There are plenty of reasons to be joyful this time of year from reunions with loved ones to time off of work to feasting on your favorite meals. With the holidays right around the corner, there’s a lot to look forward to.
If you live in a Bellevue apartment, the Bellevue Magic Season is just one more thing. Here are some family-friendly holiday events and festivities you can partake in throughout the beautiful city of Bellevue between now and January 11, 2015.
Enchanted Holidays at the Bravern
The ever-elegant Shops at the Bravern are decorated to give the venue an especially enchanting feel during Bellevue Magic Season. Great specials and exclusive in-store experiences, such as scarf-tying demonstrations and complimentary chair massages, enhance the holiday gift shopping experience at the numerous luxury retail stores and restaurants.
Photos with Santa can be snapped Wednesday through Sunday from now until December 24, 2014. Little Bookworms Story Time, an interactive reading experience, will be held in partnership with Seattle Nanny Network and Trophy Cupcakes on December 5, 12, and 19.
Garden d’Lights at Bellevue Botanical Garden
The Bellevue Botanical Garden is under renovation, but not even construction can impede one of Bellevue Magic Season’s most beloved traditions. Once again, hundreds of volunteers strung up more than half a million lights throughout the Bellevue Botanical Garden to create one of the most impressive holiday lights show. Garden d’Lights 2014 kicked off on November 29, 2014 and will run through January 3, 2015. Plan a visit with your family or significant other to this dazzling cornerstone of the Bellevue Magic Season tradition. While you’re there, try to look for characters and symbols from your favorite fairy tales and classic holiday stories.
Garden d’Lights runs from 4:30 to 9:30 PM, with entry allowed until 9 PM. Admission is , and tickets can be purchased online in advance to prevent waiting in line. The event is family-friendly, and children aged 10 and under can enter for free with a paying adult.
Holiday Theatre Classics at Meydenbauer Center
You might not have had your fill for the year of the seemingly endless loops of A Christmas Story, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and other holiday classics, but it’s only a matter of time. When the urge to power off your TV gets strong enough, check out what’s playing over at the Meydenbauer Center Theater. If you live at AMLI at Bellevue Park, you don’t even have to travel a mile for this entertainment.
The Nutcracker, the perennial holiday classic, will be performed by the International Ballet Theatre December 12 through 14 and 18 through 23, 2014. Sets from Ukraine and dancers from Russia make the IBT’s rendition of the fairy tale ballet, set to music by Tchaikovsky, about as authentic as they come. Another show still to come is A Celtic Yuletide, performed by the Celtic entertainment troupe Magical Strings. Singing, dancing, juggling, storytelling, and Celtic renditions of the season’s most popular melodies make this show a refreshing holiday treat. Performing for the holidays for the 36th straight year, Magical Strings will be the main event at Meydenbauer Center on December 15, 2014.
Bellevue Magic Season Ice Arena
As the region’s largest open-air skating rink and part of such a special holiday tradition, the Bellevue Magic Season Ice Arena draws quite a crowd. A favorite for people of all ages, this year’s ice arena will be bigger, literally, and better than ever. A brand new rink gives ice skaters more than 350 additional square feet of space to perform axels, hops, and spins.
Special events to be aware of are Free Skate Mondays and Stroller Skate Thursdays. Holders of Bank of America debit and credit cards and Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® cards are eligible to receive two free skate admissions on Mondays from 3 to 9 PM (an especially good deal for residents of AMLI at Bellevue Park, who can walk to the skating rink in minutes!) Thursday afternoons, between 1 and 3 PM, parents and older siblings can introduce the newest members of their families to the sport of ice skating on a calm, stroller-friendly rink. Standard rates for adults and children apply, but strollers are free. The Magic Season Ice Arena will be open for skating until January 11, 2015.
Snowflake Lane and Celebration Lane Holiday Shows
For the tenth straight year, the sidewalks and streets between Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place will come to life almost every night. Lights, sounds, and the talent and energy of the cast of Snowflake Lane will overtake the area. The show, featuring toy soldier drummers and jingle bell dancers, takes place nightly until December 24, 2014 at 7 PM.
From December 26 to 31, 2014, the Bellevue Collection switches tack as New Year’s becomes the show’s focus of their performance. If you enjoy Snowflake Lane, be sure to drop by the convergence of Bellevue’s public squares for a free Celebration Lane show to celebrate the coming new year.
Lights, snow, holiday music, and fun seasonal decor add to the splendor of Bellevue Magic Season. If you live at AMLI Bellevue Park, another bonus is many of the event’s festivities take place within walking distance of your apartment. Check out the schedule of events, mark your calendar, and Live Life + Love Life to the fullest this holiday season!
What is your favorite thing about Bellevue Magic Season? Share with us in the comments!
View All Posts by Jason Ernst