Upcoming Winter Festivals in Colorado

Winter is full of exciting Colorado carnivals and festivals to keep the spirits high. The winter season in Colorado runs from Sunday, December 21st, 2025, through Friday, March 20th, 2026.

Festivities kick off during the holidays with a New Year’s Eve fireworks show in Downtown Denver. January and February bring many incredible festivals, including the Winter X Games and Winter Park Winter Carnival. In March, attend the one-of-a-kind Frozen Dead Guy Days in Estes Park.

2025-26 Annual Colorado Winter Events

Colorado is known worldwide for its epic winters. Combine first-class ski resorts and bubbling hot springs, with a heaping of fun festivals, and you’re sure to have a winter vacation you’ll never forget.

Here are some of the top annual winter festivals in Colorado, in chronological order:

Winter Events in December

Warren Miller Film Tour

• Date: late October through December 2025
• Address: Multiple showings across Colorado
• About: An annual film tour following skiers and snowboarders as they take on the snow. From backyard hills to mega mountains, this tour kicks off the winter season with a bang.

Denver Botanic Gardens Blossoms of Light

• Date: Friday, November 21, 2025 – Sunday, January 11, 2026 (closed Nov 27 and Dec 25)
• Address: Denver
• About: A stroll through the Denver Botanic Gardens is a delightful way to celebrate the holiday season. The Blossoms of Light extravaganza is a twinkling and breathtaking way to spend a winter evening.

Denver Christkindlmarket

• Date: Fri-Tue, November 21-December 23, 2025
• Address: Auraria Campus, Denver
• About: 25th year for the month-long Christkindl Market in downtown Denver. Experience old German traditions with authentic cuisine, live music, holiday drinks, and an artisan marketplace.

Polar Express Train Ride

• Date: Fri-Sun, November 21, 2025 – January 3, 2026
• Address: Durango
• About: Aboard the Polar Express Train Ride, you and your family will be swept away into an elaborate holiday fantasy complete with hot chocolate, a light show, holiday music, and, of course, Santa.

ICE! Christmas at Gaylord Rockies

• Date: November 24, 2025 – January 2, 2026
• Address: Gaylord Rockies Resort, Aurora
• About: Annual holiday lights and ice display held at Gaylord Rockies Resort, home to Arapahoe Springs Waterpark. This year’s event features How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Book an overnight package that combines entertainment and makes the most of this Christmas celebration.

Winter on the Mountain

• Dates: Saturday, November 22nd, 2025, to Sunday, January 4th, 2026
• Address: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs
• About: Holiday festivities at over 7,000 feet on Iron Mountain. See more than 500,000 lights, meet Santa, and listen to live music at Winter on the Mountain.

Mind Blown Telluride

• Date: Fri-Sat, late November 2025 through March 2026
• Address: Telluride
• About: Taking place at The Peaks Resort & Spa, Ty Gallenbeck puts on a 75-minute magic performance that makes guests question the known.

Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade

• Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2025
• Address: Telluride
• About: The Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade in Telluride lights up the mountain in a red hue as resort employees come down the slopes carrying flares and ride into the village, bringing with them the holiday spirit.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks

• Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
• Address: 16th Street Mall, Downtown Denver
• About: Celebrate the new year with fireworks in downtown Denver. There are two spectacular shows at 9 pm and midnight. The 16th Street Mall offers optimal viewing.

Winter Events in January

The MusicFest at Steamboat

• Date: Mon-Sat, January 5-10, 2026
• Address: Steamboat Springs
• About:  The 40th annual Music Fest features fifty bands over six days. Featuring a variety of genres and shows that last from 12 pm-10 pm. Shows are held around town in every venue type, from ballrooms to big tents.

National Western Stock Show

• Date: Sat-Sun, January 10-25, 2026
• Address: National Western Complex, Denver
• About: Since 1906, the stock shows include rodeos, horse shows, livestock, western art, and more special events spread out over more than 16 days.

Cowboy Downhill

• Date: Monday, January 19, 2026
• Address: Steamboat Ski Resort, Steamboat Springs
• About: Professional cowboys from across the U.S., as well as Australia, Canada, Europe, and Mexico, compete in a race down Headwall near the base of Steamboat Resort.

Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships

• Date: Mon-Wed, January 19-28, 2026
• Address: Riverwalk Center, Downtown Breckenridge
• About: Witness 20-ton blocks of ice get hand-carved by experts from all over the world. Teams from around the world sculpt around the clock for five days to build the spectacles of art, followed by five days of viewing the masterpieces.

Ouray Ice Festival

• Date: Thur-Sun, January 22-25, 2026
• Address: Ouray
• About: The biggest ice climbing festival in North America, featuring the world’s best climbers and 100 educational climbing clinics heading into its 31st year.

Winter X Games

• Date: Friday-Sunday, January 23-25, 2026
• Address: Aspen
• About: The world’s best athletes in skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling compete another year at Buttermilk.

Rio Frio Ice Fest

• Date: Fri-Sun, January 23-25, 2026
• Address: Alamosa
• About: Three days of winter activities in the San Luis Valley. The signature event is the Rio Frio 5K, a race on the frozen-over Rio Grande River. Other highlights include ice sculptures, an ice carousel, and a polar plunge.

Snowdown

• Date: Fri-Sun, January 23-February 1, 2026
• Address: Durango
• About: Now in its 47th year, this winter celebration features a costume party, follies, parade, and an annually changing theme.

Denver Winter Whiskey Tasting Festival

• Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026
• Address: Denver
• About: Sample whiskey from over a dozen distillers while meeting the brands at this one-day event.

Pond Hockey Classic

• Date: Saturday-Sunday, January 31-February 1, 2026
• Address: Grand Lake
• About: Visit the picturesque winter wonderland of Grand Lake to watch and/or play in this annual 3×3 ice hockey tournament featuring sixty adult teams and 8 natural ice rinks on the frozen Grand Lake. Adults play on Saturday and Youth compete on Sunday.

Colorado Motorcycle Expo

• Date: Sat-Sun, January 31-February 1, 2026
• Address: National Western Complex, Denver
• About: The largest swap meet in America, the 47th annual Colorado Motorcycle Expo is great for those looking to buy new bike components, check out numerous competitions, and be surrounded by other motorcycle enthusiasts.

Winter Events in February

Steamboat Winter Carnival

• Date: Wed-Sat, February 4-7, 2026
• Address: Downtown Steamboat Springs
• About: In its 113th year, Steamboat’s Winter Carnival is a widely popular event complete with ski races, ski jumping, ice sculptures, fireworks, a shovel race, and street events.

High Plains Snow Goose Festival

• Date: Thur-Sun, February 5-8, 2026
• Address: Lamar
• About: Held in February during the annual migration, this festival is the perfect place to brush up on your birding knowledge with fellow enthusiasts.

Wish Lantern Festival

• Date Friday, February 6, 2026
• Address: Silverthorne Pavilion, Silverthorne
• About: Part of Silverthorne’s First Friday series, the Wish Lantern Festival honors Mexico’s Noche de Candela and the Chinese Lunar New Year. Both of these traditions use wish lanterns, and Silverthorne will be floating theirs down the Blue River.

CSCCI Chinese New Year Festival

• Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
• Address: Colorado Springs
• About: Annual celebration of the Chinese New Year, complete with demonstrations, authentic fare, and music. This is the year of the snake.

Lake City Ice Climbing Festival

• Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
• Address: Lake City Ice Park
• About: Men’s and women’s top-roped and lead speed competitions in secluded Lake City. Enjoy an escape to a secluded winter wonderland, with a few other activities lined up for the weekend.

Audi Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race

• Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
• Address: Aspen
• About: Winter edition of the Power of Four series, featuring a team of two mountaineers conquering more than 25 miles and 11,000 feet of vertical climb to traverse Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, Highland Bowl, and Aspen Mountain.

Colorado Pond Hockey Tournament

• Date: Fri-Sun, February 13-15, 2026
• Address: Georgetown Lake, Georgetown
• About: All are welcome to enter this ice hockey tournament, with cash prizes. It’s followed by the Apres Ice Party.

Loveland Sweetheart Festival

• Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026
• Address: New Foundry Plaza, Downtown Loveland
• Website: Two-day event held around Valentine’s Day, featuring the Loveland Sweetheart Classic 4-mile race. Other highlights include a beer tent, tunnel of love, laser show, kids’ activities, and other romantic festivities.

Carnivale & Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cook-Off

• Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026
• Address: Manitou Springs
• About: Carnivàle kicks off with the Cajun Gumbo Cook-Off, followed by a parade downtown.

Silverton Ski Joring

• Date: Sat-Sun, February 14-15, 2026
• Address: Silverton
• About: The annual Silverton Skijoring event touts itself as the city’s biggest winter party. A lesser-known Nordic sport that combines water skiing, horse racing, and snow skiing, Skijoring is when a horse (or motorcycle) tows a person on skis through a set of obstacles while the clock ticks down.

Cripple Creek Ice Fest

• Date: Saturday-Sunday, February 14-22, 2026
• Address: Downtown Cripple Creek
• About: Annual ice sculpture carving challenge in casino-friendly Wild West Cripple Creek.

WinterWonderGrass

• Date: Friday-Sunday, February 27-March 1, 2026
• Address: Steamboat Springs
• About: The festival showcases national, regional, and local bluegrass and acoustic roots music.

Winter Events in March

303 Day/Buy Colorado Day

• Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
• Address: Denver
• About: Every March, Denverites celebrate the town’s original area code, known as 303 Day. Now called “Buy Colorado Day”, this day is meant to support local Colorado businesses.

Monte Vista Crane Festival

• Date: Fri-Sun, March 6-8, 2026
• Address: Monte Vista
• About: The annual Crane Fest celebrates the annual migration of cranes that has been going on for years.

Northern Colorado Home + Garden Show

• Date: Fri-Sun, March 6-8, 2026
• Address: Island Grove Regional Park, Greeley
• About: Greeley’s long-running home and garden is one of the best events to attend for homeowners looking to repair and remodel their abode.

Denver Restaurant Week

• Date: Friday-Sunday, March 6-15, 2026
• Address: Denver
• About: Hundreds of Denver restaurants come together for a ten-day culinary celebration boasting delicious multi-course menus for a fixed price.

Leadville Ski Joring

• Date: Sat-Sun, March 7-8, 2026
• Address: Leadville
• About: Annual winter sports event on Harrison Ave that involves a cowboy and a horse pulling a skier through obstacles.

Mile High Beer Festival

• Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Address: Denargo Market, Downtown Denver
• About: Annual beer festival highlighting both well-known and up-and-coming breweries in addition to a few distilleries and cideries. Visitors have 2.5 hours to taste unlimited samples while enjoying live music and food vendors.

Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

• Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
• Address: Denver
• About: Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of the largest in the country. Running for over 60 years, you can expect to see floats, dancing, live bands, charities, and local celebrities.

Colorado Springs St. Patrick’s Day Parade

• Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
• Address: Colorado Springs
• About: Grab your kilts and get ready for a day full of fun at Colorado Springs’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Starting at noon, you can watch the floats, bands, dancers, and performers drive by in celebration of St. Paddy along Tejon Street.

Thanks for checking out some of Colorado’s best annual winter festivals. Have a terrific time experiencing these fun events in December, January, February, and March.

If you’re still in autumn, consider these Colorado fall festivals, or jump ahead to annual spring events. It’s never too soon to start planning a Colorado festival weekend.