Winter Solstice Fire Festival lights up Seattle Center this weekend

The longest night of the year will be ablaze with fiery art, music and dance at the Winter Solstice Fire Festival this weekend as Seattle Center Winterfest commemorates the onset of winter, which begins Sunday.

Performance artists playing Orbis and Solaris will open the celebration of the return of the sun and illuminate fire sculptures near the International Fountain. The sculptures stand up to 20 feet tall with whirling and erupting fire including "Water Candle," a 6-foot-tall illuminated water fountain with shooting flames; "PyroBeat," with flame effects synchronized to music, and "Pnuema," a lotus flower erupting in fire.

Fire and dance performances — including circus arts, martial arts, fire eating and interpretive dance — will entertain visitors near the fountain and on the Fisher Pavilion roof throughout the evening. Events start at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and conclude at 9 both nights.

Winterfest continues through Dec. 31 at Seattle Center with daily activities, performances and special events including the always popular Winter Train and Village exhibit; magic shows Saturday and Sunday; Peace on Earth music and spiritual traditions of many cultures Sunday; Kwanzaa Celebration Dec. 27; and Circus Contraption with the Aerialistas performances Dec. 28-30. All will be at Center House. Look for fireworks from the Space Needle on New Year's Eve.

Take a spin on the ice rink in Fisher Pavilion through Jan. 4 (rental skates available or bring your own).

For a more sedate spin, hop on the classic carousel outside Fisher Pavilion, also running through Jan. 4.

The details

Time: Winter Solstice Fire Festival, 4-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Cost: Admission and events free. Ice rink, $3-$5, skate rental $2, cash only; carousel, $1.

Location: Seattle Center, Seattle.

Getting there: Seattle Center traffic hotline and parking info, 206-233-3989; Metro Transit service, 206-553-3000 or tripplanner.metrokc.gov/; Seattle Center Monorail, 206-905-2620 or www.seattlemonorail.com.

More information: 206-464-7200 or www.seattlecenter.com.