Best Holiday Light Displays Around Seattle, the Eastside and South Sound

Seattle Center Luminata: Seattle Center plans to again light its campus with holiday lights for community enjoyment during Winterfest 2022.

Candy Cane Lane, Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood: An old-school neighborhood light display, Candy Cane Lane lights up Northeast Park Road off of 20th Avenue Northeast and Ravenna Boulevard. Crowds form every year to view these homes that residents have been decorating since the 1940s. Drive through, or park and walk to avoid a wait. It’s typically open from early December to Dec. 31. Free. Find it: Northeast Ravenna Boulevard and 21st Avenue Northeast, Seattle.

The Very Merry Christmas House, Kent: It’s cool when someone goes completely over the top for something and we all get to enjoy it. The Very Merry Christmas House is just such an over-the-top display. Word is, it’s got a light show synchronized to music. Fantastic. Find it: 30211 176th Ave. S.E., Kent.

Olympic Manor, just north of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood: Midcentury architecture and lots of holiday spirit draw huge crowds to the annual holiday light display in Olympic Manor, a neighborhood of gently curving streets in northwest Seattle. Drive carefully — cars are creeping along and drivers are looking at the same time as driving — better to park and walk through the neighborhood. Find it: Entrance at Northwest 85th Street and 23rd Avenue Northwest, Seattle.

Kerry Park Viewpoint, Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill neighborhood: A driving tour through the picturesque, historic homes of the Queen Anne neighborhood is always a treat, but it is particularly striking when the holiday lights are on display. Residents put on some spectacularly sparkly shows. Top it off with a stop at the Kerry Park Viewpoint for a panoramic view of the neighborhood, along with a glimpse of the Christmas tree topping our beloved Space Needle. Find it: 211 W. Highland Dr., Seattle.

Evergreen Church light show, Bothell: Now a Bothell tradition, the annual light show at this community church is back and showing nightly from Dec. 3–24, 6–9 p.m.

Timberline neighborhood, Sammamish: Another neighborhood that gets a lot of buzz each year is Timberline in Sammamish. Residents deck out their homes in light displays, and past years have included a Grinch House and the Polar Express Station. Find it: Northeast 42nd Street and 204th Avenue Northeast, Sammamish.

Editor’s note: Elisa Murray contributed to this article, which was originally published many years ago and is updated every year, most recently for 2022.