Ballard HolidayFest to take over Marvin’s Garden park this Saturday

This weekend, Marvin’s Garden park (5400 Ballard Ave NW) will host a free holiday festival.

The Ballard Alliance is organizing the annual Ballard HolidayFest, happening Saturday, Dec. 7 from 2 to 5 p.m.

The Alliance will transform the park into a winter wonderland with live music, elves, holiday treats, fresh popcorn, hot cocoa/cider, free photos with Santa, and Tomte Trail prize giveaways. The Tomte Trail is a scavenger hunt for little tomten around Ballard—a tomte is a Swedish gnome-like elf creature.

The Alliance gave little tomten to 33 different businesses. Participants in the scavenger hunt would get stamps in their official Tomte Trail passports after finding the tomte hiding somewhere inside each store. Anyone who got at least 10 stamps can enter the grand prize drawing for a family membership to the National Nordic Museum.

If you want to enter the raffle for the grand prize, bring your stamped passport to the HolidayFest, where they’ll do the drawing.

Photos: Ballard Alliance