Bellevue's Holiday Season Opens in Stages, and the Cheapest Nights Come First

"For many families and friends, a visit to the rink is part of what makes the holidays feel like the holidays," Bellevue Downtown Association president and CEO Patrick Bannon told Downtown Bellevue Network in late October.

The rink opens Friday, Nov. 13. That's eight days earlier than last season's Nov. 21 opening. Bellevue's other holiday events start over the next three weeks, and their schedules and prices all point the same way. The best deals and the lightest crowds come between mid-November and mid-December. After Dec. 14 the discounts stop until January, and on Dec. 18 the rink switches to its highest price.

The window, week by week

Here's how the season lines up for 2026, with each event's cheapest option.

The first week of December is the busiest stretch of the table. From Nov. 30 to Dec. 10, every Monday through Thursday has either a $12 skate or a $5 garden night, and both Mondays have both. Snowflake Lane runs every night of that stretch.

The rink: Mondays cost half of winter break

The Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink is in its 29th season. It sits one block south of Bellevue Square at NE 1st Street and 100th Avenue NE, near Inspiration Playground. The rink is fully covered, with more than 9,000 square feet of real ice, and it draws more than 45,000 skaters a year. It's open every day through Jan. 18, 2027, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

New this year, Cheapskate Mondays cost $12, with skate rental included. Every ticket includes skate rental, so the posted prices are the full cost:

• Cheapskate Mondays, Nov. 16 to Dec. 14 and Jan. 4 to 11: $12
• Monday through Thursday, Nov. 13 to Dec. 17 and Jan. 4 to 18, except Nov. 25, Nov. 26 and Jan. 18: $16
• Friday through Sunday, plus Nov. 25, Nov. 26 and Jan. 18: $22
• Winter break, Dec. 18 to Jan. 3: $24

For four skaters, that's $48 on a Cheapskate Monday and $96 during winter break. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is billed at the $22 weekend rate, so the last regular weekday price before the holiday is Tuesday, Nov. 24. A $189 season pass skips reservations and works any time during public hours. Passes can't be transferred or refunded. Walk-up admission is limited, and the BDA recommends buying tickets ahead.

Each ticket covers a 75-minute skate. Non-skaters get in free, so a parent who would rather hold the cocoa doesn't need a ticket. Tickets can be moved to another date at the same price if space is available. The rink is a 12-minute walk from the 2 Line's Downtown Bellevue Station, and the BellHop and the Visit Bellevue Light Rail Shuttle also stop nearby.

Snowflake Lane is free, and early weeknights are less crowded

Snowflake Lane runs nightly at 7 p.m. from Nov. 27 through Dec. 24 on Bellevue Way, between NE 4th and NE 8th streets. Admission is free, so the only cost is time. Bellevue Collection recommends coming early in the season and on Monday through Thursday nights, when it's least crowded. On Fridays through Sundays, it suggests arriving at least an hour before showtime and allowing extra time to park.

The viewing rules on the Lincoln Square side are changing this year. Here's how each side of the street works once Bellevue Way closes:

• Lincoln Square, east side: Blue cones go out on the street. When the building lights turn blue, viewers can step off the sidewalk up to the cone line, and the first row can sit on the ground.
• Bellevue Square, west side: The building lights turn red, and everyone stays on the sidewalk for the whole show. No standing in the street.
• Before the closure: Everyone stays on the sidewalk on both sides.

Parking is free at Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place. The organizers recommend Bellevue Place, under the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, which you enter from NE 10th Street. They also advise leaving large wagons and strollers at home.

The rink and Snowflake Lane are a block apart, so a Cheapskate Monday skate before the 7 p.m. show fits in one evening. Monday, Nov. 30 and Monday, Dec. 7 are both early-season weeknights with $12 skating.

Garden d'Lights: $5 nights end Dec. 10, and the season now runs into January

Garden d'Lights is in its 32nd year, with more than half a million lights in the shapes of plants, birds, animals and waterfalls across the Bellevue Botanical Garden at 12001 Main St. It runs Nov. 28, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027, including Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It's closed Christmas Day. Last year's run ended Dec. 31, according to the City of Bellevue's 2025 announcement.

The discount follows the same calendar as the rink:

1. $5 nights, Monday through Thursday, Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 and Dec. 7 to 10. Last entry is 8 p.m., and the lights go out at 8:30.
2. $10 nights cover every other date. Last entry is 9 p.m., and the lights go out at 9:30.
3. Kids 10 and under are always free.

For two adults, a $5 night costs $10 in tickets instead of $20. Tuesday, Dec. 8 is a sensory-friendly night during the $5 stretch. All the lights are on, but there's no live music and attendance is capped at 200 guests per half-hour, half the usual capacity. Tickets are still required.

Every ticket is sold online for a specific date and a half-hour entry window. The garden asks visitors not to arrive before or after their window. You can reschedule through the link in your confirmation email, but tickets aren't refundable unless the garden cancels the event.

Parking costs a little extra. The garden's own lot is $5 per car, first come, first served, and often fills. Cars with a disability parking permit park free. Free parking is also available at Wilburton Hill Park, a quarter mile east on the south side of Main Street. The garden also recommends the BellHop, Bellevue's free electric on-demand shuttle, which you book through the Ride Circuit app. The music schedule and scavenger hunt map go up on the garden's site in mid-November.

The new January dates help people who miss the $5 window. Jan. 2 and 3 fall after the rush of the holidays and still cost $10.

What fills the days between ticketed nights

Several events without timed tickets fill this stretch:

Nov. 21, Bellevue Farmers Market Holiday Market. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, 1717 Bellevue Way NE. There's free parking on site, and bus 270 stops a block away. It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, nearly a week ahead of Snowflake Lane's opening night.

Nov. 27, Bellevue Place Wintergarden tree lighting. After the opening-night parade, Santa counts down to lighting a 30-foot tree. There will also be photos with Santa and characters, music, cookies and cocoa. From the same night through Dec. 24, families can take photos with Santa inside the Snowflake Lane Factory on the second level of Bellevue Square's Center Court. Reservations are required.

Dec. 1 to 4 and Dec. 7 to 11, school concerts. Local school choirs and orchestras perform holiday music in Bellevue Square's Center Court. These dates overlap with the $5 garden nights and the rink's Monday deal.

Dec. 3 to 24, Season of Celebrations. A 20-foot immersive screen in Bellevue Square's Center Court shows how people around the world celebrate.

Dec. 5, Kelsey Creek Farm Holiday Barn Lighting. It runs 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 410 130th Pl. SE. Parking, admission and many activities are free, and some activities are sold on site. It's a Saturday, two nights before the second round of $5 garden nights and the Dec. 7 Cheapskate Monday.

If you use all of these, an early December week in Bellevue could include a $12 skate and Snowflake Lane on Monday, a $5 Garden d'Lights night on Tuesday or Wednesday, a school concert at Center Court, and the barn lighting on Saturday. None of it requires winter-break prices. From Dec. 18 to Jan. 3, the rink alone costs twice its Monday rate, and Cheapskate Mondays don't return until Jan. 4.

If you're planning December around family visits or a move, Y Yang can help you sort out the rest of the calendar. Call or email for a free local market consultation.