Lighted holiday parades and holiday shopping are just some of the Christmas things to do in Union Gap, WA this season. Find them all in this post, updated for 2024.
For more trip ideas, check out all of our travel posts.
I love Christmas. It’s absolutely my favorite season of the year. And so, whenever I’m anywhere (traveling or just at home), I want to do all the Christmas things.
Christmas parades? I’m there. Christmas tree lightings? I’m at every one.
What I like about traveling during Christmas is getting to experience all the fun Christmas things that other towns have. Like here, we live on the coast, so we have a Christmas flotillas where boats are decorated and float down to the Atlantic Ocean.
In Union Gap, Washington, there’s a lighted parade where trucks and other vehicles are decorated and drive through town. Same concept, different mechanisms.
In case you are traveling to Union Gap this holiday season, or you just live in the Pacific Northwest and want to get into the Christmas spirit locally, we put together a list of Christmas things to do in Union Gap, Washington to help you plan your season.
Between all the Christmas events, you need to eat. And if you like burgers, you’re in luck. Union Gap has a full burger tour. Check out The Best Burgers In Union Gap, WA to decide where to eat one (or ten).
10+ Christmas Things To Do In Union Gap, WA
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Watch the Union Gap Lighted Holiday parade
If you’ve never been to a parade at night, you need to go to the Union Gap Lighted Holiday parade this year.
Businesses and individuals drive lighted floats (pick up trucks, flat bed trucks, vans, and more) through the city of Union Gap for spectators. Yes, lighted. There are Christmas lights adorning them. There floats are even juried and a winner will be announced.
The parade is on Sunday, December 8 at 6 pm in front of Pepp’rmint Stick Drive In (the corner of Yakima Street and 4002 Main St), heads north on Main Street, and ends at the the Valley Mall Sears Parking lot (9 E Valley Mall Blvd).
Once the parade gets to the mall, the floats park and Santa gets off his float so he can meet with the kids. There will also be hot chocolate and cookies, Christmas music, and more.
If you can’t make it, you can watch the 2019 Union Gap Lighted Holiday parade on YouTube.
Order masa for homemade tamales
If you’ve ever made homemade tamales, you know how important the masa is. And if you’ve never made tamales, masa is the outside that’s wrapped around the filling of the tamales. And it’s so, so important to the taste of your tamale.
James Beard-award winning Los Hernandez Tamales (3706 Main St) makes masa that’s hand ground from corn. That’s the traditional way for Mexican families (although most buy pre-ground masa because it’s easier).
You can order masa from Los Hernandez to make tamales for Christmas … or you can just order the tamales. But definitely do that ahead of time. Los Hernandez Tamales sells approximately 1,000 dozen tamales (yes 12,000!) every Christmas Eve.
Buy a tree at Fruit City
Artificial Christmas trees are definitely more frugal than a real tree, but we buy a fresh tree every year because the joy from and the smell of a real tree are absolutely worth all the money to me.
If you agree, head over to Fruit City (3913 Main St). The produce store closes for the produce season in late October but reopens at November 29 to sell Christmas trees.
According to Facebook, Douglas Firs are $29.99 and Noble Firs are $70, which is an amazing price and the same price as last year (by contrast, our trees here are selling for $20 a foot!). Fruit City is open from 10 am to 8 pm daily selling trees, wreaths, and more (no fruit, though).
If you’re buying a tree on December 7, Santa will be at Fruit City from noon to 3 pm.
Check out the Festival of Trees
The Valley Mall (2529 Main St) is hosting a Festival of Trees from December 4 to 17.
Local businesses, like Madd Hatters Haunt (a haunted house that’s one of the best things to do in Union Gap in the fall) and Habitat for Humanity, decorate trees. Donations, which raise money for local charities, for raffle tickets are accepted and the winners get to take home the beautiful trees.
Win at Christmas-themed bingo at St. Joe’s Bingo
Bingo is fun. It’s actually a lot of fun. So if you haven’t gone before, or if you’ve only gone to church bingo when you were young, you really need to get to St. Joe’s Bingo.
You can win, of course, but there are days when you can win on top of winning. I mean, who doesn’t want that?
At the 6 pm bingo sessions on December 1 and 4, St. Joe’s Bingo is hosting Poinsettia Bingo. When you win bingo, you also win a poinsettia to take home. On December 6 and 7, you can win a wreath when you win bingo. On December 11, 14 and 15, winners get a Christmas stocking full of prizes. And December 20 to 22, winners get a Christmas present on top of their regular bingo win.
See Santa at the mall
Visiting with Santa is a rite of passage, so you definitely need to visit the big man at the Valley Mall.
To start, Santa will be at the mall taking photos from November 22 to December 24. You can reserve your spot to see Santa in Union Gap ahead of time to make your life easier.
If you need a sensory friendly option, there will be Silent Santa on November 24 and December 1. This happens before the mall opens (from 8 am to 10 am), which makes it a lot quieter and there’s less stimulation. Plus, the lights are dimmed and the music is turned down as well.
Then there’s Storytime with Santa every Tuesday at 11 am.
And finally, Santa is taking photos with pets on November 24 and December4 from 6 pm to 8 pm. This includes dogs, cats, and feathered friends who are on leashes or in carriers and up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Write a letter to Santa at Cabela’s
Cabela’s (1400 E Washington Ave) is hosting Santa’s Wonderland through Christmas Eve.
Kids can visit with Santa and take photos. You can get a free 4×6 photo with paid photo packages. Kids who visit with Santa on weekdays can get a free bass cookie cutter (while supplies last).
If you don’t want to pay for photos, you can just visit Santa’s Wonderland for free and write a letter to be sent to Santa’s PO Box at the North Pole.
Skate at Skateland
Skateland, the town’s roller rink which was opened in 1948, is hosting and Early Release Christmas Skate on December 11 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Admission is $10.95 per skater or there’s a family package for a family of four for $39.
Hopefully the rink will be blasting some holiday classics through the speakers.
Drink some holiday cheer at Manhattan Station Espresso
Manhattan Station Espresso has some fun new holiday drinks on its menu for the season. There’s Christmas coffee (with white chocolate and kaluha cold and Irish cream), coffee made with eggnog, Oatmeal Cookie Chai, Peppermint Bark and Eggnog Latte, and a Snowball (white chocolate, peppermint, and coconut).
For anyone who needs some energy to get through the season, there are holiday themed energy drinks (If you know how much the Pacific Northwest loves its energy drinks, this makes sense). You can choose from four drinks (three with Lotus and one with Red Bull).
Do a Christmas craft at Farmgirl Pickings
Farmgirl Pickings (2515 Main Street) is a cute boutique shop where you can purchase a bunch of seasonal decor for your home. You can also make some.
For adults, on December 14, there’s a Trio of Trees craft where you can make three super cute yarn trees. It’s only $20 for all the materials you need.
For kids, there’s the Handprint Reindeer Tea Towel craft on December 21 where (you guessed it) your kids make a tea towel by turning their handprint into a reindeer. Tickets for that event are only $8. Sounds like the perfect gift for grandparents.
Visit the Yakima Area Arboretum for Luminaria
The area’s largest botanical garden, the Yakima Area Arboretum (1401 Arboretum Dr), is … okay, it’s technically in Yakima, but it’s literally on the border of Yakima and Union Gap, so it fits here.
The arboretum hosts Luminaria on the second Friday and Saturday of December. This year, it’s December 14 and 15. A mile-long trail within the arboretum will be lit by over 1,000 candles, plus there will be light displays around the path.
There’s live music, children’s crafts, local vendors to shop at, and hot cocoa.
The event is free and open to the public, but donations are accepted.
More Christmas Events In The Area:
If these events aren’t enough Christmas cheer for you, drive into the next town. There are a bunch of Christmas Things To Do In Yakima, WA. The Yakima events include a drive-through Holiday Light Fest at the State Fair Park, a Santa Claus Trolley, festive trees set up at the Yakima Area Museum, and more.
Which of these Christmas Things To Do In Union Gap, WA are you looking most forward to? Let us know in the comments.