Washougal's two big holiday nights are only 48 hours apart this December, and they happen in two different parts of town. On Thursday, Dec. 3, the Lighted Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting fills Reflection Plaza on Main Street from 5 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Christmas Ships combined fleet gathers in front of the Port of Camas-Washougal at 6 p.m.
Thursday takes almost no planning. Saturday takes some. The waterfront where the boats gather runs on daylight hours, the fleet's timing depends on the river, and the new district going up beside the marina is getting its first residents that same week while its restaurant spaces are still placeholders. So for one more holiday season, a good Saturday on the river still depends on the places that already exist.
Thursday on Main Street
The City of Washougal's calendar lists the 2026 parade and tree lighting at Reflection Plaza, 1703 Main St. The listing doesn't include a route or a program yet.
Last year's program is the best preview, as long as you treat it as last year's. According to The Columbian's event listing for 2025, the evening went like this:
- The program started at 5 p.m. with performances by the Washougal High School Band and free cookies and hot cocoa at the plaza.
- From 5 to 6 p.m., Santa handed out candy canes and posed for photos.
- At 6 p.m., Santa took a break and the parade began.
- Next came the tree lighting, with Santa leading the countdown.
- The Washougal High School Choir closed the night with carols.
The 2026 event is listed as running until 8 p.m., an hour later than the 2025 listing showed, so the order of events may change too.
Main Street also has something new for a cold parade night. Savor & Steep, a loose-leaf tea shop owned by Sonya Tuter, recently opened on Washougal's Main Street. As the Camas-Washougal Post-Record reported, Tuter's pitch is that tea is about lingering, and that loose-leaf is a completely different experience from bag-brewed tea. That makes it an easy stop before the band starts. For dinner after the tree lighting, ASAKA Sushi Bar and Cocktail Lounge is listed in the Visit Washougal directory at 1700 Main St. #110, which puts it right next to the plaza's 1703 Main St. address. Check hours before you go, since holiday schedules change.
Saturday Belongs to the River
The Christmas Ships night works differently. According to the Christmas Ships parade schedule, the Columbia River and Willamette River fleets join up in front of the Port at 24 South A Street. They parade in the area for about an hour, return to the Camas/Washougal docks, and then head back toward Portland along the Washington shore, reaching the Portland/Vancouver area around 8:30 p.m.
So the Washougal waterfront gets the full combined fleet at the start of its run, before the boats spread west. The organizers include a caution that's worth reading before you pick a spot:
"Parade schedules may be impacted due to weather conditions, debris in the river, and commercial river traffic. It is not possible for us to give exact times at specific viewing locations."
The schedule lists three outdoor viewing spots in Washougal:
- The Port of Camas-Washougal, where the fleet gathers. The Port's Marina Park has a deck overlooking the marina, picnic tables and an open lawn.
- Washougal Waterfront Park, 56 S. 1st St. The park sits on a paved, 12-foot-wide trail that loops just under a mile, with viewpoints, restrooms and trails down to the river.
- Steamboat Landing Park, 15th St., the third listed spot.
The Port's own 2026 events page lists the Christmas Ships on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. as its waterfront event for the season.
The Waterfront Runs on Daylight
This is where Saturday needs a plan. For a meal right on the water, there's the Puffin Café, a floating, Caribbean-inspired restaurant moored at the Port marina. According to the café's website, it's open year-round, every day from 11 a.m. until sunset. It doesn't take reservations in summer but says it has plenty of winter space for holiday parties.
Sunset comes early in December, so the café is likely closed by the time the fleet gathers. Saturday on the river works best as a full afternoon that slides into the evening:
| Time | Where | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. to midafternoon | Puffin Café at the Port marina | The café closes at sunset, and it has fireplaces for winter |
| Late afternoon, while it's still light | Washougal Waterfront Park trail | Viewpoints, interpretive signs and inlaid salmon art are easiest to see in daylight |
| Before 6 p.m. | Your viewing spot | The fleet gathers in front of the Port at 6 |
| About 6 to 7 p.m. | Port area | The combined fleet parades nearby for about an hour |
| After 7 p.m. | Washington shoreline, heading west | Boats return to the local docks, then sail toward Portland, arriving around 8:30 |
The daylight walk is worth doing for its own sake. Set into the Waterfront Park trail is the Port's inlaid stainless-steel salmon artwork, credited to Malo Hasselblad. Farther along, Parker's Landing Historical Park has a walking path that links Van Vleet Historical Plaza and Chinook Plaza, plus the Rose Arbor. The Port's Columbia River art at Chinook Plaza includes a basalt guardian figure, a granite Coyote figure and beds of Chinookan plants. All of it is easier to see before the light goes than after.
If you're coming by boat, the Port says its launch ramp, marina and self-serve fuel are all available 24 hours.
First Residents on the Riverbank
Four days before the boats arrive, the waterfront gets its newest neighbors. According to the Hyas Point development timeline, the Broadrock building gets its first move-ins on Dec. 1, 2026. Cascara follows on Dec. 18, Sitka on Jan. 18, 2027, and Klipsan on March 15, 2027, which completes Phase 1.
The district has been underway for years. The Port approved the Phase 1 master plan for what was then called the Waterfront at Parker's Landing in December 2019. Ground broke on Oct. 31, 2024, and the project topped out on Oct. 31, 2025.
The shops and restaurants are moving more slowly than the residents. Hyas Point's leasing page is still marketing commercial space. The leasing brochure lists three future-phase restaurant spaces only as "Restaurant A," "Restaurant B" and "Restaurant C." So the Puffin Café's daylight hours still shape a Saturday on the river this December, and so do the dinner spots back on Main Street.
Construction is still going on along the shoreline, too. The Port's parks page warns that waterfront work can bring temporary noise, detours or limited access. The Port closed a waterfront trail connection from Oct. 15 to 23. If you're planning to walk from the trail to the marina on Dec. 5, check the Port's site that week for any new closures.
Putting the Two Nights Together
Thursday is a single plaza with a fixed start time, last year's band-Santa-parade-tree sequence as the likely format, and dinner a few steps away on Main Street. Saturday spreads across three viewing spots, follows a schedule the organizers say can shift with the river, and has its best food at a café that closes at sunset. Go to Main Street Thursday evening, have lunch on the marina Saturday, walk the trail in the last light, and be at your spot before 6.
If watching Hyas Point fill in along the river has you wondering how the changing waterfront affects your own property, Parker Home Group can help. You'll work directly with Hailey Parker and you will never be passed off. Request your free home valuation and get a clear read on where your home stands before the new year.
