Saturday’s Hometown Holidays will ring in the Christmas season
Published 5:30 pm Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Get over that turkey hangover — the Christmas holiday season officially kicks off Saturday with Sequim’s Hometown Holidays.
Organized by the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, festivities will get underway at 1 p.m. with KSQM broadcasting live from Centennial Square, local Boy Scouts selling wreaths and sweet treats, and the Sequim Valley Lions Club distributing gifts to children who turn out to see the star of the show: Santa Claus.
The merriment coincides with Small Business Saturday — a special day to support local merchants.
Joined by 2025 Sequim Irrigation Festival Royalty, Santa will arrive in Sequim’s antique fire truck, driven by Battalion Chief Chris Turner. The Sequim City Band will perform starting at 1:15 p.m. and will play as Santa arrives just after 1:30 p.m.
Families can take photos with Santa and the royal court in front of the community Christmas tree until 4 p.m.
After the performance by the Sequim City Band, Juan de Fuca Harmony and Olympic Brass will perform.
Attendees are invited to enter the Guess the Lights contest to see how they do at guessing how many lights are on the Sequim Christmas tree.
At 4 p.m., At Large with Amanda Bacon and Todd Ortloff will perform until the sun sets and the community gathers around the Christmas tree. The winner of the Guess the Lights contest will be announced around 4:30 p.m. and then the big countdown to light up the Christmas tree will happen at 4:45 p.m.
Road closures
Last year, the chamber secured a grant to fund the closure of Washington Street as part of the Tractor Cruise event, now in its 11th year. Sequim Museum & Arts has partnered with the chamber on the event for the past few years, helping with permitting and planning.
For 2025, the City of Sequim once again allocated funds through the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to make it possible to not only close Washington Street during the cruise, but also both lanes of travel on Sequim Avenue between Washington and Fir Streets.
“We are really excited to have this extension of the road closure for 2025,” Beth Pratt, the chamber’s executive director, stated in a release announcing details about this year’s Hometown Holidays. “Every year, we see more spectators for the Tractor Cruise, and keeping everyone safe and giving them a great view of the tractors is our priority. Keeping the lanes closed to traffic during this short parade of lights makes it a great sight for us all.”
Those heading downtown on Saturday should note the closure schedule, which was planned by the city’s Public Works and public safety teams.
Starting at 2 p.m., both lanes of West Fir Street will be closed to traffic, except for Tractor Cruise participants loading and unloading. East Fir Street will remain open throughout the day.
At 4 p.m., both lanes of North Sequim Avenue will be closed to traffic from Washington Street to West Fir Street. Also at 4 p.m., both lanes of West Washington Street will be closed to traffic from Sequim Avenue to Fifth Avenue.
Because of these closures, from 4 p.m. until the end of the Tractor Cruise motorists northbound on Sequim Avenue from Highway 101 will be able to only turn right (east) onto Washington.
The Tractor Cruise will depart from West Fir Street at 5 p.m., turning onto Sequim Avenue and traveling in a large rectangle.
As the last tractor passes each closed side street, City of Sequim Public Works staffers will open streets once it is safe to do so.
Finally, the last closures to note, Pratt said, will be along Fifth Avenue, as the tractors turn to return back to Fir Street. There will be rolling closures at Cedar, Spruce and Alder at Fifth Avenue to ensure that the Tractor Cruise participants can safely return their equipment to the staging area on Fir Street. The expectation is that this rolling closure will happen between 5:30 and 6 p.m., according to the chamber.
City of Sequim Police and Public Works, as well as CERT and Clallam County Fire District 3, will be onsite at the closure points to ensure safety and clarity for how to detour safely.
“We realize that there are some inconveniences, especially for folks that live in the neighborhood inside the rectangle that this Tractor Cruise follows, during this event,” Pratt stated in the announcement. “We hope that folks will plan in advance, and mostly just come on out to enjoy the sights with the community. The Lighted Tractor Cruise is a special celebration of the farming heritage of this region, and it is an honor to be a part of it. We hope that everyone will step out to join us in holiday spirit.”
Join the Cruise
It is not too late to join the Tractor Cruise, Pratt said. There are rule and route sheets and simple application forms available at both the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce and Sequim Museum & Arts. Tractors, including tractors pulling trailers, are welcome, and participants are invited to get creative with their decorations.
During the Cruise, volunteers from the Sequim Valley Lions will act as organizing marshals, lining up participants, checking for safety equipment and checking in drivers. Lions Club members will also walk the route, along with volunteers from Calvary Church.
Questions about rules or how to get involved in Hometown Holidays can be directed to Pratt at director@sequimchamber.com or 360-683-6197.
