The Kirkland Downtown Association announced plans for a downtown ice rink and a full day of Winterfest activities timed for Small Business Saturday.

Cassie Joyner and Liana Tomajin, guests on the city’s Nov. 20 "This Week in Kirkland" podcast, said the rink will be installed in the infield of Lee Johnson Baseball Field at Peter Kirk Park and will have a soft opening on Nov. 26. The rink is real ice, not synthetic, and KDA confirmed skate rentals will be available on site.

The Winterfest celebration is scheduled for Nov. 29, centered at Kirkland Urban Plaza with a tree lighting at the Peter Kirk Park amphitheater. Activities will run roughly 4–8 p.m. and include Dickens-style carolers, the Lake Washington Band, live performers, ice sculpting, holiday children’s crafts and alpacas from Enchanted Farms. KDA said food trucks will be on-site on weekends; the permanent concession stand will not be open.

KDA estimated responding to 1,500–2,000 Santa letters last year and said candy-cane-striped Santa mailboxes will be placed at the corner of Lake Street and Kirkland Avenue and in Kirkland Urban Plaza; mailboxes will remain on site through Dec. 19. The association is recruiting volunteers to host letter-writing parties and to help with decorating and other holiday tasks.

Special appearances are planned: KDA said a character named "Bowie" will appear on Sunday the 30th from roughly 12–1 p.m., and the organization is in talks with a professional women’s hockey team affiliated with the Kraken about potential appearances, though dates were not finalized.

KDA also said it will participate in Google Lights on Dec. 5 at Farringtons Park near the Google campus, and King 5 News will have live segments from Kirkland Urban to help publicize Winterfest the week of the event.

Tickets: Winterfest activities are free to attend; the ice rink charges admission to help recoup costs. KDA cited children’s tickets at about $12 and adult tickets in the mid-teens (about $15–$16), and said the association is still finalizing exact pricing. KDA offered two free rink tickets to the first podcast listener who emails info@kirklanddowntown.org with the subject line "Buoy."

The KDA asked visitors to check the association’s website and social channels for full operating hours, theme nights and any last-minute schedule changes.

Next steps: KDA will finalize operating details on its website and via social media ahead of the rink’s soft opening and Winterfest.