Redmond Lights, the City of Redmond’s annual winter celebration of art and light, will illuminate Downtown Park once again this year and, for the first time, will expand its footprint to the Overlake neighbourhood’s Esterra Park. The community can enjoy the free, month-long art installations at both locations from 6 December 2025 to 5 January 2026. A kick-off event will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, 6 December, at Downtown Park.
“I look forward to joining our community in experiencing the wonder of Redmond Lights again this year,” stated Mayor Angela Birney. “This year will be especially magical with new art and light exhibits at Esterra Park, in addition to the beloved traditions that bring us together this season.”
The kick-off event, which is free and open to all, will feature family activities, faux snowfall at Buoyant Pavilion, a luminary trail, live musical performances, and more. The event stretches from Downtown Park to Redmond Town Center via the Redmond Central Connector, with pop-up performances and community booths at both sites. Additionally, Redmond Town Center will host giveaways and photos with Santa.
This year’s light displays and temporary public art, which will make Downtown Park and Esterra Park glow, were created by local artists Sticklab, Will Jewett, Angie Mendoza, Anne Simernitski, Ana Tono, Neely Goniodsky, Nikita Mehta, Britta Johnson, and Cam Smith. Three artistic videos were also selected to be projected on Buoyant Pavilion and were produced by Chris May, Guy Merrill, and Jane Richlovsky.
Redmond Town Center will again present a kids’ colouring activity in connection with the event throughout December.
Redmond Lights is made possible through generous contributions from the event’s premier sponsors, Experience Redmond, Amazon, and Microsoft.
The expansion of Redmond Lights to include Esterra Park in the Overlake neighbourhood alongside the traditional Downtown Park location represents a strategic evolution of the annual winter celebration, extending the event’s geographic footprint to serve a broader residential area whilst leveraging the city’s investment in new park infrastructure that provides suitable venues for large-scale light installations.
Esterra Park, a relatively new addition to Redmond’s park system located in the rapidly developing Overlake neighbourhood near major employment centres including Microsoft’s headquarters, provides an ideal secondary location for the light festival. The neighbourhood has experienced substantial residential growth in recent years as apartment complexes and mixed-use developments have transformed what was once primarily commercial and industrial land into a dense urban village, creating a walkable community seeking cultural amenities and gathering spaces.
The month-long duration from 6 December 2025 to 5 January 2026 encompasses the entire holiday season including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s celebrations, maximising community engagement opportunities whilst justifying the installation costs through extended public access. The timing also captures winter break periods when families have more leisure time to visit the installations and when darker evenings enhance the visual impact of illuminated artworks.
The kick-off event scheduled for 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, 6 December, creates a ceremonial launch that generates publicity, attracts crowds, and establishes the festival as a significant community gathering. The four-hour timeframe accommodates families with young children who attend early whilst also serving adults and older youth who arrive later, maximising participation across demographic segments.
The event programming including family activities, faux snowfall, luminary trails, and live musical performances provides diverse attractions appealing to varied interests and age groups. The faux snowfall at Buoyant Pavilion creates particularly strong appeal in the Pacific Northwest where natural snow is rare in lowland areas, offering children and adults a wintery experience without the travel required to reach mountain elevations.
