Last year the Christmas Ship came to Matthews Beach in the evening on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, at 5:35 pm on November 29. This year it arrives on Monday, December 21, at 2:35 pm, with nearly two hours of daylight left.
That gap matters if you plan by memory. Over the last several years the Matthews Beach stop has fallen on a different day, and sometimes a different part of the day, almost every season. The 2026 slot is the most unusual one yet. It falls on a weekday, on the shortest day of the year, in the middle of the afternoon.
A stop that keeps moving
Argosy Cruises' 2026 schedule lists the Matthews Beach performance from 2:35 to 2:55 pm on December 21. It's the 2 pm sailing out of Kirkland City Dock. The past few seasons, taken from Seattle Parks' bonfire posts and Argosy's own schedules, look like this:
| Year | Matthews Beach stop | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Saturday, December 18 | 2:35 pm |
| 2023 | Tuesday, December 19 | 5:35 pm |
| 2024 | Saturday, December 21 | 5:35 pm |
| 2025 | Saturday, November 29 | 5:35 pm |
| 2026 | Monday, December 21 | 2:35 pm |
Three of those five visits were 5:35 pm evening stops. The 2021 Seattle Parks schedule is the only one in the table that also put Matthews Beach in the afternoon. The 2025 date was the biggest jump, nearly three weeks earlier than the stop before it, on the opening weekend of the festival. That shift explains why the 2026 date matters for anyone who still remembers last year's visit. A household that went to the beach on Thanksgiving weekend 2025 now has to wait until the week of Christmas.
What 2:35 pm on December 21 looks like
On December 21, 2026, Seattle's sunrise comes at 7:54 am and sunset at 4:20 pm, according to timeanddate. The winter solstice falls at 12:50 pm that same Monday. So the choir starts singing at Matthews Beach less than two hours after the solstice and finishes about an hour and 25 minutes before the sun goes down.
In 2023, 2024 and 2025 the stop came at 5:35 pm. This year's 2:35 start puts the whole 20-minute performance well inside daylight hours, which makes for an easier outing with small children.
The sailing itself is set up for kids. On Argosy's 2 pm departures, young passengers get Cookies with Santa and a coloring surprise, and the December 21 afternoon sailing is listed with that special experience.
The singers on board will be Choir of the Sound. It's a Puget Sound community choir founded in 1977, and it performs mainly in Shoreline and Seattle, with classical, holiday and spring programs. In 2025 the same choir sang on the downtown sailings from Pier 55, with a shoreline stop at Pier 62. This year they sing on Lake Washington instead. On December 21 they also sing on the 5 pm sailing, at Yarrow Point.
Who builds the fire
The asterisk next to Matthews Beach on Argosy's schedule marks a planned public bonfire, lighting or onshore event. Argosy also says these shore events are organized by local shoreline communities, and that schedule details and onshore activities can change.
At Matthews Beach, Seattle Parks and Recreation organized that community role in 2023 and 2024. Both years, the stop appeared on the department's list of free, all-ages shoreline bonfires. Parks asked people to bring a warm drink in a thermos, dress for the weather, carry an umbrella, and sing along.
The timing of those posts matters too. Parks published its bonfire list on November 27 in 2023 and November 22 in 2024. In 2025 the list went up on December 4, five days after the ship had already sung at Matthews Beach, and Matthews Beach isn't on it. A December 21 stop gives this year's list plenty of time to include it. The Parkways blog is the place to watch for the 2026 bonfire list.
North of the 520 bridge, mostly private shoreline
The week of the Matthews Beach visit, the Kirkland sailings work their way along the north end of the lake. Most of those stops are club beaches. Argosy marks them as private events, and they aren't public onshore gatherings.
- Saturday, December 19, 5:35 pm: Warren G. Magnuson Park, public event planned
- Saturday, December 19, 8:40 pm: Sheridan Beach Club, private event
- Sunday, December 20, 2:35 pm: Windermere Beach Club, private event
- Sunday, December 20, 5:35 pm: Laurelhurst Beach Club, private event
- Sunday, December 20, 8:40 pm: Lake Forest Park Civic Club, private event
- Monday, December 21, 2:35 pm: Matthews Beach, public event planned
For Matthews Beach and View Ridge households, that leaves two public options within a short drive. Magnuson is a Saturday evening stop, and Matthews Beach is in daylight on a Monday. Magnuson's slot also moved. It was on the Sunday before Christmas in 2025, December 21 at 5:35 pm, and this year it's two days earlier. Anyone with Saturday plans on the 19th still has the Monday afternoon visit. Anyone working Monday can go to Magnuson.
Getting to the beach on the 21st
- Address and hours: Matthews Beach Park is at 5100 NE 93rd St. and is open 6 am to 10 pm.
- Parking: The Seattle Parks park map shows the parking lot reached from NE 93rd Street. A weekday afternoon stop with a public event planned could fill that lot early.
- By trail: Seattle Parks calls the beach a natural stopping point for Burke-Gilman Trail cyclists. The trail is a multi-use path for walkers, runners, cyclists and skaters, so walking or riding in is an option.
- Restrooms: Last winter, Seattle Parks kept the Matthews Beach Bathhouse open through the 2025–26 season.
- What to bring: Argosy's shore-viewing guidance says to arrive early, dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Any shore event can change, so Argosy suggests checking with the local host. A thermos and an umbrella cover the rest, as Seattle Parks has said in past years.
Where to warm up on a Monday afternoon
The ship leaves at 2:55, which is early on a Monday in December, and some nearby favorites keep shorter hours. Kaffeeklatsch on Lake City Way, for one, is open Tuesday through Sunday, so plan on a different stop that day. These places post Monday hours:
- Grand Central Bakery Wedgwood, 7501 35th Avenue NE. Open daily 7 am to 4 pm, so you have about an hour after the choir finishes. The company's Seattle bakery dates to 1989.
- Cafe Javasti Wedgwood, 8617 35th Ave NE. Its current posted hours run from 6 am to 5 pm on Mondays, and the cafe marks them as temporary. Javasti has been in North Seattle since 2001.
- Wedgwood Broiler, 8230 35th Ave NE. The lounge opens at 3 pm on Mondays and the dining room at 4 pm, which fits a stop right after the ship leaves. Longtime employee Derek Cockbain bought the restaurant in 1996.
- Elliott Bay Public House & Brewery, 12537 Lake City Way NE. It's family-owned and open 11 am to 9 pm on Mondays, the latest Monday closing of the four.
On Monday, December 21, the Christmas Ship reaches Matthews Beach at 2:35 pm, before sunset, with Choir of the Sound on board.
Seasonal timing like this, from a ship's schedule to the weeks of the year when the market wakes up, is something I pay close attention to in northeast Seattle. If you're starting to think about a move and want to plan it around your family's calendar, Mel Parsons Homes is happy to help you map it out. Let's Connect.
