The Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship is due at Alki Beach at 8:35 p.m. Friday, November 27, making its visit the late-evening focal point of Alki Holiday Lights. The free, family-friendly gathering will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alki Bathhouse, with Santa photos and beach bonfires among the planned activities.
The Alki Community Council is presenting the event, according to Westside Seattle. The outlet reports that the Bathhouse program will include free Santa photos, cookies, hot cocoa, holiday crafts, glow toys and children’s activities. Seattle Parks and Recreation is providing beach bonfires, the report says.
Holiday Characters and Local Businesses Join the Festivities
Holiday characters are expected along Alki Avenue, while neighborhood restaurants and businesses plan seasonal treats and specials, Westside Seattle reports. Organizers have described the gathering as a way to sustain local Christmas traditions and bring customers to Alki’s shops and eateries during the slower winter months.
Charlotte Starck, president of the Alki Community Council, described the gathering as a way to bring the neighborhood together: “Alki Holiday Lights brings neighbors, families and local businesses together to celebrate the season,” according to the announcement reproduced by West Seattle Blog. Council vice president Zak Nyberg also pointed to the event’s goals of continuing seasonal traditions and supporting winter business foot traffic.
Christmas Ship's Alki Stop Caps the Night
The ship’s Alki visit follows an earlier scheduled pass by Salty’s on Alki, from 5:35 to 5:55 p.m., according to West Seattle Blog. The outlet describes Alki Holiday Lights as a growing annual community event.
The event date varies with the Christmas Ship’s touring schedule, according to a post from Monroe Kemper, which traces Alki Holiday Lights to 2024. The post says last year’s gathering was held December 18 and included Santa photos at the Bathhouse, treats from participating businesses, children’s crafts, cider and a bake sale.
A Tradition Still Taking Shape
The first Alki Holiday Lights gathering, in 2024, included luminarias along part of the seawall, West Seattle Blog reported at the time. With no rain, the candles remained lit through the evening. The Christmas Ship made Alki its second West Seattle stop that night, after an earlier visit to Seacrest, and the Log House Museum counted well over 100 visitors before the event was halfway over, the outlet reported.
The festival and Bathhouse have longer histories
Alki’s event is one stop in a much older maritime holiday tradition. Argosy Cruises says the Seattle Civic Christmas Ship Festival began in 1949, organized by Paul Brown from the Office of the Superintendent of Parks. The company says its Spirit of Seattle now sails to more than 40 waterfront communities across Puget Sound each season, placing Alki’s visit within a regionwide program. The event’s Bathhouse venue also has a history of public use. According to SeattlePI, the Bathhouse was the remaining wing of a waterfront pavilion dating to 1911; all but that wing was torn down in 1955.
Attendance and weather conditions for this year’s gathering have not been reported. The announced program and ship stop are set for November 27, before Thanksgiving weekend wraps up.
