The holiday season is one of the very best times to experience all that Grays Harbor County has to offer! Local events beginning in November through the New Year bring together community members and visitors to the area looking for unique ways to get into the holiday spirit. Check out a few of the area’s signature events and be sure to find the most up-to-date information on our event calendar!

Small Business Holiday Open House Weekend

Kicking off the holiday season in style is the small business Holiday Open House Weekend. Planned in correlation with many local businesses throughout downtown Aberdeen and the South Beach community (Westport, Grayland, etc.) in early November, this weekend is dedicated to small businesses showcasing their shops in their best holiday light. Each store is fully dressed up for the season with Christmas trees, twinkling lights and unique gift items that will help you check off your shopping list extra early. For specific store participants and the accurate dates and times each year, check our event calendar and search for November.

Festival of Lights

Taking place in downtown Montesano each year, the Festival of Lights is a Grays Harbor staple. The day-long event, usually in early December, includes local business specials throughout the day, various food offerings such as a pancake breakfast, activities for the kids, and the main event: the parade through the downtown corridor! Eager spectators line the streets as log trucks, iconic floats, high school bands, and fire trucks pass by decked out in lights. The conclusion of the event features the annual burning of the Yule log.

Holiday Movies at 7th Street Theatre

Take a step back in time when entering the historic 7th Street Theatre in downtown Hoquiam. Throughout the year they play movies for all ages, but during the holiday season they’re known to play holiday hits such as The Polar Express, A Christmas Story, Christmas in Connecticut and many others. The cost to attend is relatively low (usually around $6) for all ages. Be sure to purchase a bag of freshly popped popcorn drizzled in melted butter, the old fashioned style!

Oyhut Bay Seaside Village Holiday Events

One of Grays Harbor’s fastest growing communities, Oyhut Bay Seaside Village, is located at the edge of the Oyhut Bay Wildlife Reserve and utilizes their natural setting to host some very special holiday events. While the events change each year, the 2023 calendar was packed with family-friendly and adult-centered events like RAINdeer Run 3k, visits from Santa and his elf Peanut, holiday paint and sips at the on-site Oyhut Bay Grill and Corks & Taps, bingo nights, as well as live music evenings. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for the most up-to-date events and updates.

WinterFest Celebration

A fairly new tradition on the Harbor, WinterFest in Downtown Aberdeen has quickly become one of Grays Harbor’s premier holiday events. Each year activities can vary, but they usually always include a holiday market featuring locally produced items from vendors in the area, beautifully decorated streets of the downtown corridor, a gingerbread house competition, and most importantly, a visit from Santa! Visit the WinterFest website for more information.

Seabrook Holiday Happenings

The coastal community of Seabrook has rapidly become one of the largest tourism hubs on the coast of Washington. Each year they plan out a series of holiday-focused events that showcase the beautiful town, locally owned shops and restaurants, and idyllic location just steps from the Pacific Ocean.

In 2023, holiday events kicked off with the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, followed by holiday tree lighting and caroling, a weekly weekend visit and photos with Santa, a holiday parade through the quaint streets of town, live music, gingerbread making classes, snow drops in the center of town, cider making classes, the Seabrook holiday market, winter glass float find where beautiful glass floats are hidden throughout town every day, and much more! Visit their event calendar for events all year long.

Country Christmas Bazaar

One of the Elma Fairground’s most popular events, the annual Country Christmas Bazaar, has been delighting the public for over 40 years! Held the weekend before Thanksgiving, this Bazaar features over 200 vendors selling handmade items that make the perfect addition to your holiday decor or gift for a loved one. Wind through the multiple spaces and rows of twinkling lights, hand painted signs, carefully crafted snowmen, and many other items, plus grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria.

While this is a fantastic list of annual happenings on the Harbor, be sure to visit our online event calendar for the most up-to-date information as well as many other events throughout the season!

This original content is produced by Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. and sponsored by Grays Harbor County Tourism.