"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."
Patrick Bannon, president and CEO of the Bellevue Downtown Association, said that to Downtown Bellevue Network when the rink announced its 2026 dates. The rink returns for its 29th year at Downtown Park. A short walk away, several longtime Old Bellevue storefronts on the 10200 block of Main Street are leaving this fall ahead of a new eight-story building. When the season opens on Friday, Nov. 13, the two big draws will be back at full scale, and the small-shop street near them will have fewer familiar names.
Two openings, fourteen days apart
West Bellevue's season doesn't start all at once. The rink opens first, the parade follows two weeks later, and Main Street's own programming waits until December.
| Date | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink opens, through Jan. 18, 2027 | Downtown Park, NE 1st St and 100th Ave NE | $12 to $24, skates included |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Snowflake Lane begins, nightly at 7 p.m. through Dec. 24 | Between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square, NE 4th to NE 8th St | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 30-foot tree lighting after the opening parade | Bellevue Place Wintergarden | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 12, 19 | Santa Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m. | Main Street, Old Bellevue | Free |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Christmas Ship shoreline performance, 8:40 to 9 p.m. | Meydenbauer Bay | Free from shore |
The rink is open every day of its run, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. It's covered, with more than 9,000 square feet of real ice, and the BDA puts annual attendance at more than 45,000 skaters. The Bellevue Collection says Snowflake Lane draws close to 400,000 guests over its 28 nights. Both are a short walk from Main Street.
The rink's new Monday price is the cheapest way in
The biggest change at the rink this year is a new floor price. The BDA added "Cheapskate Mondays," with $12 admission and skate rental included on select Mondays. Here is how the 2026 to 2027 pricing works:
- Cheapskate Mondays, Nov. 16 to Dec. 14 and Jan. 4 to 11: $12
- Monday through Thursday, Nov. 13 to Dec. 17 and Jan. 4 to 18: $16, except Nov. 25, Nov. 26 and Jan. 18
- Friday through Sunday, plus Nov. 25, Nov. 26 and Jan. 18: $22
- Winter break, Dec. 18 to Jan. 3: $24
- Season pass: $189, no reservations needed, not transferable or refundable
The weekend price is almost twice the Monday price, so a family of four saves $40 by moving a Saturday skate to a Cheapskate Monday. The Monday discount ends Dec. 14, though, just before the $24 winter-break rate takes over on Dec. 18. People who come to watch skate for free. The rink also runs free lessons, themed nights and concessions. Walk-up admission is limited, and the BDA recommends buying tickets in advance at bellevueicerink.com, which also lists daily public hours.
The Main Street block between them is emptying
A short walk from the rink, Old Bellevue has the stretch of Main Street changing fastest this year. Vander Hoek Corporation's North of Main project at Main Street and 103rd Avenue NE calls for 176 market-rate apartments, 10,363 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 154 parking stalls on about 0.71 acres. Every existing building on the site is set to come down.
The tenants on that block have been leaving in steps:
- La Ree Boutique, Rachael Nov's upscale women's clothing store, closed Sept. 25, 2025, after 20 years.
- Glassybaby left 10230 Main Street, where it had operated since October 2009. On Oct. 1 it opened a larger store at Design Market, 1048 116th Ave NE.
- Veritables, the home furnishings and gift shop at 10220 Main Street, set Oct. 15 as its last day after 18 years in Old Bellevue. Owner Marie Harris wrote on Instagram, as Downtown Bellevue Network reported, that "This is not the last chapter," and said she plans pop-ups while she looks for a new location.
- Matcha Magic set Nov. 1 as its last day at 10246 Main Street, the café where founder Rachel Barnecut started the brand in May 2022. Its operator, Conscious Hospitality Group, told Downtown Bellevue Network that Matcha Magic is looking for a new Bellevue location.
Gin & The Banker, Rachael Nov's fine designer jewelry store, is still open on Main Street. A little west, at 10145 Main Street, Bar da Vila is the Brazilian restaurant taking over the former Adrian's Restaurant & Tequila Bar space.
City permit records show the project moving forward on paper. A demolition permit for four existing structures was issued Aug. 26, 2026. A Phase 1 building permit covering the parking structure, the podium, 40 dwelling units and 154 parking stalls followed on Sept. 10, 2026. The full 176-unit permit and a separate right-of-way permit are still listed as pending.
The rest of Main Street is under different rules. In July, the Bellevue City Council unanimously extended temporary development rules for Main Street between 100th Avenue NE and Bellevue Way through February 2027, as Downtown Bellevue Network reported. Under those rules, a facade more than 50 years old can come down only if the owner shows it has no historic or cultural value. North of Main vested under the earlier zoning, so the rules don't apply to it, and they don't require any property owner to keep existing tenants.
Santa Saturdays fill Main Street's December weekends
The Old Bellevue Merchants Association's 2026 holiday event is Santa Saturdays, on Dec. 5, 12 and 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. It's free with no tickets or reservations. Kids get photos with Santa, a cookie to decorate, a letter to post to the North Pole, and hot chocolate with marshmallows, sprinkles and candy canes. The association organizes it with support from Old Bellevue merchants, Amazon and the City of Bellevue's Community Programming Fund.
Santa Saturdays begin three weeks after the rink opens and eight days after the parade starts, and they run on a street with fewer storefronts than last December. The middle Saturday is also the fullest day of the season in West Bellevue. On Dec. 12, three free events fall in order from afternoon into evening:
- 1 to 3 p.m. Santa Saturdays on Main Street.
- 7 p.m. Snowflake Lane between Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square. The show runs about 25 minutes.
- 8:40 to 9 p.m. The Argosy Christmas Ship's shoreline performance at Meydenbauer Bay, with the choir MixCapella aboard.
That leaves about an hour and fifteen minutes between the parade's end and the ship's performance, enough time for a quick dinner downtown before heading to the bay. Dec. 12 is a Saturday outside the winter-break window, so the rink charges $22 that day.
Where to stand for Snowflake Lane
Snowflake Lane is in its 22nd year. Greg Thompson Productions stages it, and most of the performers are students. Nearly 180 characters appear each night, including toy drummers, jingle belle dancers, snow princesses, polar bears and Santa. More than 55 snow machines run nightly.
The Bellevue Collection's Snowflake Lane FAQ has viewing rules for each side of the street. On the west side, guests stay on the Bellevue Square sidewalk. On the Lincoln Square side, guests may step into the street viewing area once Bellevue Way closes and the building lights turn blue. On opening night, Nov. 27, Santa counts down to the 30-foot tree lighting at Bellevue Place Wintergarden after the parade. Santa photos at the Snowflake Lane Factory, on the second level of Bellevue Square's Center Court, run Nov. 27 to Dec. 24.
For an evening farther from downtown, Garden d'Lights runs at Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St., from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3. General nights cost $10 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free. On the $5 nights, Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 and Dec. 7 to 10, last entry is 8 p.m. The sensory-friendly night is Tuesday, Dec. 8, with no live music and attendance capped at half capacity. Parking in the garden's lot is $5, and parking at Wilburton Hill Park is free.
If the changes on Main Street have you thinking about your own place in West Bellevue, Nancy Wallace follows these blocks closely, from the next storefront to the next building permit. Let's Connect.
