Thanksgiving in Denver - Events & Schedule

Thanksgiving in Denver returns with fun (and free) events, blockbuster museum exhibitions, lights displays and plenty of family-friendly activities. Don't miss out on great hotel deals. For a delicious deep dive into Denver's culinary scene, check out these Thanksgiving meals for takeout.

We strive to post the most current and accurate event information, but changes and cancellations do occur, so please check the official event website to confirm all details before attending.

Holiday Lights

Cherry Creek North Winter Wanderland & More

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Cherry Creek North
During Winter Wanderland, explore 16 sparkling blocks with more than a half-million lights and discover eight twinkling displays choreographed to music. New this year is an interactive art installation, "domino effect" by Creos, which will feature 120 brightly colored dominos, each with its own sound profile. And during Saturday Night Lights (Dec. 4, 11 and 18), stroll beneath 600 illuminated trees while enjoying free festive treats and entertainment.

The Mile High Tree, brought to you by presenting sponsor Modelo® USA

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: 16th Street Mall at Welton Street
Join in the free festivities at this festive holiday attraction, the Mile High Tree. It’s a brilliantly lit, 110-foot-tall immersive art installation that provides a dazzling lights-and-music show.

Blossoms of Light

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens is proud to host Blossoms of Light, an annual family-friendly event that has become a tradition for people across Colorado. Come interact with incredible light displays — a large field of sound-reactive, animated LED lights — and sip warm drinks and nibble on tasty treats as you stroll. Pre-purchased timed tickets are required.

Zoo Lights

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Denver Zoo
It's official: Zoo Lights has been making magic, memories, and even marriages for 30 amazing years! Presented by Your Hometown Toyota Stores, this illuminating annual event transforms Denver Zoo into Colorado's WILDEST winter wonderland. Don't miss this year's historic celebration, with more than a million lights sparkling over 80 acres — plus a host of special measures to keep your family safe and healthy.

2022 Annual Holiday Lighting

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: City & County of Denver Building
Each night, at 5:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., an interactive holiday show will occur for 7–9 minutes. It then goes to a static holiday lighting display until 10:45 p.m.

Luminova Holidays

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park
Making its Colorado debut, this family-friend event brings larger-than-life holiday displays and immersive experiences for all to enjoy. It features more than 3 million dazzling lights, a 65-foot-tall Christmas tree, a 25-foot-tall snowman that never melts, a 200-foot-long candy cane tunnel, giant ornaments, a wall of lights, rides on limited Elitch Gardens attractions, train rides for the kids (and the kids at heart), interactive activities like a light-up hopscotch, strolling holiday entertainers, Old Saint Nick and his elves, and more.

Grand Illumination — Merry & Bright Lights Show — Miracle at Union Station Cocktail Bar — Santa Visits

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Denver Union Station
The annual Grand Illumination event will feature performances of classic holiday hits by the Denver Dolls, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the grand highlight of the evening — the lighting of the station’s outdoor 40-foot-tall Christmas tree that features more than 7,000 holiday lights. Also, the Grand Illumination kicks off the Merry & Bright Lights show, which will once again transform the exterior façade of Denver’s landmark train station into a spectacular canvas spreading holiday cheer. You can see it each night of the season. Miracle at Union Station, a whimsical pop-up cocktail bar, will open on Nov. 24. Meanwhile, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be making regular appearances at the station from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 28; and Dec. 5, 12 and 19.

Trail of Lights

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms
Stroll through the Colorado countryside along a winding path glistening with lights. Features this year include a three-sided light tunnel, illuminated antique and model tractors, a children's play area and warms holiday food and drink. Visitors must purchase a ticket online for a specific day and time.

Night Lights Denver

WHEN: Permanent Installation
WHERE: Daniels & Fisher Tower
Night Lights Denver features rotating content designed by local artists and the community and projected on the Arapahoe Street side of the Daniels & Fisher Tower every Tuesday through Sunday evening.

Blockbuster Exhibitions

Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France

WHEN: Thru March 13, 2022
WHERE: Dever Art Museum
See more than 100 paintings made between 1855 and 1913 in the first comprehensive examination of France's stylistic impact on American painting of the period. From academic training in Paris to exploration of the countryside landscape, Whistler to Cassatt reveals both the visual and conceptual influences of France on American painters in the 19th and early 20th century.

GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World

WHEN: Thru April 17, 2022
WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Experience and celebrate the many facets of this iconic instrument, from its origin and continued evolution to the music it creates and the cultural impact it has had. The exhibition features more than 60 instruments and explores the cultural and physical history of the guitar—from lutes and ouds to modern, high-tech and experimental instruments. You will learn about the science behind the guitar and discover how it became the cultural icon it is today.

Holiday Shopping Kicks Off

The holiday shopping season kicks off after Thanksgiving! There will be free parking on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday in the Denver Pavilions underground garage while Cherry Creek North is celebrating Small Business Weekend.

Family-Friendly Events & Activities

Downtown Denver Rink

WHEN: Thru Feb. 20, 2022
WHERE: Skyline Park
Bundle up for some free ice skating in the heart of downtown and enjoy special events.

The Polar Express^TM Train Ride

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Colorado Railroad Museum
The story of The Polar Express^TM is theatrically re-created and combined with a magical train ride at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Children get to meet Santa and experience all the sights and sounds of this classic tale as if happening all around them. This year, a whole host of carefully crafted updates have been made in order to ensure the health and safety of guests, cast and crew, so put on your pajamas and your most fashionable mask and bring the family to enjoy sharing hot cocoa and cookies together as the "Hot, Hot, Hot—Chocolate" song and dance unfolds before your eyes.

Santa's Flight Academy

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Your little ones can step inside a 22-foot-tall sleigh and experience the magical snowfall. They can also have their photos taken with Santa. Reservations are recommended.

Cherry Creek North Holiday Market

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Cherry Creek North
The free Cherry Creek North Holiday Market at Fillmore Plaza features 30 local artisan vendors, live music, and festive drinks and decor.

'Camp Christmas'

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park
An over-the-top, outdoor/indoor extravaganza as big as the season it celebrates! Leave your worries behind and immerse yourself in Denver Center for the Performing Arts' (DCPA's) biggest holiday experience ever! Journey through artist Lonnie Hanzon’s fantastical wonderland of lights, dazzling decorations, music and memorabilia as you explore mesmerizing yuletide scenes spread across a six-acre landscape. Most importantly, Camp Christmas is an opportunity to rediscover (and reimagine!) the holiday spirit and connect with people you love.

Denver Christkindlmarket

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: TBA
This outdoor event brings the most beloved elements of an authentic German holiday experience to The Mile High City. Stroll through a European village decorated for the holiday season as you shop for finely crafted artisan gifts and treats at charming wooden huts. Fuel your shopping with authentic Glühwein (mulled spiced wine), German Biers and hot chocolate, and nosh on Bavarian-style pretzels, fresh smoked salmon, Knödel, Goulasch, Nürnberger Sausages, pastries, caramels and European chocolates.

Avista Adventist Hospital Louisville Turkey Trot 5K

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Front Street, Downtown Louisville
Join your neighbors and friends on Thanksgiving morning for the 2021 Avista Adventist Hospital Louisville Turkey Trot. Your entry and any other food donations go to support Community Food Share, whose mission is to eliminate hunger in Boulder and Broomfield Counties through engagement, collaboration and leadership.

Film on the Rocks

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison
Enjoy a one-of-a-kind drive-in movie experience at the iconic Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre with a new lineup of films to celebrate the holidays. Here's what's happening for Thanksgiving weekend:

A Hudson Christmas: Extravaganza of Lights

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Hudson Gardens & Events Center
Hudson Christmas is back after two long years. You'll be enchanted by even more towering trees draped in thousands of colorful lights. A grove of dancing Christmas trees, a multi-colored forest inhabited by giant snowmen, the holiday light tunnel and glowing reindeer will light up Hudson Gardens into an extravaganza of holiday cheer.

Santa at McGregor Square

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Milepost Zero Food Hall
Santa will be available for photos on the following dates/times:

A Storybook Holiday in Evergreen

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Evergreen
See classic Christmas stories depicted in ice! The mountain community of Evergreen is “hiding” ice sculptures around town and Santa is flying in from the North Pole to do some special readings.

Farolito Lighting & Pinecone Ceremony

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: The Fort Restaurant, Morrison
Welcome the holiday season and honor a member of the community who has enlightened the hearts and minds of others. Feel the warmth and watch as pinecones are tossed into the courtyard fire, sending good thoughts and prayers into the night sky. Sing along to Christmas carols from the 1830s and 1840s with music students from the Colorado School of Mines and other strolling musicians. Enjoy Mexican hot chocolate, hot cider and traditional biscochitos.

Food & Drink

Champagne Cascade

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Brown Palace Hotel & Spa by Marriott
Begin your holiday celebrations by experiencing the 34th Annual Champagne Cascade in the picturesque atrium lobby. This iconic event features master swordsmen using Napoleonic sabers to sever the bottlenecks of Moet & Chandon Champagne. The Champagne is then poured into the uppermost glass of a two-story high, 5,000-plus glass pyramid. As the Champagne is poured, it cascades into the glasses below, creating a stunning display of bubbly liquid as it is cheered on by live holiday tunes and the crowd lining all levels of the holiday-adorned atrium.

Thanksgiving Buffet

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Downtown Aquarium
The aquarium's buffet will feature traditional Thanksgiving favorites, including carved turkey, cornbread stuffing and house-made cranberry sauce.

Music & Performing Arts

'A Christmas Carol'

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Wolf Theatre
Essential to the holiday season in Denver, "A Christmas Carol" is a joyous and opulent musical adaptation that traces money-hoarding curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge’s triumphant overnight journey to redemption.

Colorado Ballet Presents 'The Nutcraker'

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Ellie Caulkins Opera House
The beloved holiday favorite returns in a dazzling production like no one's ever seen, featuring all-new sets and costumes created especially for Colorado Ballet. A sellout every year, this magical tale of Clara, the Nutcracker and the Mouse King is going to be dreamier than ever.

'Drums of the World'

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Marimba, bongos, bass drums, woodblocks, log drums, boo-bams, Chinese cymbals, metal trash cans, darabukkas, talking drums, plastic pipe, acoustic guitar, toy trumpet, tablespoons, Burma gongs, water can, crow call, tambourine, gankogui and sleigh bells! These are just some of the percussion instruments that the virtuoso percussionists of your Colorado Symphony will be using in this dynamic concert that is fun for the entire family.

'A Face Christmas'

WHEN: TBA 2022
WHERE: Lone Tree Arts Center
Ring in the holidays with a fabulous, fun, festive holiday concert by the amazing all-vocal rock band Face! It’s a wonderful night out for the whole family and it’ll have your elf shoes tapping and your jingle bells ringing with the joy of the season. The band — using only their voices — meld popular tunes, complex harmonies, beat-box rhythms and more into captivating concert performances.

Sporting Events

Check back for the 2022 lineup!

Museum & Gallery Exhibitions

Memory Mirror

WHEN: Thru Mar. 5, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum
Lares Feliciano's Memory Mirror is an immersive installation that invites visitors to explore their relationship with memory through animation, dioramas and interactive storytelling. Designed to evoke the memory of a relative's living room, this exhibition will transform the museum's Precourt Family Discovery Hall into a surreal domestic den that is both familiar and fantastic.

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