Denver's Christkindlmarket runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026, and its location has changed: it is at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus this year, not at Civic Center Park. That is one of the few Colorado winter facts already published. The Denver Zoo Lights dates and prices are out, Georgetown has set its Christmas Market weekends, and Breckenridge has published its New Year's Eve programme. Most ski resorts have only projected opening dates, and several other programmes, including the Vail and Aspen New Year's Eve times, were not announced when we wrote this. Where something is not confirmed, this guide says so. Our guide to Denver's Christmas markets covers the city in more detail.
Denver: the Christkindlmarket, Union Station and the Parade of Lights
The Christkindlmarket, a German-style market with mulled wine and Christmas stalls, runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026 at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus, according to Visit Denver. Opening hours were not listed when we checked. Local press reports that Civic Center Park is under renovation until spring 2027, which explains the move, but we only found that in news summaries, so check the market's own site before you go.
Two more free events open the season downtown:
- Grand Illumination at Union Station: 27 November 2026, 4 pm to 8 pm, with the tree lighting at 6:10 pm.
- 9NEWS Parade of Lights: 5 December 2026, downtown Denver, free.
The Christmas tree in the Great Hall of Denver Union Station. Image: Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The City and County Building has been lit in colour for the holidays, as in the photo below from 2015. Check whether it is lit again this year.
The City and County Building in Denver lit for the holidays. Image: Jolly2bjolly, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Denver Zoo Lights
Zoo Lights runs on select nights from 23 November 2026 to 3 January 2027: Sunday to Thursday 4:30 pm to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday 4:30 pm to 10 pm. It is closed on 26 November and 25 December. Tickets go on public sale on 5 November (members' early access is 2 November at 9 am).
Prices depend on the night:
| Night type | Adult / senior | Youth | Children 2 and under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard nights | $29.95 | $22.95 | free |
| Value nights | $25.95 | $18.95 | free |
Standard nights are 23 to 25 and 27 to 28 November, 3 to 5, 10 to 12, 17 to 24 and 26 to 30 December. Value nights are 29 November to 2 December, 6, 8 to 9 and 13 to 16 December, and 2 to 3 January. Members save 10%. The zoo's page lists 1 January as an adult night, with no price. We did not find prices for 31 December.
Denver Botanic Gardens: Blossoms of Light
The Gardens' winter light display is listed by one aggregator for 20 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, 4:30 pm to 9 pm, closed 26 November and 25 December. The Gardens' own pages did not load for us and no ticket prices were announced, so treat these dates as unconfirmed until the Gardens publish them.
Georgetown Christmas Market
The 66th Georgetown Christmas Market is held over two weekends: 5 to 6 December and 12 to 13 December 2026. Admission, parking and the shuttle are free. The historic mining town, about an hour west of Denver off I-70, puts on an outdoor stage from 11 am to 4 pm, a children's Santa Lucia procession at noon each day and museums open from 11 am to 3 pm. Some online listings show other dates; the organiser, the Historic Georgetown society, gives the weekends above.
Georgetown, Colorado, in its valley beside Interstate 70. Image: Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Ski season: projected opening dates
Ski openings in Colorado depend on snow, and several resorts have given only projections. As reported in October, Vail Resorts announced these dates:
- Breckenridge: 6 November
- Vail Mountain: 13 November
- Beaver Creek and Crested Butte: 25 November
- Keystone: "as soon as possible" in October, with no fixed date
Denver7 lists projected dates for other resorts: Copper 6 November, Steamboat 21 November, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass about 26 November, Telluride 26 November. Aspen Highlands is reported for 12 December, from a single source. Loveland and Winter Park have no date, and Arapahoe Basin was running one lift when we checked its site. By late December most major resorts are usually open, but check each resort for lifts and terrain before you book.
A skier in fresh powder at Vail. Image: Flickr user: Brendan Gray London, UK https://www.flickr.com/photos/grayskull/, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Breckenridge on New Year's Eve
Breckenridge has published its 31 December 2026 programme: a Glow Worm children's parade about an hour before the main event, a torchlight parade at 6 pm on Peak 9, and fireworks at about 9:30 pm for around 15 minutes from the base of Peak 9. It is weather dependent.
A snow-covered lodge in Breckenridge. Image: Wedgewoodlodge, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Not yet announced
These did not have confirmed 2026/27 details when we wrote this, so check before you plan around them:
- Vail and Aspen/Snowmass New Year's Eve: both traditionally hold a torchlight ski-down and fireworks. The only Vail listing we found was for 2024, so we have not given times.
- Estes Park's Catch the Glow parade: listed for Friday 27 November, from official-site snippets we could not open.
- Colorado Springs events: no 2026 dates found.
- Zoo Lights prices for 31 December, and the Blossoms of Light ticket prices.
Getting around in winter
Colorado's I-70 traction law and chain law normally apply from 1 September to 31 May, but we could not confirm the 2026/27 dates this season, so check the Colorado Department of Transportation before you drive into the mountains. Weekend traffic on I-70 to the ski areas is heavy, so leave Denver early. Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park closes to through traffic in winter; last year it closed on 14 November, and no 2026 date had been announced. For current conditions, call the park's road status line at 970-586-1222.
Plan your trip
Between 23 November and 3 January you can combine Zoo Lights, the Union Station lights and the Christkindlmarket in Denver, with a ski day or the Georgetown weekends on top. For a ski-town New Year's Eve, Breckenridge is the best documented option this year, but book lodging early. We will update this guide as the remaining programmes are announced.
