Winterfest at the Seattle Center for Christmas

The Seattle Center, the location of the infamous Space Needle and the monorail, is a logical place for major events. Throughout the year, Key Arena, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the vast outdoor lawn host a ton of events. As expected, Christmas is no exception. The Seattle Center has one Christmas event stacked on top of another from November until mid January. You don’t need to head any father than right in the middle of town to get into the Christmas spirit, and the Seattle Center is great. Not only is there a lot of room to walk around outdoors, but you can also duck inside if you get chilly.
One festival that runs at the Center which is a must see is Winter Fest Seattle. This is a really cool festival that typically runs from mid November until the beginning of January. Winter fest is neat because it celebrates Christmas all around the world. Every year, they get people to come and perform holidays traditions from different countries, which is a great way to learn about other places in the world. The performers are always really talented, too, and most are authentically trained in their performances.

You’ll be dazzled by the diverse array of exhibitions: tons of different dancing styles that hail from all several different countries, and for five weeks, the Center is filled with music, singing, and dancing. It is really beautiful and a great contrast to traditional Christmas festivals. Each year, a different group of cultures are spotlighted. In 2005-2006, Winter fest will feature performances from Japan, the Middle East, North Africa, Croatia, North America, and Ireland. Featured dancers will perform traditional dances from Russia, as well as Spanish Flamenco. Alaskan Tlingit tribes will also perform during the opening events, which takes place over the first three days. The opening ceremonies are supposed to be the best days to go, since there is so much to see all at once (however, it can be quite busy, so you’ll want to establish a designated meeting place if you split up.) You’ll get a fair amount of the general all American Christmas spirit, but the refreshing mix of so many different traditions is more than welcome. Once you have seen the festival, you can check out the nearby Science Center, or Experience Music Project. Or if you are hungry, there are lots of restaurants in the Seattle Center, as well as in the cool neighborhood of lower Queen Anne – you are also only 8 blocks or so from the heart of downtown. (You can take the monorail for just a few dollars, and save yourself the walk.)

Winter Fest is a great place to bring your family, especially if you have visitors. It is also fun and educational for kids, who love watching the different performers and will really benefit from the access to different cultures. And if your visitors stay until the end, make sure to stake out a good place to watch the New Years Eve fireworks, shot off from the Seattle Center. They are pretty food (although 4th of July is usually a little better for some reason.)