City-sponsored events
There are many ways to celebrate the holiday season this year in Colorado Springs, including a variety of City-sponsored events on Saturday, Dec. 9.
From 2-6 p.m., visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum’s (CSPM) annual Festival of Lights Open House at the CSPM Annex located at 121 S. Tejon Street, Suite 100. This family-friendly event is free and includes musical performances, crafts, face-painting and more. Hot chocolate will be served from 4:30-6 p.m. Pre-registration is encouraged.
Lace up your ice skates at Skate in the Park in Acacia Park, the area’s largest outdoor ice rink. Ice skating, which includes skate rental, is $10. Saturday’s skating sessions are 10 a.m.-noon; 1-3 p.m.; 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. For more information, visit DowntownCS.com/Skate.
Colorado Springs is Olympic City USA! The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum will host a Winter Celebration 11 a.m.- 4p.m. Activities include athlete meet and greets, guided tours (available for regular admission purchase), artifact demonstrations, and the opportunity to get a photo with the torch from the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
The 40th annual Festival of Lights Parade in downtown Colorado Springs begins at 5:50 p.m. This year’s parade features nearly 100 lighted and decorated entries that will compete for top honors in their class, including an entry from the City of Colorado Springs that will feature Mayor Yemi and several City departments and enterprises, including Police, Fire, Public Works and Pikes Peak – America's Mountain.
Residents are encouraged to arrive early for a good seat and bundle up to enjoy band performances, floats, horses and more. The parade starts at the intersection of Tejon and St. Vrain streets and ends at the intersection of Tejon Street and Vermijo Avenue.
To mark the occasion, Downtown City garages are offering free parking all day Saturday. Garage locations are: 127 E. Kiowa Street, 130 S. Nevada Avenue, and 215 N. Cascade Avenue.
Additionally, Rock Ledge Ranch in Garden of the Gods Park is hosting a Holiday Evening from 4-8 p.m. The event features St. Nicolas in the Barn, wagon rides, old-time musical entertainment and storytelling in various historic buildings throughout the ranch. For more information, visit Holiday Evening - Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.
Traffic Impacts
The following roads are closed from noon-8 p.m.
- Tejon Street between Cache La Poudre and St. Vrain
- Cache La Poudre/Dale St/MonumentSt/Willamette St/St. Vrain Street from Cascade to Nevada
The following roads are closed from 2-10 p.m.
- Colorado Avenue from Tejon to Nevada
The following roads are closed from 3-10 p.m.
- Pikes Peak Ave from Cascade to Nevada
- Bijou Street from Nevada to Tejon
- Tejon St from Boulder to Cimarron
- All Cross Streets (Bijou to Cimarron) & Cascade to Nevada
How to get to the event
Mountain Metro
Don't want to worry about parking? Take the bus downtown! The Trip Planner makes it easy to find the fastest route. You can even use your bicycles for part of the trip and bus for the rest! Bicycle racks are mounted on the front of each Mountain Metro bus and passengers may load a bicycle at any bus stop.
Biking
There are many bike friendly routes across Colorado Springs. Find your route to events with the City's bike map, which shows urban trails, bike lanes, and low traffic streets. You can view our interactive map on your phone, or download our printable maps. Bike parking can be found throughout downtown and in City parking garages.
Pike Ride
Don't have a bicycle? Try a Pike Ride! Pike Ride is a bike share program with locations in and around downtown Colorado Springs. the electric-assist bikes make it super easy to get up small inclines, keep up with traffic and get going again once you've made a stop.