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    Gingerbread Village

    3.3 (25 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 12:30 AM (Next day)

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    2023 - "The Chocolate Factory"
    Sindu K.

    The Sheraton Grand has been hosting this annual event for some time now, and this year's theme is "The Chocolate Factory." It runs for a few weeks during the holiday season, and while the event is free, they welcome donations for a charitable cause. Featuring four charming and intricately detailed houses, it's a must-visit if you find yourself in the area.

    Brian F.

    The Gingerbread Village is a collection of elaborate gingerbread displays located at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Seattle. This is an annual event that occurs from the end of November to the end of December. This tradition's purpose is to benefit the JDRF, a nonprofit funder for type 1 diabetes research. Teams of architecture firms and other builders come together to build these massive gingerbread houses that are truly outstanding and works of art. You can vote for the best display and donate to help fund research to find a cure. There is a different theme every year; this year's theme was Buzz Lightyear. We went on a Friday at around 6:45pm and there was no line and only a handful of groups looking through the displays. Overall it took like 10 minutes to see all the displays. Would I stand in line and wait 30+ minutes or pay for parking just to see the displays? Personally, no. It was a nice thing to see though and it's nice to say that I went.

    Wonka themed
    Elyse S.

    A Sheraton tradition, this year is "wonka " themed. Here's the thing, we're visiting on 12/27 at 4pm. Off peak is the best peak. No line. Only a few other families inside. The gingerbread houses, or more like spectacular mansions, are cool, but there are only 4 so my 6 year old got bored quickly. I would hate to stand in a long ass line for this. But going at the time we did, it was a fun thing to see. It runs until January 1st.

    Another one of the houses.
    Augustin R.

    So I'll rate this in two parts. This is for a great cause, bringing awareness to a very serious illness, type 1 diabetes in juveniles, it's great to go and donate and have some family fun while you're there. Now to the experience, it's an extremely long wait to see only 5 gingerbread houses. I think at minimum our wait was about 2 hours and our time spent looking at each house was 1-3 minutes. I've never been here before, so I don't know how the event normally is, but I do wish there was some type of faster procession. I think the overall wait was just a bit too much it gets hot, and humid, lines are cramped, and parents with rowdy children make for a somewhat uncomfortable situation. I think it's important to remember ultimately this isn't your house nor your child's play room and letting your children run around and wrestle or what have you on the lobby of a hotel is probably not ok. I don't think I'd return the following year, but would definitely support the cause.

    Santa's Workshop Gingerbread House (left) and Cookie Elves Gingerbread House (right).
    Ting A.

    It's admirable the public displays are for a good cause and the amount of effort put into building these gingerbread houses, but frankly I wouldn't wait any longer than ten minutes to see them. Inside the room is a small allocated space with five large gingerbread houses. I had thought there would be more houses, but each was well designed with a backstory and even incorporated moving miniatures. Like most of the other people there, I left after just a few minutes. Seeing that people had to wait in line for two hours, I came fifteen minutes early at 8:45 AM. To my surprise, there was nobody there, probably because it was on a Friday. By opening time, about a dozen people were present. If you are a guest of the hotel, then you can enter at anytime using your room card.

    Dumbledore
    Jon L.

    The Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Seattle is a popular holiday attraction in Seattle that is currently in its 24th year. It runs from late November through New Year's Day and seems to grow in popularity every year. This attraction is located in the lobby of the hotel. Follow the signs at the entrance to find it. There is a new theme every year and this year's iteration is based on the Harry Potter books. It is free to view, though they are taking donations to benefit JDRF. A bit ironic since JDRF is a non-profit for juvenile diabetes research. I visited this attraction for the first time over the weekend and sort of regret that mistake. The lines on a Sunday afternoon were long. They stretched all the way towards the lounge area on the Pike Street side of the hotel. It was a good 40-45 minutes wait before I got to the front of the line and was able to see the gingerbread displays up close. My mistake was that I didn't know beforehand that the displays are available for viewing 24 hours a day. So if you want to avoid the crowds, I would come here early in the morning or later in the evening. On the weekends, expect to see a lot of families here. There are 6 displays, one each for a different Harry Potter book. Not sure why they didn't make a 7th one to match the number of the books in the series. I was amazed at how intricate and detailed each display was. The use of light, motion and sound also was quite cool. If you are in downtown Seattle to see the holiday tree and lights, this attraction is worth viewing as well. Though try to visit it at an off time to minimize your wait to see it.

    Bianca S.

    I've checked this off the Seattle holiday tradition list. I don't do Christmas so not really interested in this, but it's my last Christmas in the area for a few years. It was nearly an hour wait to see six very elaborate piles of sugar-coated gingerbread. I was hoping for some story or sequence to the displays, but it was six individual interpretations of the Grinch story. However, it is a fundraiser, so I'm glad others get more from it than I do. Oh, well. I can say I've been.

    Nathan H.

    #1 WAY TO WASTE TIME THIS HOLIDAY SEASON If you rejoice in 2+ hours in line to see a poorly-lit display of mediocre mountains of candy that takes no more than two minutes to walk through, this one's for you! Almost anything in DT Seattle would be a better use of your time, but that won't prevent you and other hapless families from getting caught up in this mess. So go ahead, waste a morning, afternoon, and/or evening loitering in a hotel lobby with no payoff. Seasons greetings!

    Alicia A.

    Beautiful display of the gingerbread village featuring the Grinch. There are 5 elaborate displays, the walkthrough is free but a donation is suggested. Long lines to see the display and it's over in under 10 minutes. Suggest maybe going early or later. Display is open from 9-9.

    Grinch gingerbread
    Kristi A.

    In the past, the Gingerbread houses were in the lobby of the Sheraton. Now it's moved into a ballroom. The whole event is a fundraiser for diabetes and includes 6 gingerbread houses with information on the kids that helped make it. My boyfriend and I went and were in line for 1 hour and a half to see 6 gingerbread houses which were cool but not worth the wait if you have squirmy kids. They had the Grinch playing on a TV to entertain the kids in the crowd and gave out candy canes.

    2017
    Sherill Y.

    Visiting the Gingerbread Village at City Centre (new location) in downtown Seattle is another must-do on my family's holiday outing list. The City Centre is located in the heart of downtown Seattle. This year's event has a new location: Instead of being located in the lobby of the Sheraton, it's located across the street from the Sheraton in the lobby on the City Centre building.  The lobby is transformed with the most amazing gingerbread creations that you have ever seen. Last year's theme, was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter . This year's showcase features "25 Years of Cheer: A Celebration of Seattle" and will mark the 25th anniversary. Gingerbread Village will be displayed from November 21, 2017 to January 1, 2018. I'm amazed at what people can make with gingerbread and candy. It's like nothing you've ever seen. The event is free to the public, with donations benefitting JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Last year's Gingerbread Village, inspired by the magical wizarding world, raised a record-breaking $105,000 for the Northwest chapter of JDRF. The gingerbread houses are located throughout the lobby, which features not one but two Starbucks to keep spirits up. Plus, for the first time, at least some of the gingerbread houses are visible through the windows of the building in case the crowds get too large for little tempers to stand.

    Isabel D.

    This a great stop to bring family. They have gingerbread houses spread throughout the City Centre. Each years theme is different. We were already downtown and it was great to pass by and see this. It really is a work of art and you can tell those people that made it are very good at what they do.

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    7 years ago

    This was not worth the 1-1/2 hour wait in line to see five displays. Bring back the larger more diverse displays!

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    Review Highlights - Gingerbread Village

    The event is free to the public, with donations benefitting JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).

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    Seattle Street Food Festival - Caveman eats

    Seattle Street Food Festival

    3.7(35 reviews)
    0.7 miSouth Lake Union

    We were visiting from out of state and we didn't even know this was going on. We were super excited…read morewhen we learned that we just happened to be in Seattle while this festival was happening! The event was put on by Amazon which we thought was pretty neat and it was a food fair with so many unique things to try! The layout was divided into "blocks" and labeled on a few large handy maps so you didn't get turned around. It was not as large as we thought it would be but we definitely weren't disappointed. We appreciated all of the local businesses being able to get such heavy traffic because you don't see that too much in large cities. Our favorite food hands down was the gourmet deep fried PB & J. If you feel squeamish about trying it, you just can't go wrong. Now that we're back home, it's been months and we still talk about craving them frequently! I would pace yourself because just about everything is fantastic. If you need a break from all the food, there's a beer garden with live entertainment! You aren't required to purchase alcohol so it's a nice rest stop that also allows dogs. I can't wait to hear how this event does next year! Happy tasting! NO ENTRY FEE PET FRIENDLY (don't bring your dog if they aren't good with crowds) BEER GARDEN VEGAN OPTIONS

    Food trucks for days, stands and even more food! If you're a big foodie, want to sample awesome…read morelocal eats or just hungry then you've found yourself in the right place. Finding parking will probably take forever to find unless you come early or Uber over here. The lines get long fast so if you come anytime after 12, it might be too late (unless you don't mind waiting of course). The Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade line and a couple desserts trucks were the longest, gotta be that summer heat. So good if you're lucky to try it tho! Oh and there's a beer garden if you're just tryna chill out. Tacos = amazing! Sandwiches = amazing! Poke = amazing! Raclette = amazing! Mangonada = amazing! Basically everything I ate at the food festival was bomb! Come hungry, leave with a food coma and maybe a couple extra pounds.

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    Seattle Street Food Festival - KungFu JianBing's Teriyaki Chicken JianBing ($12).

    KungFu JianBing's Teriyaki Chicken JianBing ($12).

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    Georgetown Carnival

    Georgetown Carnival

    4.7(6 reviews)
    4.1 miGeorgetown

    This is one of those places I find myself humming Bikini Kill when I think about it…read more It's a free little carnival in the heart of Georgetown on the second Saturday in June and it really fits in with the neighborhood - nice and weird! There are several stages with different events throughout the day so you can pick and choose your own adventure! I really liked the fact that almost all of the vendors were local and weren't selling DH Gate/MLM garbage. There are a lot of bars and restaurants to choose from in this area and they bring in a bunch of food trucks as well, because it wouldn't be a carnival without fried food and games! Seemed like things changed fairly rapidly throughout the day so it's a great idea to come early and plan to stay for the duration of the event! There are even after parties to keep the fun going if you're so inclined.

    Since this is our first Georgetown Carnival I can't say whether it's the best or the worst but I do…read moreknow I had a really good time. This is a fun event, but take a city bus because finding a place to park will take a lot of time and could cause frustration. A pretty cool place to check it out. ABOUT: The Georgetown Carnival is a free, multidisciplinary arts festival held on the second Saturday of June each year since 2006. Colorful contemporary art complements traditional circus and performing arts in several venues throughout the neighborhood. Acrobats, stilt walkers, jugglers, creative carnival games and confections appeal to visitors of all ages. Interactive visual arts exhibitions combine with diverse music, theater, dance, literary and media arts in a wide variety of urban environments. DAY/TIME: Saturday, Noon to 10PM LOCATION (Airport Way S): from S Lucille to S Bailey PARKING: Can be quite difficult

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    Georgetown Carnival
    Georgetown Carnival
    Georgetown Carnival

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    Ballard Music & Seafoodfest - Alaska Weathervane Scallops

    Ballard Music & Seafoodfest

    3.5(83 reviews)
    4.7 miBallard

    Locals gather for an annual right of passage for the Ballard area. I attend this annually to…read morecelebrate the mid summer events in the Northwest. Ballard Seafood festival brings our community together for music, arts and food. Now you'll find a huge beer garden, local food vendors serving everything from local seafood to other delights. Biggest line today was for scallop truck which like 30 people deep. Most others vendors you can get food within minutes. I walked streets today mingling and eating. Oh beer garden activity's are kept private. & confidential. But as the music blares and the booze flows it's nothing but a good time. Parking is challenge, eventually you find a spot or Uber into the feeding zone... Some lots exist at a premium charge. Until next year Au revoir!

    After visiting the National Nordic Museum, I stumbled into what can only be described as an…read moreunexpected seafood paradise - the Ballard SeafoodFest! I'd never been before, but the FOMO kicked in immediately. I wandered through all the vendors, soaking in the sights (and smells) before finally settling on what to eat. The choices were overwhelming in the best way; everything looked amazing! Luckily, a few repeating themes among the food stalls kept the lines manageable. For lunch, I went all in: a refreshing honeydew agua fresca, twice-fried fish sauce chicken wings, Korean chicken wings, and the much-hyped bacon-wrapped scallops (and yes, the Instagram hype is very real). Every bite was a win. No notes. No pics either because these wings were messy in the best way.

    Photos
    Ballard Music & Seafoodfest - Steamed clams

    Steamed clams

    Ballard Music & Seafoodfest - Mussels in broth

    Mussels in broth

    Ballard Music & Seafoodfest

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    Dragon Fest - POG, lychee, and likikoi + snow cap from DB Ice Shave

    Dragon Fest

    4.0(17 reviews)
    1.0 miChinatown International District

    The Dragon Fest was once a day time summer event, focused on the Chinatown portion. Because of…read moreCOVID this year, it's instead evolved into a day and night C-ID Night Market, representing all of Chinatown-International District - an 8-hour event from 1pm to 9pm. I must say I am impressed with the turnout. While it has always been well attended, we arrived at 8:50pm, expecting to see a mostly closed street fair. Instead, all the booths are still hopping. Shoppers are shopping, and eaters are ordering food and drinks. There may have been such a HUGE turnout that the food lines were very long. When we arrived so late, the vendors were still merrily cooking while some food trucks had "sold out" stickers on selected items. How exciting for them to make up for the losses during COVID closures. As this is a C-ID market, the crowds gravitating towards the booths that sold cute Asian themed items, east Asian to be exact. Food choices were also predominately Asian, including SE Asian. I am not complaining. Hehe. The food truck that caught my attention is YS Street Food Group selling their Sizzling Squid at $12. I also bought a Thai Iced Tea at $4. It's been at least 2 years since I had their well marinating tongue numbing mala squid. It's also very tender. I love it! Folks were buying 3 or more of them! Their Thai iced tea is quite good too, not too sweet and flavorful. Even though we just had a big dinner, we managed to consume more. LOL!

    For what could have become a hectic food festive the people who organized the event did a great…read morejob. There were performances every 30 minutes and the groups that performed clearly practiced and put on a show. There were a lot of places to eat and the food walk that offered $3 menu options were awesome. I was so happy to be able to try places like Tai tung and kau kau bbq which were places on my list. There were a lot of vendors and stalls and I was super impressed by the dragon dances! One thing I will say is I think they would do a lot better if they put their informational booth more prominently as a lot of people asked me where to get the maps and food walk pamphlets I was looking at in passing. Overall will be back next year!

    Photos
    Dragon Fest - Crowd shot

    Crowd shot

    Dragon Fest - Dukbokki from tofully restaurant

    Dukbokki from tofully restaurant

    Dragon Fest - BeanFish

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    Issaquah Salmon Days - Endless booths

    Issaquah Salmon Days

    4.5(30 reviews)
    14.6 mi

    Wow! What a lovely day. Pack with a lot of patience because parking was tough. We arrive not that…read morelate, but ut took us a bit yo get to a lot even when we already got a map for the available parkings. Slow movement but we got there.Some stress are closed. There are lots and lots of booths. Plenty of things to see, purchase, and eat along. We had some dumplings, lactose free dole (yaaay!), and cotton candy. Everything was great! I wanted some BBQ but lines were huge!!! We lost an hour for the cotton. Candy. Kids were playing in the meantime, but I suggest to keep an eye because there's gazillions of people! It is a fair!

    Salmon Days!! Always a fun time while we watch our salmon friends move through the area (and you…read morecan eat them). This is the first year I've got in many, many years and I'm glad that I did. Like any other festival that shuts down a large area, the parking is pretty crazy. I got there nice and early to find a good spot and walked about a mile. Overall good selection of vendors! Most of them were artisanal and not something you can buy from a direct-from-China shop. The food court had a lot of great options, and, of course the Kiwanis salmon BBQ. They also had a large field section with games for the kiddos and a water dog competition! There were lots of salmon going through the ladder, so that was nice to watch for awhile. Overall Salmon Days is a great festival to get out and do something a little different!

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    Issaquah Salmon Days
    Issaquah Salmon Days - More salmons

    More salmons

    Issaquah Salmon Days - Enjoying the beer garden

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    Enjoying the beer garden

    Fremont Fair - Live music at Stage 2

    Fremont Fair

    3.7(36 reviews)
    2.7 miFremont

    I have been coming to the Fremont Fair for decades. It is still one of my favorite fairs to visit…read moreevery year. My agenda is likely different from many folks. I don't come on Saturday anymore since everyone is there for the Solstice parade. It is borderline insane for those who drive there and need to find parking. My routine: - I arrive midday on Sunday, typically about 3pm. This gives me three hours at the fair. Many folks are beginning to leave by then. Parking is slightly easier to find even if we need to loop a time or two. - Visit the art cars. This is my absolute favorite at the Fremont Fair. They are insanely fun. My favorite is from 10+ years ago. A sedan is fully covered with Big Mouth Billy Bass with lobsters on top that are synced up to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. I am sure I have a video somewhere. - Stroll the many blocks of the fair, exploring the booths. I go to many fairs. I recognize most vendors going to the same fairs. Fremont Fair is still able to surprise me with new-to-me booths. It is why I return year after year. - Look for free swags. Many community booths give free swags. I look for the cute items that a child might like so I can give those swags to teachers as classroom rewards. - Free food sampling - We enjoy buying new-to-us foods. - Skip the food booths, mostly. Once upon a time, food booths were the source to find unusual eats or to have a small bite. We stop eating from food booths when they became more expensive than going to a restaurant. Sorry, not sorry. We support the local restaurants in the neighborhood instead. We still look, but it is uncommon for us to find something we don't already know. - When all is done, take a stroll along ship canal. It is both peaceful (for us) and chaotic (for the vendors packing up and/or taking down their booths). It is part entertainment seeing the staff direct traffic. For this year's fair, the highlight is once again the art cars with the spaceship car. Inter Milan gave away blue ice cream, while a Raspados Del Sur gave away their excess fruits after the fair ended. It was awesome! Of course, I bought items and enjoyed music from the stages, too.

    Decided come check this out as it was a very nice day and only thinking it would be just a bigger…read moreversion of the usual Fremont Market and oh it is! and much more! It is also known as the Seattle Solstice weekend fair. The usual set up of vendors is present but there's like 4+ blocks of food vendors/trucks, live music and guest vendors selling all their crafts and wares. A few activities for the little ones including face painting, balloon making and one of those huge slides. The first thing I checked out were the art cars, another thing unique to the fair. These art car enthusiasts come out every year and show off their creations. I even chatted with one of them. A very interesting and unique hobby indeed I especially liked the chalk van, which had a bucket of chalk where you could write on the van. Another one was a truck that looked like it was straight out of Mad Max or Twisted Metal. There were not one, two but 3 stages of musical acts which was cool. My favorites were Elevator Operator and Miles Ebony and the Deep Cuts. I got me cocktail from the 'beer garden' and El Koreano (separate review) and had a good time. A nice way to spend some of the day.

    Photos
    Fremont Fair - Puppy parade

    Puppy parade

    Fremont Fair - Lots of folks out at the fair

    Lots of folks out at the fair

    Fremont Fair - Merch tent

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    Merch tent

    Viking Fest - Carnival

    Viking Fest

    5.0(2 reviews)
    16.8 mi

    What a wonderful annual event celebrating an era and ethnicity! Poulsbo is normally a small yet…read moreadorable "Norwegian themed" town that has deep roots in this culture and is doing everything it can to keep the traditions tied to it alive. This VikingFest occurs yearly in May and involves the entire town. The people are kind and the foods are fabulous. We tried 4 different meat pies and can't tell you which we liked best! It was set up perfectly with the carnival and rides set away from the entertainment, craft, and food vendors that were located near the marina, which kept the lines down. We even attended the Lion's fundraiser Pancake Breakfast on Sunday! It was great. Yummy pancakes, eggs, sausage, etc.! All breakfast funds are going towards the Lion's scholarship. (I was a recipient back when I attended college in the Dark Ages, so please help out this group if/when you can!) Highly recommend this festival that runs Friday afternoon through Sunday.

    I love Viking Fest! The weekend is a fun time and no matter whatever day you go, you'll likely…read moreenjoy yourself. Not only do you get to explore all the little shops in downtown Poulsbo, there are many little vendors set up along the waterfront. They range from the same old people that show up at every festival in Kitsap to people specializing in things like drinking horns. They have a carnival ride area that runs throughout the weekend. On Saturday during the festival there is a parade that is a lot of fun to watch. The "vikings" may not be the most authentic, but it is a lot of fun. There is a viking village where you can learn from the people that staff it and are set up in tents and wearing traditional clothing. The stage is filled with all sorts of entertainment throughout the weekend.

    Photos
    Viking Fest - Beautiful view of Poulsbo Marina

    Beautiful view of Poulsbo Marina

    Viking Fest - Having fun at VikingFest!

    Having fun at VikingFest!

    Viking Fest - Dancers!

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    Dancers!

    Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival - Yay food!

    Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival

    4.4(5 reviews)
    1.0 miLower Queen Anne

    I love going to events of my home state, here in Washington state! No, this is no cheesy luau event…read morecultural appropriation everywhere. This event got almost everything, besides the weather and REAL beaches to cure those home sicknesses. Food was delicious, I got a chicken pastele stew plate with passion orange guava Hawaiian Sun and poi mochi. Hawaiian music to put you into that feel good vibe, made me reminisce about Birthday Bash at the Shell. Wish the event more into the middle of summer, especially, not the first week of the NFL. My fantasy team still got the W, though. But I'd still go, every year! Cheeeee!

    Attended the Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival over the weekend at Seattle Center. This is the…read morefestival's 6th year. I found this year's event to be the best edition so far. The festival has grown for the better. Compared with a past edition that I attended, this year's event had significantly more food vendors and entertainment. If you wanted to try Hawaiian barbecue, shave ice and malasadas in Seattle (in one place), this event is your best opportunity to do so. As for entertainment, there were three stages (two outdoor and one in the Armory). As well as a side stage in the Armory for "talk story" events. I thought the attendance for the event was quite large compared to other heritage festivals that I have been to at Seattle Center. There was plenty of people wearing Hawaiian aloha wear at the event and talking in pidgin that you felt a little like you were actually back in the islands. Being a Hawaii native, it was nice to see that there was a large turnout celebrating the place that I call my real home. Like being in Hawaii, there was a wait for food. Though the lines for Hawaiian barbecue did move rather quickly. The fare was plate lunch grinds and most of the vendors were selling many of the same things. I had a great laulau/kalua pork/ahi poke plate from Kama'Aina Grill that was delicious. If you like grilled marinated meats, attending this festival is an awesome event to get some. I did also try out the shave ice from Da Hula Hut. There was a large line for it, but I decided it was worth waiting for given the summer heat. The shave ice was not bad (syrups are sweet), though better in Hawaii. It is no Waiola Shave Ice, but I will take what I can get. There was also a long line for malasadas, but that was a line I refused to get in. I will just wait till I can get some at Leonard's in a few weeks. I would have liked though to have seen a Hawaiian cake vendor (haupia/chantilly/guava) at the event though since we do have a few of these in the Northwest. Enjoyed my time at Live Aloha and look forward to coming back next year for more Hawaiian culture and food.

    Photos
    Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival - Hawaii Tea Towels at Sun Chong Grocery Booth

    Hawaii Tea Towels at Sun Chong Grocery Booth

    Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival - Hawaiian Snacks at Sun Chong Grocery Booth

    Hawaiian Snacks at Sun Chong Grocery Booth

    Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival - Festival View

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    Festival View

    Gingerbread Village - festivals - Updated May 2026

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