New Year's Eve with kids on the Eastside | Eastside Family Calendar

December 31 plans that organizers have posted, and the noon countdowns that are not on the calendar yet.

A noon countdown for kids is the plan most families want, and the 2026 version is not posted yet. Treat any noon party you remember from last year as last year. Check the 2026 schedule before you promise a ball drop at lunch.

KidsQuest Children’s Museum lists Thursday, December 31 as open, and Friday, January 1 as closed. The plan-your-visit page does not list a noon countdown. Check the 2026 schedule closer to the day. School-break pricing can differ from a regular ticket. Members are free, and babies under 1 are free.

Seattle Children’s Museum has not posted a 2026 noon countdown. Check the 2026 schedule.

Evenings that end before midnight

These are light walks that stay open on December 31. They are not fireworks, and they are not free for adults.

Garden d’Lights includes New Year’s Eve. December 31 falls on a general admission night: first entry 4:30 p.m., last entry 9:00 p.m., lights out at 9:30 p.m. Ages 11 and older are $10. Kids 10 and under are free. Tickets are timed and go on sale October 15. The garden is closed Christmas Day and open New Year’s Day.

WildLanterns at Woodland Park Zoo lists December 31 inside the run of November 13, 2026 through January 17, 2027, from 4 to 9 p.m., last entry 8:30 p.m. The closed nights do not include December 31. The 21-and-older Night Owls dates are November 20, December 18, and January 2, so New Year’s Eve is a regular evening. Timed tickets. The photo is the zoo in daylight.

Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo runs through January 3, 2027, from 4:30 to 10 p.m., and is closed December 24 and 25, not December 31. Online timed tickets go on sale October 19. Ages 2 and under are free. Parking is free. The photo is a red wolf at the zoo.

More displays are in Best Christmas lights.

Midnight, in Seattle

Seattle Center lists a free New Year’s Eve at the Center as Winterfest ends. Winterfest runs November 27 through December 31, 2026. The celebration is an evening on the grounds, with music in the Armory and a fountain light show, then fireworks at the Space Needle just before midnight. A fountain show is listed for 9 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, 2026, and that listing says the event is free. This is a late night, not an early fireworks show. Seattle Center says an exclusion zone limits access near the Needle starting at 4:30 p.m., and the monorail pauses around the fireworks. Read the Center’s page before you go with kids.

Eastside cities have not posted a 2026 noon countdown or an early fireworks show on their calendars. Check the 2026 schedule, and the Christmas hub, as December gets closer.