Record Tulalip holiday display lights up the night

On a foggy Wednesday evening, visitors walked around the Tulalip Amphitheatre, admiring the trees that stood above them lit in vibrant pinks, blues and greens.

Tulalip Lights & Ice is up and running for its third year, and organizers say each year has been bigger than the last. A record 7.8 million lights shine on trees all around the Tulalip Resort Casino and Quil Ceda Village, attracting visitors from hours away. Depending on the day, visitors can enjoy ice skating, local food and craft vendors, and even special appearances from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Grinch and Buddy the Elf.

The idea for the largest lights display in Washington came in January 2022, when the Tulalip Tribes’ Board of Directors saw the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s annual display on a retreat.

“They had these lights all over, and we were like, ‘Wow,’” said Teresa Meece, operations director at Quil Ceda Village. “So we went and searched for the contractor who put the lights up.”

By the end of the year, the tribes unveiled its own display, then boasting 3 million lights. After the success of that first year, Quil Ceda Village has searched for ways to make the next displays bigger and more unique. Organizers make sure to switch up the lighting design every year, never putting the same lights on the same trees.

“We ask them to take pictures and always make it different, because we have repeat customers and we want them to get a different, new experience every year that they come,” Meece said.

Another unique part of the display is how large trees are lit in a single color, achieved by individually changing the bulbs on multicolored strings. This year, it took a contractor 75 days to set up the lights.

On the weekends, Tulalip Lights & Ice sees an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 visitors each night, Meece said. Most of the vendors set up shop over the weekend. This is also when iconic holiday characters stop by.

This year, each of the 18 vendors are owned by Indigenous people, including Cosalish Meets Creole, a fish boil restaurant run by husband and wife Anthony Lane and Marjae Lane that combines traditions from each of their tribal heritages. They’ve had to make more food each night because they consistently sell out, Anthony Lane said.

“Everyone’s asking when we’re going to be here so they can come out again, which is really cool,” he said. “Even though it’s not a permanent thing, it’s nice to get returning customers like that.”

Looking to avoid weekend crowds? Though there aren’t as many activities on weeknights, some vendors choose to open, such as a hot dog stand that opened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

No matter the day of the week, visitors can always warm up with some hot chocolate at the ice skating rink. One-hour skating sessions cost between $10 and $15, including skate rentals. Skating is available for all ages, with the rink carrying skates from a kid’s size 7 to a men’s size 12.

Garvin Carrell, who lives in Stanwood, decided to return to the display Wednesday after seeing it for the first time last year. His favorite part is the way the lights reflect off the fountain at the casino’s entrance.

“It’s beautiful, it’s local, it’s fun, it’s huge, it’s close,” he said. “It’s not crowded, even when it’s crowded. It’s so big that you can just walk around and you don’t feel like there’s a lot of people here. I appreciate when a business goes the extra mile.”

Tulalip Lights & Ice has already seen a record number of visitors this year, and Quil Ceda Village is looking into applying to the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest light display.

Visitors can stop by any time of day for free to see some of the lights, but the entire display is lit from 3:30 p.m. to about 5 a.m. and is open through Jan. 12.

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!