When you live in the North Shore hills between downtown Chelan and Manson, which town's tree lighting is yours? This year you can go to both. Chelan lights its tree Friday evening, Nov. 27, and Manson lights its tree the next day at 12:45 p.m. That's less than 19 hours apart.
The bigger difference shows up in January. Chelan's Small Town Holidays program wraps up on Dec. 31. Manson's Village of Lights keeps going until Feb. 13. For anyone in Lake Chelan Hills, that means late December and the next six weeks of the season run through Manson.
A neighborhood tied to Chelan by a 100-foot strip
Lake Chelan Hills sits on the North Shore hills between Lake Chelan Shores and Crystal View Estates, according to the Chelan Maintenance Association's history page. The connection to Chelan goes back to the beginning. When the subdivision was planned in the 1960s, it sat outside city limits and had no water. The developers arranged a "ribbon annexation," bringing a 100-foot-wide strip of land into the city all the way out to Chelan Hills so water could reach the 550-acre project.
So the neighborhood was legally tied to Chelan by that strip from the start, and it also faces up the shore toward Manson. The holiday season works the same way. Chelan holds the big Friday night opening. Manson holds the longer season.
Friday, Nov. 27 starts early and ends downtown
The Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce runs Small Town Holidays from Nov. 27 through Dec. 31, 2026. Opening day starts early and keeps going into the night:
- 6 a.m., Plaid Friday. The Chamber's local-shopping alternative to Black Friday starts at 6 a.m., with deals at independent businesses across the valley. The Chamber says wearing plaid "might even score you a better deal."
- Noon to 5 p.m., cocoa at Silver Bell Winery. Diane's Old Fashioned Cocoa Bar is back for the season at Silver Bell, 21 Veroske Road in Manson. Cocoa is free, and donations go to Chelan Valley Hope.
- 3 to 6 p.m., Flip the Switch at Tipsy Canyon Winery. Santa turns on the holiday lights across the winery grounds. Elaine Eagle plays live music and there's wine by the bonfire.
- 5 p.m., caroling downtown. BassICally plays a mini-concert at the Christmas tree on the corner of Emerson Street and Woodin Avenue in historic downtown Chelan.
- 6 p.m., Santa Parade and tree lighting. Santa parades through town and ends at the tree to light it.
- 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Holiday Trivia at The Cove Wine & Games. This is the third year for this Black Friday trivia night at 806 W Manson Highway, and the venue recommends reservations.
The last stop is on the Manson Highway, so Friday night ends on the North Shore side of town.
Saturday, Nov. 28, Santa lands at Leffler Field
The Manson Chamber of Commerce opens Village of Lights the next morning with a daytime schedule:
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Manson Grange Holiday Extravaganza, with handcrafted gifts from around the valley.
- 10 to 11:45 a.m. Letters to Santa at Mountain View Lodge, with hot cocoa and candy canes.
- Noon. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by helicopter at Leffler Field.
- 12:30 p.m. Parade down Manson's main street behind the sleigh, with carolers.
- 12:45 p.m. Santa lights the downtown Christmas tree.
- 1 to 3 p.m. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Radiance Winery & Coffee.
Chelan does its lighting in the dark. Manson does its lighting at lunchtime. Because of that, the two events never compete, and from Lake Chelan Hills you can get to both on the same weekend. That Saturday afternoon there's also a 4:30 p.m. Santa Express sailing from downtown Chelan, so it's possible to start the day in Manson and end it back on the water in Chelan.
December Saturdays have Manson in the morning and Chelan in the afternoon
After opening weekend, the Village of Lights calendar settles into a weekly pattern. Saturday mornings are in Manson and late Saturday afternoons are on the lake at Chelan.
| Date | Morning in Manson | Afternoon in Chelan | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Santa's Workshop, 10 a.m. to noon | Santa Express, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Red Velvet Night by Candlelight, 7:30 p.m., 157 E Wapato Way, Manson |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Santa's Workshop, 10 a.m. to noon | Santa Express, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Santa's Workshop, 10 a.m. to noon | Santa Express, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Second Santa Express sailing listed, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
Santa's Workshop is held at the Manson Chamber of Commerce's Visitor Center, listed at 590 E Wapato Way. Photos with Santa are free, and a volunteer will take the picture with your own camera.
The Santa Express is a holiday cruise on the Lady of the Lake, leaving from 1418 W Woodin Ave in Chelan. It's organized by Lake Chelan Boat Company. Tickets for 2026 are $30 for adults and $25 for children. The trip includes hot cocoa and cookies, writing a letter to Santa, decorating a mug and a holiday show. You can book online through the operator's events page, which shows availability in real time.
Weeknights are mostly at Tipsy Canyon Winery, 270 Upper Joe Creek Road in Manson. The Manson Chamber lists Owen Barnhart with a Lush Life pop-up shop on Thursday, Dec. 10, and Beau Warren on Thursday, Dec. 17, both from 4 to 6 p.m.
Dec. 19 is the last day for a couple of things. Santa Mail letters have to be dropped off by then, either at the corner of Emerson and Woodin next to the Chelan Museum or at the Lake Chelan Visitor Center, 10 Wapato Point Parkway, Unit D, in Manson. It's also the last Santa's Workshop morning. A day earlier, on Dec. 18, Lake Chelan Habitat draws the winners of its kids' coloring contest, "What does home mean to you?" Coloring sheets are available at the Habitat Store, and winners get prizes from the store.
The driving tour goes right past the neighborhood
The Chamber's suggested Driving Holiday Light Tour starts on South Lakeshore Drive, heads into downtown Chelan, goes "up through neighborhoods," continues into downtown Manson and finishes around the wineries and vineyards. The drive from downtown Chelan to downtown Manson follows the North Shore, the stretch where Lake Chelan Hills sits. For people in Lake Chelan Hills, a big part of the official tour is your own drive into town.
Two of the wineries on that route are also raising money all season. At Tipsy Canyon, Tipsy Tree Town runs from Nov. 27 to Jan. 24. Votes for your favorite decorated tree cost $1 each with no minimum. Each vote also counts as a raffle entry, and the trees themselves are sold by silent auction. All proceeds go to the Chelan Valley Housing Trust, and the tree sponsors include Lush Life, The Cove Wine & Games and Bloems. Silver Bell's cocoa bar runs daily from noon to 5 p.m. through Jan. 31, 2027, with donations going to Chelan Valley Hope.
After Dec. 31, the season moves to Manson
Chelan ends its program with a big finish. New Year's Eve fireworks go off from Don Morse Park at 9 p.m. on Dec. 31, the last day on the Chamber's Small Town Holidays calendar. Tipsy Canyon has music the same day, with Alvin Little on the Manson Chamber calendar from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Then things carry on in Manson. These North Shore events continue after Chelan's program ends:
- Tipsy Tree Town at Tipsy Canyon Winery, with final silent auction bids due Jan. 24.
- Diane's cocoa bar at Silver Bell Winery, every day through Jan. 31.
- Village of Lights and the North Poleon Winter Hunt in downtown Manson, through Saturday, Feb. 13. The hunt is free. It's a scavenger hunt with clues hidden around the village that reveal "an ancient language from the North Pole."
The town-wide event that falls in the middle of all this is Winterfest. The Lake Chelan Mirror reported that Lake Chelan Winterfest is set for Jan. 15 to 24, 2027, with activities in both Chelan and Manson, and that more event and ticket details are still to come. That puts Winterfest in the middle of Manson's extended season, and it ends the same day as Tipsy Tree Town.
Put together, Chelan's program runs 35 days, from Nov. 27 through Dec. 31. Village of Lights runs 78 days, from Nov. 28 through Feb. 13. The Manson Chamber pays for the lights with $25 sponsorships that go toward installing them around the village. So the lights you pass on mid-January trips toward Manson are paid for by small donations from the community.
If you're planning holiday visits from family or friends, or thinking about which part of the North Shore fits the way you spend the winter, I'm happy to share what I know about this stretch of the lake. Reach out to Nick Bowler. Let's Connect.
