Who pays the power bill for the lights in the trees along 34th Avenue? The answer is a pie sale and a raffle. According to the Madrona Neighborhood Association, the winter tree lights in the business district run from November through February. They are paid for by two neighbor-run events held outside a pub. Most of what happens in Madrona over the next ten weeks ties back to those lights.
Most of the dates are set. Two of the times are not.
The Calendar, Read as One Season
- Friday, October 30, 3 to 7 p.m. The final market day of the 2026 season for the Central District Farmers Market, in the Grocery Outlet lot at MLK Jr. Way and E Union St.
- Saturday, October 31, 4 to 6 p.m. Trick or Treat on 34th Ave, organized by the neighborhood association.
- Wednesday, November 25, time TBD. The Thanksgiving Pie and Bake Sale in front of Madrona Arms.
- Thursday, December 10, time TBD. The Winter Market and Raffle, also in front of Madrona Arms.
- Tuesday, December 22, 8:40 to 9 p.m. The Argosy Christmas Ship's public shoreline performance at Madrona Beach Park.
The two events in the middle of that list, at Madrona Arms, pay for the lights. The other three frame them, and the lights stay on for weeks after the last one ends.
The Market Closes Under a New Name
The Friday market many neighbors still call the Madrona Farmers Market changed its name this year. Seattle Farmers Markets lists it as the Central District Farmers Market, renamed for 2026 and run by SFMA. It still sits in the Madrona Grocery Outlet lot and now describes itself as serving the Central District, Madrona, Cherry Hill and Madison Valley. Vendors sell produce, meat, eggs, honey, herbs, flowers, baked goods and prepared food. The market takes EBT and Fresh Bucks, and dogs are welcome.
Parking in the market lot is limited, and the listing points visitors to street parking on MLK Way and E Union St. The season that opened May 15 ends October 30. The last Friday of the market lands the day before Halloween, so the neighborhood's attention moves up the hill to 34th Avenue overnight.
Halloween Hands the Street Back to the Neighborhood
The neighborhood association's Trick or Treat on 34th Ave runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31. The association describes it as local shops and restaurants handing out candy and treats to trick-or-treaters "of all ages." With Halloween on a Saturday this year, the two-hour window falls on a weekend afternoon rather than a school night.
The same storefronts that open their doors on Halloween show up again in December, this time on the raffle table.
A Pie Sale That Pays the Power Bill
The association states plainly where the bake sale money goes:
"Proceeds go directly toward maintaining, powering, and repairing the lights so they shine safely and beautifully through the season."
That line comes from the Thanksgiving Bake Sale page, which also asks for volunteer bakers at [email protected]. This year's sale is set for November 25 in front of Madrona Arms, with the time still listed as TBD. November 25 is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The 2025 sale fell on the same day of the week: the association's 2025 notice, dated November 26, advertised extra pies outside Madrona Arms from 1 to 5 p.m. Those hours give a reasonable reference point until the 2026 time is posted, but they are last year's hours and nothing more.
Madrona Arms describes itself as a family-friendly neighborhood pub with rotating beer, seasonal cocktails, daily lunch, and indoor and outdoor seating. Both fundraisers are listed in front of it.
The Raffle Table Doubles as a Directory
The second fundraiser is bigger. The Winter Market and Raffle on December 10 sends all proceeds to the winter tree lights, and the association reports more than $6,500 in prizes at last year's event. Prizes are grouped into gift bags so more people have a chance to win. The 2026 prizes will be posted closer to the date.
The 2025 donor list shows who backs the lights. Grouped by type:
- Restaurants, cafés and food: Madrona Arms, Hi Spot, Vendemmia, East Anchor, General Harvest Restaurants, A Mano, Eres, Naam Thai, Red Cow/ESR, Molly Moon's, YokaTea
- Wine: Madrona Wine Merchants; Wilridge Vineyard, Winery & Distillery
- Shops and studios: Juniper, Katybird, Nido, Hitchcock, Arts Aloft, Smallish, Ageless Aesthetics
The donated prizes ranged widely. Smallish gave a photo session plus a $750 portrait credit, valued at $1,100. Juniper gave a cashmere scarf valued at $325. Hitchcock gave a sterling silver ring valued at $269. Restaurants contributed gift certificates, such as two $50 certificates from Madrona Arms and four $50 certificates from Eres. That is last year's list. The 2026 roster may differ, because the street itself changes. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported in November 2024 that Cupcake Royale was closing its original Madrona café, which a 2011 Seattle magazine directory placed at 1101 34th Ave. The lights fundraiser was already running when that directory was printed, and it has outlasted the café.
A Longer Season Than It Used to Be
The neighborhood's own records show the tradition goes back well over a decade. A December 2009 Madrona newsletter reports that volunteers hung the winter greens and lights on a Saturday in November, and it thanks an anonymous donor who covered that year's greens. The association's January 2012 year-in-review lists $1,500 for "Wintergreens of lights and greens on 34th Avenue," running November through January.
Set that 2012 entry next to the current mission page and the season has grown. The lights now run November through February, a month longer than the 2012 record shows. February is a long way past the holidays that pay for it. Proceeds raised the day before Thanksgiving and on a Thursday in December keep the street lit well after Valentine's Day.
The two figures measure different things. The $1,500 in 2012 was spending on lights and greens. The $6,500 from last year is the value of donated raffle prizes, not money raised. Neither source gives this year's operating cost, and none of the pages reviewed says when the lights switch on in 2026 or who installs them today. The volunteer crew on a November Saturday comes from the 2009 account.
The Last Stop Is at the Water
The season moves down the hill for its final public moment. Argosy's 2026 schedule puts the Christmas Ship's shoreline performance at Madrona Beach Park on Tuesday, December 22, from 8:40 to 9 p.m. That is the Tuesday before Christmas, twelve days after the Winter Market, and the 34th Avenue lights still have about two months to run.
The park itself will look different in a few years. Seattle Parks lists a $550,000 renovation of the Madrona Park Beach Play Area at 853 Lake Washington Blvd., focused on natural play and accessibility. The city's schedule, updated April 11, 2026, puts construction in 2027 to 2028. This December's Christmas Ship stop comes before any of that work begins.
The two dates still listed as TBD are the ones that fund the lights. The bake sale needs bakers before November 25, and the raffle prize list will go up on the association's site as December 10 gets closer.
Patricia Wallace has followed Madrona's traditions on 34th Avenue and along the lakefront for many years, and she is glad to share what she knows about the neighborhood with anyone who asks. Contact Patricia directly for a private consultation.
