Rainier Winterfest parade and tree lighting Dec. 7

Clear your schedule for Sunday, Dec. 7, because Rainier Winterfest and Santa are officially kicking off the holiday season. Starting at 10 a.m. and running until 12:30 p.m. is the annual “Brunch with Santa.” Benefiting the Amani Center, this event takes place at the Rainier Riverfront and Senior Center at 48 W. 7th Street.

Admission is $8 in advance or $10 at the door and includes breakfast, a visit with Santa, and table stations for kids to decorate cookies, write letters to Santa, and create custom hot cocoas. The event also offers raffle baskets for $2 each or three for $5 and six “Reindeer Games” which can be played using tickets available for purchase. Tickets are 12 for $5 or $.50 each.

Rainier Winterfest activities start at 5 p.m. in the heart of downtown Rainier with the annual holiday parade through the streets of Rainier. Following the parade will be the official Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. which will be led by Mr. And Mrs. Claus. Stick around after the tree lighting to take photos with the Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Rainier Eagles and enjoy hot cocoa and cookies at El Tapatio Rainier.

Rainier’s annual tree lighting used to take place in front of City Hall, but the crowds outgrew the venue and Kitty and Mike Kreger, along with other supporters, took it upon themselves to start Rainier Winterfest in 2023. The group created a non-profit to fund and oversee the new annual event, and a parade was added in 2024.

“My dream was always to have a great big Christmas tree somewhere in town that we could all come to,” said Kitty. “I had this vision of a tree right there at the river, and [said], ‘Oh, my God, if we can make that happen.’ [We wanted] to create a new holiday tradition for Rainier. All of you guys are going to benefit greatly from this because we're going to have a parade and we're going to have Santa come down here and light up the tree, just like last year. The tree is hopefully going to get bigger because we can add to it. That's part of the reason we're going to continue raising funds.”

The original tree cost $10,000, with funds raised by community and corporate donations. The non-profit hopes to raise additional funds to continue adding height to the tree, which comes in pre-sized “rings” at a cost of $5,000 per ring.

The Kregers have big plans for ways to expand Rainier Winterfest activities in the coming years. “I'd like to expand where we could include bazaars,” said Kitty. “I've heard you can have people come in and set up ice skating rinks, and I would love to get the churches to bring the choirs down to sing certain nights and the schools bring the choirs down to sing.”

Participants of the parade are instructed to arrive for line-up by 4 p.m. at 700 W. A Street by the Rainier Historical Museum. The parade route will start near the Rainier Riverfront Center and travel down A Street past the park and end at the A Street Plaza.

Community members are also invited to participate in a “holiday home decorating contest,” with judging taking place Dec. 20 and 21. Gift-card prizes will be announced Christmas week. A map will be published on the Rainier Winterfest Facebook page. Last year featured 17 homes. Categories include “Judges Choice,” “Most Twinkly Lights,” and “Most Creative.” The deadline to enter is Friday, Dec. 19. Entry forms can be found on the website and dropped off at Rainier City Hall or emailed to christmasinrainier@gmail.com. Participants must reside within the 97048 ZIP code.

For more info, visit rainierwinterfest.com.