The calendar is full of family fun holiday festivities this season in Downtown Yakima.
It all begins Saturday, December 7th, with free horse-drawn wagon rides that begin and end at the Community Christmas Tree at Millennium Plaza. This is the sixth consecutive year of Downtown Yakima wagon rides.
Offered every 20 to 25 minutes on a first-come, first-served basis, the rides are provided by the Downtown Association of Yakima (DAY) and headed up by Double J. Ranch. The rides are from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm each of the next three Saturdays; December 7, 14, and 21. Parking spaces on the west side of 3rd Street, adjacent to Millennium Plaza, will be closed during the horse wagon rides.
On December 14th and 21st, a food truck will be on-site during the rides. One parking space in the parking lot at Millennium Plaza will be closed for the food truck on those two days.
The highlight will be the 20th annual Christmas Light Parade at 6:00 pm on Sunday, December 8th. The procession will begin at 6th Avenue and continue down Yakima Avenue to 3rd Street. Parade organizers anticipate more than 4,000 spectators. The parade is organized by the Sunfair Parade Association.
No on-street parking will be allowed along the parade route from 4:00 pm on December 8th until the completion of the parade. The parade route will also be closed to motorized traffic.
Immediately after the parade, a lighting ceremony will be held for the community tree at Millennium Plaza. The holiday decorations at Millennium Plaza are all supplied and maintained by DAY and the City of Yakima.
To cap off the holiday festivities, DAY is offering a Mulled Wine Walk from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday, December 14th, featuring three downtown tasting rooms located on Yakima Avenue between 1st Street and 3rd Street.
For more about the Mulled Wine Walk visit the DAY website at https://downtownyakima.com