No 'flipping of the switch' ceremonies at Leavenworth's Village of Lights

If you're planning to head to Washington's Bavarian-themed city of Leavenworth to see Christmas lights, there are some changes you should know about. 

Leavenworth will no longer "flip the switch" on its Christmas light displays on Saturdays and Sundays. Instead, the city will keep the lights illuminated every day of the week through February.

In years past, the city celebrated the Christmas season with weekend lighting ceremonies. Much like an on/off switch, thousands of folks would gather in the middle of town on Saturday and Sunday nights to watch the shops and trees light up with millions of colored lights.

The city of Leavenworth decided to make the change this year in an effort to keep large groups of people from forming. Due to the ongoing presence of COVID-19 and the now-looming arrival of the omicron variant, Leavenworth is doing all it can to protect visitors. 

And this means, no weekend countdowns, no crowds, and hopefully better parking.

Additional safety measures have also been made to this year's Village of Lights: Christmastown including the closure of Front Street. This closure will allow pedestrians to spread out further and for restaurants to provide outdoor seating. Masks are still mandatory inside public areas, and hand sanitizer stations will be provided throughout downtown Leavenworth.

While the lighting ceremonies may have been done away with (for now), Leavenworth has scheduled plenty of other fun weekend events throughout December. On Fridays and Saturdays, visitors can explore the Downtown Christmas Market, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoy live music and entertainment and more.

Earlier this year, the city canceled its annual Oktoberfest festival for the second year in a row. Projekt Bayern, the non-profit organization that has hosted Leavenworth Oktoberfest since 1998, also announced that the event would be moving to a new venue in Wenatchee in 2022 after the city administration declined a permit for the event.

More details on what to expect this holiday season in Leavenworth can be found on the city's website.