COLORADO, USA — Farewell, 2010s!
It's been a long, full decade of amazing events, concerts, festivals, art fairs, county fairs and sporting events in the Centennial State, but before we jump into 2020, there's still a great weekend of fireworks, concerts, New Year's celebrations and Broncos football.
Before fireworks light up the sky over downtown Denver Tuesday night, the sights, sounds and excitement of Times Square will come to Children’s Museum of Denver — all before bedtime.
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DENVER — The sky above Denver's 16th Street Mall will be filled with spectacular fireworks to close out 2019. Shows will take place New Year's Eve at 9 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday. The fireworks will be synced to a music playlist from DJs along the mall.
DENVER — Families can enjoy the sights, sounds and excitement of Times Square, at the Children's Museum, all before bedtime. The Children Museum's Noon Year's Eve event on Tuesday features countdowns with hourly ball drops, bubble-wrap fireworks, rainbow confetti, sparkler and noisemaker crafts, science experiments, face painting, special characters, festive treats and more.
COLORADO SPRINGS — A Pikes Peak tradition since 1922, hearty climbers traverse the icy slopes of Pikes Peak to provide a spectacular show for spectators in the Colorado Springs region. At midnight on New Year's Eve the climbers set off a huge fireworks display for the delight of everyone below. On a clear night, the AdAmAn Club Fireworks can be seen for hundreds of miles along the Front Range and eastern plains. This is truly a Colorado tradition you need to experience at least once.
LOVELAND — Loveland has a wonderful way to ring in the new year — Centerra New Year’s Eve Bash. Staged at The Promenade Shops at Centerra and Chapungu Sculpture Park, you can celebrate the new year with food, activities, ice skating and fireworks. Most activities are free, except for ice skating. At 8 p.m. catch Centerra’s New Year’s Eve community fireworks show from either the Main Plaza at The Promenade Shops or at Chapungu Sculpture Park. This event was first published by MileHighontheCheap.com. For more deals and discounts, visit MileHighontheCheap.com.
DENVER — Denver's Resolution New Year's Eve bash hosted by The Collective 360 begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the McNichols Civic Center Building on Colfax Ave.
DENVER — One evening, three dazzling experiences. Those 21 and older can ring in 2020 with New Year’s events at Denver's Union Station including a Great Hall Silent Disco & Light Show, VIP Speakeasy.
DENVER — Grand Hyatt Denver Downtown and MIX 100.3 FM present Denver’s "Grandest New Year’s Eve Party." The party includes an open bar with the premium pour, admission to four areas of entertainment, dinner buffet, champagne toast at midnight, party hats and favors, balloon drops galore and more.
DILLON — The famous ice castles in Dillon return for a third year this weekend. The castles are located in six cities across North America and include LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains and more.
DENVER — The Colorado Symphony's popular annual tradition A Night in Vienna returns on New Year's Eve. The rousing selection of polkas, waltzes and marches begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Boettcher Concert Hall, ensuring attendees won't miss the 16th Street Mall fireworks. Reserve your seats at ColoradoSymphony.org.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs Philharmonic will celebrate New Year's Eve with a concert celebrating Broadway's greatest shows. The Philharmonic will swing into the new year at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts. Get your tickets at CSPhilharmonic.org.
DENVER — Escape to Margaritaville is the newest Broadway musical to stop in the Mile High City. The hilarious and heartwarming musical features unforgettable tunes from Jimmy Buffett. Escape to Margaritaville plays the Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Sunday, Jan. 5. For tickets and showtimes, visit DenverCenter.org.
DENVER — The red-hot Denver Broncos close out the 2019 season with a game Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. New quarterback Drew Lock, Phil Lindsay, Von Miller and the Broncos host the Oakland Raiders at 2:25 p.m.
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DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are back at Pepsi Center twice this holiday weekend. The Avs face off against the Minnesota Wild at 6 p.m. Friday and Winnipeg Jets at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
DENVER — Mile High Basketball takes over Denver's Pepsi Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Denver Nuggets tip off against the Memphis Grizzlies at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sacramento Kings at 6 p.m. Sunday. For tickets, head to Nuggets.com.
LOVELAND — The 14th annual New Year's Eve Extreme Rodeo Challenge returns to the Budweiser Events Center on Tuesday. The event features rodeo favorites including saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, bullfighting and mutton bustin’. TREventsComplex.com is the place for tickets.
LITTLETON — The Hudson Gardens' A Hudson Christmas is an outdoor festival of Christmas lights that is sure to brighten your holiday spirit. The garden's woods are transformed into a winter wonderland of brightly lit trees set against the night sky, reflecting off bodies of water. With friends and family, hot chocolate, tasty treats and photo opportunities with Santa Claus, A Hudson Christmas is a must-see Colorado tradition. A Hudson Christmas will be open through New Year's Eve. Tickets can be found at AltitudeTickets.com or at the door on event nights.
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LOVELAND — Winter Wonderlights, a walkable holiday lighting attraction, is now open at Loveland's Chapungu Sculpture Park at Centerra. Guests will be mesmerized at the more than 80,000 holiday string lights, twinkling bulbs, LED mappable snowflakes, illuminated African stone sculptures and 30-minute music and light shows every night. The magical Winter Wonderlights light show runs nightly through Jan. 1. Each show is 30 minutes and repeats from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
COLORADO — There's no better way to celebrate the winter season than by soaking in the atmosphere at an outdoor ice rink in Colorado. Whether you're with your family, friends, kids or alone on your lunch break, take a moment to visit an ice rink near you and become a kid again for a half hour or more. Here's a map and list of some of the festive outdoor ice-skating rinks in Colorado this 2019-20 winter.
DENVER — Denver Botanic Gardens' Blossoms of Light has been the Garden's signature event for over three decades. The holiday tradition transforms the York Street gardens into a holiday wonderland. The family-friendly event is brighter and bigger than ever before with thousands of ever-changing displays of light and color. Blossoms of Light runs through Friday, Jan 3. Get your ticket reservations early at BotanicGardens.org.
DENVER — The Mile High City has a "Mile High Tree" this holiday season at Sculpture Park in downtown Denver next to the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The seven-story 110-foot tall, 39-foot diameter conical structure features dynamic light shows on the tallest pixel LED technology tree in the country. The Mile High Tree offers free nightly light shows choreographed to multi-cultural holiday music and will be able to accommodate up to 140 guests at a time for what organizers describe as an "immersive interior viewing experience within the tree."
FORT COLLINS — Anheuser-Busch's Fort Collins Brewery's Brewery Lights is free and open to all ages and will be open every Thursday to Sunday through Sunday, Dec. 29 with a synchronized light show, s'mores, tree maze, food, gifts and more. Brewery Lights has new family-friendly activities, a unique 4D holiday photo opportunity, beer samples for guests 21 and older, delicious food and festive entertainment.
AURORA — Filling the 10,000-square-foot Hangar at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Camp Christmas will take people on a journey through different eras of Christmas celebrations with extravagant installations. Camp Christmas will have self-guided tours where photos are encouraged, festive food and refreshments, plus visits from Santa Claus each Saturday before Christmas. Created by Colorado-based installation artist Lonnie Hanzon and Hanzon Studios, Camp Christmas will run through Sunday, Jan. 5. Tickets for the “over-the-top holiday extravaganza as big as the season it celebrates” can be reserved at DenverCenter.org.
AURORA — Scenes from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are brought to life in a winter wonderland carved from more than two million pounds of colorful ice at newest attraction at Gaylord Rockies. ICE!, a walkable attraction kept at a wintry nine degrees, was crafted by master artisans and features complimentary parkas for children and adults. Tickets for ICE! featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which will be open through Sunday, Jan. 5, are available at GaylordRockies.com.
AURORA — Gaylord Rockies’ family holiday spectacular Cirque Dreams Holidaze is an in-the-round theatrical experience that includes some of the world’s best acts, dazzling costumes, stunning aerialists, world-class singers and dancers. A Broadway musical and new cirque adventure wrapped into one family-friendly holiday show is a celebration with toy soldiers, snowmen, reindeer, gingerbread, penguins, Santa, holiday characters and more. The Cirque Dreams Holidaze show plays at Gaylord Rockies through Saturday, Jan. 4 with tickets sold at GaylordRockies.com.
DENVER — Zoo Lights is “Illuminated with Life” for its 29th season at the Denver Zoo. The beloved Colorado tradition features more than two million lights over the zoo's 80 acres. There will be ice carving artisans, animal demos and keeper talks, holiday shopping bazaar, hula hoop dance party, musical holiday tree show and more. Zoo Lights will be lit through Monday, Dec. 30. Most evenings sell out in advance and tickets will not be available at the door. Reserve your tickets at DenverZoo.org.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Electric Safari offers 85 light sculptures illuminating the zoo's 50 acres. Along with the warming fires throughout the zoo, the astounding displays will fill you with warmth and holiday spirit as you gaze out at the sparkling lights of Colorado Springs. Electric Safari is open this Friday through Sunday and select nights through Jan. 1. Reserve your passes at CMZoo.org.
PUEBLO — ElectriCritters will be delighting kids of all ages for a 26th year at the Pueblo Zoo. The 2019 event continues through Sunday, Dec. 29. The Pueblo Zoo tradition features 150 magical light creations, hot cocoa, tasty treats and holiday shopping plus free photos with Santa Claus on Fridays in December. Visit PuebloZoo.org for tickets.
JOHNSTOWN — Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s holiday show is a production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. The show tells the story of Jim who, after leaving show business to settle down in Connecticut, turns his farmhouse into an inn with dazzling shows set to each holiday. Featuring the timeless songs “Blue Skies,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” “Heat Wave,” and “White Christmas,” Holiday Inn plays the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse through Sunday, Jan. 19. For showtimes and tickets, visit ColoradoCandlelight.com.
Would you like to see your favorite Colorado festival, fair, expo, concert, drama, musical, ballet, run or event listed in 9Things? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com.
Have a jubilant weekend!
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