Finding the right balance between sweet and warm, nostalgic and modern, is a perpetual challenge when it comes to holiday activities.
Options abound for high-end, curated experiences, but they tend to be expensive. On the other end of the glittery spectrum are the sappy, lazy invocations of holidays past geared to exploit your family’s memories.
Fortunately, Coloradans are hearty and adventuresome, honoring traditions while embracing newcomers and their ideas — which is reflected in the quantity and quality of our favorite holiday arts, crafts and entertainment offerings.
Here’s your one-stop shop for planning all the best caroling, ice-carving, gift-buying and merry strolling over the next few weeks.
Christmas Mercado
Hours: 6-9 p.m. Dec. 1 (First Friday opening), then Wednesday-Thursday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Fridays noon-5 p.m. and Saturdays noon-4 p.m., through Dec. 23
Price: Free
Where: Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, 772 Santa Fe Dr.
Website: chacweb.org
The Art District on Santa Fe’s Chicano Humanities and Arts Council will kick off its annual feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Christmas Mercado on Dec. 1 (a.k.a. First Friday), a show and sale that includes items created by CHAC member artists and others from Mexico, as well as South and Central America. All proceeds go to charity, and traditional tamales will be served.
Celebrate Kwanzaa
Hours: 2 p.m., Dec. 26-30
Price: Free
Where: Various Denver Public Library locations (see below)
Website: denverlibrary.org
Kwanzaa, which honors Africa’s first-fruits harvest tradition, comes to Denver Public libraries across the metro area with cross-cultural activities — including music and dance — and light refreshments at Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library (on Dec. 26), Ford-Warren Branch Library (Dec. 27), Green Valley Ranch Branch Library (Dec. 28), Pauline Robinson Branch Library (Dec. 29) and Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library (Dec. 30) — all at 2 p.m. The free holiday events are joined by others across the DPL system, including Christmas tea, cookie and craft making workshops and more. Visit denverlibrary.org for full details.
Dolls’ Tea Party at the Oxford Hotel
When: Sunday, Dec. 3; seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Where: The Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th St.
Price: $60 for adults (13+); $45 for children (under 12)
Website: theoxfordhotel.com/our-hotel/dolls-tea-party
History looms large (but benevolently) at this upscale, 50-plus-year-old downtown event. Get the kids dolled up for the performance of “The Woodsman and the Fairy,” with ballerinas from the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, and stay for the hot cocoa, tea sandwiches and other treats — as well as a meet-and-greet and photos with the dancers.
Denver Christkindl Market
Hours: Nov. 18-Dec. 23
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Extended weekend hours, Dec. 18-23
Price: Free
Where: Skyline Park, on either side of 16th and Arapahoe Streets
Website: denverchristkindlmarket.com
The fixture along Denver’s busiest pedestrian corridor tries to be — and often succeeds at being — all things to all people. Need a last-minute gift? More than a dozen craft vendors have got you covered. Want to listen to live polka music, German traditionals, steel drums or a choir? Live entertainment rotates in and out of the cozy tent. Hungry and thirsty? Chocolates, roasted nuts, pastries and beverages (including mulled spiced wine) will be on hand. You may never want to leave.
Winter on the Mountain
Hours: Dec. 18-Jan. 5, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (closed Christmas Day)
Price: Winter Funday Pass (includes tram, cave tours and attractions). $42 for adults; $37 for children aged 3-12; Iron Mountain Tramway is $16 for adults and $11 for children, includes visit with Santa and view of lights.
Where: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, 51000 Two Rivers Plaza Road in Glenwood Springs
Website: glenwoodcaverns.com/winter-mountain-on-the-mountain
Snow sports aren’t the only reason to brave I-70 this season: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park strings up a hefty 500,000 lights (one of the largest displays on the Western Slope) along with its massive, musical Christmas tree, tram rides, multiple fire pits, live entertainment and the visits from The Man in the Red Suit.
Wassail Days in Frisco
When: Dec. 2-10
Where: 1 Main St., Frisco
Website: townoffrisco.com
Frisco’s Wassail Days is about more than its namesake beverage — a hot, spiced cider than will be served along Main Street by more than a dozen businesses (with a bar-crawl-inspired punch card to boot). There’s also breakfast with Santa, a belly-warming “Soup Cup Classic” at Frisco Adventure Park, lighting and tree displays, and more. But if you taste at least a dozen types of the secret-recipe drink and fill up your “12 Sips of Wassail Card,” you get the commemorative Frisco Wassail Days mug, so that all may know your completionist prowess.
Golden’s Hometown Candlelight Walk
When: 6-9 p.m. Dec. 1
Where: Foothills Art Center, 809 15th St.
Price: Free
Website: cityofgolden.net/event/candlelight-walk-2017
As traditional and straightforward as it gets, this event invites people to gather — candles in hand — and sing carols as they walk leisurely through historic downtown Golden. The route ends in front of the Golden Visitors Center at 10th Street and Washington Avenue for a festive tree lighting, followed by a short fireworks show above the Golden Hotel, and hot cider and a visit with Santa at the Golden Visitors Center. Nearby Clear Creek History Park will also offer roasted chestnuts and a trail of holiday lights.
Castle Rock Season of the Star
When: Saturdays through Dec. 24
Price: Free (not including refreshments, craft vendors)
Where: Festival Park, 199 Perry St. in Castle Rock
Website: crgov.com/2622/season-of-the-star
The series returns this year with WinterFest (beer, live music, 5K and bike races, food, etc.) from 1 to 5 p.m. on Dec.2; a snuggle-worthy “Storytellers and S’mores” event 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 9; the goofy, costume-happy Reindeer Games (think train and sleigh rides, outdoor tests of skill, etc.) at the amphitheater at Philip S. Miller Park; and the Christmas Eve candle-lighting hosted by Calvary Castle Rock, from 5-6 p.m. on Dec. 24.
Olde Town Arvada’s Lagniappe
When: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Dec. 4
Where: 57th Avenue and Olde Wadsworth Blvd.
Price: Most events free; prices vary for some activities
Website: arvada.org
Lagniappe (lawn-yahp) is an excuse for local businesses to stay open late, with a free performance from the Arvada Chorale (around 5:45 p.m.) followed by a tree lighting by the mayor in the city’s square at 6 p.m. Carriage rides around Olde Town (5:30-8:30 p.m.), a chili cook-off that benefits Arvada Fire (6-8 p.m.), visits with Santa at the library (5:30-7:30 p.m.) and the unusual (but very cool) Telescope Night, sponsored by Majestic View Nature Center in the square after dark, will also be available.
Holidays in the Hangar
When: Dec. 10, noon-4 p.m.
Price: $15 for adults; $11.50 for seniors, active military and veterans; $8.50 for kids aged 4-16; free for 3 and under
Where: Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd.
Website: wingsmuseum.org/holidays
This third annual event takes place amid one of the more impressive collections of vintage planes in the region. Visit with Santa, Mr. Claus and the elves (including photo ops with live “reindeer”), write letters to the North Pole gang, make crafts, play holiday games, visit the hot chocolate bar, check out pedal planes and open cockpits, watch a holiday movie in the on-site theater and more.
Colorado Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”
Hours: Nov. 24-Dec. 24; various times
Price: $30-$155
Where: Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St.
Website: coloradoballet.org
There are many “Nutcrackers” in Colorado — and an increasingly strong chance of finding a quality one, given the raised bar for Front Range culture in recent years. But few can step to Colorado Ballet’s version, which stands (and twirls, and bows) as the biggest, best-attended and most glitzy in Colorado. From the costumes to the live music, everything is buffed to a shine, and the festive urban atmosphere that surrounds the Denver Performing Arts Complex offers plenty of pre- and post-show activities.
57th Annual Georgetown Christmas Market
When: Dec. 2-3, 9-10
Price: Free
Where: Historic Georgetown,
Website: historicgeorgetown.org
This outdoor, European-style marketplace boasts free and live entertainment throughout the day, hot roasted chesnuts, horse-drawn wagon rides, an appearance by St. Nicholas (not Santa, mind you, but St. Nicholas), the Santa Lucia Children’s Procession and Christmas-themed museum tours of surrounding historic structures — all designed to highlight how (surprisingly) little the cozy, brick-heavy, Victorian-inspired town has changed over the past century.
Brunch with Father Christmas
When: 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 2
Price: $16 for children aged 3-13, $25 for adults.
Where: Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S. Forest St.
Website: fourmilepark.org/events
Start a day of decorating, cookie-baking or scenic strolling with a brunch at this 12-acre historic site, which features a cozy, seasonally appropriate setting (complete with a fireplace) and all the usual “holiday merrymaking,” according to Four Mile’s website.
Santa Express Train
When: Through Dec. 30 (closed Christmas), up to three daily departures
Price: $30-$74
Where: Royal Gorge Railroad, Santa Fe Depot, Highway 50 & 3rd St. in Cañon City
Website: royalgorgeroute.com
Whether it’s snowy or not, kids will enjoy visiting the “North Pole” along with the roughly 20,000 other people each year who ride the train. Royal Gorge pulls out all the winter-wonderland stops as kids are encouraged to wear pajamas while enjoying Christmas music, assorted treats, hot cocoa and, of course, Santa making his way through the train.
Buena Vista’s Christmas Opening
When: All day, Dec. 2
Price: Free general admission; some activities/refreshments for additional cost
Where: Various locations in downtown Buena Vista
Website: buenavistacolorado.org/bv-christmas-opening
If you’re eager to pack a couple weeks of Christmas cheer into a single day, Buena Vista’s Christmas Opening is your best bet. This sprawling collection of events includes a bar crawl-style “chocolate walk,” the city’s Festival of Trees, a free screening of “The Polar Express,” a chili cook-off, equine parade, free Santa visits and photos, crafts and caroling throughout the town, the Polar Plunge in the Arkansas River (brrrrr), live entertainment, food, drink, the city’s parade of lights and more.
Didn’t see your event? Visit our event calendar to browse additional listings.
Also, click here for a roundup of holiday lighting events around Colorado including Denver Zoo Lights, 9News Parade of Lights, downtown Denver events and more.
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