The Making of Winter Fest | How a Community Brings the Season to Life
- Emily Ferrer
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Winter Fest doesn’t start on November 29. It starts months earlier, when the first ideas drift in like early snowflakes. Before the lights are strung or the cocoa warms any hands, there’s a whole team—the Downtown Bremerton Association, sponsors, community partners, city departments—quietly pulling threads together to stitch a festival out of hope, logistics, and a shared love for Bremerton.
And these threads all sew together to create a memorable experience for our community to share. And this year, we were dedicated to curate an event that is uniquely our own, encourages community togetherness, and promotes the spirit of Shop Small Saturday. See how it all came together and what to expect when you pop down to Quincy Square for Winter Fest 2025.
The Tree: A Gift Pulled From Local Soil
Before a single light is strung or a single carol fills the air, Winter Fest begins with a centerpiece, the holiday tree. Not just any tree, but a towering 25-foot Noble fir grown just outside Bremerton on the hills of Bacon’s Christmas Tree Farm. When they offered to donate one of their Nobles for the community’s Winter Fest, it instantly felt like the perfect heart for this celebration.
Bacon’s has been growing Christmas trees for many years, tending each Noble for nearly a decade before it’s ready to stand tall. Their trees carry all the hallmarks of the Pacific Northwest: rich green color, a naturally symmetrical shape, and that unmistakable long-lasting fragrance that turns cold air into holiday air. Knowing that this year’s festival centerpiece was grown by local hands adds a layer of meaning that can’t be bought, only grown season after season.
When the tree arrived in the Square on November 19th, the team from Bremerton Parks & Recreation, diligently prepared the space and lifted the tree into place. This tree symbolizes the start of a new tradition for Bremerton, one rooted—literally and figuratively—in local soil.
Lighting the Tree: The Glow Powered by Community Hands
A 25-foot Noble fir deserves a glow that matches its moment, and this year that glow is coming straight from neighbors who believe in lighting up Downtown in more ways than one. Bremerton ACE Hardware stepped forward with a generous donation of 40 warm white LED string lights to help turn the tree into a beacon at the center of Winter Fest.
But ACE didn’t stop at the tree. They also offered heater lamps to place around the festival so that families can stay warm while they browse the market, watch performances, or wait for Santa to arrive. It’s the kind of gift that doesn’t call attention to itself yet quietly changes everything. A warm hand, a warm nose, a warm moment in the middle of a chilly November afternoon.
This partnership shows exactly what Winter Fest is made of: local hands, local heart, and a whole lot of light.
Building the Winter Market: A Village of Makers, Family-Activities, and Tastes
The Winter Market is shaping up to feel like a tiny village built just for one day, a place where handmade goods, delicious smells, and festive energy gather under a row of tents. Every vendor adds their own spark, and this year’s lineup is growing into something warm, lively, and unmistakably Bremerton.
The market was carefully curated by the DBA so that all of the vendors are local to Kitsap County!
The vendor planning began with an open call that brought in dozens of applications—an exciting response, but also the start of a careful, detailed process. Every submission was read, sorted, and considered not just for fit, but for how all the vendors would complement one another. From there came rounds of follow-ups, confirmations, and the inevitable reshuffling of the plot map (more than once!) to ensure the layout supported a smooth flow of foot traffic, didn’t compete with nearby brick-and-mortar businesses, and showcased the best of our local makers and flavors.
A lot of heart went into intentionally uplifting Bremerton businesses, too—including Vulca’s Mediterranean Market, whose new storefront isn’t quite open yet but whose participation adds a meaningful hometown touch. We brought in a local favorite, Evergreen Pizza Co., to host a beer/wine garden for our 21+ guests! And we encouraged our Sponsors to participate in creative, family-friendly ways; Fingers Duke will have an on-the-spot Krampus-inspired t-shirt screen-printing, Spark Commons planned an ornament-making activity, the Bremerton Family YMCA took up two picnic tables for arts and crafts, and Floor & Decor planned another craft activity for children to design a festive tile. The final result? A thoughtfully curated mix of creators, cooks, and community favorites ready to bring Quincy Square to life.
Santa’s Workshop: A Collaboration Built for Wonder
Just a few steps from the heart of Winter Fest, Kitsap Homes of Compassion is hosting this year’s Santa’s Workshop, a cozy little haven designed to make kids feel like they’ve stepped through a door and into the North Pole.
What started as a simple vendor application quickly grew into so much more. Through conversations, planning sessions, and shared excitement for creating something special, the partnership evolved into a full-fledged collaboration rooted in trust, creativity, and community spirit.
Together, we began shaping not just a Santa photo station, but an entire holiday experience. They stepped in to provide our real Santa for his grand arrival; an idea that soon expanded to include a grand arrival on firetruck, a stroll through the Square, and photos with families at the tree before heading into the workshop; adding even more magic to the moment.
And to elevate the atmosphere even more, their team is helping bring extra touches to Quincy Square: additional decorations, twinkling lights, and even a snow machine to sprinkle a little winter wonder across the festival.
Kitsap Homes of Compassion has poured heart into the details, shaping a space that lets families step away from the bustle, breathe in a little holiday wonder, and make memories that will last long after the cocoa is gone.
Crafting Music, Movement & Magic
Behind every moment of music and holiday magic at Winter Fest is a whole lot of coordination—far more than most people ever see.
When the call for performers went out, the response was immediate and enthusiastic. Youth groups, local musicians, community choirs, dance teams, solo artists. It was the kind of response that makes you feel the heartbeat of a community… and also the kind that requires a spreadsheet (or three).
Each submission had to be reviewed not just for fit, but for timing, logistics, and the overall flow of the evening. Some groups needed sound equipment. Some needed space to move. Some could only perform at specific times. And there’s only so much room—and only so many hours—before the tree lighting.
The task became a kind of festive puzzle: balancing youth performances with musical sets, weaving momentum through the evening, and ensuring the transitions felt natural rather than rushed. Even Santa’s arrival had to be coordinated around performance blocks so that the spotlight could shift smoothly from stage to street and back again.
And through all this, one anchor guided the final plan: the anticipation leading into the tree lighting. The community wanted live music that would build energy and carry everyone into that shared countdown. Kourtney’s Band stepped into that role, helping shape the arc of the evening and giving Winter Fest its emotional center.
When the final lineup was confirmed, it wasn’t just a list of performers. It was the result of weeks of communication, coordination, and collaboration—a soundtrack designed to lift the entire festival. A chorus of community voices, stitched together into one seamless experience.
The joy you’ll hear throughout Quincy Square on November 29 didn’t come together by chance. It came together because people showed up, stepped forward, and said, “I want to be part of this.”
A Night Built by Many Hands
Winter Fest isn’t just an event. It’s a community project stitched together by volunteers, partners, small businesses, city crews, performers, and neighbors who believe in celebrating together. Every booth, light strand, food cart, heater, and wreath is a piece of someone’s effort and care.
When the lights come on, it’s more than decoration. It’s a reminder that Bremerton shines brightest when it builds something together.
Thank you to our generous Sponsors! Whose support for overall programming or for specific events (like this one) has made all the differences this year!
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