Washington’s Bavarian Christmas

Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and Kris Kringle all show up on cue among the twinkling lights, horse-drawn carriages, roasting chestnuts, strolling carolers, and aromas of sugar, spice and all foods nice in Leavenworth, Washington.

This festive Bavarian village, nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountain peaks that rise to more than 8,000 feet, welcomes more than a million and a half visitors each year. Many come for the Christmas Lighting Festival in December, which has become so popular it has been expanded from Fridays and Saturdays to Sundays. On Fridays, the town is dark, awaiting the Saturday lighting festivities. At dusk on Saturday, everyone gathers at the gazebo in the center of town to sing “Silent Night” and witness the transformation of the village as thousands of twinkling lights turn it into a winter wonderland.

The young and young at heart come by bus, RVs and cars to Leavenworth to experience the warmth, love and Christmas spirit. Some arrive on the Leavenworth Snow Train, which runs from stations in Seattle, Edmonds and Everett during the Christmas season.

This year the Christmas Lighting Festival is being held on Nov. 30-Dec. 2 and Dec.7-9 and 14-16. The Leavenworth Snow Train runs on Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22. For information on train service, visit www.alkitours.com. For information on all the activities during the Christmas Lighting Festival, visit www.leavenworth.org.

If you can’t make it during Christmas, you can experience all the same festive energy throughout the year. In January, there is an Ice Fest; February hosts the Annual Chicks on Sticks Race; April has the Leavenworth Choral Festival and Ale Fest, and May provides a giant Maipole for the Maifest parade and dance. In June, you have your choice of the Bavarian Bike & Brews Festival, the Leavenworth Wine Walk, or the Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration. July offers the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival and Kinderfest & Fourth of July Celebration.

Throughout the remainder of the year you will have the opportunity to experience the Acoustic Music Festival, Leavenworth Wine Tasting Festival, the Fall Music Festival, Wenatchee River Salmon Festival, and the festivity that first brought people and attention to the village—the Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival.

A Little Bavarian Village History
Leavenworth is located along Highway 2 120 miles east of Seattle and 25 miles west of Wenatchee. Homesteaders came to Leavenworth in 1885, settling on the Icicle Flats. By 1890, settlers were moving into the Chumstick Valley and around Lake Wenatchee. They were farming and mining for precious metals. Big changes took place when the Great Northern Railroad completed its line through Leavenworth in 1892 and over Stevens Pass in early 1893.

In the 1920s, the town lost the sawmill, and the railroad was rerouted to the valley. The town was hit hard by the Great Depression and then World War II. In the 1950s, a handful of people started looking for change. Ted Price and Bob Rodgers, owners of the Squirrel Tree Restaurant at Coles Corner, along with Owen and Pauline Watson, owners of AlpenRose Inn, turned to the University of Washington’s Bureau of Community Development for help.

After a yearlong study, they initiated the Autumn Leaf Festival in 1964, and began a major facelift for the town. In time, more and more of the old buildings were remodeled in the Bavarian style.
And now it has become a major tourist destination. The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum claims over 4,500 different kinds of nutcrackers on display. At the Kris Kringl shop it’s Christmas all year long. A sold-out summer theater goes into November and December. The Icicle Creek Music Center features classical chamber programs, jazz, Latin and acoustic music throughout the summer. Art in the Park downtown has artists’ displays from May through mid-October.
This small Bavarian village offers something for all ages. Don’t forget Mardi Gras and the Oktoberfest— and always bring a hearty appetite when you visit Leavenworth.

Marilyn McDonald is a writer who divides her time between Oregon and Mexico.