle-area weekend events:
Christmas Ships from Shore
Saturday
2:30 p.m., Pritchard Island Beach
Join friends and family to welcome the Argosy Christmas Ship and its follow boats from various shores around Seattle and enjoy a 20-minute choir performance broadcast from the Christmas Ship. View the complete schedule for onshore events online.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
Saturday and Sunday
3, 5, and 7 p.m.
Studio East, Kirkland
Follow the adventures and outrageous shenanigans of the Herdman siblings this holiday season with StudioEast. Dubbed “the worst kids in the history of the world,” these siblings have taken over the annual Christmas pageant in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale involving the Three Wise Men, a ham, scared shepherds and six rowdy kids. Can it possibly end on a positive note? Come and find out.
Winterfest Train & Village
Sat/Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Seattle Center Armory. FREE
Head to the Seattle Center to view a late 19th-century model train and village display, installed inside the Armory Food & Event Hall. This annual tradition has been on display for over 40 years and will be operating through Dec. 31! Pick up an entry at the Train Station and see how many items you can spot on the scavenger hunt. The event is free but donations are welcome to help keep the train running. Masks required when visiting the train.
Hands-on Hanukkah
noon-2 p.m. Saturday
Temple B’nai Torah, Bellevue. FREE
This winter, Hanukkah goes on the road and is heading to Temple B’nai Torah for a special Hanukkah party! The Hands on Hanukkah program is coming to communities across King County to share and celebrate the holiday with arts and crafts and tasty treats. Enjoy food trucks and lots of fun family activities, including a booth where you can create your own Hanukkah artwork to bring home.
Community holiday event
noon-4 p.
m. Saturday
AMcE Creative Arts, Seattle
AMcE is honored to be working with Mary’s Place for a community ornament making, holiday card and supply drive. Gather your family and spend a fun afternoon being crafty for a cause. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Mary’s Place, and the ornaments will decorate a holiday tree for the Mary’s Place Women’s Day Center. Check the AMcE website for a list of items that Mary’s Place needs. AMcE will be collecting them Thursday through Sunday.
Weekend events: Previous Erika’s Picks
Nov. 27-28
Kringle’s Filling Station
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat/Sun
82nd and Aurora Avenue North
Come by Kringle’s, where the story of Christmas lives in an old-time filling station. In Garage Bay 1 you can climb into the Kringle’s latest sleigh, built on the chassis of a 1972 Volkswagen Thing, for a photo with Otis or Sparky. This year the filling station also has gas pumps that dispense hot chocolate, one of a kind Christmas Ski-ball, Christmas karaoke, and other games, photo ops and entertainment. Allow between 30 minutes and an hour, then grab a map to the best lights in town.
“Puss in Boots”
Sat/Sun
Centerstage Theater, Federal Way
The Panto is back! Centerstage’s wildly popular holiday tradition makes its playful and irreverent return after a two-year hiatus. This year’s brand new offering is the story “Puss in Boots”… with a Panto twist, of course. Heroic journeys, magical mishaps and beloved characters intertwine with witty wordplay, pop music and dance, and captivating visuals to create a world unlike anything else you’ll see. The show runs various times through Dec. 19 at the Knudsen Family Center, 3200 S.W. Dash Point Road.
Pacific Ice at Waterfront Place
Sat/Sun 10 a.m. -11 p.m.
Pacific Rim Plaza, Everett
The Pacific Ice community ice rink is located at the Port’s Pacific Rim Plaza in Fisherman’s Harbor, in front of Hotel Indigo’s Jetty Bar & Grille. This family-friendly program runs daily through January 31, 2022, with open ice skating public sessions, skating lessons, birthday parties, and special events. Guests will experience skating on real ice at a covered, open-air rink. Holiday lights, music, fire pits and concessionaires will be on hand. (FYI: More ice skating possibilities here.)
An Un-Stuffing Day Hike
10:30 a.m.-noon Sunday
Lewis Creek Park Visitor Center, Bellevue. FREE
There’s a lot to be thankful for in our parks, so take a deep breath and shake off the turkey haze on a walk with a park ranger at Lewis Creek Park. Take a moment to reflect on the benefits of our forest and learn what we can do to help this resource. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes for this 1-mile, moderately easy hike. Preregistration required for each participant. Current local guidelines regarding COVID-19 apply.
Find much more in our Family Event Calendar
Previous Erika’s Picks: Nov. 20-21
Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat/Sun
Bellevue Downtown Park
The largest ice-skating holiday tradition is back in Bellevue! Come skate and celebrate at the 24th Annual Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink. The rink is in the middle of Bellevue Downtown Park and features more than 9,000 square feet of ice plus a spacious viewing area, on-site concessions, free three-hour parking and a series of special events throughout the season. Tickets are purchased online with limited walk-up tickets available. Reserve your spot in advance. $13 weekday, $16 weekends and holidays.
Hockey: Faster Than Ever
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat/Sun
Pacific Science Center
Curiosity speeds into action at the Pacific Science Center with the exciting new interactive exhibition, HOCKEY: Faster Than Ever. How fast is your slap shot? What’s the science behind scoring like a pro? How will Seattle shape this fast-moving sport? Now that Seattle has a professional hockey team, come and find out the answers to these questions and more. Exhibit runs through Feb 27. $13.95-$24.95. Prices differ for members and age groups.
Tacky Turkey Sweater 5K
10 a.m. Saturday
Green Lake Park, Seattle
This event combines the best of both worlds: a pre-turkey fun run and an ugly sweater fun run! Grab your friends, family, and ugliest sweater and come trot around Green Lake. Packet pickup will be onsite from 8-9:45 a.m. The run/walk begins at 10 a.m. Run/walk $25 (includes race, bib, photos, medal), $20 for kids 14 and under. Virtual 5k $35.
The Harmonica Pocket’s ‘Singing Thanksgiving Show’
10:30 a.m. Sunday
Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, West Seattle
Groovy acoustic band The Harmonica Pocket invites families to welcome the holidays with a fresh, seasonal “Singing Thanksgiving” show. Keith Apgar will be bringing out his ukuleles, acoustic guitars and a suitcase full of props for a fun-filled solo show that’s part story-time and part hootenanny. Come ready to sing along to American folk classics and tunes from their new album, “Sing Your Song.” (More on that here.)
Ranger Led Hike
10:30 a.m.-noon
Lakemont Community Park, Bellevue
Join a ranger at the Lakemont Community Park for a fun walk along a lovely trail that winds alongside a creek. The hike is moderately difficult at 2 miles with 700 feet of elevation change. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Preregistration required for each participant and current local guidelines regarding COVID-19 apply.
Previous Erika’s Picks:
(Nov. 13-14)
The Interactive Awesome Exhibition of LEGO Models
Sat/Sun 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center
This show, created by LEGO Certified Professional Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught, is coming to Seattle Center Winterfest starting this weekend for the holiday season (through Jan. 16, 2022). The show features 38 large-scale LEGO creations including an 8-foot-tall, 660-pound orca. Some of the other builds include the world’s first life-sized LEGO brick Harley-Davidson, the largest ever LEGO brick Caterpillar dump truck, and a 24.5-foot-tall NASA SLS rocket built from more than 450,000 bricks. The entire exhibition took more than 5,000 hours to create with nearly 1 million LEGO bricks. It’ll be a selfie paradise, and there will be many building stations throughout. Masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required for entry. $15.50 kids, $19.50 adults, $62 for family pack.
The weather won’t look like this, but you could still have fun paddling around Lake Union.
Free Peapod Boat Rentals
Sat/Sun 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Center for Wooden Boats, Lake Union
In lieu of the usual Sunday Public Sail, one and all are encouraged to reserve one of the Center for Wooden Boats’ peapod rowboats for free one-hour rentals at the South Lake Union location. Available Wednesday-Sunday all year long, this is a great way to see the city from a different vantage point. The peapod boats can hold up to five adults and are perfect for rowers of all experiences levels.
Outer Space Structures: Seattle Architecture Foundation Family Workshops
Sat 10 a.m.-noon
Center for Architecture & Design
Does someone in your house love outer space? If you could build a structure in our very own solar system, what kind of structure would it be? Get ready to explore outer space and design your own structure in this fun workshop with Seattle Architecture Foundation. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Need-based fee waivers available; contact Interim Program Director, Marina Szende at marina@seattlearchitecture.org
Vocal Trash “Think”
Sat 2 p.m.
Auburn Theater
Get ready for an upbeat performance that is encouraging, empowering and energizing! The “Think” program promotes green sustainability and anti-bullying through popular music and urban dance in a high-energy show that is sure to captivate, inspire, and get you “thinking” before you throw things away! The cast is made up of award-winning professionals utilizing their craft for meaningful and lasting results. You’ve never seen anything like it.
Parent and Me: Veterans Glass Fusing
1:45 p.m. Sunday
Pratt Fine Arts Center
Kids ages 9 and up and their accompanying veteran will love this free Veterans Day art class, which is all about intergenerational collaboration through glass fusing. Explore the medium of kiln glass in this workshop for a family team. Working with a wide palette of glass colors and types of glass from sheets to powders, students will design and assemble a variety of small glass artworks. Bring your creativity and be ready to have fun and experiment. Space is limited; sign up early. No experience necessary, all glass included.
