Twinkling lights and festive decorations are already transforming downtown Bellevue into a winter wonderland.

Eastside residents can enjoy family-friendly holiday events downtown during Bellevue’s “Magic Season,” now through early January. Some of the highlights are:

  • Performances at The Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, including “The Elves & the Shoemaker” from Village Theatre and “The Nutcracker” from the International Ballet Theatre, through Dec. 30
  • Garden d’Lights, a dazzling light display, at Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Nov. 30-Jan. 4; tickets cost $5 per person, children 10 and under are free
  • Ice skating at Chaplin’s Bellevue Volkswagen Ice Arena, located at Bellevue Downtown Park, Nov. 29-Jan. 12
  • Argosy Cruises‘ Christmas Ship Festival & Beach Bonfire, with stops at Newcastle Beach Park, Meydenbauer Beach Park, and Meydenbauer Bay, Nov. 29-Dec. 23
  • The Bellevue Collection’s Snowflake Lane & Celebration Lane, featuring live Toy Drummers, Jingle Belle dancers, and whimsical snow at 7 p.m. nightly from Nov. 29-Dec. 31 along Bellevue Way, between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square
  • KidsQuest Children’s Museum’s Gingerbread Lane, with workshops for young bakers at the museum and gingerbread creations on display at the Hilton Hotel Bellevue, Dec. 1-16
  • The Bellevue Art Museum‘s latest exhibit, “A World of Paper, a World of Fashion: Isabelle de Borchgrave meets Mariano Fortuny,” through Feb. 16

Readers, what’s your favorite way to celebrate the holidays in downtown Bellevue? Sound off in the comments section below.

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