This Saturday, Oct. 31, Kingston's Halloween moves from downtown to the Village Green at 5 p.m., less than an hour before sunset. Early the next morning the clocks fall back, and sunset jumps about an hour earlier overnight. From Halloween through the Port lighting on Dec. 5, the Chamber's big community gatherings are planned around that shift. The 5k and Cove Christmas both start in daylight and keep going well after sunset, ending at the waterfront. The one built most openly around the dark is also raising money for next summer's fireworks.
Here is the sequence, with sunset times from timeanddate's 2026 tables for Seattle, the closest stand-in across the Sound.
| Date | Event | Hours | Sunset | Where it ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Downtown Kingston Spooktacular Treat Trail | 3 to 5 p.m. | 5:53 p.m. | Downtown businesses |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Family Builder Halloween Carnival | 5 to 7 p.m. | 5:53 p.m. | Kingston Village Green |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | "Not Afraid of the Dark 5k" | 3 to 7 p.m. | 4:42 p.m. | Mike Wallace Park |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Kingston Cove Christmas | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 4:18 p.m. | Mike Wallace Park |
Each row lands later relative to sunset than the one before it. On Halloween, the main handoff happens before dark. By Dec. 5, the main moment comes 42 minutes after sunset.
Halloween Runs in Two Shifts, Split at Sunset
The Downtown Kingston Spooktacular Treat Trail runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, with trick-or-treating at downtown businesses. The Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce is still inviting businesses that want a spot to get in touch. That makes the stop list a moving target until the afternoon itself.
The trail ends 53 minutes before Seattle's 5:53 p.m. sunset. Trick-or-treating at storefronts stays in daylight, and the evening part of the night moves a few blocks to the Village Green.
At 5 p.m., Greater Kingston Kiwanis opens its annual Family Builder Halloween Carnival at Kingston Village Green, 26159 Dulay Rd NE. Kiwanis describes it as free, with games, haunted stories, treats and costumes, running until 7 p.m. The Chamber's listing adds prizes and confirms free admission. Sunset falls almost exactly in the middle of the carnival, so families arrive in daylight and leave after sunset.
For adults with plans after that, the Ghoulish Gala 2026 starts at 7 p.m. at 4839 View Drive NE in Port Gamble and runs until midnight. It promises cocktails, live music, food and a costume contest. Taken together, the three events run continuously from 3 p.m. to midnight across a single day.
Sunday Morning, Dusk Moves Up an Hour
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1. Seattle's sunset goes from 5:53 p.m. on Halloween to 4:51 p.m. the next day, 62 minutes earlier overnight. By the following Saturday it's 4:42 p.m.
A 5 p.m. start that fell before sunset on Halloween now comes after it. The next event on Kingston's calendar is planned around exactly that.
A 5k That Starts in Daylight on Purpose
The Chamber scheduled the "Not Afraid of the Dark 5k" for Saturday, Nov. 7, and describes it as "happening one week after the time change (and Halloween)." The event listing invites runners to "come outrun the dark with us." It promises a finish-line party at Mike Wallace Park "that will carry us past sunset," with costumes encouraged and "lots of glow-in-the-dark and light up decor and swag."
The race starts at 3 p.m., and the finish-line party opens at 3:15 p.m. at the Port of Kingston. Sunset is at 4:42 p.m., and the event runs until 7 p.m. That puts about an hour and a half of the party in daylight and about two hours and 18 minutes after sunset. Runners finish while it's still light, and the glow gear comes into play as the crowd stays on at the waterfront.
The logistics, from the Chamber's race page:
- Friday, Nov. 6, 1 to 5 p.m.: Early bib pickup at the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center, 25923 Washington Blvd NE #100, across from the WSF ferry terminal.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 2 to 3 p.m.: Day-of pickup and registration, if spots remain, at The Yard Fitness Club, 10900 NE State Hwy 104. Free parking and restrooms on site, about a 15-minute walk from the terminal.
- 3 p.m.: Start, across the road from The Yard.
- Turnaround: Kingston High School parking lot, with an electrolyte drink and a portable restroom.
- 3:15 p.m.: Finish-line party opens at Mike Wallace Park. Free two-hour parking, paid parking and restrooms available.
- Timing: Olympics Edge Timing. Strollers run at no extra fee.
The race page says the route map and FAQs will be added later, so look there for the turn-by-turn course. Spectators don't need to register. The Chamber's wording is that "all are welcome" to come cheer on finishers. Volunteers can sign up for shifts on Nov. 6 or Nov. 7 through a link on the same page.
The November Beer Garden Funds July's Fireworks
The party at the finish line also raises money. A "Light up the Night!" beer garden at Mike Wallace Park benefits the Kingston 4th of July Committee and raises money for the fireworks. So the first big after-dark gathering of the season helps pay for next summer's biggest after-dark gathering, on the same waterfront.
According to Kingston 4th of July, the committee is chaired and led by Dana Goodfellow, and the celebration is supported by area residents and businesses. The race money runs on a separate track. The registration page says registration and sponsorship fees support the Chamber's free community events. That's the same pool behind afternoons like the Treat Trail. Registering for the run supports the Chamber's free events, and buying a drink at the finish supports the fireworks.
The same weekend, Port Gamble hosts a three-day Ghost Conference from Nov. 6 to 8, with speakers, classes and paranormal investigations. The Friday session runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Between the 5k and the conference, the north end has two different events built around the dark that weekend.
Wreath Weekend Fits Inside the Short Days
By late November, the outdoor event on the calendar sits squarely in daylight. On Nov. 21 and 22, Heronswood Garden holds a wreath-making event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Standard wreaths cost $50. No registration is needed, and it's first-come, first-served while supplies last. The garden notes that the event is outdoors, asks people to dress warmly, and says severe weather could force a reschedule. Updates will be posted on Heronswood's site and social media.
The 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window fits comfortably inside the shortest stretch of daylight of the year. The wreaths also tend to end up on front doors in time for the next date on the calendar.
Dec. 5: The Port Lighting Comes After Sunset
Kingston Cove Christmas is listed for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., based at Mike Wallace Park, 25864 Washington Blvd. The Chamber describes a full day of holiday events around downtown, ending with Santa's arrival and the lighting of the Port of Kingston at 5 p.m.
Seattle's sunset that day is 4:18 p.m. Halloween's main handoff came 53 minutes before sunset. The Port lighting comes 42 minutes after it, in the twilight over the cove. Like the 5k crowd a month earlier, the Cove Christmas crowd ends up at Mike Wallace Park after sunset.
The Chamber's 2026 listing doesn't yet spell out the rest of the day. For a sense of past years, the Kitsap Sun's 2023 holiday roundup described a Kingston High School Jazz Band set, food vendors, cookies and holiday singing, a Christmas tree lighting, and a boat lighting and judging. The Port of Kingston's records list the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce and the Port as organizers of the 2022 edition. Check the Chamber listing closer to the date for this year's lineup.
Your Saturdays Through Dec. 5
- Oct. 31: Treat Trail downtown from 3 to 5 p.m., then the Kiwanis carnival at the Village Green from 5 to 7 p.m. as the sun goes down at 5:53.
- Nov. 1: Clocks fall back at 2 a.m., and sunset moves to 4:51 p.m.
- Nov. 7: Pick up your bib Friday across from the ferry, run at 3 p.m. Saturday, and stay at Mike Wallace Park after the 4:42 sunset for the beer garden that funds the fireworks.
- Nov. 21 or 22: Make a wreath at Heronswood between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Dec. 5: Spend the day downtown and be at the waterfront by 5 p.m. for Santa and the Port lighting.
Many Kingston homeowners start thinking about next year's plans during these short days. If yours include knowing what your home near the cove is worth, Serving The Sound can give you a clear number before the Port lights come on. Request a Free Home Valuation, and Anne Watkins will put it together with the same attention to local detail you see in this calendar.
