The Lake Chelan Chamber's Small Town Holidays end at 9 p.m. on December 31, when fireworks go up over Don Morse Park. Up the north shore, the Manson Chamber of Commerce keeps its Village of Lights on through Saturday, February 13, 2027.
So the valley has two holiday seasons. They start one day apart in late November, overlap through December, and then part ways. After New Year's, Chelan's season is over. Manson's still has about six weeks left, with a daily scavenger hunt downtown and a winery tree auction that runs late into January.
Two calendars, two chambers, one day apart
The Lake Chelan Chamber lists Small Town Holidays as November 27 through December 31, 2026. The Manson Chamber describes the Village of Lights as eleven weeks of lights on Main Street, with local businesses hosting family events from November 28 through February 13.
Thanksgiving week shows how the two calendars fit together, because the openings land on three days in a row:
- Thursday, November 26: Campbell's Resort serves Thanksgiving buffets with seatings from 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. in the Bungalow Café or Centennial Ballroom, plus takeout. Sorrento's Ristorante, at 3875 Highway 97A, has a buffet from 1 to 5 p.m. and takes reservations.
- Friday, November 27: Chelan's kickoff starts at 5 p.m. at the corner of Emerson Street and Woodin Avenue, with caroling and a mini-concert by BassICally at the Christmas tree. The Santa Parade and tree lighting follow at 6 p.m. It's also Plaid Friday, the Chamber's day for shopping local.
- Saturday, November 28: Manson's kickoff, which the Manson Chamber calls "our biggest day of the year."
Chelan's lighting is a Friday evening event. Manson's is mostly over by early afternoon on Saturday. With that spacing, you can attend both towns' openings without any overlap.
November 28 starts in Manson and ends on the lake
The Manson Chamber's schedule for Saturday the 28th runs in this order:
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Manson Grange Holiday Extravaganza, with handcrafted gifts from around the valley.
- 10 to 11:45 a.m.: Letters to Santa, with hot cocoa and candy canes, at Mountain View Lodge.
- Noon: Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at Leffler Field, and kids can hand them their letters.
- 12:30 p.m.: A parade down Manson's main street behind the sleigh, with carolers.
- 12:45 p.m.: Santa lights the downtown Christmas tree.
- 1 to 3 p.m.: Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Radiance Winery & Coffee.
Tipsy Tree Town at Tipsy Canyon Winery, 270 Upper Joe Creek Road, is on the same calendar with hours of 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The day also has an evening event in Chelan. The Manson Chamber's calendar includes the Santa Express, run by Lake Chelan Boat Company from 1418 W. Woodin Avenue, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on November 28. On board the Lady of the Lake there's free hot cocoa and cookies, Santa letter writing, mug decorating and a holiday show. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for children. A tree lighting in Manson at lunchtime and a Santa boat in Chelan at dusk make for a full Saturday with very little waiting around.
December belongs to both towns, at different hours
Through December, the two calendars keep sharing the valley. Chelan has its evenings and its big fireworks finale. Manson's activity sits on Saturday mornings and weeknight afternoons along Wapato Way and up Upper Joe Creek Road. Here's what the Manson Chamber lists for the first half of the month:
- Tuesday, December 1: Holiday card making at the Manson Library, 80 Wapato Way, all day.
- Thursday, December 3, 4 to 6 p.m.: An ugly sweater party with live music by Virgil Eagle and a Lush Life holiday shop at Tipsy Canyon Winery.
- Saturday, December 5: Santa's Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon, the Santa Express at 4:30 p.m., then Red Velvet Night by Candlelight from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Manson Grange, 157 E. Wapato Way. The Grange organizes the dessert and live music evening, and proceeds go to its renovation project.
- Thursday, December 10, 4 to 6 p.m.: Live music from Owen Barnhart and another Lush Life pop-up shop at Tipsy Canyon.
- Saturday, December 12: Santa's Workshop in the morning and the Santa Express in the late afternoon.
Santa's Workshop is at the Manson Chamber's Visitor Center, 590 E. Wapato Way, on December 5, 12 and 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. Photos with Santa are free. Bring your own camera, and a volunteer will take the picture.
Kids' letters to Santa work across both towns too. The Lake Chelan Chamber collects Santa Mail for North Pole delivery until December 19, with drop-off at Emerson and Woodin in downtown Chelan, next to the Chelan Museum, and at the Lake Chelan Visitor Center at 10 Wapato Point Parkway, Unit D, in Manson.
January runs on Upper Joe Creek Road and Wapato Way
After the December 31 fireworks, Manson's season is still going, and two events carry it.
The first is Tipsy Tree Town. Tipsy Canyon Winery asks visitors to its tasting room to vote for their favorite decorated tree between November 27 and January 24. Votes cost $1 each with no minimum on how many you cast, and every vote is also an entry in a raffle for prizes from the winery. The trees are auctioned in a silent auction that closes January 24, and all proceeds go to the Chelan Valley Housing Trust. Lush Life, The Cove Wine & Games and Bloems are listed as tree sponsors. Because the auction closes in late January, the most important day of the event comes more than three weeks after the rest of the valley's holidays have ended.
The second is the North Poleon Winter Hunt. A Lake Chelan Chamber event listing runs it daily from November 28, 2026 through February 13, 2027. Clues hidden around the village decode a North Pole language. The Manson Chamber says you can do it anytime you're downtown. That makes it the season's lowest-effort event, a reason to walk Main Street on any gray afternoon in January.
The Chamber puts it this way:
"Explore the North Poleon Winter Hunt any time you're downtown, stop by Santa's Workshop for free photos on December Saturdays, enjoy our local businesses, and make Manson part of your holiday tradition all winter long."
Some Manson tasting rooms have set their hours for the whole stretch. Vibe Cellars, at 150 Wapato Way, keeps fall and winter hours from October 1, 2026 through spring 2027: Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. More broadly, the Lake Chelan Chamber notes that the valley's wineries, cideries and breweries hold winter tastings with bonfires, live music and small bites.
Manson's waterfront is under construction while downtown is lit
Manson's winter has a contrast to it. The downtown lights stay up until mid-February, while parts of the north shore waterfront are closed for work.
In a September 28 update, Chelan PUD said the marina at Manson Bay Park would close from November through January while contractors replace the breakwater, which keeps marina water calm and protects the shoreline from wave erosion. At Old Mill Park, the day-use dock and marine dump station closed in early October for dock replacement, with work expected to finish in January depending on conditions. So the Village of Lights' last weeks fall around when both projects are scheduled to wrap up. The PUD posts park status updates at chelanpud.org/parks.
Downtown Chelan has construction going too. At Riverwalk Park, a new plaza with benches, a viewing area, new lighting and an accessible ramp is being built as part of the City of Chelan's lift station replacement. The lift station area and about 10 nearby parking spaces stay closed during the work, which is scheduled to finish around Memorial Day. Plan for those missing spaces if you're driving downtown for the November 27 kickoff or the New Year's Eve fireworks.
Another Manson project is waiting its turn. The Lake Chelan Mirror reported that on November 2, Chelan PUD commissioners approved up to $100,000 more for improvements at Manson's Old Swim Hole to close a funding gap. The project already had permits but still needed funding. We wrote last summer about Manson's growing pull in the valley in The Chelan Summer Has Quietly Shifted West This Year. This winter, the north shore has its marina and its day-use dock under construction while also running the valley's longest holiday season.
For skiers, Echo Valley holds its ski swap on November 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is already selling 2026/27 memberships. The Lake Chelan Chamber's winter page also points to the Lake Chelan Nordic trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The marina reopening, the Old Mill Park dock and the Riverwalk Park plaza will each change part of the valley's shoreline over the next few seasons. We follow those changes all year in Chelan and Manson. If you'd like to know what your home on either shore is worth right now, Rau Peterson Team can give you an answer based on this winter's market. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
