The City of Federal Way kicked off their holiday season with the annual tree lighting in Town Square Park this last weekend. This yearly event, organized by City of Federal Way Parks and Recreation, helps bring seasonal cheer to the community. It is a free event for all ages to come together and celebrate the holidays and each other. 

The event, held on Dec. 2, had over 400 attendees with many vendors and organizations. They gave out free cookies and cocoa for everyone. There were games for the children (like cornhole) and a book mark decorating station. Seating was available for those with accessible needs to watch the performances at the stage.  

Photo-ops were also available with the Chick-fil-a cow in his Santa suit. Beloved holiday characters like a snowman and reindeer were stars in many people’s photos. 

Other vendors showed their support of the community with informational booths to spread the word in the community. The Pacific Harbor Pack 307, a boy scout group that meets every Thursday, had some conversations with parents about their group. Impact Public Schools had a booth with activities for children and shared information with parents about the newly established schools associated with Washington State Charter schools. The recently built Amazon Fresh, located in the Commons, made an appearance with their own booth. 

Attendees were grateful to have an event close to home. Julie Kelley, a member of the Federal Way community, attended her first tree lighting after moving here two years ago. “It was a peaceful and festive [event]… everyone was friendly and had good music,” she said of the event.

 “The MC was a good addition,” said Kelley, as he added humorous light to the performances and fun for the parents. Although, “it was just a bummer they ran out of hot cocoa,” she claimed, yet it shows the high number of attendance by the community. 

There were many performances by community organizations. The Sunnycrest elementary choir sang classic holiday songs like “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer.” The Children’s dance theater performed an excerpt of the Nutcracker, which they will be performing on Dec. 8 and 9 at Columbia Jr. High. The Jet City Chorus, an all women’s acapella choir group, performed a series of holiday songs. 

The children were ecstatic to see Santa Claus arrive on a brightly decorated fire truck. South King Fire provided support for his arrival and their community. They also shared information about their upcoming holiday events they will be hosting. 

Every Monday and Tuesday for three weeks in December South King Fire will be doing a “Parade of Lights.” They will also be holding a can food drive during the parades. You can donate by having your canned food or nonperishable items in a bag ready to hand off to Santa. Check out South King Fire for their parade schedule and times. 

Shortly after Santa’s arrival and the conclusion of the performances, the Mayor gathered the community together to count down to the lighting of the tree. With a flip of a switch, the tree lit up in bright, multi-colored lights that shined in the dimming night. People took their last pictures with Santa, the Chick-fil-a cow, and the reindeer and snowman mascots.

This quaint event highlighted the community’s seasonal joy and spotlighted some amazing organizations. Look out for upcoming free holiday events by checking South King Fire for their holiday parade schedule and Waterland Blog for other local events. Have a happy holiday!