Snowflake Lane is a nightly, 20-minute long holiday parade that’s presented by Bellevue Collection. This year, it runs from the end of November until Christmas Eve. The roads between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square get closed down each night for the parade.
Our family stayed at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, which is across the street from Bellevue Square. We loved being within walking distance from the parade.
The first night of Snowflake Lane is extra-special to celebrate Santa’s arrival in Bellevue. There is a tree-lighting ceremony after the parade, and parade-goers can enjoy hot cocoa and cookies while they watch Bellevue Square’s tree light up. Bellevue was awarded Huffington Post’s Most Festive Town in America, and I can see why — they truly go all-out for the holiday season.
There are 16 floats and over 300 cast members in the parade each night. Some of the kids’ favourite performances were the Toy Drummers, Jingle Belle dancers, the big holiday bear, and the princesses. Santa and Mrs. Claus also made an appearance!
Five highlights of Snowflake Lane: Downtown Bellevue’s Holiday Parade
- There is snow that falls during the parade each night; when it started falling partway through the parade, Sophie started yelling, “Look, Mom, it’s snowing!” It was so magical, and it really made it feel like Christmas.
- The parade is all within a few blocks, so the performers go in one big loop; you’re able to see almost the whole parade from pretty much anywhere.
- Both the parade and the parking are free!
- At the beginning of the parade, stilt-walkers went around handing out lollipops to kids who were waiting to see the show. Our kids jaws were dropped at how tall they were and were beyond excited to get a treat!
- Bellevue Square is the perfect place to go — before or after the parade — for food, drinks, or to finish off your Christmas shopping! We may have spent most of our day there, then continued to check out a few more stores after the parade ended.
[…] Snowflake Lane: Bellevue Collection puts on this nightly parade each year between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square. It runs from the end of November until Christmas Eve, and features 16 floats, hundreds of performers, and fake falling snow. Don’t miss this magical parade: you can see Santa and Mrs. Claus, Toy Drummers, Jingle Belle Dancers, a bear, princesses, stilt walkers, and more! Read more about our visit to Snowflake Lane click here. […]