Christmas lights in Denver, Colorado

We track 6 displays in Denver — the 3rd-densest city for lights in Colorado. 3 of them are free to visit.

When to go

Displays here switch on around sunset. In Denver that means about 4:36 PM in early December and 4:36 PM by mid-month — the earliest sunsets of the year fall right in the middle of lights season. It is properly dark by about 5:07 PM, which is when the displays look their best. December nights in Denver typically drop to around 16°F.

DateSunsetFully dark
Dec 14:36 PM5:06 PM
Dec 154:36 PM5:07 PM
Dec 254:41 PM5:11 PM

The Denver lights loop — 6 stops

We ordered every display in Denver into the shortest sensible driving loop: roughly 14.6 miles and 59 minutes of driving, before you count time spent parked and looking. Start wherever is closest to you and follow it round.

  1. Blossoms of Light — 1007 York St.
  2. Denver Zoo Lights — 2300 Steele St., City Park
  3. Mile High Holidays Drone Show — viewable from Tivoli Quad & Sculpture Park
  4. Mile High Tree — 1000 Larimer St., Tivoli Quad
  5. Elitch Holidays — 2000 Elitch Circle
  6. Fortna Family Display — 2780 S Harrison St.

Driving estimate assumes a 25 mph average on residential streets plus four minutes stopped per display. Straight-line distances with a road-network allowance — treat it as a planning figure, not a satnav route.

Practicalities

Residential displays have no facilities of their own — no parking, no toilets, nowhere to warm up — so it is worth knowing what is around. Within about three miles of the Denver cluster, OpenStreetMap maps 27 public car parks and 47 public toilets. There is no shortage of cafés and takeaways for a hot drink on the way round.

All 6 displays in Denver

Blossoms of Light

1007 York St. · Denver, Colorado

late Nov – Jan 11 · typically dusk – 10 PM

$22–$33attractionwalk-throughticketedsynchronized

Denver Botanic Gardens' 40+ year tradition: 1 million LED lights across 23 acres, with floating snowflake effects and synchronized color shows.

6 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Denver Zoo Lights

2300 Steele St., City Park · Denver, Colorado

late Nov – Jan 4 · typically dusk – 10 PM

$19–$30attractionwalk-throughticketed

Running more than 30 years: 3 million lights and 300 sculptures across the zoo's 80 acres, including animated macaw light sculptures.

6 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Elitch Holidays

2000 Elitch Circle · Denver, Colorado

late Nov – Jan 4 · typically dusk – 10 PM

$25attractionwalk-throughticketedridessanta

More than 4 million lights with tunnels, a 65-foot Christmas tree, a walk-through giant snowman, and a 300-foot wall of lights. Santa nightly; ticket includes amusement rides.

4 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Mile High Holidays Drone Show

viewable from Tivoli Quad & Sculpture Park · Denver, Colorado

nightly through Dec 31 · 7:00 PM nightly

Freeattractiondrone-show

600 drones perform 15-minute nightly animations — Santa on his sleigh, an aerial Mile High Tree — created by Denver-based Brightflight Drone Shows.

4 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Mile High Tree

1000 Larimer St., Tivoli Quad · Denver, Colorado

late Nov – Dec 31 · shows nightly

Freeattractionmusicsynchronizedwalk-through

A seven-story light tree with free nightly shows set to holiday music — visitors can lie inside the tree to watch. New Year's Eve features a ball drop.

4 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Fortna Family Display

2780 S Harrison St. · Denver, Colorado

typically late Nov – early Jan (check before visiting) · typically dusk – 10 PM

Freeresidentialdrive-by

More than 12,000 lights featuring a 20-foot 'Joy to the World' sign, a 30-foot lit tree, and a scene of Santa stuck in the chimney with an apologizing elf.

2 other displays within 5 miles

✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season

Nearby towns

Englewood1 display · 6 miLakewood1 display · 8 miLittleton12 displays · 8 miCentennial1 display · 9 miFederal Heights1 display · 9 miCommerce City2 displays · 10 mi

Know a display we're missing in Denver?Add it to the guide.