Wren Day 2026

Join us for some folk fun!
5:15 @ Victor Steinbrueck Park (next to Pike Place)
Wear your Yuletide festive best!
This can be traditional folk costumes or your favorite Yuletide folk creature costume.
5:30 @ Victor Steinbrueck Park
Take in a short mummer's play on how Jenny Wren became "King of All Birds", an Irish folktale.
Afterward, join our procession to Kells for some craic (a modern Irish word meaning fun).
They have great food & drinks, and a cozy Yuletide atmosphere. Please plan to buy a food or beverage to support our gracious hosts. We'll be socializing, and sharing our stories and traditions.
Wren Day, December 26th, is an Irish holiday celebrating the Yuletide season. It's marked with mumming, a costumed tradition similar to trick-or-treating or caroling, in which singers go door to door or parade for treats for money. Modern Wren Day parades in Ireland may appear similar to Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S.
In the past, the wren was found and sacrificed to ensure triumph over winter, and the funds raised by mummers were "for the little bird's wake". The "wake" would indeed be a great party for the community.
Today, fake wrens are used and the little Jenny Wren is left to sing all winter in peace.
Come share your wintertime folk traditions and meet folks interested in traditional festivities and stories for modern & diverse communities.
Gather to keep the light and spread the cheer!