Kirkland Christmas Ship 2026: Sailing Dates and Shore Bonfires

The 2026 Argosy Christmas Ship Festival runs November 27 through December 23. On seven of those dates the ship leaves from Kirkland: once from Carillon Point on November 28, and six times from Kirkland City Dock between December 12 and December 22. That makes 20 sailings that start in Kirkland. Most of the singing happens somewhere else. Most Kirkland-departing sailings cross to Medina, Madison Park, Magnuson, Yarrow Point, Luther Burbank or Madrona. Seven of them stop at private clubs.

Kirkland's own shoreline gets three stops, and the City of Kirkland staffs a free bonfire at each one. Those three dates are the ones to plan December around.

Twenty sailings, and where each one sings

The full schedule shows the pattern. Every sailing below departs from Carillon Point on November 28 or from Kirkland City Dock on the other dates, according to Argosy's 2026 Christmas Ship schedule.

The bold rows are the Kirkland shore stops. From December 19 through December 22 the ship leaves from Kirkland twelve times, and none of those sailings sing to a Kirkland park. If you live here, those four days are boarding days. You won't hear them from the beach.

Argosy marks some shoreline stops with an asterisk. That means a public bonfire, a lighting or another onshore event is planned. Unmarked stops are still open places to gather and listen, but nothing is organized there. Juanita Beach Park and Kirkland Marina Park both carry the asterisk. O.O. Denny Park doesn't have one on Argosy's list, but the City has put a bonfire there anyway.

The three nights Kirkland lights a fire

Kirkland Parks and Community Services runs what it calls Community Bonfires at the Park. City staff host them at the waterfront parks where the Christmas Ship stops, and each one lasts about 20 minutes, matching the choir's time offshore. The City's bonfire page lists three dates.

• Saturday, November 28, 2:35 p.m. at O.O. Denny Park, 12302 Holmes Point Dr NE
• Saturday, December 12, 5:35 p.m. at Juanita Beach Park, 9703 NE Juanita Dr
• Friday, December 18, 5:10 p.m. at Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza

Bad weather or a burn ban can cancel a bonfire. The City runs a day-of hotline at 425-587-3345. Argosy also says shoreline details can change. Twenty minutes is a short window, so a quick call before you leave the house is worth it.

Each of the three nights pairs well with something else happening in Kirkland. Taken in order, they cover most of the season.

November 28 can fill a whole day

The festival's first Kirkland date lands on the busiest Saturday of Kirkland's holiday calendar.

The O.O. Denny Park bonfire starts at 2:35 p.m. That's the ship's first sailing out of Carillon Point. Travelin' Lite is the choir, and children on board get Cookies with Santa. At 3 p.m., Kirkland Urban opens WinterFest at 425 Urban Plaza. It's free and presented with the Kirkland Downtown Association. The program runs until 7 p.m. and includes Santa photos, ice sculpting, falling snow on the promenade, carolers, line-dance lessons, balloon art and alpacas. At 6:15 p.m., the KDA's annual tree lighting takes place at Peter Kirk Park. Details are on Kirkland Urban's WinterFest page.

That gives you a simple order for the day: the bonfire on Holmes Point, the afternoon at WinterFest, and the tree lighting after dark. If you want to be on the water instead, the 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. sailings also leave from Carillon Point that evening. The 5 p.m. sailing sings at Covenant Shores, and the 8 p.m. sailing stops at a private event in Beaux Arts.

One week earlier, The Village at Totem Lake's current listing has Santa arriving on the Village Green near Cinemark on Saturday, November 21, at 10:30 a.m., with photos starting at 11. The listing doesn't give a year, so check The Village's event page before you go.

December 12 is Juanita's night

The second Kirkland bonfire goes back to the north end. On December 12, MixCapella sings from the 5 p.m. sailing out of Kirkland City Dock, and the ship reaches Juanita Beach Park at 5:35. In mid-December it will already be dark by then. A fire on the beach and a lit boat on the lake will be the main sources of light.

The weekend before is a good one for Juanita in daylight. On Saturday, December 5, the Juanita Elementary Holiday Bazaar runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 9635 NE 132nd St. It's free, with more than 50 vendors, a student choir, food, and a silent auction and raffle. The PTA runs it every year to raise money for fifth-grade camp.

Midweek, the Kirkland Performance Center calendar lists Christmas With The Carpenters, with Sue Nixon and Carpenters Once More, on Wednesday, December 9, at 7 p.m.

December 17 and 18 put the season downtown

The last Kirkland bonfire is the one closest to downtown, and the evenings around it are the busiest of the month.

On Thursday, December 17, the KDA's Sips and Sweaters Wine Walk runs from 5 to 8 p.m. in downtown Kirkland. The listing is on the KDA's winter events page. That same night, KPC opens a three-night run of The Nutcracker: Symphony of Lights. Shows are at 7 p.m. on December 17, 18 and 19.

On Friday, December 18, the Holy Names Vocal Ensemble sings from the 5 p.m. sailing out of Kirkland City Dock, and the ship reaches Kirkland Marina Park at 5:10. That's a stop only minutes after departure. The 8 p.m. sailing heads to Log Boom Park, which also has an asterisk. Both sailings offer a 21+ Follow Boat. The bonfire ends at 5:30, which leaves time for dinner before a 7 p.m. Nutcracker curtain.

This is also the last time in a while that Marina Park looks the way it does now. The City's schedule for the Marina Park Dock and Shoreline Renovations has construction running from July 5, 2027, to spring 2028. The project page has the timeline. On that schedule, the park's shoreline will still be mid-renovation in December 2027.

Two new places for dinner near the water

Downtown dining has changed since last December, and two of the changes sit right in the area these evenings use.

Von's 1000Spirits opened its Kirkland location this summer at 115 Park Ln, just off the downtown waterfront. A 425 Business report named Merrisa Claridge as the owner. Von's serves scratch sourdough pizza and handmade pasta, plus its Scratch Martini.

The Slip at 80 Kirkland Ave is also back. In April, WhatNow Seattle reported that Ricky and Maria Eng were taking over the restaurant. The Slip's own site now says it is open under chef-restaurateur Ricky Eng.

Both work well with the downtown evenings above. Both are likely to be busy on December 17 and 18, so book a table early if you're planning around the wine walk, the bonfire or the Nutcracker.

If you want to be on board

The table also shows when boarding in Kirkland is the better choice. The 2 p.m. sailings include Cookies with Santa and a coloring surprise for kids. The 8 p.m. sailings from Kirkland City Dock are listed with Jolly Hour, a discounted drink menu. From December 19 through 22, every sailing leaves from Kirkland City Dock. That's twelve departures in four days, and you won't have to cross a bridge for any of them.

For the Kirkland shore, the dates are November 28, December 12 and December 18. Check the bonfire hotline on the day, dress for the weather, and get to O.O. Denny, Juanita Beach or Marina Park a few minutes before the choir does.

If December's waterfront has you thinking about a home closer to it, or you'd just like to know how Kirkland's lakefront streets are trading right now, Ryan and the team at Seattle Rockwell Properties are glad to share what we're seeing. Our Kirkland neighborhood page and our look at Kirkland waterfront living are good places to start. Let's Connect.