Welcome to the Season of Cheer!

Welcome to the Season of Cheer!

The holidays may look different this year, but there are still plenty of safe and festive experiences to be had in the Heart of Bellevue. That’s why we launched the Season of Cheer campaign, presented by Symetra.

This five-week-long community promotion will collectively present the Heart of Bellevue’s shopping, dining and entertainment offerings while reimagining the holiday experience in a COVID-safe way. From the installation of colorful lights in Bellevue Downtown Park to special restaurant programs and local gift guides, Season of Cheer is all about creating a welcoming holiday environment while connecting Bellevue residents, workers and visitors to small businesses.

With social distancing requirements in place and the community’s health of the upmost priority, many Bellevue holiday traditions were impacted this year, including the cancelation of the annual Downtown Ice Rink. In response, we looked for new opportunities to create a festive addition to Downtown this year. The result? We installed more than 2,200 dynamic LED holiday lights in Bellevue’s Downtown Park, creating a vibrant connection of lighting between The Bellevue Collection’s reimagined Snowflake Lane and the classic holiday bulbs strung along Main Street in Old Bellevue. The lights in the park will change colors to celebrate different themes, including traditional holidays, sporting events and other acknowledgements.

We’re also building up our community’s story through Season of Cheer. From custom local gift-giving guides to blogs highlighting the best takeout specials in town, our website has reemerged as the Season of Cheer online hub, highlighting local business offerings and sharing stories of the people behind the place. Small business profiles and local promotions will also be shared across our Bellevue Downtown Facebook page and Instagram profile, featuring raffles for local gift cards and self-guided activities for you to engage with. Make sure to follow us for the latest restaurant specials, gifting ideas and more!

The Season of Cheer is a special holiday twist building on the essence of our ongoing Heart of Bellevue campaign. From sharing stories of resilience and recovery to producing virtual events like the Bellevue Jazz & Blues Music Series, the Heart of Bellevue campaign has been supporting local retailers, restaurants and businesses while promoting Downtown Bellevue as a place for safe activity and experiences. We’ll be doing even more of that for the Season of Cheer! Make sure to engage with us on social media, sign up for our weekly newsletter and explore Downtown for safe and inviting experiences. Plus, if you're a small business owner or employee, tell us what you're up to this holiday season and we'll make sure to promote it.

Of course, we couldn’t do it alone. This community campaign is made possible by presenting partner Symetra, with additional support from Amazon, Puget Sound Energy and the City of Bellevue. Together, these partners have helped us provide an opportunity to support small businesses when they need it most – and bring cheer to Downtown in new ways this holiday season!

We can’t wait to celebrate safely with you! Whether you’re enjoying takeout at home or doing some socially-distanced holiday shopping along Main Street, make sure to mask up, keep each other safe, support local AND enjoy a fantastic holiday season! Cheers!

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The Season of Cheer is part of Heart of Bellevue: our campaign to showcase local businesses while connecting you with stories of activity, creativity and recovery. Find out about our campaign and explore more of what’s happening around Downtown.