Woodinville's first holiday trees light up on the evening of Black Friday, in The SOMM's lobby at 5 p.m. and in the Harvest Yard at 6. The City's tree at DeYoung Park follows eight days later, at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. The first evening is in the newly finished district across from the wineries and The SOMM. The second is downtown, where Winterfest has always been held. Between them sit four weekends of winery markets, a car parade and a cookie class at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Taken together, they make Woodinville's holidays a month-long season.
The Harvest Yard's First December
The Harvest Yard is new. Its developer announced on October 5 that the project was complete, with 100,000 square feet of tasting rooms, restaurants, shops and offices built over 652 underground parking spaces. The space was nearly 90% leased, and businesses would open in stages through the fall and into 2027. The Yard is at 14482 147th Place NE, beside The SOMM Hotel & Spa, which celebrated its first anniversary this fall.
This means 2026 is the first holiday season the Yard is open for business, and The SOMM has set up its evening around that. According to The SOMM's events page, the hotel's second annual tree lighting runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 27, in its lobby. Hot chocolate, warm cider, cookies and carolers are on the schedule, and a young guest lights the lobby tree at 5 p.m. A second lighting follows in the Harvest Yard at 6 p.m. Both are free, with no RSVP required. The hotel says more than 20 retail tenants are open for holiday shopping that night. It suggests dinner at Bin 47 or The Shed afterward and encourages reservations on OpenTable.
The 6 p.m. lighting comes the night before the Warehouse District's biggest holiday market of the year. That timing makes Thanksgiving weekend the busiest stretch on the Woodinville calendar this year.
What Is Open Around the Tree
Brass Steak & Seafood is the Yard's first big dinner room. It held its ribbon cutting on October 23 and opened the next day, the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce reported. The Chamber also covered October 9 ribbon cuttings for Avennia's new tasting room and for Houseguest.
As of early November, these other Yard businesses were open:
- Bong Bóng Bar, one of the first restaurants on the Yard's opening schedule
- Grosgrain, Gård Estate Wines and Cascade Cliffs, all tasting rooms
- Elk Haven, which held its grand opening on October 24
- J.P. Trodden, pouring its hand-crafted bourbon
- House Balthazar, serving champagne and macarons, open since October 23
- Elm Candle Bar, where visitors pour their own candles, and Bumble & Bee, a children's clothing shop
Several of these shops also suit the gift list. Woodinville Wine Country's Thanksgiving in Woodinville guide for 2026 recommends Houseguest and Elm Candle Bar for holiday shopping at Harvest.
More of the Yard is still on the way. The October release listed Visible Coffee, Edit, Matcha Magic and Honor Pilates for late 2026, along with tasting rooms from Lachini Vineyards and Matthews Winery. Sugo Hand-Rolled Sushi and Walla Walla Vintners now have early 2027 target dates. Cactus, The Crawlspace Gastropub and a new restaurant from chef Hari Nayak are also scheduled for 2027. The Yard will keep changing through this December and next year. Each of these openings is a reason to come back after November 27.
December 5 Brings the Season Downtown
Eight days after the Yard's lighting, the City's Winterfest moves the season back to the center of town. This year it falls on Saturday, December 5, one day earlier than its December 6 date in 2025.
The morning starts with the Winterfest 5K at Wilmot Gateway Park, which begins at 9:30 a.m. this year, an hour later than last year's 8:30 a.m. start.
The Holiday Fair and Tree Lighting runs from 3 to 6 p.m. at DeYoung Park, and the tree is lit at 5:30. The park program includes pictures with Santa, wreath-making, ornament-making, holiday treats and performances by local schools. The Woodinville Chamber's booth hosts a toy drive for the Forgotten Children's Fund.
Winterfest also spreads beyond the park, with each spot keeping its own hours:
- The Schoolhouse District has a Holiday Breakfast with registration through the Seattle YMCA, s'mores around fire pits, a Farmers Market from 1 to 5 p.m., a Winter Wonderland from 2 to 4 p.m., and a Candy Cane Hunt at 6:30 p.m., after the tree is lit.
- Woodin Creek Village offers horse and carriage rides, a petting zoo and face painting from 1 to 6 p.m.
Families can fill the whole afternoon. A practical order is Woodin Creek Village in the early afternoon, DeYoung Park for the 5:30 lighting, and the candy cane hunt to finish the evening.
The Weekends in Between Belong to the Wineries
The two opening nights mark the start of the season, and the winery markets fill the weekends around them. Every weekend from now through mid-December has at least one.
The first comes on Saturday, November 21. Wine Alley's Holiday Sip & Shop runs from noon to 5 p.m. at 13590 NE Village Square Drive, and neighboring wineries are joining in this year to widen the vendor lineup.
The largest market follows the Yard's lighting. The Warehouse District Holiday Sip & Shop runs Saturday and Sunday, November 28 and 29, from noon to 6 p.m., based at Patterson Cellars, 19495 144th Avenue NE. Organizers list more than 20 wineries, more than 50 vendors and free parking.
The day after Winterfest, Sparkman Cellars holds its free Winter Market on Sunday, December 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at 14300 NE 145th Street, Suite 102. Vendors, food and music are planned, along with a donation appeal for the Maltby Food Bank.
December 13 has events in the afternoon and the evening. Chateau Ste. Michelle's Holiday Cookie Decorating Class runs from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Chateau Ste. Michelle Theater. Admission is $65 and includes a glass of wine or a nonalcoholic drink. That evening brings the Winterfest Car Parade & Festival, one day earlier than last year's December 14 date. The parade starts at 6 p.m., travels through Woodin Creek Village and down 175th Street to TRF, and the festival runs there from 6 to 8 p.m.
The Season, Weekend by Weekend
| Weekend | Day | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 21 | Saturday | Wine Alley Holiday Sip & Shop | Noon–5 p.m. | 13590 NE Village Square Drive |
| Nov. 27–29 | Friday | SOMM lobby lighting, then Harvest Yard tree | 4–5:30 p.m.; Yard at 6 p.m. | The SOMM and the Harvest Yard |
| Nov. 27–29 | Sat.–Sun. | Warehouse District Holiday Sip & Shop | Noon–6 p.m. | Patterson Cellars, 19495 144th Ave NE |
| Dec. 5–6 | Saturday | Winterfest 5K | 9:30 a.m. | Wilmot Gateway Park |
| Dec. 5–6 | Saturday | Holiday Fair and Tree Lighting | 3–6 p.m.; tree at 5:30 | DeYoung Park |
| Dec. 5–6 | Sunday | Sparkman Cellars Winter Market | Noon–5 p.m. | 14300 NE 145th Street, Suite 102 |
| Dec. 13 | Sunday | Holiday Cookie Decorating Class | 1–4 p.m. | Chateau Ste. Michelle Theater |
| Dec. 13 | Sunday | Winterfest Car Parade & Festival | 6 p.m. parade; festival 6–8 p.m. | Woodin Creek Village to TRF |
If you are hosting family on Thanksgiving weekend, the table shows a full Friday and Saturday without leaving Woodinville. Start with the Yard's 6 p.m. lighting and dinner nearby on Friday, then spend Saturday afternoon at the Warehouse District market. The following weekend works the same way: the downtown fair and tree lighting on Saturday, and Sparkman's market on Sunday.
Over 32 years in Eastside real estate, I have watched developments like the Harvest Yard reshape how a town spends its evenings, and this December is the Yard's first. If you have questions about Woodinville this season, whether about the new district or the streets around it, the team at Maureen Rammell is glad to talk it through over coffee or a glass of something local. Let's Connect.
