How much does a winter evening in downtown Bellevue cost? This season it depends mostly on the date. A Monday skate at Downtown Park costs $12. The same skate on Dec. 20 costs $24. A $5 adult ticket to Garden d'Lights on Dec. 1 is a $10 ticket on Dec. 12. Snowflake Lane costs nothing on any night it runs.
This is also the longest season Bellevue's main attractions have scheduled in recent memory. The rink opened earlier than last year, and the lights at the Botanical Garden now stay on into January. The cheapest dates fall at the start of the season, and the most expensive ones fall on the dates many households already have blocked off.
The Season Now Starts in Mid-November and Ends in January
The Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink opened Nov. 13 at Bellevue Downtown Park and runs daily through Jan. 18, 2027, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Last season it opened Nov. 21, 2025, and closed Jan. 19, 2026, so this year's rink opened eight days earlier. This is the rink's 29th season. The Bellevue Downtown Association puts attendance at more than 45,000 skaters a season, on more than 9,000 square feet of real ice under a full cover.
The other end of the season moved too. Garden d'Lights at Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main Street, runs from Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027. It's closed Christmas Day and open Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Last year's run was scheduled from Nov. 29 through Dec. 31, according to Seattle's Child. The extension gives the garden's more than half a million lights, now in their 32nd year, three more nights after the holiday.
Between those two, Snowflake Lane runs nightly from Nov. 27 through Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. on Bellevue Way between NE 4th and NE 8th Streets, a show of about 25 minutes. From the first skate on Nov. 13 to the last on Jan. 18, the season covers more than nine weeks. Pricing within those weeks is far from even.
Where the Prices Rise and Fall
The rink and the garden both price by date, and their schedules line up closely. Here is the 2026 season laid out by week, using the published rates from the rink's admission page and the garden's ticket page.
| Dates | Ice rink, skate rental included | Garden d'Lights, ages 11 and up | Free on the calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 13 to Nov. 26 | $12 select Mondays, $16 Tue to Thu, $22 Fri to Sun; Nov. 25 and 26 billed at $22 | Not yet open | Youth Makers Market, Nov. 21 |
| Nov. 27 to Nov. 29 | $22 weekend rate | $10, opens Nov. 28 | Snowflake Lane begins Nov. 27 |
| Nov. 30 to Dec. 10 | $12 select Mondays, $16 Tue to Thu, $22 Fri to Sun | $5 Mon to Thu, $10 on Dec. 4 to 6 | Snowflake Lane nightly; Santa Saturdays and Barn Lighting on Dec. 5 |
| Dec. 11 to Dec. 17 | $12 select Mondays, $16 Tue to Thu, $22 Fri to Sun | $10 nightly | Snowflake Lane nightly; Santa Saturdays Dec. 12 |
| Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 | $24 every day | $10 nightly, closed Dec. 25 | Snowflake Lane through Dec. 24; Santa Saturdays Dec. 19 |
| Jan. 4 to Jan. 18 | Standard rates resume | Closed | None listed |
The rink's lowest price is new this year. The Bellevue Downtown Association calls "Cheapskate Mondays" new this season: $12 admission with skate rental on select Mondays. The discount isn't offered Dec. 18 through Jan. 3, and those 17 days carry a flat $24 rate every day of the week. Last season the top price was $22 for weekends and holidays, and the weekday rate was $16, as it is now. The regular prices haven't moved. The holiday rate went up $2, and the Monday rate came in $4 below last year's weekday price.
The garden's discount is a continuing one. Bellevue Botanical Garden ran $5 nights in 2025 as well, on Dec. 1 to 4 and Dec. 8 to 11. This year those nights fall Monday through Thursday, Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 and Dec. 7 to 10. Last entry is 8 p.m. and the lights go out at 8:30, an hour earlier than on general-admission nights, when last entry is 9 p.m. and lights-out is 9:30. Children 10 and under are free every night, so the discount only changes the price of tickets for ages 11 and up.
In practice, two adults visiting the garden on a Tuesday in early December pay $10 total. On a Saturday after Dec. 11 they pay $20. The same two people skating on a Cheapskate Monday pay $24. Over the winter break they pay $48.
The Peak Window Lines Up With School Break
The rink's $24 window starts Friday, Dec. 18, and ends Sunday, Jan. 3. The garden's last night is also Jan. 3. That's the same block many families already have off, and it's when both venues charge their highest prices. After Jan. 3 the garden goes dark, and the rink returns to its standard rates for two more weeks, through Jan. 18.
Tickets work differently at each venue, and that matters most during the busy window. Garden d'Lights sells tickets online only, for a specific date and a half-hour entry window. A 6 p.m. ticket means arriving between 6 and 6:30. Tickets aren't refundable unless the garden cancels, but you can reschedule through the link in your confirmation email. The rink sells advance tickets and season passes, limits walk-up admission, and lets season passholders skip reservations entirely. Missed rink reservations can't be rescheduled or refunded after the reserved time.
The garden also schedules a Sensory Friendly Night on Tuesday, Dec. 8. All the lights stay on, but there's no live music, and attendance is capped at 200 guests per half-hour, half the usual capacity. Tickets are required. The garden says its music schedule and scavenger hunt map will be posted on its event page in mid-November.
The Bellevue Downtown Association ties the rink to the rest of downtown. In its October announcement, BDA president and CEO Patrick Bannon said:
"For many families and friends, a visit to the rink is part of what makes the holidays feel like the holidays. It's a tradition we're proud to bring back each year, and it draws people into downtown to enjoy our local shops, restaurants and everything else the season offers."
The Free Events Cluster on One Saturday
Three free events fall on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Santa Saturdays on Main Street in Old Bellevue run Dec. 5, 12 and 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. They're free, with no tickets or reservations, and include free Santa photos, cookie decorating, letters to Santa, hot chocolate and treats. The event was called Jingle Bellevue in 2025, when the Bellevue Downtown Association listed it from noon to 4 p.m., so this year's version runs two hours instead of four.
That same evening, Kelsey Creek Farm at 410 130th Pl SE holds its Holiday Barn Lighting from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The program includes carols, sheep dressed in lights, a visit from Santa and a countdown to the barn lights. It's also the one night of the year visitors can go inside the barn to watch the animals eat dinner. Parking, admission and many activities are free, and some activities have tickets sold on-site. On-site parking is limited. The city lists overflow parking on neighborhood streets and at International School, 445 128th Ave. SE.
Snowflake Lane starts at 7 p.m. that night, as it does every night through Christmas Eve. The Bellevue Collection's viewing guidance has a rule that differs by side of the street. After the street closes and the building lights turn blue, viewers on the Lincoln Square side can step into the street behind the blue cones. Viewers on the Bellevue Square side stay on the sidewalk. The parade has no admission charge.
Here's how Dec. 5 lays out across town:
- Santa Saturdays on Main Street in Old Bellevue, 1 to 3 p.m.
- Holiday Barn Lighting at Kelsey Creek Farm, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
- Snowflake Lane on Bellevue Way, 7 p.m.
All three are free. Garden d'Lights is open that night too at the $10 general-admission rate, since Dec. 4 to 6 are the only general-admission nights between the two $5 weeks.
Before Snowflake Lane Starts
Until Snowflake Lane starts on Nov. 27, the rink is the only one of the three main attractions running, and two more events are on the calendar before then. The Bellevue Downtown Association lists a Youth Makers Market at Bellevue Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. KidsQuest Children's Museum then holds its Gingerbread Workshops at Hyatt Regency Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE, on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- Classic sessions: Friday, Nov. 27, 1 to 3 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $42 per builder, including one house, and $12 per additional guest.
- Nutcracker workshop: Friday, Nov. 27, 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $52, including a house and a ballet performance.
- Gingerbread After Dark: Friday, Nov. 27, 5 to 7 p.m., ages 21 and up. Tickets are $60 per builder, including champagne, and $20 per companion.
- To-go kits: $47, picked up at the Hyatt on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. or Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Thanksgiving week is an exception on the rink's price chart. Wednesday, Nov. 25, and Thursday, Nov. 26, are billed at the $22 weekend rate. For the rink's lowest prices before December, the Mondays on either side of Thanksgiving are the dates to check for the $12 rate.
For our clients, the holidays are often when a spring sale or purchase starts taking shape. If yours is one of them, The Danna Team can help you set a timeline before the new year. Schedule a Private Consultation, and we'll start with the dates that matter to you.
