MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN COLORADO
There is no better time to create family memories than during the holiday season in Colorado. Across the state, cities and towns ring in Christmas time with annual celebrations amidst snow-capped mountains and illuminated main streets.
Light the Night:
Lights of December Parade (Boulder)
Beginning at 6 p.m. on December 5th, Boulder’s 28th hometown parade will travel through an illuminated downtown. The parade will include marching bands, festive floats, decorated fire engines and of course, a grand finale appearance by Santa. After the parade, many downtown shops will stay open to get the last of your shopping done.
Gold Camp Christmas (Cripple Creek)
Impressive Christmas light displays will decorate this historic town’s mine head frames the entire month of December. The main event occurs on the weekend of December 12th when families can partake in festive activities such as gift making, ice-skating around the Christmas tree, gingerbread ornament decorating, marshmallow roasting and free hot chocolate and cider.
Downtown Denver Grand Illumination
A countdown will begin shortly after 6:30 p.m. on November 27th when Denver’s recently renovated Union Station will begin the lighting ceremony that will brighten downtown. Coloured floodlights will keep Denver lit until the end of December where guests can find various festive activities throughout downtown such as the ice skating rink at Skyline Park.
Christmas Celebrations:
Santa Arrives at Copper (Copper Mountain)
Arriving on a PistenBully Snowcat, Santa comes to town a month early to celebrate Thanksgiving on November 27th. A snowcat parade featuring Father Christmas will travel down the mountain into Burning Stones Plaza where the festivities conclude with the annual tree lighting and fireworks.
Bent’s Old Fort Holiday Celebration (La Junta)
The spirit of the holiday season comes to life December 4-5 at Bent’s Old Fort. See what the holidays would have looked like at a 1840s trading post with wagon rides, toy making, frontier cooking and more.
Santa Ski & Crawl (Crested Butte)
Hundreds of guests will help set the world record for the most skiing and snowboarding Santas on December 12th. Mountaineer Square will celebrate Light the Night that same evening where guests can enjoy s’mores, carolling and of course the lighting of the tree.
Georgetown Christmas Market
For the first two weekends in December, the tiny Victorian town of Georgetown, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, transforms into Christmas as it would have been 100 years ago. Horse-drawn carriage rides, roasted chestnuts, a European marketplace with handcrafted gifts and appearances from both St. Nicholas and the children’s procession of Saint Lucia are all part of this holiday event.
Yule Love It Downtown, Holiday Art and Shopping Crawl (Pueblo)
Every weekend in December, the Pueblo Creative Corridor turns into a winter wonderland of Christmas shopping with local artisans, carollers and street performers. Walk down the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo illuminated in Christmas lights or take a boat ride with Santa and the kids to celebrate the holiday season.
Ring in the New Year:
New Year’s Eve (Glenwood Springs)
To close out the year, Glenwood Hot Springs will stay open until 1 a.m. on December 31st. This alcohol-free event invites families to countdown to the New Year. As the clock approaches midnight, pool staffers will hand out noisemakers.
New Year’s Eve Bash (Beaver Creek)
A torch light parade and fireworks over the village kick-off New Year’s Eve in Beaver Creek. Skiers of all ages then make their way down the mountain with glow sticks in hand, making for a twinkling trail of colour. Following this parade of light, the bash keeps going with a DJ, dancing, games and two balloon drops.