The Emerald Palate

Seattle food tours & retreats

Seasonal Activities, Things to Do ·

Best Things to Do in Seattle in November 2026

woman overlooking a vista on a hike, one of the best best things to do in Seattle in November

Putting together a list of the best things to do in Seattle in November was easier than you might think. Granted the days are colder, around the mid-40s-50s, and the sun sets around 4:30 PM, but the city more than makes up for it with Christmas lights and holiday spirit to boot.

As fall merges into winter, the city suddenly comes alive with local craft fairs encouraging shopping small over the holidays, and local businesses are all too eager to put on events to attract locals and holiday travelers. There’s even a fair number of hikes to do if you don’t mind layering up.

To make sense of all there is to do in November in Seattle, I’ve compiled a list of the must-do activities regardless if you’re a local or a visitor!

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Best Things to Do in Seattle in November

Save this list to Pinterest for later, as I’ll update it when I discover more of the best Seattle November events! For a snapshot of more fun activities, check out my Seattle events calendar.

Celebrate the Day of the Dead

The day after Halloween is Día de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday dedicated to celebrating passed loved ones through festivities. Here are some can’t miss Día de los Muertos festivals happening around Seattle:

man picking up spaghetti with a fork and spoon dramatically

Grab a bite at a food & drink festival

Seattle is a big-time foodie city, so there’s always a food and drink festival around the corner. November is no exception. Here are some not to miss:

guava cake from one of the best dessert places in Seattle

Go on a food crawl

There are only so many meals in a day, so knowing where to prioritize your time is crucial. Save yourself the stress and do one of my self-guided food tours. Updated regularly, they include tips on when to go and what to order, along with some fun facts and honorable mentions so you can customize your experience.

Self-guided Seattle food tour of the Ballard neighborhood
Ballard Tour
Fremont Seattle Food Tour
FREMONT TOUR
person diving fork into colorful layered cake from a restaurant on The Emerald Palate's self-guided Seattle food tour of the Georgetown neighborhood
Georgetown Tour

Rather have an in-person tour? Check out one of these curated food & beverage tours:

Enjoy a Thanksgiving meal

Obviously one of the best things to do in Seattle in November…hell, anywhere…is stuff your face with turkey. If you’re visiting over Thanksgiving or don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen making my famous sourdough stuffing (though you should consider it because it’s delicious), let a local restaurant do the labor for you.

Of course you can always head to Chinatown-International District or one of the many Chinese food spots in Seattle for a meal, as most are open on Thanksgiving. Or enjoy a traditional T-Day meal at one of these spots.

Take-home meals

All of these require pre-orders in advance to secure your meal.

sourdough sausage stuffing in a baking dish and plate

Dine-in Thanksgiving Day
  • Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi (Bellevue) – $155/adult, ~$40/kid for cart brunch buffet
  • Copperleaf (Sea-Tac) – ~$125/adult, $35/kid for buffet
  • Daniel’s Broiler (Downtown, SLU, Bellevue, Leschi) – ~$100/adult, $10-40/kid for 4 courses
  • Fuego (Ballard) – A la carte Thanskgiving meal
  • La Loba (SLU) – ~$140/adult, $85/kid under 12 modern Thanksgiving pre fixe
  • Lola (Downtown) – ~$85/adult, $45/kid for 4-course meal
  • Maximilien (Downtown) – ~$110pp for 5 courses. Live accordion music from 5-7 pm.
  • Palisade (Magnolia) – ~$69pp for 3 courses
  • Ray’s (Ballard) – ~$85-110/adult or $25-45/kid for 3 courses or buffet
  • Six Seven Restaurant (Belltown) – ~$115/adult, $50/kids under 12 for 3 courses
  • Thanksgiving Day Cruise (SLU) – ~$120/adult, $85/kid for a buffet and boat ride
  • Tibbitts at Fernhill (Tacoma) – Free community meal
  • Water’s Table (Renton) – ~$110/adult, $55/kid buffet or a la carte menu
Order uncooked meats to cook at home

If you prefer to cook at home, here are options for pre-ordering a turkey from a local business:

  • PCC Markets (various locations) – Turkey, ham, roast beef, and salmon priced per pound
  • Met Market (various locations) – Reserve turkey, ham, lamb, roasts and charcuterie or sushi spreads
  • Don & Joe’s Meats (Downtown) – Reserve meats or Thanksgiving meals with meat plus sides
  • B&E Meats (Burien, Newcastle, Des Moines) – Reserve meats from one of the best local butcher shop
  • Lady Jaye (West Seattle) – Order your raw, ready-to-cook bird
Other T-Day options in November

If you have plans on Thanksgiving day, there are some options throughout the month:

person spooning out portion of Thanksgiving stuffing

Attend a craft fair, shopping, or art event

Seattle is famous for celebrating local makers year round, but the holidays are especially good for discovering them because of all the Seattle Christmas markets. Here are some some of my faves that kick off the season in November:

Embrace the holidays with Christmas activities

True Christmas lovers know not to wait until Thanksgiving is over to celebrate the best time of the year. So one of the best things to do in Seattle in November is to start taking advantage of all the Seattle Christmas activities going on. Here’s what’s happening this month:

  • Wild Lanterns (Nov 13 – Jan 17, ~$35+ pp) – Explore the zoo illuminated with light sculptures
  • Seattle’s Christmas Market (Nov 20 – Dec 26, ~$8+ pp) – European-style market with 60+ artisan huts
  • Julefest (Nov 20-22, ~$12 pp) – Christmas market modeled after the ones in Nordic countries
  • Winterfest (Nov 27 – Dec 31, free) – Ice skating, holiday performances, and lights
  • Christmas Ship Festival Cruise (Nov 27 – Dec 23, ~$56/adult, 40/kid) – Enjoy a boat ride lit up by twinkling lights

Miracle on 2nd pop-up Christmas bar in Seattle

Unwind at the Seattle Sauna Festival

website | neighborhood: Ballard (get directions) | dates: Nov 7-8 | price: ~$79+ pp | best for: those in need of relaxation

Get ready to experience the Pacific Northwest’s largest-scale gathering dedicated to the art of sauna, wellness, and community connection. Hosted at the National Nordic Museum, this two-day event invites guests to step into the steam and experience the magic of sauna culture through sauna sessions, cold plunges, live music, and Nordic-inspired food and drinks.

How does it work? Purchase a ticket, which includes access to the saunas, cold plunges, and gathering spaces, and admission to the museum exhibits. Arrive at the museum freshly showered with a bathing suit and towel for inside the saunas, a robe and flip-flops/easily removed shoes to wear outside of the saunas, and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

See a performance

With theaters and venues on every corner, there’s always a live performance happening in Seattle. Here are the ones I’m excited about in November:

Nutcracker performance, one of the best things to do in Seattle in November

Have fun at a cultural festival

Each month the Seattle Center hosts free cultural festivals as a way for the community to learn and embrace one of its many cultures. In November, besides their Día de Muertos Festival and (Oct 31 – Nov 1), they’re hosting the Diwali Lights of India Festival (Nov 7) and Hmong New Year celebration (Nov 14). They’re one of the best things to do in Seattle in November if you want to learn about and celebrate other cultures.

In addition to the Seattle Center events, there’s also:

Attend an orchestra concert by candlelight

Celebrate the holidays in style with a candlelight orchestra featuring your favorite cover band. Catch covers of Queen x ABBA (Nov 6 & 29), Dolly Parton (Nov 6), and The Beatles (Nov 15).

pianist surrounded by candles on a stage, one of the best things to do in Seattle in November
Image courtesy of Fever

See a band

Embrace Seattle’s music scene and catch a live performance from your favorite musical talent. Here are some that are on my list to watch for:

Go leaf peeping 

As fall nears to a close, there’s still time to hunt for the best fall foliage in Seattle. While hike for larches is over by this time of year, there are still plenty of fabulous fall colors in November.

 

woman sitting on a bench in a park covered in golden leaves in autumn

Catch a game 

While summer sports season is over, it’s not too late to catch a Kraken (hockey), Seahawks (pro football), Huskies (college football), or Sounders (soccer) game. Tickets sell out quickly around this time of year, so get them in advance!

Take a hike on a free admission day

In honor of Veterans Day (Nov 11), both state and national parks will be offering free admission, so grab a puffy and plan your hikes around Seattle! Even if it’s rainy, getting outside is still one of the best things to do in Seattle in November.

Go wine tasting or on a brewery crawl

Seattle knows their way around craft beer bars, and even when the weather is less than optimal, many breweries make up for it with heated outdoor seating and winter-inspired ales. Check out my guide to the best Seattle breweries for ideas of where to go, or go on a crawl of my favorite Ballard breweries.

If you’re up for a short drive, you can spend the day wine tasting at any of Woodinville’s 130+ tasting rooms.

flight of beer from a brewery in Port Townsend, a must do

Visit a museum on their free days

I’m always on the hunt for free things to do in Seattle. Most museums offer at least one free day a month so visitors can get a dose of culture without spending an arm and a leg. These museums offer free admission on the first Thursday of every month (November 7):

These free Seattle museums that charge no admission every day:

Forage for mushrooms

When you have nearly nine months of rain, you gotta reap the rewards somehow. In this case, it’s Seattle’s abundance of wild mushrooms. Hunting for them is one of the best things to do in Seattle in November!

Forage Seattle offers guided tours around the Seattle area. You’ll learn how to identify edible mushrooms and differentiate them from tricky lookalikes. Plus, you’re guaranteed to walk away with at least a handful of shrooms (even if you don’t find any).

person holding up a mushroom they foraged, one of the best things to do in Seattle in November

Attend a cat convention

website | neighborhood: Queen Anne (get directions) | dates: Nov 7-8 | price: ~$34+ pp | best for: cat lovers

This convention is for the crazy cat lady in your life. It’s a weekend dedicated to celebrating all there is to love about cats. There will be food vendors, education booths, retailers, and, yes, actual cats.

Learn at the Children’s Business Fair

website | neighborhood: Auburn (get directions) | dates: Nov 21 | price: free | best for: educational kids activity

Citizens Academy is hosting the Children’s Business Fair, a chance for kids to learn the ins and outs of running their own business. They’ll have the chance to develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and finally open for customers at the one-day marketplace.

Visit the Seattle Auto Show

website | neighborhood: Downtown (get directions) | dates: Nov 13-15 | price: ~$20pp | best for: car lovers

If you’ve been dying to know what’s new in the car world, mark your calendars for the Seattle Car Show. It’s geared toward (sorry, no pun intended) what’s new in the industry, especially advancements in electric vehicles. There will even be a career fair for people looking for a career in automotive technology.

woman laughing in the snow

More to do around Seattle

After you check out all the best things to do in Seattle in November, check out my guides for more ideas.

Join the club

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