In June, the lot at 510 S. 3rd St. got a futsal court, a 30-foot screen, a stage and a playground for ages 2 to 5. Between June and August, the City of Renton held 34 events there and drew more than 30,000 visitors. The biggest crowd was more than 3,300 people at the June 19 USA vs. Australia watch party.
This is Legacy Square's first winter, and the schedule is much shorter. The City's list of upcoming events at the square has two items: Small Business Saturday on November 28, and holiday activities on three December Saturday afternoons that go with the Santa House across the street. After dark, the season moves to Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. Clam Lights starts at 4 p.m. this year, the same hour Santa House and the Legacy Square activities wrap up on December Saturdays.
What the summer crowds said about the square
The City's October 30 recap of Legacy Square's first four months quoted visitors on what they liked. Several comments describe things that still apply in December:
"It's walking distance from so many restaurants."
"If you have little ones, there's this awesome little park."
"I love the free 3rd space that's welcoming and easy to access for events."
The playground and the nearby restaurants don't close for the season, and they matter more when the reason to come downtown is a two-hour Santa visit or a shopping afternoon. Starting this November, the City is also offering interest forms for community groups and local businesses that want to put on free events, performances or activities at the square. That means the 2027 calendar could look different from this one.
The building next door stays closed this season
The former Pavilion Events Center faces Piazza Park and is becoming the Renton Market. It won't be part of this holiday season. On October 29, the City said the building had passed all final inspections and the keys were going to the market operator. The operator is now recruiting businesses for two permanent tenant spaces and 16 ready-to-use vendor stalls meant for start-ups. The City expects to open the market to the public in spring and summer. It will be a year-round indoor marketplace with a classroom kitchen for cooking programs and public restrooms.
Piazza Park, outside the market's doors, is nearly finished. The City says the last work on the stage and benches is under way. Next year, the indoor market and the plaza should give downtown somewhere to go in bad weather. This December, downtown's holiday events happen outdoors or in the businesses that line the streets, and they're mostly on Saturdays.
Five Saturdays carry downtown
All of the downtown holiday events fall on Saturdays from November 21 through December 19:
| Saturday | Downtown | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 21 | Gobble Wobble Wine Walk | 2 to 5 p.m. | Shops and stops around downtown |
| November 28 | Small Business Saturday | All day | Legacy Square and downtown businesses |
| November 28 | City Tree Lighting | 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Renton History Museum, 235 Mill Ave. S. |
| December 5, 12, 19 | Santa House, with holiday activities at Legacy Square | 1 to 4 p.m. | Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. 3rd St. |
November 21 is the busiest of the five. The City's Holiday Bazaar runs Friday, November 20, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Renton Community Center, 1715 Maple Valley Hwy. Admission is free, and the City says the two days draw about 7,000 visitors a year. That afternoon, the Downtown Renton Partnership's Gobble Wobble Wine Walk starts at 2 p.m. General admission comes with 10 tokens for at least 10 wine stops, a keepsake glass and special bottle shop pricing. VIP tickets add a wine class beforehand from Drum Roll Wine, the downtown winery. You can shop the bazaar in the morning and make the wine walk in the afternoon.
November 28 links two events. Small Business Saturday is centered on Legacy Square, and the first 200 visitors get a tote bag with coupons and the City's guide to where to shop, eat and play this season. The City then suggests heading to the Renton History Museum for the 5 p.m. tree lighting, which has hot cocoa and ornament making.
December 5, 12 and 19 have the same afternoon schedule. Visit Renton lists the Santa House at Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. 3rd St., with free Santa photos from 1 to 4 p.m., and the City is running holiday activities at Legacy Square during the same hours. The theater and the square are on the same block of S. 3rd St.
At 4 p.m., the lights at Coulon come on
Clam Lights runs nightly from December 5 through January 3, 2027, from 4 to 9 p.m., with free admission. The Renton Reporter's listing for last season gave a 5 p.m. start. The extra hour means the display at 1201 Lake Washington Blvd. N. turns on as Santa House closes on each of its three Saturdays. In late December, it's already dark well before 5, so you also get an extra hour of lights after dark.
On a December 5, 12 or 19 Saturday, you can do Santa photos on S. 3rd St. until 4 and then walk the Coulon shoreline in the dark afterward. The Clam Lights season includes three Saturdays after Santa House ends, plus every weeknight through New Year's.
Opening night is Friday, December 4
The night before the nightly schedule begins, the City holds a free opening event at the park starting at 5:30 p.m. The program, in order:
- Santa arrives and the tree is lit at 6:15 p.m.
- Santa photos run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
- A singalong at the North Shelter runs from 7:15 to 8 p.m.
- The Rainier Yacht Club boat parade passes from 7:45 to 8:15 p.m.
- The Argosy Christmas Ship performs offshore from 8:20 to 8:40 p.m.
The Christmas Ship doesn't dock at Coulon. According to Argosy Cruises' 2026 Christmas Ship schedule, it leaves that night from the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington and performs offshore at Gene Coulon, with the Puyallup High School Norselanders as the onboard choir. To hear the choir from shore, stay at the water until 8:40 p.m.
The weeknights downtown keep going
Downtown Renton's regular weekly events don't stop for the holidays. The Downtown Renton Partnership calendar lists them through December:
- Tuesdays: Pawns & Pours Weekly Chess Night, 5 to 8 p.m., at Four Generals Brewing, 229 Wells Ave. S.
- Wednesdays: Trivia Night, 8 to 9 p.m., at Berliner Pub, 221 Main Ave. S.
- Thursdays: Open Mic Night, 7 to 10 p.m., at Luther's Table, 419 S. 2nd St.
- Saturdays: The Table, a free community meal, 8 to 10 a.m., at Luther's Table.
- Sundays: Craft Meet Up, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., at Four Generals Brewing.
Those Saturday-morning meals and the December 12 Playdate at Drum Roll Wine, 911 S. 3rd St., from 3 to 8 p.m., fill in around the Santa House hours. Four Generals also hosts What's Brewing with Ed on Tuesday, November 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. It's a free, all-ages monthly chat with Chief Administrative Officer Ed VanValey and city leadership, and a good place to ask how plans for the market and the square are going.
On Main Avenue, The Rose Gift House and Coffee at 226 Main Ave. S., Suite B, changed owners this summer, according to the Renton Reporter.
Parking for a downtown Saturday
The City Center Parking Garage at 655 S. 2nd St. has 411 stalls and offers 10 hours of free parking through the end of 2026. The City says it's less than 300 feet from Legacy Square. Ten hours is enough to cover Small Business Saturday and the 5 p.m. tree lighting on November 28. The lot at 200 Mill is also free but doesn't allow overnight parking. The Main Ave. S. and Burnett Ave. S. lots have two-hour limits from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Sundays and holidays. These details are in the City's downtown parking guide.
At Perkins & Associates | Joe Perkins, we follow Renton's downtown changes from the first Legacy Square summer to the market's planned opening next spring and summer. If you'd like to know how projects like these are affecting values near downtown or the lake, request a Free Home Valuation, or browse more on our Renton community page.
