Ten More Holiday Things to Do in Denver This Week

Christmas may have come and gone, but the holiday shows continue!

See our list of free things to do here, then check out the following roster of other seasonal activities, all worth the price of admission. (And fair warning: Omicron is not gone, so be sure to check for new safety guidelines and last-minute cancellations.)

A Hudson Christmas
Through December 31, 5 to 9 p.m.
Hudson Gardens, 6115 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton
After a two-year hiatus, Hudson Gardens again hosts the lighting display A Hudson Christmas, and it's celebrating the return with more lights on more trees — towering trees, dancing trees and just plain gorgeous trees in rainbow colors — as well as giant snowmen, a curving light tunnel, glittering reindeer and more. Tickets are $12 to $20 (children three and under admitted free) and must be purchased in advance online here.

Zoo Mundo
Through January 2, 7 p.m., online
Thaddeus Phillips, inventor of all things theatrical, graduated from East High School and Colorado College, where he ran with Denver’s Buntport Theater crew. He didn’t hang around Colorado for long after that, but the constant traveler through space and time will return, at least by way of cyberspace, for a virtual one-man performance of his latest work, Zoo Mundo. It involves eclectic world excursions, a 1970s game show, interactivity, illusions, magic and miniatures, broadcast live from Colombia nightly to audiences of 25. He’ll be beaming ten Buntport-supported shows through January 2; find the schedule and tickets, $21 (use discount code Buntport for a $5 discount), here.

Luminova
Through January 2, 5 to 10 p.m.
Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle
Looking for something different in the holiday lighting category? Elitch Gardens will be all aglow this season with the arrival of Luminova, a three-million-bulb display that includes a 65-foot-tall Christmas tree, along with a gigantic snowman and larger-than-life ornaments and gift packages. Visitors can also walk through a candy-cane tunnel ablaze with glowing lights, enjoy limited amusement park rides, play a game of light-up hopscotch and have a word with old Saint Nick and his elves. Admission is $24.99 to $34.99; get tickets and details here.

Trail of Lights at Chatfield Farms
Through January 2, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Chatfield Farms, 8500 West Deer Creek Canyon road, Littleton
The Denver Botanic Gardens will light up its Chatfield Farm location with LED lights along the pathway through the Green Farm, Crossroads, Deer Creek Discovery Children's Play Area and 1880s Hildebrand Ranch homestead. Special features include synchronized music in the children’s play area, singing Christmas trees, illuminated antique and model tractors on display, and hot beverages, nuts and kettle corn available for purchase. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 children and members; get all the details here.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze
Through January 2
Gaylord Rockies Resort, 6700 North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora
Have a merry, acrobatic holiday with Cirque Dreams Holidaze, just one of the many holiday attractions Gaylord Rockies has to offer — and one of the few that will satisfy a multi-generational audience with its classic Christmas themes, performed cirque style. Tickets start at $29 and are going fast; get yours here.

Camp Christmas
Through January 2
Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, 801 South Yarrow Street, Lakewood
Immersive master Lonnie Hanzon has outdone himself to bring Camp Christmas, formerly an indoor affair, to life in a six-acre outdoor environment. But he’s had plenty of experience with al fresco holiday displays in the past, at Hudson Gardens, the Houston Zoo and even Denver's Parade of Lights. Camp Christmas, a collaboration with the Denver Center for Performing Arts Off-Center, is a different sort of holiday display: It has a campy personality that dictates such displays as pun trees, a glamping Santa, an emotional baggage check and drag queen tours. There's also a bar fit for a fairy queen! See for yourself; see the schedule (hours vary) and get tickets, $8 to $25 (with optional add-ons available) here.

Zoo Lights: A Toast to Love, 125 Years + Beyond
Through January 2, 5 to 10 p.m.
Denver Zoo, 2350 Steele Street
In celebration of the Denver Zoo’s 125th anniversary, this year’s Zoo Lights extravaganza has been beefed up with new installations and portable bars serving holiday craft cocktails, and nightly ice-carving demos have returned. While viewing of zoo animals is limited to indoor habitats and a few cold-hardy outdoor beasts, chances are good that folks will mostly be looking up at the lights. Admission ranges from $15 to $25; get tickets here.

Living Lights
Through January 2, 5:40 to 9 p.m. daily (last entry at 8:15 p.m.), except Christmas
Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 West 104th Avenue, Westminster
The Butterfly Pavilion is doing holiday lights with a twist: It’s called science, and combines biofluorescent invertebrates, aerial artists undergoing metamorphosis and a Firefly Forest with a learning experience about the pavilion’s Firefly Life Cycle Project. But there will be plenty of lights for lights’ sake, as well as such holiday touches as a kid-friendly glow-in-the-dark dance rave and a photo-op station. Admission is $10 to $20; learn more and reserve timed-entry tickets here.

Blossoms of Light
Through January 8, 4:30 to 9 p.m. nightly except Christmas Day
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street
Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens is a real thing of beauty: a fairyland blinking with millions of LED lights in colors that rival the beauty of the botanical attraction’s summer flowers. Perfect for holiday-lights nerds of all ages, it’s one of the best reasons in town to let the little ones stay up late and gulp hot chocolate on a frosty winter night. And don’t miss the new 200-foot-long, 17-foot-tall tunnel of animated lights lining the O’Fallon Perennial Walk. Find information and get timed-entry tickets, $16 to $21, here.

Looking for still more to do? Check our list of all the holiday events in 2021.

Know of a great event in Denver? We'll be updating this list; send information to [email protected].