At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, city representatives will stand on the stage in Old Town Square and lead a short countdown. Then the trees across Old Town light up with thousands of LED bulbs, and they stay lit through February.
Plenty of people will take that as the start of the holiday season. In Old Town it really comes in two parts. The lights open the first part. The things families actually line up for, Santa's Workshop and the Old Town Square Skate Rink, don't open until Nov. 27, three weeks later. Garden of Lights at The Gardens on Spring Creek uses timed tickets, and those tickets go on sale during that same three-week stretch.
Nov. 6 Is the Lights. Nov. 27 Is Everything Else.
The Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony is free and runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Live music plays the whole time, and the ceremony itself comes at 6:30. It's a partnership between the City of Fort Collins, the Downtown Development Authority and the Downtown General Improvement District, and Fort Collins Connexion sponsors the night.
Then comes a gap. The DDA's Winter in Downtown guide puts the next big moment on Nov. 27 at 11:30 a.m., when Santa arrives at Old Town Square by firetruck with Comet the reindeer. Santa's Workshop and the Skate Rink open for the season right after he arrives. Jessen Reindeer Ranch looks after Comet for the arrival.
So the trees are lit for three weeks before the square has its holiday programming. The DDA's Old Town Spree covers that stretch. It runs Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026, at participating downtown businesses, with weekly drawings and a grand-prize drawing for downtown gift cards. Shopping or dining downtown in mid-November, with the lights already on, counts toward the drawings at participating businesses.
The One Deadline Is Across Town at The Gardens
During that same three-week stretch, The Gardens on Spring Creek at 2145 Centre Ave. opens ticket sales for Garden of Lights. The Gardens' Fall/Winter 2026 newsletter says this year's run is Dec. 11 to 23 and Dec. 26 to 27, with tickets going on sale in early November.
Entry is timed, which is why booking early matters. According to the Garden of Lights page, entry slots run from 5 to 8 p.m. each night, the grounds close at 9, and prices vary by slot. The page lists adults 18 and over starting at $12, children 3 to 17 starting at $8, and free admission for kids 2 and under. The Gardens' ticketing system has warned in past seasons that many dates and times sell out in advance.
Some details that affect what you'll actually pay and when you can go:
- Members get 20% off tickets.
- $1 tickets for SNAP/EBT cardholders are sold by phone or in person at The Gardens.
- Closed Dec. 24 and 25. The run starts again on Dec. 26 for two more nights.
- Santa is there through Dec. 23. Families who want a Santa visit on the same outing need a date in the first part of the run.
The half-mile loop has glowing grapevines, oversized flowerbeds and a full bar for hot cocoa or something stronger. The newsletter says two of last year's features are coming back: the Gumdrop Garden, added last year, and the ice forest. On select nights you may also see the Ice Queen and the Sugar Plum Furries, a tutu-clad dog troupe. Live music and food trucks round out the evening.
Getting Through Lighting Night
The city expects thousands of people at the Nov. 6 ceremony, so streets around the square start closing in the afternoon. Here's what the city's event page lists:
- Closures from 3 p.m.: Walnut St., the 200 block of Linden St., and Mountain Ave. between College Ave. and Remington St.
- Towing: "No Parking" signs go up 24 hours ahead, and cars left in the event area are towed to Northside Aztlan Community Center at 112 E. Willow St.
- Garages: Old Town Garage at 209 E. Mountain Ave., Civic Center at 120 N. Mason St., and Firehouse Alley at 165 Chestnut St.
- Bikes: extra racks will be set up on the north side of Walnut St.
If you live within walking or biking distance, the city encourages you to leave the car at home. A car parked on a closed block that morning could end up at Northside Aztlan by dinnertime.
Santa's Line Grows as December Goes On
Once the second part of the season starts on Nov. 27, timing still matters. Visits at Santa's Workshop are free. You can take your own photos, and printed portraits are for sale on site. The DDA says waits can stretch into hours depending on the day and time, and lines are usually shortest early in the season. Its advice is to aim for earlier in December and to check the Old Town Square live webcam before you head down. Workshop hours are in a schedule PDF, and the number is 970-999-0475.
That makes the weekend after Thanksgiving through early December the best window for Santa downtown, and it's the same window Santa is at Garden of Lights, through Dec. 23. A family with a Garden of Lights ticket for Dec. 11 or 12 could do both Santas in the same week, one downtown during the day and one at The Gardens that night.
The Rink Is Mostly a Weekend Thing
The Old Town Square Skate Rink opens Nov. 27 with Santa, and admission and skate rentals are free. It uses a synthetic surface, so warm, sunny afternoons don't shut it down. Regular ice skates work on it, and the DDA says hockey-style skates do especially well. Staff lend out both child and adult sizes. For group reservations, email [email protected].
The hours surprise people. According to the 2026–27 rink schedule, the regular week is short:
- Friday: 4 to 7 p.m.
- Saturday: noon to 6 p.m.
- Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
Extra hours for holidays and school breaks are marked on the monthly calendar, so check the PDF before planning a weekday skate. The last day of the season is Jan. 24, 2027. The lights stay up through February, about a month after the rink closes, so mid-February dinners downtown still come with lit trees.
If the Old Town rink doesn't fit your schedule, the city's EPIC rink at 1801 Riverside Ave. holds public skate sessions. The EPIC page lists admission at $10 for resident adults and $8 for resident youth and seniors, plus $3 for skate rental. Nonresidents pay $12 and $10. EPIC's drop-in schedule changes, so check it before you go.
The December Calendar, in Order
Here's everything else with a confirmed 2026 date, in the order it happens:
- Dec. 3, 7 p.m.: CSU's All-Choral Holiday Concert at First United Methodist Church, 1005 Stover St. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and over, and $5 for youth under 18. CSU students get in free.
- Dec. 4, 5:30 p.m.: CSU's 2026 Parade of Lights Preview goes east on Lake, north on Peterson, west on Pitkin and south on Remington. A short marching band performance in front of the University Center for the Arts closes it out. All ages are welcome, and hot drinks are for sale.
- Dec. 11: Garden of Lights opens at The Gardens on Spring Creek and runs through Dec. 23.
- Dec. 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Handmade Market NoCo's Holiday Market at Ginger and Baker.
- Dec. 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Visit Fort Collins Holiday Market, presented by Handmade Market NoCo, at 7 Old Town Square.
- Dec. 26 and 27: Garden of Lights' last two nights, after the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day closure.
Carolfest, the free carol sing-along in Old Town Square, is worth watching for on the Downtown Fort Collins calendar. Last year's was Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Of everything on this list, Garden of Lights is the one with timed entry and a ticket sale opening in early November. The Dec. 19 market is at 7 Old Town Square, the same square as Santa's Workshop and the skate rink.
If the holiday calendar has you thinking about how Old Town and its nearby blocks would fit your own routine, or you're weighing a move closer to downtown, Seth Hanson is glad to help. Let's Connect.
