FAMILIES REJOICE WITH MAGICAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS IN COLORADO

DENVER (September 30, 2015) -- There is no better time to create family memories than during the holiday season in Colorado. Across the state, cities and towns ring in the holidays with annual celebrations amidst snow-capped mountains and illuminated main streets. Below is a sampling of unforgettable holiday events and winter vacation offerings from across Colorado. For more information, visit http://www.colorado.com/articles/winter-events-colorado.

 

 

Lights of December Parade (Boulder) Beginning at 6 p.m. on December 5th, Boulder’s 28th hometown parade will travel through an illuminated downtown. The parade will include marching bands, festive floats created by local groups and businesses, decorated fire engines and of course, a grand finale appearance by Santa. After the parade, many downtown shops will stay open to satisfy visitors’ gift shopping needs.

 

Gold Camp Christmas (Cripple Creek) Impressive holiday light displays will decorate this historic town’s mine head frames the entire month of December. Guests can opt for a self-guided driving tour or a guided tour via shuttle. The main event occurs on the weekend ofDecember 12th when families can partake in festive activities such as gift making, ice-skating around the Christmas tree, gingerbread ornament decorating, marshmallow roasting and free hot chocolate and cider.

 

Olde Golden Christmas Candlelight Walk (Golden) On December 4th, walk with candles down Golden’s main street for the Olde Golden Christmas Candlelight Walk. After the walk, a fireworks show will light up the night in conjunction with miles of lights throughout downtown and Clear Creek. The Clear Creek History Park will host live reindeer as well as a number of other kid-friendly activities.

 

Downtown Denver Grand Illumination (Denver) A countdown will begin shortly after 6:30 p.m. on November 27th when Denver’s recently renovated Union Station will begin the lighting ceremony that will brighten downtown all the way to the City and County building. Colored floodlights will keep Denver lit until the end of December where guests can find various festive activities throughout downtown such as the ice skating rink at Skyline Park.

 

 

Santa Arrives at Copper (Copper Mountain) Arriving on a PistenBully Snowcat, Santa comes to town a month early to celebrate Thanksgiving on November 27th. A snowcat parade featuring Mr. Claus will travel down the mountain into Burning Stones Plaza where the festivities conclude with the annual tree lighting ceremony and a fireworks show. The following day, the GoPro Yam Jam will return for its 15th year of rail jamming for skiers and snowboarders of all ages.

 

Bent’s Old Fort Holiday Celebration (La Junta) The spirit of the holiday season comes to life December 4-5 at Bent’s Old Fort. See what the holidays would have looked like at a 1840s trading post with wagon rides, toy making, frontier cooking and more. Festivities starton Friday evening with candlelight tours of the fort.

 

Wassail Days & Ugly Sweater Dash (Frisco) The 8th annual Wassail Days, a weeklong celebration honoring traditional warm Old English apple cider, will be in full swing December 5-13 on Frisco’s Main Street complete with cider, shopping, carolers, holiday lights and more. During the Ugly Sweater Dash on December 12, participants don their ugliest holiday sweaters while they take on five holidaychallenges such as target practice with fruit cakes. All ages are welcome as well as furry companions.

 

Santa Ski & Crawl  (Crested Butte) Hundreds of guests will help set the world record for the most skiing and snowboarding Santas onDecember 12th. Lift tickets to Mt. Crested Butte are $23 for those dressed as Mr. Claus from head to toe. Mountaineer Square will celebrate Light the Night that same evening where guests can enjoy s’mores, caroling and of course the lighting of the tree.

 

Christmas Tree Cutting Train (Durango/Silverton) On select dates in December take an active part in managing your national forests. As part of passengers’ ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNGR) to Cascade Canyon, a USFS ranger will sell permits to select and cut a tree for the family in the San Juan National Forest. The D&SNGR will help guests load their Christmas trees for transport back to Durango. Bow saws and assistance will be readily available for families.

 

Georgetown Christmas Market  (Georgetown) For the first two weekends in December, the tiny Victorian town of Georgetown, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, transforms into Christmas as it would have been 100 years ago. Horse-drawn carriage rides, roasted chestnuts, a European marketplace with handcrafted gifts and appearances from both St. Nicholas and the children’s procession of Saint Lucia are all part of this holiday event.

 

Yule Love It Downtown, Holiday Art and Shopping Crawl (Pueblo) Every weekend in December, the Pueblo Creative Corridor turns into a winter wonderland of holiday shopping with local artisans, carolers and street performers. Walk down the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo illuminated in holiday lights or take a boat ride with Santa and the kids to celebrate the holiday season.

 

 

Winter Fest Stay & Ski (Telluride) The holiday season will be in full swing on December 11th in Telluride’s Mountain Village. Weekend packages are available for four nights of lodging and three days of skiing. Guests can take part in the ski tree lighting, kids’ activities, ice skating, sledding and various other holiday traditions.

 

Vista Verde Vacation (Steamboat Springs) For an all-inclusive vacation, Vista Verde Ranch is offering holiday packages for families. The packages run Saturday to Saturday. This winter wonderland is packed with horses, sleigh bells, crackling fires and log cabins. Lodging, meals, activities, equipment rentals and more are all included in Vista Verde’s set rates.

 

 

New Year’s Eve (Glenwood Springs) To close out the year, Glenwood Hot Springs will stay open until 1 a.m. on December 31st. This alcohol-free event invites families to countdown to the New Year. As the clock approaches midnight, pool staffers will hand out noisemakers.

 

New Year’s Eve Bash (Beaver Creek) A torch light parade and fireworks over the village kick-off New Year’s Eve in Beaver Creek. Skiers of all ages then make their way down the mountain with glow sticks in hand, making for a twinkling trail of color. Following this parade of light, the bash keeps going with a DJ, dancing, games and two balloon drops.

 

 

Colorado is a four-season destination offering unparalleled adventure and recreational pursuits, a thriving arts scene, a rich cultural heritage, flavorful cuisine, and 25 renowned ski areas and resorts. The state's breathtaking scenic landscape boasts natural hot springs, the headwaters of seven major rivers, many peaceful lakes and reservoirs, 12 national parks and monuments and 58 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet. 

 

For more information or a copy of the 2015 Colorado Official State Vacation Guide, visit www.COLORADO.com or call 1-800-COLORADO. Follow Colorado on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Foursquare, Flickr,Tumblr and YouTube.

 

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Media contacts: Carly Holbrook, [email protected], 720-239-9366

                       Kirstin Graber, [email protected], 303-892-3871