Festivals for All Seasons
Leavenworth Washington currently has several different festival weekends throughout the year, but in the beginning of the transformation to Bavarian village, there were only a few: the Mai-Fest, the Autumn Leaf Festival (now the Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival), and the Christmas Lighting Festival. These events are all still on the schedule, but with the addition of many other events, such as the Bavarian Icefest, the Spring Bird Fest, and Kinderfest.
Until 1998, there were no Oktoberfest celebrations because some townspeople believed that this might hurt the family-friendly atmosphere of the town. There are now three Oktoberfest weekends in the month of October every year, as well as Alefest (April), the Bavarian Bike & Brew (June), and two Leavenworth Wine Walks (June and September).
The Christmas Lighting Festival is now combined with the Village of Lights, where the lights are on every night from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day weekend. This festival’s origins go back to when Ted Price and Bob Rodgers decorated their Squirrel Tree Restaurant. It started out as a single weekend in December which has now evolved into something that lasts almost the entire winter season.
Village Art in the Park began in 1966 as a promotional idea to draw people’s attention away from the highway to the downtown area. It has become the longest continually running outdoor art show in the Pacific Northwest, and supports local arts education.