Winter Holiday Market & Pop-up ice rink happening this weekend in Pioneer Square

Occidental Square in downtown Seattle is getting in the holiday fun this weekend, with Christmas lights, a pop-up ice rink and a winter market.

The Winter Holiday Market at Pioneer Square opened on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., and will run until 3:00 p.m. The event runs through Sunday. In addition to free coffee and cookies, a worldwide celebrity will make an appearance: Santa Claus himself!

Chris Woodward, Community Development Director for Alliance For Pioneer Square says this is the first year combining the pop-up ice rink and the Winter Holiday Market together. 

"This is kind of the first year that we’re doing this Winter Market combined with the pop-up ice rink," said Woodward. "It’s pretty cool. It’s a weekend-long event for the ice rink, so if you don’t get a chance to come down today, you can come down tomorrow and get your skates on."

Woodward also spoke about safety and security for the event.

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"There will be actually staffing via the downtown Seattle station that manages and activates this park, so they’ll be staffing presence throughout and there’s a lot of people in the park, so it’ll be a safe environment that will be family friendly and really welcoming for all."

Organizers say a security will be at the event, making sure nobody steals or vandalizes any Christmas decorations, vendor tents or the rink.

Despite the rainy weather, Woodward says the event is still on.

"The ice rink will still be open during the rain, they actually have someone who goes around and squeegees it throughout the day to make sure it’s not too slippery." 

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"All these activities are free to the public," said Woodward. "We encourage people to not only stop by the park and enjoy their day, but shop the neighborhood." 

The ice rink is free for all ages and will continue Sunday with the Seattle Kraken’s marching band performing. 

There is also a play space at the park for children, and everything is free for the public.