Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Google Lights returns to Downtown Kirkland with expanded display, synchronized music and free family activities
Loading...
Summary
Organizers say Google Lights will light up the downtown park Friday with a synchronized light-and-music show anchored by a large central tree, family attractions including a petting zoo and photo booth, roughly 2,500 cookies for attendees and free admission.
Google Lights, the annual holiday lights event staged on and adjacent to the Google campus in downtown Kirkland, will return Friday with a music-synchronized light show, family attractions and free admission, organizers said.
Dave Thompson, development manager at SRM Development and one of the event’s lead organizers, said the display has grown from a 25-foot tree and a few lights in about 2010 to a larger park-wide show. "I think there's, like, 30 or 40,000 lights just on the tree," Thompson said, adding that last year’s good-weather attendance approached 5,000 people and that this year the event will distribute roughly "2,500 cookies."
Why it matters: Google Lights draws large crowds into downtown Kirkland over a single evening and serves as a major seasonal attraction for families and nearby businesses. The city and the Kirkland Downtown Association are co-organizing elements of the program, creating both a community activity and a logistical operation that requires power, sound and crowd planning.
Organizers said the Phase 2 park and adjacent campus were designed with event infrastructure in mind — power poles and fiber runs were installed to support lighting, audio and other features. Thompson said that infrastructure allowed the event to grow and support synchronized lighting across the central tree, fences, trellises and archways. "They are synchronized not only with the tree, but all the lights out there," he said.
The event program includes a centrally placed tree north of the Ferriton Garden near the Chainline Brewery, a petting zoo (past years have featured sheep and alpacas), carolers that are Googlers, a photo booth staffed by professional photographers, and a city-sponsored sustainability ornament swap at the waste-management booth. A large screen the hosts call a "jumbotron" will be deployed in a different location than last year; Thompson described this year’s unit as more mobile and less logistically intensive than the earlier setup.
City participation will include staffed tables and council members handing out lollipops attached to light-bulb-shaped cards with QR codes so residents can share ideas with the council. Mayor Kelly is scheduled to lead the countdown to the tree lighting, hosts said.
Logistics: Organizers expect heavy foot traffic and encourage attendees to walk or bike using the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC). There is public parking available in Building D (first level, a few hundred stalls), but the emphasis is on pedestrian access. Thompson noted the amphitheater and expanded park footprint — completed when the campus expanded — support the larger crowd and production needs.
What organizers said next: Thompson described the event as a community-focused experience, saying the synchronized audio-visual elements "really set the lights on fire" and create an immersive show. The city asked attendees to consult official show notes for links and any last-minute updates.
The event is scheduled for Friday following the Dec. 4 episode; hosts encouraged listeners to check show notes and the city's event pages for final details and safety information.
