The Sylverster family, consisting of Mike, Taylor, Makena, 6, and Dennis the retriever, take a stroll through the park and take in all the Wintertide Lights at Legion Park. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

The Sylverster family, consisting of Mike, Taylor, Makena, 6, and Dennis the retriever, take a stroll through the park and take in all the Wintertide Lights at Legion Park. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Look for gnomes and light up your life at Everett’s Wintertide Lights

The free display can be viewed nightly from 4 to 8 p.m. through Dec. 31 at the Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens.

EVERETT — Waltz through thousands of holiday lights without worrying about tripping.

But watch out for the gnomes.

The Wintertide Lights display at Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens is immersive.

And it’s free.

The event is 4 to 8 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31 at Legion Park, 145 Alverson Blvd., in Everett.

This is the third year for the arboretum’s Wintertide Lights, started in response to being pent up during the pandemic. The event is funded by donations, corporate sponsors and a grant from the City of Everett.

“We have more lights than ever,” spokesperson Renee Greenleaf said.

A dozen or so volunteers began stringing lights on bushes and trees in mid-October.

Then came the November windstorm that knocked some lights down, along with branches. So volunteers picked up the debris and restrung the lights.

Attendance has grown.

“The first year was 5,000 and the next was 10,000,” Greenleaf said. “We don’t know what to expect this year.”

Nine-year-old Ethan Taylor gets his photo taken with Santa and a Dalmatian by his father, Ryan, as the Everett Fire Department teams up with Santa to visit children on opening night at Wintertide Lights. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Nine-year-old Ethan Taylor gets his photo taken with Santa and a Dalmatian by his father, Ryan, as the Everett Fire Department teams up with Santa to visit children on opening night at Wintertide Lights. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

So far, there have been nightly parades of families with strollers and pets.

Bundle up and put a sweater on Fido. The air gets brisk.

There’s nothing to buy. Donations are accepted to fund next year’s display. People can also drop food bank items in a container near the entrance where holiday music sets the festive mood. Parking is in the lot by the ballfields.

On weekends, volunteers serve apple cider and candy canes. Crafting is 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 10 and 17 in the classroom.

The book walk, sponsored by the Everett Public Library, has storyboards that go with “The Mitten,” a Ukrainian fairy tale by Jan Brett, making it an outdoor story time. Painted wooden gnomes are stationed along the lit paved paths.

“It’s relaxing,” said T.J. Lee, of Everett. “You get the Christmas feel.”

His son James, 3, found all the gnomes on the scavenger hunt checklist.

“It’s fun for us and engaging for him,” the dad said.

A family walks through the Wintertide Lights. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

A family walks through the Wintertide Lights. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Barbara and Ed Olesen, of Arlington, usually come with their children and grandchildren.

“It is nice to see it from their eyes,” she said.

This year, it was just the two of them.

“They’re busy or have colds,” she said.

The couple strolled at a leisurely pace.

“We went this way and that way and took our time,” she said. “We like to come at dusk so we can see the lights when it’s not dark and it’s not as cold.”

Call 425-257-8597 or go to evergreenarboretum.com for more information.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Marysville firefighters respond to a 12-year-old boy who fell down a well Tuesday May 30, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Photo provided by Marysville Fire District)
Marysville firefighters save boy who fell 20 feet into well

The 12-year-old child held himself up by grabbing on to a plastic pipe while firefighters worked to save him.

Highway 9 is set to be closed in both directions for a week as construction crews build a roundabout at the intersection with Vernon Road. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
Weeklong closure coming to Highway 9 section in Lake Stevens

Travelers should expect delays or find another way from Friday to Thursday between Highway 204 and Lundeen Parkway.

Students arriving off the bus get in line to score some waffles during a free pancake and waffle breakfast at Lowell Elementary School on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
800 free pancakes at Everett’s Lowell Elementary feed the masses

The annual breakfast was started to connect the community and the school, as well as to get people to interact.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring speaks at the groundbreaking event for the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
$123M project starting on Highway 529 interchange, I-5 HOV lane

A reader wondered why the highway had a lane closure despite not seeing work done. Crews were waiting on the weather.

Justin Bell was convicted earlier this month of first-degree assault for a December 2017 shooting outside a Value Village in Everett. (Caleb Hutton / Herald file)
Court: Snohomish County jurors’ opaque masks didn’t taint verdict

During the pandemic, Justin Bell, 32, went on trial for a shooting. Bell claims his right to an impartial jury was violated.

Gary Fontes uprights a tree that fell over in front of The Fontes Manor — a miniature handmade bed and breakfast — on Friday, May 12, 2023, at his home near Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett’s mini-Frank Lloyd Wright builds neighborhood of extra tiny homes

A tiny lighthouse, a spooky mansion and more: Gary Fontes’ miniature world of architectural wonders is one-twelfth the size of real life.

Will Steffener
Inslee appoints Steffener as Superior Court judge

Attorney Will Steffener will replace Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis, who is retiring in June.

Kamiak High School is pictured Friday, July 8, 2022, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Kamiak football coach fired amid sexual misconduct investigation

Police believe Julian Willis, 34, sexually abused the student in portable classrooms on Kamiak High School’s campus.

The M/V Puyallup docks at the Edmonds waterfront on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020 in Edmonds. The ferry along with the passenger loading walkway were struck by lightning last week. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tune in for virtual meeting on Edmonds-Kingston ferry

The series of Washington State Ferries meetings are for updates and public comment. A recording is available online.

Most Read