January 2025
Seattle events January 2025
Polar bear plunge
January 1, 2025
multiple locations
Run or jump into cold water to celebrate the new year. Some have fees or limited parking.
- Alki Beach – 2527 Alki Ave SW
- Burien – 17200 Maplewild Ave SW
- Edmonds – Brackett’s Landing North
- Issaquah – Lake Sammamish State Park
- Normandy Park – Normandy Park Cove
- Renton – Aquatic Center
- Seattle – Matthews Beach Park
- Tacoma – Point Defiance Marina
New Year’s Day run/walk
January 1, 2025
Sand Point (6.6 miles NE)
Resolution Run 5K and Polar Bear Dive includes an optional dip in the cold waters of Lake Washington, awards, snacks, and a beer garden at Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE in Seattle.
Polar plunge – Seattle
January 1, 2025
Matthews Beach (8.5 miles NE)
Join 1000 people running into Lake Washington at noon to celebrate the new year at the Polar Bear Plunge, or just watch from shore. Costumes are encouraged. Parking is limited at Matthews Beach Park, 5100 NE 93rd St. Free.
Free state park day
January 1, 2025
All state parks
New Year’s Day is one of the State Parks Free Days, so you can spend it exploring any of the 144 Washington State Parks. FREE
Polar plunge – Tacoma
January 1, 2025
Tacoma (40 miles SW)
Jump into the cold waters of Puget Sound at Polar Bear Plunge at Point Defiance Marina, 5912 Waterfront Dr. in Tacoma. Afterwards, warm up at heating tents with hot drinks. Separate kids’ plunge (11:30 a.m.). Free.
Lights at Tacoma zoo
January 1 - 5, 2025
Tacoma (40 miles SW)
Bundle up to admire 800,000 holiday lights and displays at Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo, 5400 N Pearl St. in Tacoma. The kids’ area has goats. Closed Dec. 24 & 25.
Furry convention
January 2 - 5, 2025
Downtown (0.2 miles NE)
Enjoy furry costumes, art vendors, games, panel discussions, and a masquerade dance at Anthro Northwest at Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St. in Seattle. See minors policy if younger than age 18.
Puyallup Home and Garden Show
January 3 - 5, 2025
Puyallup (37 miles S)
Get help for your home and garden at Puyallup Home & Garden Show at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Coupon saves $1.
Free choir
January 5, 2025 (4:30 p.m.)
Capitol Hill (2.1 miles NE)
Saint Mark’s Evensong Choir performs its monthly Choral Evensong service in the cathedral nave at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E in Seattle. FREE
Board game convention
January 10 - 12, 2025
Bellevue (10 miles E)
Play board games, card games, role playing games, and miniatures games during OrcaCon, which includes panel discussions, workshop, and vendors in Hilton Bellevue, 300 112th Ave. SE in Bellevue.
Festival at Lake Chelan
January 17 - 26, 2025
Lake Chelan (180 miles E)
Dress warmly for Lake Chelan Winterfest, which features ice sculptures, live music, wine & ale tasting, kids’ activities, a polar bear splash, a giant beach bonfire, and fireworks on the sunnier side of the state. Schedule.
MLK Day rally & march
January 20, 2025
Central District (2.4 miles SE)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day includes a job fair at Garfield High School (8:30 to 11:30 a.m.), a workshop (9:15 to 10:30 a.m.), a rally (11 a.m.), a march to city hall (12:30 p.m.), and then a bus ride back. FREE
MLK celebration
January 20, 2025
Beacon Hill (2.7 miles SE)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration has an interactive exhibit plus “music, movies, motivational speakers, activities for the entire family” and free admission to the Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts St. in Seattle. FREE
Free state park day
January 20, 2025
All state parks
Martin Luther King Day is one of the State Parks Free Days, which allows you to visit any of the 144 Washington State Parks. FREE
Free museum
January 20, 2025
Tacoma (34 miles S)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Commemoration features special theater performances (11 a.m. & 1 p.m.) and includes free admission today at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. FREE
MLK Day in Tacoma
January 20, 2025
Tacoma (34 miles S)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration features a keynote speaker plus music, dance, and poetry at Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Doors open at 10 a.m. so you can meet community organizations before the show. Admission and street parking are FREE.
Free national park day
January 20, 2025
All national parks
Entry is free at Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks on Free Entrance Days in the National Parks. Expect more people and less parking than usual. FREE
Tacoma RV Show
January 23 - 26, 2025
Tacoma (33 miles S)
Check out hundreds of recreational vehicles at the Tacoma RV Show in the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E D Street in Tacoma. Children age 16 and younger are free. Repeats in Oct.
Masquerade ball
January 24, 2025
Capitol Hill (0.9 miles E)
Dress up and dance to “swing, R & B, Latin, waltzes, ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll, foxtrots, quicksteps, and blues” played by a live orchestra at Masquerade in Century Ballroom, 915 E Pine St. in Seattle for age 21+. Singles welcome.
Fishing, hunting, camping show
January 29 - Feb. 2, 2025
Puyallup (37 miles S)
Washington Sportsmen’s Show has seminars and exhibitors at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Children age 5 and younger are free.
Tacoma Home and Garden Show
January 30 - Feb. 2, 2025
Tacoma (33 miles S)
The Tacoma Home & Garden Show features home-improvement vendors, seminars, and thousands of plants in the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E D Street in Tacoma.
Boat show
January 31 - Feb. 8, 2025
Pioneer Square (1.3 miles S)
Seattle Boat Show has 800 boats and watercraft on display plus 126 boating seminars at Lumen Field, with a free shuttle to boats in the water at Bell Harbor Marina (until 5 p.m.). Children age 17 and younger are free.
- Tuesday – 2 for 1 (special price online)
- Thursday– Dogs on Deck
Ballet: Sleeping Beauty
January 31 - Feb. 9, 2025
Seattle Center (1.2 miles NW)
The Sleeping Beauty is a “historically-informed re-imagining” of the classic fairy tale about a princess under a spell to sleep for 100 years until awakened by the kiss of a prince. It’s set in a a Pacific Northwest-inspired fairyland at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. in Seattle.
Fun basketball show
January 2025 (undated)
multiple locations
Harlem Globetrotters perform ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, and comedy bits in an entertaining show.
Gingerbread Village
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.2 miles SE)
See four displays made mostly of food with a “chocolate factory” theme at Gingerbread Village in Sheraton Grand Seattle, 1400 6th Ave. FREE
Sound of Music sing-along
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.2 miles SE)
A ticket to The Sound of Music film starring Julie Andrews includes a fun pack at the door, an entertaining fancy-dress competition and subtitles on screen so you can sing along at The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave. in Seattle.
Asian music
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.3 miles SW)
Celebrate Asia “honors Seattle’s Asian American community through exploring the rich musical traditions of Asian countries” at Benaroya Hall. Watch international entertainment in the lobby before (3 p.m.) and after the concert.
Cabaret set in 1890s Hungary
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.3 miles S)
Bohemia is a “macabre and mystical dream cabaret” that combines classical music, art nouveau, green fairies, aerial numbers, dance, burlesque, classical piano battles, comedy, and original songs at The Triple Door, 216 Union St. in Seattle. Must be age 17+, or age 21+ for the show at 8:45 p.m.
Chamber music
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.3 miles S)
Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Winter Festival at Nordstrom Recital Hall in Benaroya Hall has a free recital before each performance. Repeats in July.
Evening cabaret
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.3 miles SW)
Wonderland is a whimsical winter cabaret and burlesque show that promises “a glittering parade of nostalgia, exploding with dance, laughter, and all the cheer of yesteryear” at Can Can Culinary Cabaret, 95 Pine St. in Seattle for age 21+. Food and drinks for sale.
World explorer show
January 2025 (undated)
Downtown (0.3 miles SW)
National Geographic Live presents scientists, photographers, filmmakers, and adventurers live on stage with amazing photos and video at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St. in Seattle.
French Epiphany tasting
January 2025 (undated)
Belltown (0.5 miles NW)
La Galette des Rois features galettes accompanied by a French cider tasting and soft drinks in a room above the French bakery at Centennial Tower, 2515 4th Ave. in Seattle.
Comedy festival
January 2025 (undated)
Belltown (0.7 miles NW)
Wet City Comedy Fest features a dozen performers in three rooms of The Crocodile, 2505 1st Ave. in Seattle. Bring age 21+ ID.
Festival of short films
January 2025 (undated)
Capitol Hill (1.1 miles E)
Watch 95 minutes of short films selected from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival program, including “fiction, documentary, and animation from around the world” during Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour at Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave. in Seattle.
Hockey
January 2025 (undated)
Seattle Center (1.2 miles NW)
Watch Seattle Kraken play a home game on the ice at Climate Pledge Arena, 334 1st Ave. N in Seattle.
Acrobatic show + dinner
January 2025 (undated)
SoDo (2.8 miles S)
Up with a Twist is a fundraiser for the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA), which includes a dinner, a dessert buffet, two drink tickets, and a “flying trapeze, aerial, and circus show” at Emerald City Trapeze Arts, 2702 6th Ave. S in Seattle.
Scottish party
January 2025 (undated)
Fremont (3.5 miles N)
An ticket to Burns Night Whisky & Bagpiping Event includes a bagpipe band, the reading of poems by Robert Burns, Scottish appetizers, a whisky cocktail, and a flight of six single malt scotch whiskies at The Barrel Thief, 3417 Evanston Ave. N #102 in Seattle for age 21+.
Soup weekend
January 2025 (undated)
Fremont (3 miles N)
Walk to a dozen restaurants serving a variety of soups (gumbo, ramen, posole, chowder, chili, Jamaican curry) during Fremont Soupocalypse, which requires no ticket and offers a prize after you collect eight soup stamps. The restaurants include Fremont Mischief Distillery, 132 N Canal St. in Seattle.
U.W. basketball
January 2025 (undated)
University District (3.9 miles NE)
Watch the Washington Huskies play an exciting game in Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, 3870 Montlake Blvd. NE in Seattle.
Lights at Seattle zoo
January 2025 (undated)
Phinney Ridge (4.1 miles N)
WildLanterns features “large-scale animal and nature scape lanterns representing wild places from around the globe” including bugs, lions, pandas, parrots, and dragons, with snacks for sale and a performance in the entrance building at Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave. N in Seattle.
UW dance show
January 2025 (undated)
University District (4.6 miles NE)
UW Dance Presents “showcases original choreography by internationally recognized faculty and visiting artists” to live music in Meany Hall for the Performing Arts at 4040 George Washington Lane NE in Seattle.
MLK celebration
January 2025 (undated)
Riverview (6 miles S)
The annual Community Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. includes a breakfast, a social hour, a keynote speaker, live music, and a community conversation at South Seattle College, 6000 16th Ave. SW in Seattle. [Website says Jan. 4 is the last day to register for this event.] FREE
Lunar New Year — Redmond
January 2025 (undated)
Redmond (17 miles NE)
Celebrate the year of the dragon at Microsoft Asian Spring Festival Celebration, which has a family-friendly afternoon festival (games, gifts, food court, afternoon performance, and photo booth with traditional Chinese outfits) plus an evening gala performance at Overlake Christian Church, 9900 Willows Road NE in Redmond.
MLK celebration
January 2025 (undated)
Edmonds (17 miles N)
Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. includes two events at Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Ave. in Edmonds.
- 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., family event FREE
- 6 - 7:30 p.m., band, vocalist, speaker
Ice Racing
January 2025 (undated)
Everett (28 miles N)
Watch motorcycles go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds over a slippery ice surface at Xtreme International Ice Racing as drivers compete to earn points at Angel of the Winds Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave. in Everett.
Medieval fair
January 2025 (undated)
Monroe (33 miles NE)
Watch tournaments and competitions, try your hand at archery and thrown weapons during open hours, play games, and shop from artisans at the quirky Ursulmas Medieval Faire at Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE in Monroe. Public days are Sat. & Sun. Children age 12 and younger are free.
Monster trucks
January 2025 (undated)
Tacoma (33 miles S)
Big trucks with big wheels make big noise and excitement at Monster Jam in the Tacoma Dome, 2727 E D Street in Tacoma.
Model Train Festival
January 2025 (undated)
Tacoma (34 miles S)
Watch model trains run through detailed scenes of the Pacific Northwest, and see railroad-history exhibits at the Model Train Festival at Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. Free for children age 5 and younger. Closed Dec. 24 & 25.
Princess party
January 2025 (undated)
Tacoma (36 miles S)
Kids meet the Snow Sisters, eat “tea sandwiches and desserts,” make a snowflake magic wand, get crowned with a rhinestone tiara, sing, dance, and watch snow fall at the Winter Royal Ball at Tea and Tiaras Party Parlor, 1809 99th St. E in Tacoma. Costumes welcome.
Casino lights
January 2025 (undated)
Tulalip (36 miles N)
Tulalip Lights & Ice has 6 million lights on plants surrounding the casino entrance ponds and the Tulalip Amphitheater at 10400 34th Ave. NE in Tulalip. Ice skating and food for sale. FREE
Model trains - Puyallup
January 2025 (undated)
Puyallup (37 miles S)
The Great Train Show features model train layouts and hundreds of vendors at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Children age 2 and younger are free.
Reptile show
January 2025 (undated)
Puyallup (37 miles S)
See frogs, snakes, geckos, and other exotic creatures at the Pacific Northwest Reptile and Exotic Animal Show at Washington State Fair Events Center, 110 9th Ave. SW in Puyallup. Bring no pets. Held in January & July.
Brass band
January 2025 (undated)
Tacoma (38 miles SW)
The Sounds of Brass concert features “a 15-member brass and percussion ensemble” playing classical music in the auditorium at Tacoma Community College, 6501 S 19th St. in Tacoma. FREE
Drive through lights (south)
January 2025 (undated)
Spanaway (43 miles S)
Buy a ticket online, then drive two miles past “300 elaborate displays” of holiday lights while you hear holiday music on radio station 1700 AM at Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, 14905 Bresemann Blvd. S in Spanaway.
Taste of Eastern Washington
January 2025 (undated)
Chelan (172 miles E)
Your ticket to Taste of the Northwest includes six oysters plus 12 tasting tickets for wine, beer, and whiskey, with live music and food for sale at Campbell's Resort on Lake Chelan, 104 W Woodin Ave. in Chelan. Oprional dinner buffet included or $109.
Seattle attractions
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CityPass includes:- Seattle Aquarium
- Space Needle
- Argosy harbor cruise
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Pacific Science Center
- Museum of Pop Culture
- Woodland Park Zoo