The Leavenworth Christmas lights are on every night from Thanksgiving through the end of February, and the Christmastown events run from 27 November to 24 December 2026. The lights are free. The hard parts are parking on a December weekend and the drive over Stevens Pass from Seattle. We read the city and Chamber pages and Amtrak's timetable on 14 October 2026.
The dates for 2026
Hours: Christmastown festivities: 27 November to 24 December 2026. Lights on every day from Thanksgiving through the end of February, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, Christmastown page at leavenworth.org, read 14 Oct 2026)
Hours: Festhalle, 1001 Front Street: Sunday to Thursday noon to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 6 p.m. Gazebo music, 800 Front Street: Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 4 to 8 p.m. (same page)
Note: Santa stays through 24 December. On Saturdays and Sundays he arrives at the gazebo at noon. The gingerbread exhibit stays up until 24 December. On Christmas Eve the Festhalle closes at 3 p.m. and gazebo music ends at 4 p.m. The page says the schedule can change without notice because of weather (same page)
The Chamber's December FAQ page says it stopped "flipping the switch" at a set time on weekends because the crowds got too big. So you will not find a fixed lighting time on the official pages. Some older posts and guides still describe a lighting ceremony. We found none for 2026 on the Chamber's pages.
The page lists a few ticketed shows in the Festhalle. Tickets are sold at the door.
| Show | Date and time | Price on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Movie: Elf | Saturday 28 November, 7:00 p.m. | $8 |
| Merry Christmas From Leavenworth concert | Saturday 5 December, 7:00 p.m. | $5 |
| The Jewel Tones Motown Christmas Show | Saturday 12 December, 8:00 p.m. | $15 |
| Manuela Horn and Her Slay Belles | Sunday 20 December and Tuesday 22 December, 5:00 p.m. | $15, children 12 and under $5 |
Babies in arms are free at each show, says the page. It says the Jewel Tones show is best for ages 6 and up.
Parking: weekends fill, so go midweek or take the shuttle
Note: The Chamber's December FAQ says weekends tend to fill fast and midweek makes parking easier. It says traffic teams work on Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. It says December is very busy (Leavenworth Chamber, December FAQs page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Address: City pay lots on Front Street include Aasgard at 1000 Front Street with 77 stalls, Blewett at 1000 Front Street with 91 stalls, and Colchuck at 1001 Front Street next to the Festhalle with 34 stalls. They are open 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. The page lists the prices as "check the pay kiosks" and gives no rate, so the price is not confirmed (Leavenworth Chamber, parking page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: No parking on city streets from 15 November to 15 March between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., whatever the weather. Violators may be ticketed or towed. Overnight parking is not allowed in the pay lots either (same page)
If you sleep in town, ask your hotel where your car goes. The parking page says city street parking is off limits overnight. We did not check any hotel's parking.
The easier plan is the park and ride. The parking page lists the Willkommen Park and Ride behind Safeway as free, with no pay station, and says it has no overnight parking. The December FAQ page says you can park there and take a free shuttle to town from about 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. The parking page lists the local shuttle as Route 32, running about every 30 minutes from the park and ride through town to Icicle Road, and says festival schedules may apply on some weekends. Dial-a-ride (DART) runs inside Leavenworth as far as Sleeping Lady Resort, with same day reservations open to everyone.
Link Transit Route 22 between Leavenworth and Wenatchee is fare free, seven days a week, says the parking page. Its Saturday and Sunday service is 12 round trips. That is useful if you fly into Wenatchee. The Getting Here page puts Pangborn Airport in East Wenatchee 30 miles and 30 minutes from Leavenworth.
From Seattle by train: you must stay the night
Getting there: Amtrak Empire Builder, Seattle King Street to Leavenworth Icicle Station: train 8 leaves Seattle 4:55 p.m., Edmonds 5:27 p.m., Everett 5:55 p.m. and is listed at Leavenworth at 8:17 p.m. and Wenatchee at 8:57 p.m. Daily (Amtrak Empire Builder timetable PDF, downloaded 14 Oct 2026)
Getting there: Leavenworth to Seattle: train 7 is listed at Leavenworth at 7:18 a.m., Everett 10:03 a.m., Edmonds 10:35 a.m. and Seattle 11:29 a.m. Daily (same timetable)
Address: Icicle Station, 11645 North Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826 (Amtrak station page, read 14 Oct 2026). The Amtrak page lists no hours or services. The Chamber's Getting Here page says the station is unstaffed and has no ticket machine, and that a local shuttle meets it. Call Leavenworth Shuttle at 877-868-7720 or 509-548-7433 (Leavenworth Chamber, Getting Here page, read 14 Oct 2026)
Train 8 gets you in at 8:17 p.m., and the next train out is at 7:18 the next morning, so you need at least one night in town. The late arrival still leaves time for the lights, which are on until 11 p.m. We did not find a distance or a ride time from Icicle Station to the village. The station address is on North Road, so plan on the shuttle and book it ahead. Our guide to the whole train, with the sleeper and coach options, is linked above.
Amtrak's fares depend on the day, and the page shows none without a date. We list no fare here. The Empire Builder is also often late. Amtrak's on-time page, which our train guide reports, lists 55 percent on time for 2024. Do not book a tight connection.
From Seattle by bus
Getting there: Amtrak Thruway bus 8848, Tacoma to Spokane, daily: Seattle King Street 8:50 a.m., Everett 10:10 a.m., Stevens Pass 11:30 a.m., Leavenworth Bus Stop 12:10 p.m., Wenatchee 1:20 p.m. Operated by Northwestern Trailways (Amtrak Empire Builder timetable PDF, downloaded 14 Oct 2026)
Getting there: Thruway bus 8809, Spokane to Tacoma, daily: Leavenworth Bus Stop 2:55 p.m., Stevens Pass 3:35 p.m., Everett 5:20 p.m., Seattle King Street 6:35 p.m. (same timetable)
The bus is the only way we found to go from Seattle to Leavenworth in the daytime without driving. The Getting Here page also names Northwestern Stage Lines for daily bus service, with the phone number 1-800-366-3830 and no times. The only westbound bus in Amtrak's timetable leaves Leavenworth at 2:55 p.m., so a day trip to see lights after dark does not work by bus either. We did not confirm the fare, where in town the bus stop is, or whether the schedule changes in December. Ask Amtrak.com when you price it.
Driving from Seattle over Stevens Pass
Note: The Leavenworth Chamber's Getting Here page lists Sea-Tac at 130 miles and 2 hours from Leavenworth. It says that in winter the roads are kept clear, but you should check the road reports. The Chamber's travel advisories page says Stevens Pass on US-2 is at 4,061 feet and closes for avalanche control in winter, and that traction tire and chain rules can appear with little notice between November and April (Leavenworth Chamber, read 14 Oct 2026)
WSDOT's winter driving guide, a PDF we read on 14 October 2026, explains the signs on the pass.
| Sign | What it means |
|---|---|
| Traction Tires Required | All passenger vehicles need approved traction tires. Vehicles over 10,000 pounds, including large trucks, SUVs and RVs, need chains. |
| Tire Chains Required | All vehicles need chains. Four wheel and all wheel drive vehicles under 10,000 pounds are exempt only with all wheels engaged and approved traction tires, and they must still carry chains. Fine for breaking the rule: $500. |
| Chains Required On All Vehicles | In extreme weather, every vehicle must install chains, even four wheel and all wheel drive. |
The guide says approved traction tires have at least an eighth of an inch of tread and an M+S, All Season or mountain and snowflake mark. Studded tires do not meet a chain requirement. Studded tires are legal in Washington only from 1 November to 31 March. WSDOT advises carrying chains in winter conditions. We could not read WSDOT's live pass page, because it did not load for us. Look at it on the morning you go.
Tumwater Canyon is the stretch of US-2 just west of Leavenworth, on the way down from Stevens Pass. The Chamber's travel advisories page lists rockfall and winter closures on US-2, and says there is no cell service for much of the canyon. Last winter, flood damage closed US-2 in Tumwater Canyon (mileposts 90 to 99) from 11 December 2025 until about 10 February 2026, says a Washington State Standard report dated 11 February 2026. WSDOT said more repair work was planned, which may mean more closures. Check WSDOT before you go. Download an offline map before you leave.
What we checked and what can change
Read on 14 October 2026: the Washington State Standard's report on the US-2 reopening (11 February 2026), the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce's Christmastown, parking, December FAQ, Getting Here and travel advisories pages on leavenworth.org (the city's own site did not load for us), Amtrak's Icicle Station page and Empire Builder page, Amtrak's Empire Builder timetable PDF, and WSDOT's winter driving guide.
Not confirmed: any 2026 tree lighting. The December FAQ page says Krampus figures may be in town on 27 and 28 November "this year", and that they are not part of the Chamber's planned festivities. Also not confirmed: parking prices, Christmas Day hours, bus fares and the Leavenworth bus stop location, the distance from Icicle Station to the village, the drive time from downtown Seattle, today's conditions on Stevens Pass, and hotel rates or parking. The Christmastown page says the schedule can change without notice. Amtrak's timetable and the shuttle hours can change too. Ask before you book a fixed plan.
