Bellingham’s lighted bike parade will brighten the South Bay Trail on Saturday
Every holiday season for the last few years, bicyclists in Whatcom County have wrapped their bikes in lights and paraded down the South Bay Trail in the dark.
This year’s lighted bike parade is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. The route will take riders for a 3-mile journey along the South Bay Trail from Depot Market Square to Boulevard Park Stage and back.
Genevieve Carrillo, relations and marketing manager for Whatcom Transportation Authority, told The Herald that cyclists stay together with a group leader and another rider who stays at the back of the pack to make sure nobody gets lost or left behind.
More than 135 people have responded to the 2025 bike parade events announcement on Facebook. Carillo said more than 50 people showed up in lights — several in costumes — for last year’s parade.
“Last year someone decorated their bike to look like a WSDOT ferry, which is honestly very impressive,” Carrillo said. “I’m seeing things on bikes I have never seen before. That’s always the fun part, seeing how creative people can get.”
No reservations are required, and the parade is open to anyone who wants to participate. There will be free hot chocolate, and cookies will be available for purchase from GIRLnDOG cookies.
“This lighted bike parade is such a joyful way to connect people with downtown Bellingham,” Carrillo said. “Just seeing the people it brings together. From there, the way people scatter into downtown, it just brings a lot of light and fun into downtown Bellingham.”
In 2019 several Bellingham organizations, including the city of Bellingham, Western Washington University and the Whatcom Transportation Authority, got together and formed a group called “WE-Bike Bellingham.” The goal was to encourage people to bike downtown more often, Smart Trips Program Manager Michelle Grandy told The Herald.
The Smart Trips program encourages people to find types of transportation other than a car, such as biking, walking or taking the bus to reduce traffic and improve air quality in the community.
This is the fifth year of the Bellingham lighted bike parade, according to Grandy.
“It is a very fun and sweet event, it’s really nice to see families come out. We know that this time of year it’s often hard for people to get on a bicycle because of the weather, because of the darkness and because of the cold, but the lighted bike parade is a really great opportunity that encourages people to give it a try,” Grandy said.
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