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The holiday season is just around the corner, and there’s no better way to celebrate than with WSECU LoveOly WinterFest in Downtown Olympia! Join us on Sunday, December 1, from noon to 6 pm for an afternoon of festive fun, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities—all for FREE, thanks to our amazing sponsors.

Event Highlights:

• Live Performances: Enjoy local talent from high school groups, Appletree Productions, the Oly Chamber Brass, and a special show by Harlequin Productions.
• Visits with Santa at 222 Market – don’t miss a chance to capture those holiday memories!
• Hot Chocolate Station powered by Sofie’s Scoops and Dancing Goats.
• Holiday Crafts for Kids brought to you by the Hands-On Children’s Museum.
• Local Makers Market with unique, handcrafted holiday gifts.

Where to Find Us:

5th Avenue & Washington Street in Downtown Olympia.

When to Join the Fun:

Sunday, December 1, 2024, from noon to 6 p.m.

And That’s Just the Start of Holiday Fun in Downtown!

LoveOly WinterFest kicks off our Downtown for the Holidays series, featuring festive events and surprises throughout December:

• Shop & Dine Passport Program (Nov 29 - Dec 24): Every $10 purchase earns a sticker; collect five and redeem them for a LoveOly holiday gift like a power bank, fanny pack, or beanie!
• Holiday Lights and Decorations: Over a mile of garland and beautiful holiday displays to brighten up Downtown.
• Snowfall at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts: Experience the magic of snow falling throughout the season.
• Nutcracker-Themed Selfie Scenes: Snap holiday photos with fun, themed backdrops perfect for creating memories with family and friends.
• 12 Days of Free Parking (Dec 12 - 24): Courtesy of the City of Olympia, enjoy complimentary parking at select meters.

Mark your calendar, invite your friends, and let’s celebrate the season together in Downtown Olympia!

Learn more

Thanks to a LoveOly Microgrant, Stardust Salon added some extra sparkle to their storefront! They used the grant to commission a beautifully painted, custom sandwich board that catches the eye and welcomes clients with style.

Love seeing our local businesses shine with a little help from the community! Curious about the LoveOly Microgrant program? Find out how we're helping small businesses thrive in Downtown Olympia here.

Seasonal Flood Prep – It’s Time! 

Each Fall, the City of Olympia and Washington State Department of Enterprise Services staff begin to monitor high tides and winter storm predictions. Why? Because under certain weather conditions, we anticipate that water will overtop the shoreline and flood certain parts of Downtown. Incidents like this are expected to become more extreme and more frequent in Olympia as sea level rises. 

Olympians are investing in infrastructure and learning how to respond with protective temporary public and private measures when these events happen. Now is the time to prepare. Make sure you know how to operate building flood gates/pumps or have a sandbag plan in place and make a note of this year’s King Tides – when risk increases - on your calendar (the first very high tides this winter are predicted for Nov. 14-19, 2024). Then, follow local National Weather Service social media for coastal flooding information, sign up at capitol.wa.gov for Capitol Lake and nearby park weather and closure alerts, and register for Budd Inlet Flood Advisories through Thurston County Alerts, tcalert.org. 

While Olympians prepare for our upcoming winter, our community also invests in permanent infrastructure for long-term flood risk reduction. The City of Olympia, LOTT Clean Water Alliance, and Port of Olympia are implementing a Sea Level Rise Response Plan to help protect Downtown. The Plan includes near-term responses and long-term physical strategies to reduce the risk of flooding in downtown Olympia from heavy rainfall and short-duration tidal flooding.  

Learn more

Winter Holiday Light Parades are back! The Olympia Police Department (OPD) will partner with Public Works, Community Planning & Development, and other City departments to brighten Olympia’s December nights during a series of parades featuring City vehicles and holiday lights.

After initiating the parade idea in 2020 to help Olympia celebrate its community and enjoy the winter season in a COVID-19-safe way, OPD is excited to bring back the popular events for a fifth year. Three parade routes, including West Olympia on December 4, the southeast section on December 10, and the northeastern section and the South Capitol Neighborhood on December 19, will bring some additional light to the darker winter season. Each parade will begin at 6 p.m. and last approximately 90 minutes to two hours.

Visit the City’s Holiday Parades webpage for event details, links to route maps, and a live parade tracking map.

(brought to you by the South Sound Block Party, Thurston EDC, and a dedicated group of Volunteers)

Sunday, November 17

The Olympia Ballroom

116 Legion Way SE

Join South Sound Music Summit - an event for bands/performers and music industry professionals to exchange ideas, make new relationships, learn, share resources, and more.

Panels, break-out sessions, and topics we’ll cover include but are not limited to:

• Modern methods of releasing music and albums.
• De-mystifying the processes and metrics that industry professionals use when signing and booking bands.
• Marketing, fan, and community building 101.
• What are music festivals/venues/booking agents and more looking for in bands?
• Band resources for all levels: the products, apps, groups, and affiliations that can help you navigate the industry.
• The Team: what is a manager, agent, talent buyer, and promoter, and how do I work with them to grow my career?

This is a free event, but please register in advance.

Olympia Family Theater announces its next MainStage adventure, Honk! The Musical, running November 29-December 22, 2024 at Olympia Family Theater in downtown Olympia. Tickets are available now at www.OlyFt.org.

Honk! The Musical is a joyful, full-scale musical production filled with incredible songs, lively dances, and tons of laughter. This family-friendly comedy brings an important message about diversity and inclusivity, reminding us all to celebrate what makes each of us unique.

Learn More

The News of the Week in Downtown Olympia is a newsletter created by the Olympia Downtown Alliance and is a summary of happenings Downtown.

If you have news related to downtown you'd like included, please email marketing@downtownolympia.org. Preference is given to Olympia Downtown Alliance members. If we do not share it here, chances are we'll share it on our Facebook or Instagram pages. We do reserve the right to use our discretion on what we share.

The deadline is Friday at 5 pm for inclusion in the next week's newsletter.

If you know of anyone who would like to receive the News of the Week in Downtown Olympia, please have them sign-up at the bottom of our home page here: downtownolympia.org.