KidsQuest Children’s Museum’s Gingerbread Lane kicked off this year’s holiday event with more houses on display than ever before and family gingerbread house workshops selling out in record time.

Already underway and continuing through Dec. 16, gingerbread structures designed, built and submitted by local businesses are displayed for the public in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel Bellevue. This event is sponsored by Team Foster at Windermere along with in-kind support from WalMart, QFC, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, New England Confectionary and Safeway.

Gingerbread House participants include Eastside Heritage Center, Edge Concrete Construction, Heavy Restaurant Group, Hilton Hotel Bellevue, KidsQuest Children’s Museum, Meydenbauer Center, Pacific Studios, Inc., Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) – Tateuchi Center, The Portico Group, Property Development Corporation, Republic Services, Inc., Sterling Bank, Umpqua Bank, Uber Entertainment and Westin Hotel Bellevue

The (almost) 100 percent edible structures are competing for “Best Use of Materials,” “Spirit of the Northwest,” “Most Creative,” “Judges’ Choice” and “People’s Choice.” Judging will take place Saturday, Dec. 8 in the Hilton lobby. Celebrity judges include Local Chef and Restaurateur, John Howie; King TV/Evening Magazine Host, Meeghan Black; Team Foster at Windermere Broker (Gingerbread Lane sponsor), Moya Skillman; and Bellevue City Councilmember Claudia Balducci. Awards will be presented during a holiday concert with performances by Newcastle Elementary School, Maywood Middle School and Liberty High School.

All structures also are available for silent auction with proceeds benefitting KidsQuest Children’s Museum.