Pike Place Market hosts Magic in the Market on 28 November

Pike Place Market and Magic in the Market return to Seattle on 28 November 2026 for a public holiday programme across the historic market district. The 31st annual event will combine seasonal activities, performances and a lighting ceremony at the Public Market Center sign.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, 28 November 2026, at 85 Pike Street. It is organised by the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, which manages many of the market’s buildings and daily operations.

Magic in the Market brings holiday activities to Seattle

The organiser’s programme runs across several market areas. It includes holiday choir performances in the Economy Atrium, craft activities in the North Pavilion, a scavenger hunt, light-up photo opportunities and seasonal activities on Pike Place Street.

Visitors can also find holiday buskers at MarketFront Plaza and a Brazilian dance performance on Pike Place Street. The programme includes Farm Fresh Lane, where local ingredients and meals are presented for the holiday season.

According to the organiser, activities run from 11am to 4pm, followed by the lighting ceremony at 5pm. The ceremony under the Public Market Center sign features Can Can dancers and a concert with Carly Ann Calbero, details also listed in the event programme for 28 November.

Pike Place Market’s history shapes the holiday setting

The market opened in 1907 after Seattle City Council designated Pike Place as a public market area. On 17 August that year, eight farmers sold their produce to shoppers on the first day of business.

The surrounding historic district reflects a later preservation campaign. Seattle voters backed protection in 1971 after proposals threatened to replace the market with a smaller modern development. The city subsequently created a seven-acre historic district and a Market Historical Commission.

The holiday programme therefore uses a setting whose public role reaches back to the market’s opening in 1907. Seasonal performances and craft activities will occupy spaces such as the Economy Atrium and North Pavilion, parts of a district that grew from open-air produce stalls into a multilevel market neighbourhood.

The Seattle historical district record describes Pike Place Market as the oldest continuously operating public market in the country. It also records the 1971 vote and the market’s development after the preservation campaign.

From produce stalls to a city-wide seasonal programme

Magic in the Market connects the market’s commercial and community roles with a programme designed for different parts of the district. Choirs, buskers, artists and food-related activities are spread across the site rather than concentrated in one hall.

The event also places the lighting ceremony beneath the Public Market Center sign, a recognisable entrance marker for the market. That link between the sign and the 5pm ceremony gives the day a clear closing point without changing the market’s wider trading and community function.

Visiting Pike Place Market: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Magic in the Market takes place on 28 November 2026 at Pike Place Market, 85 Pike Street, Seattle.
• The public programme includes activities across the market, with the lighting ceremony under the Public Market Center sign at 5pm.
• Visitors will find craft activities in the North Pavilion, choir performances in the Economy Atrium and buskers at MarketFront Plaza.
• The market occupies a historic district established after Seattle voters approved preservation in 1971.

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Frequently asked questions about Pike Place Market

When does Magic in the Market take place at Pike Place Market?

The event takes place on 28 November 2026 at 85 Pike Street in Seattle.

What is the lighting programme at Pike Place Market?

The lighting ceremony begins at 5pm under the Public Market Center sign and includes Can Can dancers and Carly Ann Calbero.

Where is Pike Place Market and how do you get there?

The market is at 85 Pike Street in downtown Seattle, within the historic district established after the 1971 preservation vote.