What does a night out at Bellevue's holiday events cost this year? The answer depends on the day more than ever. On Monday, November 30, one person can skate at Downtown Park for $12, rental included, and then walk Garden d'Lights for $5. On Monday, December 28, the same evening costs $24 at the rink and $10 at the garden.
That gap comes from two of this year's changes. The Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink added a new $12 Monday rate, and Garden d'Lights extended its run past New Year's Eve for the first time. Both changes add to the quieter edges of the season, the weeknights after Thanksgiving and the days after New Year's, and leave the expensive middle where it was. Snowflake Lane is free every night, and its own guidance also points to weeknights. If you live here and can be flexible, you can spend a lot less this season.
The rink now charges four different prices, depending on the day
The rink opens Friday, November 13, at Bellevue Downtown Park near Inspiration Playground, one block south of Bellevue Square at NE 1st Street and 100th Avenue NE. It stays open daily through Monday, January 18, 2027, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The Bellevue Downtown Association produces it, Symetra is the presenting partner, and this is its 29th season.
The big change this year is the price structure. According to the rink's admission page, every ticket includes skate rental, and the price depends on the day:
| Ticket | Days it applies | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapskate Mondays | Mondays, excluding Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 | $12 |
| Weekdays | Tuesday to Thursday, excluding Nov. 25 to 26 and Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 | $16 |
| Weekends | Friday to Sunday, plus Nov. 25 and 26 | $22 |
| Holiday | Every day, Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 | $24 |
Cheapskate Mondays are new this season. The Bellevue Beacon lists the $12 window as November 16 through December 14 and January 4 through 11. That works out to seven Mondays: November 16, 23 and 30, December 7 and 14, and January 4 and 11. The rink's own peak price is twice the Monday rate, and that peak runs for 17 days, from December 18 through January 3.
Season passes went up too. The 2025 to 2026 pass was $169, and this season's pass is $189. At the new Monday rate, a skater would need about 16 Monday visits to match the pass price. The pass makes the most sense for people who skate often during winter break, when every visit costs $24.
Hours change from day to day, so check the schedule on bellevueicerink.com before you go. The Bellevue Beacon notes that walk-up admission is limited and that the BDA recommends buying tickets in advance.
Garden d'Lights discounts the same weeknights
A few miles east, Garden d'Lights opens Saturday, November 28, at Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main Street. Its discount follows the same pattern as the rink's. The garden's official event page sets $5 nights for "the first two weeks, Monday through Thursday," which is November 30 through December 3 and December 7 through 10. On every other night, admission is $10 for ages 11 and older. Kids 10 and under are always free.
That puts two of the rink's $12 Mondays on the same nights as the garden's $5 rate, November 30 and December 7. On those two nights, an adult can do both events for $17. From December 18 through January 3, on every night except Christmas Day, when the garden is closed, the same pair costs $34.
The $5 nights close earlier. First entry on every night is 4:30 p.m. On $5 nights, last entry is 8 p.m. and the lights go out at 8:30 p.m. On regular nights, last entry is 9 p.m. and the lights go out at 9:30 p.m. If you want to do both events on a discount night, go to the garden first and skate afterward.
Tickets are sold online only, for a specific date and a half-hour entry window. The garden asks guests to arrive within that window, neither early nor late. Tickets can be rescheduled through the confirmation email but are not refundable unless the garden cancels the event. Parking in the garden's lot costs $5 per vehicle on a first-come basis, and the lot often fills. Free parking is at Wilburton Hill Park, a quarter mile east on the south side of Main Street.
The quietest night of the run is Tuesday, December 8, which is also a $5 night. It is the garden's sensory-friendly evening. All the lights stay on, but there is no live music, and attendance is capped at 200 guests per half hour. The Bellevue Botanical Garden Society produces Garden d'Lights, and the Garden itself is a partnership between City of Bellevue Parks and Community Services and the Bellevue Botanical Garden Foundation.
Snowflake Lane is free, and its own FAQ recommends weeknights
Snowflake Lane opens Friday, November 27, for its 22nd season and runs nightly at 7 p.m. through December 24. The route covers Bellevue Way between NE 4th and NE 8th streets, between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square. The parade is free, lasts about 25 minutes, and parking in Bellevue Collection garages is free. The Bellevue Collection reports close to 400,000 guests over the 28-night run, with more than 55 snow machines going each night, according to the Bellevue Beacon.
With crowds like that, where you stand matters. The Snowflake Lane FAQ explains a street viewing setup that it calls new:
- Lincoln Square side, east of Bellevue Way: After the street closes, crews set blue cones in the roadway. When the building lights turn blue, guests can step off the sidewalk up to the cone line, and the first row may sit on the ground.
- Bellevue Square side, west of Bellevue Way: The building lights turn red, and everyone stays on the sidewalk for the whole show.
- Before the street closes: Everyone stays on the sidewalks on both sides.
The parade loops along Bellevue Way, so you see the whole show from either side. For the easiest accessible viewing, the FAQ suggests the Bellevue Square side. Guests who prefer the Lincoln Square side can wait near a curb cut or on The Westin's drive at NE 7th Street, ready to move into the new street area once the cones go out. The FAQ ends that answer by recommending weeknights and arriving early.
The parade has some smaller events around it. Opening night ends with Santa counting down to the lighting of a 30-foot tree at Bellevue Place Wintergarden. Santa photos run at the Snowflake Lane Factory in Bellevue Square Center Court through December 24. Local school choirs and orchestras perform in Center Court December 1 through 4 and December 7 through 11. Those concert dates fall almost entirely on the same weeks as the garden's $5 nights.
How the first two weeks of December fit together
Put the three calendars side by side and the busy weekends stand out from the quieter weeknights. The two weeks after Thanksgiving have the most low-cost overlap:
- Friday, Nov. 27: Snowflake Lane opens with the Wintergarden tree lighting. The rink charges its $22 weekend rate.
- Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 28 and 29: Garden d'Lights opens at $10. The rink is still $22.
- Monday, Nov. 30: Rink $12, garden $5, parade free.
- Tuesday to Thursday, Dec. 1 to 3: Rink $16, garden $5, and school performances in Center Court.
- Monday, Dec. 7: Rink $12, garden $5, parade free.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8: Garden's sensory-friendly $5 night.
- Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 9 and 10: The last $5 garden nights. The rink is $16.
- Monday, Dec. 14: The last $12 rink Monday before winter break pricing starts on December 18.
Walking from the rink to the parade route is easy, since Downtown Park sits one block south of Bellevue Square. Skating before or after the 7 p.m. parade fits into one evening without moving the car. Other holiday options around the city include holiday performances at Meydenbauer Center Theatre and Gingerbread Workshops at KidsQuest Children's Museum.
After New Year's, the season keeps going
The second change matters most once the holidays themselves are over. Garden d'Lights now runs through Sunday, January 3, 2027. It is open Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and closed only on Christmas Day. The Downtown Bellevue Network's visitor guide describes 2026 as the first year the display has run past New Year's Eve. That adds three nights, January 1 through 3, after New Year's Eve.
When the garden closes, the rink's prices drop on Monday, January 4. That day brings back the $12 Monday rate, which repeats on January 11, with $16 Tuesdays through Thursdays and $22 weekends running to the January 18 close. The rink's last two weeks are as cheap as its first ones.
The BDA has a reason to spread visits out. In the Bellevue Beacon's report on the season announcement, BDA President and CEO Patrick Bannon said the rink "draws people into downtown to enjoy our local shops, restaurants and everything else the season offers." The organizers count more than 45,000 skaters each season. A $12 Monday in early January brings some of those visits downtown during weeks that would otherwise be quiet.
For the expensive middle of the season, December 18 through January 3, the free options make the most sense. Snowflake Lane runs every night through December 24, and parking in Bellevue Collection garages stays free. When the parade is done and the garden goes dark, the rink stays open until January 18, with a $12 Monday on January 4 and again on January 11.
If you would like to talk through how a winter-week schedule like this might fit around a move or a listing, the team at Macdonald Group is glad to help. We plan around the Bellevue calendar every season, and we would love to hear what your December looks like. Get in Touch.
