30+ Holiday Events in Colorado 2025

 The holiday season is upon us, and Colorado sure knows how to celebrate!

There's something extra magical about the holidays here in Denver. The city lights up with twinkling lights, there are immersive displays and exhibitions, fun events for all ages, holiday markets, and so much more.

Today I'm sharing more than 30 of my favorite family friendly holiday activities in and around Denver. In this post you'll find details for:

🎄 Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens

✨ Trail of Lights at Chatfield Gardens

❄️ Christmas at Gaylord Rockies

🎄 Elitch Holidays at Elitch Gardens

✨ Zoo Lights at Denver Zoo

❄️ Denver's Mile High Tree

🎄 Christmas in Color

✨ Sugar Science: A Sweet Colorado Christmas Story

❄️ Denver Christkindl Market 

🎄 Hudson Holidays

✨ Camp Christmas 

❄️ Krampus: Fright Before Christmas

🎄 Holiday Afternoon Tea at Babe's Tea Room

✨ Santa's Little Man Ice Cream Factory

❄️ Denver's Union Station

🎄 Parade of Lights

✨ Downtown Denver Rink

❄️ Light the Lights at Denver City Council Building

🎄 Lights throughout Denver

✨ Cherry Creek North Pole

❄️ Light up the Holidays in Boulder

🎄 Chautauqua Winterfest

✨ Louisville Parade of Lights

❄️ Holidays at The Broadmoor

🎄 Olde Golden Christmas

✨ The Polar Express at Colorado Railroad Museum

❄️ Colorado Railbike Adventures Illuminated Christmas Ride

🎄 Georgetown Loop Railroad

✨ Ice Castles

❄️ The North Pole Santa's Workshop

🎄 Royal Gorge Bridge of Lights

✨ Catch the Glow in Estes Park

Trail of Lights at Chatfield Farms

Disclaimer: Our visit to Chatfield Farms Trail of Lights was hosted. All photos and opinions are my own.

The holiday season is here!

We kicked off the season this past weekend with a new to us event, Trail of Lights at Chatfield Farms.

Trail of Lights has long been a favorite with Colorado families, so I’m excited that we finally got a chance to check it out for ourselves.

Have you been to Chatfield Farms before? Chatfield Farms in Littleton is the second location of Denver Botanic Gardens (the first being the main gardens on York Street in Denver) and features a working farm and native plant refuge spanning some 700 acres. While the over all area of Chatfield Farms is significantly larger than the main Botanic Gardens campus, the Trail of Lights event is contained within a much smaller area, making it a great alternative to Blossoms of Lights for families with young children, or those who prefer a quieter stroll through twinkling lights.

Let’s take a look… 

Magic of the Jack-O'Lanterns: Day Time 2025

Magic of the Jack-O'Lanterns is back at Littleton's Hudson Gardens again this year! 

This year we were unable to make it in the evening, so for something a little different, I decide to visit during the day and check out all of the jack-o'lanterns under the sun. I’m so glad I did, because it was such a different experience from visiting in the evening, and it was lovely to see all of the jack-o’lanterns with the colorful Fall foliage.

If you can only visit once, I definitely recommend going in the evening for the full experience of seeing all of the jack-o’lanterns lit up, as well as the light tunnels, the music, and the tasty food on offer (including make your own s’mores), but a visit during the day is also pretty magical. It’s a great option for families with little kids, people with sensory issues, and anyone who wants to get a closer look at all the details. Plus, visiting during the day is free!

Let’s take a look at this year’s Magic of the Jack-O’Lanterns during the day…

Denver Chalk Art Festival 2025

This past weekend, Denver's already colorful streets added a lot more color. 

And when I say Denver's streets, I mean literally, the streets! The roads and pavements in Denver's Golden Triangle neighborhood came to life is a splash of color thanks to the annual Denver Chalk Art Festival!

This two day festival saw over two hundred artists leave their (temporary) mark on Denver's streets in the form of stunning, and ever so colorful, chalk art masterpieces. 

We spent Sunday afternoon at the festival and I was in absolute awe of every single piece created. I'm sure you will be too once you scroll through the photos below. So, let's take a look at the 2025 Denver Chalk Art Festival...