Load-in for the 110-foot Mile High Tree on the Tivoli Quad at Auraria Campus began Monday, Nov. 2, and Auraria's schedule gives the crews through Nov. 9. Nothing on the quad lights up until Nov. 20, and the same is true across town. The city's tree lighting, the Christkindlmarket, the drone show and Blossoms of Light all start on Friday, Nov. 20.
The free events can wait until that Friday. The two ticketed light shows can't. Denver Zoo and Denver Botanic Gardens now charge different prices on different nights, and both start selling this week. Zoo Lights goes on public sale Thursday, and Blossoms of Light runs member presales through Friday ahead of its public sale Monday. Booking now, and picking the right night, decides what an evening of lights costs this year.
The build has already changed the streets around Auraria
Before any ticket matters, there is the traffic. Auraria's campus notice lists these closures for the setup and teardown:
- 11th Street between Walnut and Larimer, closed Nov. 2 through Jan. 9
- Larimer Street west of 12th, closed to through traffic Nov. 2 through Jan. 9
- Walnut Street between 10th and 11th, closed Nov. 9 through Dec. 28
- The west sidewalk on 11th between Walnut and Larimer, closed Nov. 2 through Jan. 9
The tree goes up Nov. 2 to 9, and the market huts follow Nov. 9 to 19 inside an event fence that goes up the morning of Nov. 9. The campus also warns that RTD routes using the 12th and Larimer stop may be affected. From Nov. 20 through Dec. 31, campus parking moves to event pricing: $10 in the Spruce, Dogwood and Holly surface lots, $15 in the 5th Street and 7th Street garages, and $30 in the Tivoli Garage, which is the closest to the market.
Civic Center Park is still closed for renovation, and the city lists both the market and the tree on the Tivoli Quad again, according to its city's holiday events page.
Two ticket windows open before anything lights up
The free events are free every night. The zoo and the Gardens price by date, and both open sales well before their first night.
| Zoo Lights 35 | Blossoms of Light | |
|---|---|---|
| Season | Select nights, Nov. 23 to Jan. 3 | Nov. 20 to Jan. 10, closed Nov. 26 and Dec. 25 |
| Member sales | Priority access Nov. 2 | Staggered presale Nov. 4, 5 and 6 at 10 a.m., by membership level |
| Public sales | Thursday, Nov. 5 | Monday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. |
| Adult price | $29.95 standard nights, $25.95 value nights | $19 to $45, set by date and demand |
| Member price | 10% off: $25.95 standard, $23.35 value | $16 to $38 |
| Under 3 | Free for ages 2 and under | Free for ages 2 and under |
The two venues use different pricing systems, and that changes how to book each one.
Zoo Lights publishes its cheap nights in advance
The Denver Zoo names its value nights ahead of time: Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, Dec. 6, Dec. 8 and 9, Dec. 13 through 16, and Jan. 2 and 3. A family of two adults and two youth pays $105.80 on a standard night and $89.80 on a value night, a $16 difference before any add-ons.
The zoo's new theme nights for this 35th season mostly fall on value nights. Gothmas Nights, Dec. 8 and 9, are billed as two nights "void of traditional holiday cheer." Dickens Nights, Dec. 14 to 16, invite guests to come in holiday pajamas. Both run entirely on value-priced dates. Summer in December, Dec. 28 to 30, falls on standard-price nights. The season also brings back historic displays from the Wild Lights years, adds more Adult Nights and brings back the Zoo Lights Market. Zoo Lights runs 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and it closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Blossoms of Light rewards booking early
Denver Botanic Gardens lists "plan-ahead pricing" as new this year. Prices vary by date and time based on expected demand, and the Gardens says Saturdays and dates around the holidays are usually the most in demand. "The further ahead you plan, the more you save," the Gardens says on its event page. Unlike the zoo, the Gardens doesn't post its cheap nights in advance, so the only way to find a low price is to check dates after sales open Nov. 9.
Changing plans has a cost. Date exchanges are allowed up to 72 hours before your entry time for a $5 fee, which members don't pay. Moving to a pricier night means paying the difference, and moving to a cheaper night earns no refund. The Gardens also says its own website is the only official place to buy tickets.
A few other dates on the Gardens calendar: a Sensory-Friendly Night on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., with limited capacity, and holiday bars along the path on select evenings from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4, except Dec. 25. The full path takes 60 to 75 minutes to walk. Some streets around the Gardens have posted permit-only parking during the event, so the Gardens points visitors to RTD routes 24 and 10.
Friday, Nov. 20, costs nothing and fits in one evening
Once the tickets are handled, opening night is free and easy to plan. On Friday, Nov. 20, the free events start in this order:
- 5 p.m., City and County Building. Mayor Mike Johnston lights the building at Light the Lights. The ceremony runs about 15 minutes, with ASL interpretation and no other programming.
- 5 p.m. onward, Tivoli Quad. The Mile High Tree runs light and music shows every 15 minutes until 10 p.m., and up to 140 guests can watch from under it.
- 5:45 and 6:45 p.m., City and County Building. The first light and music shows, produced by Colorado Holiday Experiences, run Tuesday through Sunday through Jan. 24, 2027. On Mondays the building has static lighting only because of City Council meetings.
- 7 p.m., west of downtown. The third annual Mile High Drone Show sends up 600 drones for a 10- to 15-minute show. It repeats nightly through Dec. 31.
The Denver Christkindlmarket also opens Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 23. This year it adds a 42-foot carousel and glass ornament-making and glassblowing workshops. Vendors are open 1 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday and during the final week, Dec. 17 to 23. The Festival Hall stays open until 10 p.m. The city's page shows the market's regular hours and the tree starting Nov. 21. The market's own site, Visit Denver's tree page and Auraria's notice all give Nov. 20 as opening day.
Visit Denver lists the Tivoli Quad as the closest place to watch the drones. Its other picks are the Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the 54thirty rooftop at Le Méridien Denver Downtown and Peaks Lounge at the Hyatt Regency Denver. The terrace at the Denver Art Museum's Lanny & Sharon Martin Building also works on Tuesdays, when the museum stays open until 8 p.m. Shows can be canceled for weather, and Visit Denver posts updates after 4 p.m. each day.
Skating moves to Wazee Street for a second winter
The downtown rink at Skyline Park won't return. The Downtown Denver Partnership lists it as closed for the 2026-2027 season while the park is redeveloped. This is the second winter without it. Denverite reported in February that the city skipped the rink last winter, too, as work began on the roughly $30 million first phase on Block 2, along Arapahoe Street between 16th and 17th streets. Denverite cited the city as expecting that phase to finish by summer 2027. The new design centers on a large water feature that will hold a temporary skating rink in winter.
That leaves McGregor Square at 1901 Wazee St., across from Coors Field. McGregor Skate opens Friday, Nov. 27, a week after the lights. The plaza shows the 1 p.m. Broncos game on its 66-foot screen and lights its holiday tree at halftime. Dinger poses for photos in a Santa suit from 2 to 4 p.m. After a performance by Denver Colorado FSC, the rink opens for the season. A holiday market sets up on Wynkoop, and Elf plays on the big screen after the game. The event is free, and skate admission and rentals are sold separately.
The city building goes dark for the parade on Dec. 5
The 52nd 9NEWS Parade of Lights runs downtown on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. Watching is free, and grandstand and VIP seats are sold separately. The Downtown Denver Partnership says the 2025 parade drew more than 200,000 people. The City and County Building stays fully dark that night, with no shows and no static lighting. It also goes dark on Dec. 21 for the We Will Remember: Homeless Persons' Memorial Vigil. Dec. 5 is also a standard-price night at Zoo Lights. Dec. 6 is a value night.
The free events downtown end on New Year's Eve. The Mile High Tree holds a countdown at 9 p.m., the drone show runs its last night, and downtown fireworks go off at 9 p.m. and midnight. The ticketed shows run a little longer, with Zoo Lights going through Jan. 3 and Blossoms of Light through Jan. 10.
Holiday weeks fill up fast for everyone, closings included. If a file is set to close between Thanksgiving and New Year's, First Alliance Title has a named escrow team for every file, five offices around the metro and mobile closings that come to your clients. Book the date early, then go see the lights. Place Order.
