The Argosy Christmas Ship sails from Kirkland on seven days in 2026. The first is Saturday, November 28, from Carillon Point. After that it uses Kirkland City Dock on December 12 and on five straight days from December 18 through December 22. Most of those sailings cross the lake and sing to Madison Park, Magnuson Park, Matthews Beach or a private club. Only two shoreline stops put the choir in front of a Kirkland park with a planned public event: Juanita Beach Park on December 12 and Kirkland Marina Park on December 18.
Those two evenings, plus the Carillon Point day that lands on WinterFest, set the shape of a Kirkland December.
Seven Kirkland Departure Days at a Glance
Argosy says the 2026 Christmas Ship Festival runs November 27 through December 23. Every sailing carries a live choir that performs for guests on board and for people gathered along the shore. Argosy marks some shoreline stops with an asterisk, which means a public bonfire, lighting or onshore event is planned there. Unmarked stops are still open places to gather and listen, but nothing is organized on land.
| Date | Departs from | Choir | Shoreline stops | Planned onshore event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Carillon Point | Travelin' Lite | O.O. Denny Park 2:35 p.m., Covenant Shores 5:35 p.m., Beaux Arts 8:45 p.m., a private event | None marked |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Kirkland City Dock | MixCapella | Medina Beach Park 2:35 p.m., Juanita Beach Park 5:35 p.m., Meydenbauer Bay 8:40 p.m. | Juanita Beach Park |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Kirkland City Dock | Holy Names Vocal Ensemble | Kirkland Marina Park 5:10 p.m., Log Boom Park 8:40 p.m. | Both stops |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Kirkland City Dock | Emerald City Voices | Madison Park 2:35 p.m., Warren G. Magnuson Park 5:35 p.m., Sheridan Beach Club 8:40 p.m., a private event | Madison Park, Magnuson Park |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Kirkland City Dock | Bellevue Chamber Chorus | Windermere Beach Club, Laurelhurst Beach Club and Lake Forest Park Civic Club, all private events | None marked |
| Mon., Dec. 21 | Kirkland City Dock | Choir of the Sound | Matthews Beach 2:35 p.m., Yarrow Point 5:35 p.m., Luther Burbank Park 8:40 p.m. | Matthews Beach, Yarrow Point |
| Tue., Dec. 22 | Kirkland City Dock | Jet Cities Chorus | Parkshore 2:35 p.m. and Seattle Tennis Club 5:35 p.m., both private events, Madrona Beach Park 8:40 p.m. | Madrona Beach Park |
Kirkland is where you board for most of the festival's last week, but from December 19 on, the choir performs to Seattle beaches, Yarrow Point, Luther Burbank Park and private clubs. November 28 is a boarding day too: none of its stops is marked for a public gathering, and the late stop is private. For listening from a Kirkland shore, December 12 and December 18 are the dates, and December 18 is the stronger of the two, with a planned onshore event at both of its stops.
November 28: Board at Carillon Point, Then Head Downtown
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the season in Kirkland. The Christmas Ship has three sailings from Carillon Point, at 2:00, 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. WinterFest takes over Kirkland Urban's plaza at 425 Urban Plz from 3 to 7 p.m., and the Kirkland Downtown Association lights the tree at Peter Kirk Park at 6:15 p.m.
Those times only overlap partway, so there are three ways to put the day together.
- Take the 2:00 sailing, then go downtown. The boat is back at 3:30, right as WinterFest gets going. Argosy runs Cookies with Santa on its 2 p.m. sailings, and this one sings to O.O. Denny Park at 2:35. That makes it the strongest pick if you have kids along.
- Spend the afternoon on land, then catch the 8:00 boat. You can do WinterFest, stay for the 6:15 tree lighting, and still make the last departure from Carillon Point. That sailing includes Argosy's Jolly Hour drink menu and finishes at 9:45.
- Stay on land all day. No Kirkland stop on November 28 is marked for a public onshore event, so if you're skipping the boat, Peter Kirk Park at 6:15 is the gathering to be at.
The 5:00 sailing is the one that clashes. It runs from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., which covers both the last stretch of WinterFest and the tree lighting.
WinterFest itself is free and open to everyone. The 2026 lineup includes photos with Santa in his sleigh, live ice sculpting, snowfall on the promenade, kids' crafts, carolers from Premier Vocal Entertainment, line-dancing lessons from the Boot Boogie Babes, balloon creations by Hoopla, and alpacas from Enchanted Farms. Kirkland Urban asks that minors be accompanied by an adult at all times while on the property.
December 12: The Ship Sings to Juanita Beach
Two weeks later the boat moves to Kirkland City Dock for a Saturday with MixCapella on board. The 2:00 sailing sings to Medina Beach Park and the 8:00 to Meydenbauer Bay, so both of those performances face other shorelines. The 5:00 sailing reaches Juanita Beach Park between 5:35 and 5:55 p.m., and that stop has a planned public onshore event.
That gives the north end of Kirkland its own free 20 minutes of the festival. City event listings give the park's address as 9703 NE Juanita Dr. By December, 5:35 p.m. is well after sunset. Bring a headlamp for the kids and something warm, and get there a little early, since the boat arrives on its own schedule.
If you'd rather go aboard, the 2:00 sailing has Cookies with Santa and the 8:00 has Jolly Hour.
December 18: Two Lit-Up Stops in One Friday Evening
December 18 is the best Kirkland evening of the festival for anyone watching from shore. Both sailings leave Kirkland City Dock with the Holy Names Vocal Ensemble aboard, and both shoreline stops have a planned public event.
The 5:00 sailing reaches Kirkland Marina Park at 5:10 p.m. and stays until 5:30. That puts the choir off downtown's main waterfront park, at 25 Lakeshore Plaza, just ten minutes after the boat leaves the dock. Watch from the park and you're downtown for dinner by six.
The 8:00 sailing goes the other way, to Log Boom Park in Kenmore at the north end of the lake, and performs there from 8:40 to 9:00 p.m. Both December 18 sailings also offer a 21+ Follow Boat, a separate adults-only boat that trails the Christmas Ship. That's an easy plan for a grown-ups' Friday out.
For dinner after the Marina Park stop, Von's 1000Spirits has opened a Kirkland location at 115 Park Lane. According to 425 Business, it's the restaurant's third location after Seattle and Woodinville, known for scratch martinis and a sourdough pasta and pizza kitchen, and it stays open until midnight on Fridays.
The Week Around December 18
The Marina Park evening falls in the busiest week of the downtown season, and the nights around it fill up.
- Thursday, December 17: The KDA Sips and Sweaters Wine Walk runs from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Kirkland. Participating locations include Purpose Boutique, Lake Street Diamond, Heyday, Via Lago, Vision Music School, The Remontant and Moss Bay Hall, and tickets are sold through the Kirkland Downtown Association.
- December 17 through 19: Kirkland Performance Center stages The Nutcracker: Symphony of Lights at 7 p.m. each night.
- Friday, December 18: The Christmas Ship sings to Kirkland Marina Park at 5:10 p.m.
The Thursday wine walk and the Thursday Nutcracker both start in the evening, so if you want both, pick Friday or Saturday for the ballet. A Friday ticket at 7 p.m. pairs well with watching from Marina Park at 5:10. The week before, on Wednesday, December 9, KPC presents Christmas With The Carpenters at 7 p.m.
The Traditions to Watch the Dates On
Several downtown traditions are on the calendar every year, but their posted dates don't show a year, so check the hosts' pages before you go.
The Kirkland Downtown Association's winter page lists Letters to Santa mailboxes at the corner of Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street and at Urban Plaza from November 19 to December 19, and asks families to include a return address so Santa can write back. The same page describes Google Lights at Feriton Spur Park, 509 6th Street S, where more than 10,000 bulbs light up the park and the Google campus next to it, with a petting area at the pickleball court. In 2025 the city held the Google Lights ceremony on Friday, December 5, and kept the lights on nightly through January 9. Up in Totem Lake, The Village at Totem Lake holds a Santa's Arrival Party on the Village Green near Cinemark, with Santa photos after the 10:30 a.m. start.
The Christmas Ship dates are set. Argosy has published the full 2026 schedule, with a PDF version you can stick on the fridge. For Kirkland, plan on November 28 at Carillon Point, December 12 at Juanita Beach Park, and December 18 at Kirkland Marina Park, and use the City Dock departures from December 19 through 22 if you'd rather ride than listen.
We've raised our kids on the Eastside, and evenings like these are a big part of why we love it here. If you're thinking about a move next year and want to know how a home's spot relates to the shoreline and the downtown blocks where Kirkland gathers in December, Shane Coulter & Anne Welch are happy to walk it with you. Request your free home valuation, and we'll start with the neighborhood as well as the numbers.