No gingerbread house contest this year, but the Port has a new event during pandemic
There won’t be the annual gingerbread house contest this holiday season, but the Port of Bellingham has some other ideas for a more COVID-19 safe, outdoor, socially distant experience.
The Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven will be converted into a “snow globe” holiday scene Dec. 3-25, replacing the annual Holiday Port festival.
The plan is to fill the terminal’s dome room with lights and decorations that can be best viewed from the outside, said Tiffany DeSimone, the Port’s community outreach manager, in a news release. There will also be a winter wonderland theme that can also be seen from the outside of the building.
The best way to view the “snow globe” effect will be walking around the building to the waterside after the sun sets, said Mike Hogan, public affairs administrator for the port, in an email.
One holiday event that hasn’t been canceled is the annual lighted boat parade, put on by the Bellingham Yacht Club. The decorated boats will leave Squalicum Harbor at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, and float by the Bellingham Cruise Terminal around 15 minutes later.
The gingerbread contest and the holiday music put on by local schools was one of the port’s most popular events, drawing large crowds in early December. DeSimone said the event will be back “bigger and better than ever” when it is safe to gather again.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
