Downtown Spokane Things to Do in November Before the Ice
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
At 319 W. Sprague, a cocktail leaves the bar in a sealed shaker. It travels up through tubing that runs across the ceiling and down the walls, then comes back to the bartender for one last shake before it is poured. The system is called the Lilac Express. According to the Spokane Journal of Business, the contractor who built it calls it "the second of its kind in the country."
The Lilac Room sits between Spokane Comedy Club and Gamers Arcade Bar, and all three run under one liquor license, so guests can move among them without going back out onto the sidewalk. This fall is the first time downtown has had a connected indoor block like that during the stretch when Riverfront Park is between seasons.
The Numerica Skate Ribbon takes its last roller skates, scooters and pedal-kart rentals on Sunday, November 1. Ice season opens to the public on Saturday, November 21, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an Unlimited Ice Passholder preview the day before.
That leaves nineteen days with nothing rolling or gliding on the ribbon. During roller season, the ribbon is free to anyone who brings skates, a scooter or a skateboard. Once the ice opens, the City of Spokane's posted rates are $10.95 for adults, $7.95 for youth and $7.95 for skate rental. Children 2 and under get in free, and helmets are free on request. So the park's signature attraction goes from free to ticketed, with a dark stretch in between.
Downtown's evenings have to happen somewhere else during those weeks. This year, several of the places that fill the gap were designed with exactly that season in mind.
The Lilac Room took over the 3,800-square-foot space that used to be Pinot's Palette. Spokane-based Sturdy Solutions LLC handled the $200,000 renovation and kept the exposed brick. Kevin and Renee Fandt own the lounge, and their company, Bark Entertainment LLC, also operates the comedy club and the arcade bar next door.
Levi Steverding of Sturdy Solutions explained the reasoning to the Spokane Journal of Business:
"In the winter, it's a big advantage. It eliminates the need to wait in line. Guests with tickets to the comedy room can wait in the Lilac Room, have a cocktail, then be escorted to the club."
Gamers Arcade Bar is the 21+ room on the other side, at 321 W. Sprague. In practice, one storefront entrance leads to a lounge, a comedy room and an arcade, and on a sleeting Friday in November you never need a coat between them.
The Lilac Room's own site lists hours of 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Only four cocktails go through the tubes:
| Lilac Express drink | What's in it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lilac Heist | Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, house lavender syrup, lemon, tonic | $18 |
| The Summit | Browne Family Northwest Vodka, house huckleberry syrup, hibiscus tea, lime, soda, citrus-sugar rim | $18 |
| Executive Session | Angel's Envy Port Finish Bourbon, Cherry Heering, Luxardo Maraschino Originale, Licor 43, lemon | $18 |
| Butterfly Bloom | Spirit-free; butterfly pea tea, house lavender syrup, lemon | $14 |
Beyond those four, the lounge also pours signature cocktails, wine, champagne, beer and spirit-free drinks, plus 1.5-ounce pours from its high-end spirits collection.
The comedy calendar shows how the setup works over a month. Spokane Comedy Club has Shayne Smith Thursday through Saturday, November 5 to 7, Steph Tolev November 12 to 14, and Denny Love on Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21. Every one of those weekends falls inside the window when the Skate Ribbon is dark or just reopening.
Two blocks of that circuit cover Wednesday through Sunday. Lilac & Pine, at the Davenport Grand Hotel at 333 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., covers the early part of the week. The restaurant opened in May after a $600,000 renovation of the former Table 13. It seats 161 and is built around a 500-square-foot circular bar.
The Davenport's Lilac & Pine page lists happy hour Monday through Friday, 4 to 6 p.m., with select food and drinks at $10. That fills Monday and Tuesday, the two nights the Lilac Room is closed, and the timing lands right at the end of the workday.
The Spokane Journal of Business reported in October that the restaurant has added monthly cocktail classes in The Reserve, a private room that was once Table 13's whiskey bar. Holiday-themed cocktail classes and wine-blending classes are also planned. The Davenport's experiences listing prices The Reserve Cocktail Club class from $40, which covers three handcrafted cocktails and light bites. No dates have been posted yet for the holiday sessions, so check the Davenport Experiences page as December gets closer.
The room has local roots. Spokane artists Ben Joyce and Jesse Pierpoint made artwork featuring area landmarks and events, and the restaurant created custom products with Spiceology and Dry Fly Distilling. Chef Rudy Velasquez wrote the opening menu, and an in-house pastry team makes the breads, desserts and ice cream.
With the Sprague block and the Davenport Grand covering most nights of the week, the rest of downtown's November calendar fits around them. From Thursday's publication date forward:
Several of these dates sit inside a few blocks of each other. On November 7, an early dinner at Lilac & Pine, the symphony at the Fox and a late drink on Sprague all fit in one evening on foot. On November 15, a juice at River Park Square in the afternoon still leaves time to make the 4 p.m. youth concert.
The ice opens on November 21. A week later, on Saturday, November 28, the free Numerica Tree Lighting Celebration runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Skate Ribbon plaza, with food trucks, live entertainment and the countdown at 6 p.m. Wheatland Bank offers free horse-and-carriage rides on November 28 and 29.
A tree-lighting crowd that disperses at 7 p.m. on a Saturday is a short walk from a lounge that stays open until midnight, and a comedy ticket holder no longer has to wait on the sidewalk in the cold. Live venue pages can change hours and dates, so check the Riverfront Spokane calendar and each venue's own site before heading out.
Knowing which blocks stay busy after dark in November tells you a lot about what downtown living is like all year. If you're thinking about a loft or condo within walking distance of Sprague or the riverfront, Patricia O'Callaghan and the team at SpokaneREAL can walk you through which buildings put these evenings closest to your door. Schedule a private market consultation.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth.