If your December routine includes one long Saturday at Waterfront Place, you'll need two Saturdays this year. The Port of Everett is holding its 19th annual Holiday on the Bay on Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 6 p.m. at Pacific Rim Plaza, and it won't include a holiday market. The note on the Port's Holiday on the Bay page says so directly:
"After much consideration, we have decided not to host a holiday market at this event. Hotel Indigo hosts a holiday market the weekend of Thanksgiving and can be contacted for more information regarding becoming a vendor or attending the event."
So the shopping happens Thanksgiving weekend, and the tree lighting, Santa and boats come a week later. The rest of the season fits around those two Saturdays. Some of it is already on the calendar, and some of it the Port hasn't announced yet.
The Shopping Saturday Is November 28
Hotel Indigo's event is called the Holiday Craft Bazaar. It runs Saturday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hotel Indigo Seattle Everett Waterfront, 1028 13th Street, the same building that anchors Pacific Rim Plaza. Admission is free. The Eventbrite listing advertises local vendors and artisans but doesn't name them yet. Booths are $125, plus $25 if you need power, which is useful to know if you make things and missed out on a table at the Port's event in past years.
The bazaar closes at 3 p.m., earlier than you might expect. That makes it a morning-and-lunch outing. It also lands two days after Thanksgiving, so it can share a weekend with the hotel's other holiday draw. Jetty Bar & Grille is serving a Thanksgiving Buffet on the Waterfront on Thursday, Nov. 26, from noon to 9 p.m. Prices are $85 for adults, $25 for children 12 and under, and free for kids 3 and under. Those prices include tax, gratuity, fees, soft drinks, coffee and iced tea. Hotel Indigo's events page encourages reservations and asks parties of eight or more to call.
You'll find the winter lights already up by that weekend. The Port's display of crashing waves, leaping salmon and a "Frozen Fountain" tree goes up at Pacific Rim Plaza, near Hotel Indigo, and along the esplanade in mid-November and stays through Feb. 15, 2027. If you come for the bazaar and stay until dark, you'll see the lights a week before the official tree lighting.
December 5 Is Now Built Around Kids and Boats
Without vendor tables, Holiday on the Bay is a family program that builds to one evening sequence. The Port lists free crafts, face painting, balloon creations, touch-a-truck, s'mores at fire pits and character meet-and-greets through the afternoon. Then come the tree lighting, Santa arriving by boat and a lighted boat parade. The Marine Toys for Tots drop-off is back too, so bring an unwrapped toy. Food vendors will be there, and the Port says select waterfront restaurants will run holiday specials. The full lineup is still listed as "check back soon."
The schedule's back half is the reason to show up late. With the market gone, the strongest part of the day comes at the end, when the boats come in.
The next morning is the third annual Holiday on the Bay 5K, on Sunday, Dec. 6, starting at 9 a.m. sharp. The Port produces it with Snohomish Running Company on a flat route with views of the marina, Port Gardner Bay and the Olympics. Runners are asked to wear blue and white winter-themed outfits. If you go to the parade Saturday night, you'll be back at Waterfront Place about 15 hours later.
Confirmed Dates, Then the Ones Still Pending
Here's the season in order, counting from this week. Haunted Harbor is tomorrow.
- Friday, Oct. 23, 4 to 7 p.m.: Haunted Harbor at Pacific Rim Plaza. It's the Port's third annual edition and it's free, rain or shine. Dockside "Troll or Treat" runs 4 to 6 p.m., and the Witches Paddle runs 4 to 5:30 p.m.
- Through Oct. 31: Yachtober Fest Drink Bingo at participating Waterfront Place restaurants. Completed cards are due Nov. 10.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Downtown Trick-or-Treating, run by the Downtown Everett Association. The association says a digital map is still to come.
- Mid-November through Feb. 15, 2027: Winter lighting displays at Pacific Rim Plaza and along the esplanade.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving Buffet at Jetty Bar & Grille.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Holiday Craft Bazaar at Hotel Indigo.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday on the Bay.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Holiday on the Bay 5K.
Several waterfront traditions aren't on that list yet. Their status as of this week:
| Event | What the Port has posted | What it means for planning |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Hooves reindeer | The page says it's "back for a third season from December 13-24" but also mentions "select days in November and December" | No day-by-day schedule yet. In 2025 the reindeer came Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 14 through 23 |
| Sip & Sleigh Drink Bingo | "Check back soon" for 2026 details | Last year it ran Dec. 1 through 31 |
| Ice rink | This year's winter lineup doesn't include one | The last Pacific Ice season the Port announced ran Nov. 25, 2023, through Jan. 8, 2024 |
| Free waterfront shuttle | Winter schedule "will be announced at a later date" | Summer service ran Thursday through Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. |
Last year's dates show the usual pattern, not this year's promises. The 2025 reindeer visits included the Thanksgiving weekend Saturday. If the Port repeats that, Nov. 28 could include the bazaar and the reindeer, but no one has announced it.
Where to Spend the Bingo Card
Last December, 12 waterfront businesses took part in Sip & Sleigh: Anthony's HomePort, Anthony's Woodfire Grill, Bluewater Organic Distilling, Fisherman Jack's, Jetty Bar & Grille, Lombardi's, The Muse, Scuttlebutt, Seas the Day Café, Sound 2 Summit Brewery, South Fork Baking Co. and Wood's Coffee. All 12 are still in the Port's waterfront restaurant directory, but the 2026 participant list hasn't been posted. For the two big Saturdays, that directory gives you options before the event, between activities and after the boat parade. Seas the Day Café, South Fork Baking Co. and Wood's Coffee cover a morning bazaar. Lombardi's, Anthony's HomePort and Scuttlebutt cover dinner after the lights.
The Yachtober Fest card you pick up this month is a good test run. It works the same way, with stamps from participating Waterfront Place restaurants, and the Port says Sip & Sleigh's winter version will feature drinks from peppermint mochas to hot toddies.
Getting Down the Hill
For north Everett, the quickest walking route to all of this is the Grand Avenue Park Bridge. Its elevator was out from July until Oct. 9, when the city reopened it after temporary repairs, according to The Everett Herald. The Herald also reported that permanent repairs are set to start later this year and will close the elevator again. City officials hadn't said when the closure would start, though they don't expect it to last very long.
That matters most for strollers, wheelchairs and wagons full of craft-bazaar purchases. The $20 million bridge opened in 2020 to connect north Everett to the marina on foot. When its elevator is down, the nearest accessible route to Marine View Drive is across 25th Street, almost a mile away. If the permanent repair overlaps Nov. 28 or Dec. 5, that mile changes the plan. Check the city's update before you walk down.
The Port's free shuttle is the other unknown. It added the "Trawley," a covered trolley-style electric vehicle, alongside three electric golf carts this year, The Herald reported in September. The Port has said it hopes to run the shuttle year-round in 2026 but hasn't posted cold-weather hours.
The Arena Calendar Runs Alongside
Downtown's other big venue is busy in the weeks between the waterfront events. Angel of the Winds Arena has EnduroCross the night after Haunted Harbor on Oct. 24, Disney On Ice from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, Everett Silvertips home games Nov. 6 and 8, Skate America Nov. 13 through 15, and the Silvertips against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Nov. 21. None of those land on Nov. 28 or Dec. 5, so this year's two waterfront Saturdays don't overlap with arena events. The arena's event calendar is live and can change, so check it again before you go.
If you live close enough to walk to the marina for the boat parade, you've probably wondered what that location adds to your home's value. The Erickson Group can tell you with a free home valuation built on north Everett sales, not countywide averages. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
