Seattle’s holiday season kicks off in grand style on Friday, Nov. 23 at 9 a.m. with Macy’s Holiday Parade. Floats, costumed characters, marching bands, drill teams and Santa on his sleigh wind their way through the streets of Downtown Seattle, beginning at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Pine Street and ending at Macy’s, on the corner of Third Aveue and Pine Street, where Santa will take up his holiday post in the store’s Santaland for the remainder of the season.
The festivities continue later in the evening with lighting of Macy’s 161-foot high, 4,300-bulb Holiday Star and the Westlake Center Holiday Tree in a ceremony featuring local choirs, musical groups and a fireworks display. The ceremony begins at 4:45 p.m., with the star and tree being lit for the first time at 5 p.m.