Thanksgiving and November Events in the Seattle and Puget Sound Area

There is always plenty to do in Seattle. Pike's place market is one of the biggest attractions in town. You can get lost for the entire day and still not see everything. While the Seattle art museum is usually a great place to go, they have no show or exhibits visiting at this time. Still it is a great place to visit.

The Tacoma Art Museum however is planning a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration on Sunday November 4^th. This is a free "Community Celebration" and goes from 12 - 5 pm. There will be sugar skull decorating and other arts and crafts. Also there well be example of family alters on display as well as music and dance from Mexico.

The weekend of November 3^rd the Folklife Festival will be held at the Seattle Center. There are more than enough to see with 18 stages filled with a variety of performers from different countries. There will also be food, drinks, and crafts galore for you to enjoy as well as rides at Seattle Center to please the kids. Folklife Festival is a tradition in the Northwest and a must see.

Perhaps the most beloved of all Thanksgiving holidays is the Christkindlmarkt ,in Leavenworth Washington. Leavenworth in all her German glory, is a treat to visit any time of year but especially during the holidays. Christkindlmarkt is held on the weekend after Thanksgiving each year and this year it is being held November 23 -25^th. There will be food vendors and a farmer's market with entertainment thrown in.

For the kinder (kids) there will be arts and crafts as well as rides for the kids. On Friday and Saturday there will be a lantern workshop for each child to make their own lantern. This workshop is held in the Festhalle and the kids can either decorate their own lantern, or purchase one of the lovely pre-decorated lanterns. Friday and Saturday evenings there will be a Welcoming Ceremony at the Gazebo at 6PM. Afterwards there is the Lantern Parade when the kids and family can carry the lit lanterns that the children made.

There will be a holiday skit performed and Father Christmas will be on hand to visit with the children and occasional adult. Nutcrackers and other holiday characters will mingle with the crowd just for fun. If you are in Seattle you might consider taking the train (Amtrak) because it is a beautiful ride and many people prefer to avoid the drive in the snow. The Festival website has a great video or their 2006 Christkindlmarkdt.

Also on this 2007 Thanksgiving weekend there is Winterfest at the Seattle Center. This will last until December 31^st. There are many free or very reasonably priced programs to enjoy. There will be an Ice Rink that will be open Sunday thru Thursday, 11AM to 8PM and weekend hours, Friday and Saturday, will be 11AM to 10PM .

At Winterfest 2007 there will also be a Carousel with the same hours as the Ice Rink, and there will also be a Winter Train and Village. Each person receives a wooden train whistle as a souvenir. There is no donation required for the train, however there is a suggested donation of 5$ to help keep this Seattle Center event free and low-cost for most of their programs.

In Westlake Center there will be parade in the morning and a tree lighting ceremony in the evening. Of course there are loads of shopping opportunities as well as great dining offered. Westlake Center is located at 400 Pine St. in the heart of Seattle's downtown.

There is always the Woodland Zoo and Seattle Aquarium if you are looking for other family friendly outings in Seattle. I n the South Sound you also have the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Whatever you choose to do this Thanksgiving holdiay weekend, get out and visit some of the exciting events held in the Emerald City.