Between Thanksgiving and the first weekend of December 2026, the San Juan Islands hold most of their holiday season in two short windows. Each island schedules its own events at nearly the same hours. Lopez lights its village the day after Thanksgiving, while Orcas opens a three-day faire. On Saturday, December 5, Eastsound and Friday Harbor both light their trees, and two markets are running at the same time. For anyone who wants more than their home island's events, the plan comes down to one ferry route. This fall that route is short a large boat, and it collects the inter-island fare in only one direction.
Thanksgiving Weekend Opens on Lopez and Orcas
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, which puts the Lopez Village Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 27. The Lopez Island Chamber describes the evening as an annual day-after-Thanksgiving gathering, with village shops open, treats, music and holiday cheer. The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau adds cookies, cider and caroling.
On Orcas, the Winter Faire at Warm Valley Farm starts the same day at 7483 Orcas Road. It runs 1 to 7 p.m. on November 27 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 28 and 29. Admission is free, and the farm produces the event itself, with makers, local shops, gifts, food and hot drinks.
Of the two, the Orcas faire runs longer. Its Friday hours reach 7 p.m., and its Saturday and Sunday hours sit in the middle of the day. That makes it the easier of the two to reach from another island.
December 5 Is the Crowded Day
On the first weekend of December, both main tree lightings and two craft markets land on the same Saturday.
| Event | Island | Venue | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday on the Green Tree Lighting & Tractor Parade | Orcas | Eastsound Village Green, 203 N. Beach Road | Dec. 5, 4 p.m. |
| Winter Artisans Faire | Orcas | Odd Fellows Hall, 112 Haven Road, Eastsound | Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Dec. 6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Christmas Tree Lighting & Santa's Workshop | San Juan | Friday Harbor | Dec. 5 |
| Winter Flea & Craft Market | San Juan | San Juan County Fairgrounds, 849 Argyle Ave. | Dec. 5–6, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. |
The Orcas Island Chamber promises music, hot cocoa, Santa and lit-up tractors at the Village Green. It is also inviting anyone with a tractor to join the parade by contacting the Chamber. The Visitors Bureau describes the tree as a 20-foot evergreen lit with hundreds of lights. A few blocks away, the Winter Artisans Faire fills Odd Fellows Hall with ceramics, prints, wearable art, jewelry, textiles, photography, body care and specialty foods from island artists.
In Friday Harbor, the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce hosts the Christmas Tree Lighting & Santa's Workshop the same evening. Earlier in the day, the county's Winter Flea & Craft Market takes over the Main Exhibit Hall at the Fairgrounds, with handmade gifts and second-hand goods. The doors open at 9 a.m. on both days.
Taken together, the daytime markets on Orcas and San Juan both run on Sunday, December 6, and the tree lightings happen only on Saturday. Sunday is the day to cross islands for a market. Saturday evening belongs to whichever tree you can see from home.
The Fare Is Collected in One Direction
How easy a cross-island trip is depends partly on its direction. On its Friday Harbor terminal page, Washington State Ferries says inter-island tickets can be used between any two islands and are not tied to a destination. Fare payment is required only on westbound trips.
On the Anacortes/San Juan route, WSF describes the inter-island pattern as a T: Friday Harbor to Lopez, Shaw and Orcas, then back from Orcas through Shaw and Lopez to Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor sits at the western end of that loop. A Friday Harbor resident pays for the trip home from the Orcas faire, not the trip over. An Orcas or Lopez resident heading to the Fairgrounds market pays on the way there and rides home eastbound without a fare. The trip costs the same either way, but it changes which terminal you buy at, and that matters on a busy Saturday.
This Fall the Route Is Running a Smaller Boat
Capacity is the second factor. As of WSF's bulletin dated November 2, a 90-car vessel has replaced the 144-car Samish as vessel #3 on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route. That is 54 fewer car spaces on one of the route's boats. WSF says the Samish will return next month after its annual inspection and maintenance. The route schedule lists the Sealth in the #3 slot. A separate November 3 alert says the Sealth's passenger elevator is temporarily out of service while technicians make repairs.
The route also had a difficult October. On October 5, the San Juan Journal reported that WSF said 23 engine-room employees had called in sick. Thirteen of the system's 18 ferries were out of service, and several early Anacortes/San Juan sailings were canceled or changed. In a follow-up on October 13, the Journal reported that some travelers at the terminal without reservations were told to travel without their cars or wait until the next day.
There is also a mainland issue for anyone planning holiday errands off-island before December. The SR 536 Skagit River/Division Street Bridge in Mount Vernon closed in both directions to vehicles on November 1 for at least two weeks of painting and preservation work, and WSF notes that weather could extend the closure.
An inter-island day trip on foot avoids the car-deck question entirely. Eastsound's Village Green and Odd Fellows Hall are a short walk apart, and the Fairgrounds sit in Friday Harbor itself.
Reservations Change Over at Christmas
Both holiday weekends fall inside WSF's Fall 2026 season, which runs from September 20 through December 26. The Winter season starts December 27 and runs to March 20, 2027. Vehicle reservations for the fall season can be booked through December 26. WSF moved the two-month release for the winter season back two weeks, to Tuesday, November 10, at 10 a.m., with a virtual waiting room. The two-week and two-day releases on this route stay at 7 a.m.
Some days in February and March 2027 will not be available to book for Orcas and Lopez because of construction on the vehicle transfer span at several terminals. Families planning post-holiday visits or late-winter trips off-island from those two islands will find the booking calendar thinner than usual.
Friday Harbor's Calendar Fills In Around the Two Weekends
San Juan Island's own season stretches past the overlap, which gives its residents more dates that don't compete with the other islands:
- San Juan Island Restaurant Week, November 15–22. The Chamber runs it the week before Thanksgiving.
- Friday Harbor Winterfest, December 1–31. The Chamber's Winterfest page covers the full month.
- Old-Fashioned Holiday Market, December 11–13. The Visitors Bureau's holiday calendar places it at Brickworks Event Center, 150 Nichols Street in Friday Harbor, the weekend after the tree lightings.
- Duck Soup Inn's last service of 2026, December 20. The restaurant at 50 Duck Soup Lane is open Friday through Sunday in November and December, serving dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Its final night of the year is the Sunday before Christmas.
The Old-Fashioned Holiday Market is the easiest cross-island trip of the season. It runs three days, on a weekend with no competing tree lightings, and while the Fall schedule and its reservation window are still in effect. For Orcas and Lopez residents it is the westbound trip, so the fare is paid on the way over and the ride home is free.
Lisa Turnure works with San Juan Islands homeowners and second-home buyers, and the ferry schedule is part of every conversation about how a property on Orcas, Lopez or San Juan works day to day. For new island listings as they come up, choose Receive Exclusive Listings.
