The Pacific Northwest’s much-loved holiday tradition, Snowflake Lane, will return for the 19th year on Nov. 24 to transform downtown Bellevue into a magical winter wonderland through Christmas Eve. The nightly parade, presented by The Bellevue Collection and the Kemper Freeman family, will run at 7 p.m. along Bellevue Way between NE 4th Street and NE 8th Streets. Visitors will enjoy snowfall, a festive holiday light show and an over-the-top production featuring a host of winter holiday dancers and costumed characters, including Santa himself. For more information on Snowflake Lane, visit snowflakelane.com.
“For almost 20 years, Snowflake Lane has brought joy, holiday spirit and a sense of community to guests from near and far,” said Jennifer Leavitt, vice president of marketing for The Bellevue Collection. “We are incredibly grateful to the production team, performers and the Kemper Freeman family for their commitment to bringing this gift to the community year after year. Rehearsals are already underway, and we look forward to celebrating with those who visit Snowflake Lane at The Bellevue Collection.”
From Black Friday to Christmas Eve, visitors will enjoy falling snow, a dazzling light show, elaborate floats and festive costumes, holiday singing with a choir of guests, and photos with Santa. The annual event is produced locally by Greg Thompson Productions, and nearly 180 paid performers, who are mostly students, come from all over the Puget Sound to perform nightly as toy drummers, jingle belle dancers, snow princesses and more. Some other fun facts include:
- The parade draws nearly 400,000 guests during the 31 nightly celebrations
- Even during mild PNW winters, it snows nightly at Snowflake Lane with 55+ snow machines
- There are nearly 180 cast members each night including snow princesses, jinglettes, sugar plum fairies, ribbon dancers, toy drummers, snow flurry color guards, polar bears, teddy bears, snowmen and more
- About 60,000 pieces of candy will be handed out this year
- The drumline goes through about 250 drumsticks per season
Kemper Freeman, chairman and CEO of The Bellevue Collection, is the visionary behind Snowflake Lane. He was inspired after visiting New York City’s Fifth Avenue and Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and reached out to Greg Thompson Productions to create a one-of-a-kind, free admission holiday celebration for the local and regional community to enjoy.
In addition to Snowflake Lane, The Bellevue Collection will also offer the following holiday programming:
- Santa Photos at Snowflake Lane Factory (Friday, Nov. 24 – Sunday, Dec. 24, Bellevue Square Center Court, Second Level) – Children and families can pose for a photo with Santa inside the Snowflake Lane Factory. Make your reservation at https://bellevuecollection.com/santa.
- Bellevue Place Wintergarden Tree Lighting (Friday, Nov. 24) – Following the Snowflake Lane parade, guests are invited to watch Santa count down to the lighting of a 30-foot holiday tree, complete with music, cocoa and cookies.
- Snowflake Lane Getaway Hotel Packages – Bellevue is the perfect drivable getaway for a shopping trip to the place where holiday spirit is alive. Book a weekend getaway at any of The Collection’s three on-site luxury hotels including Hyatt Regency Bellevue, The Westin Bellevue or W Bellevue, and receive a $100 Bellevue Collection Gift Card per night stay to shop and dine at The Bellevue Collection. To book a room or for more information, visit bellevuecollection.com/getaway
- Holiday Wishes (Friday, Nov. 24 – Sunday, Dec. 16) – Stop by the Holiday Wishing Trees in Bellevue Square’s Center Court and pick up a Wishing Tag to learn how you can support local organizations to help families and children.
- Holiday Entertainment – Visit Bellevue Square’s Center Court to engage with Season of Celebrations, a twenty-foot immersive screen to learn about celebrations around the world and from Dec. 4-8 and Dec. 11-15, enjoy performances from school choirs and orchestras.
