Zoo Lights and Festival of Wreaths This Weekend!
December 3, 2020
It’s the 30th year of the WILDEST holiday light display in Denver! Zoo Lights features over a million lights illuminating their 80-acre park, which is also the home of 550 beautiful and fascinating wild animal species. Treat your family to this and one other very special holiday tradition: the Festival of Wreaths!
TODAY/TONIGHT, December 3
HOLIDAY ART AND MUSIC
The Canvas Project is Aurora’s way of bringing fresh art and serious culture directly to you! This month’s installation is an exciting holiday masterpiece, perfectly timed to get you in a festive mood. The Town Center of Aurora will be lively with a variety of local artists and musicians, so stop by to check it out!
Town Center, Lower Level by Macys, 14200 E. Alameda Ave., Aurora
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
FIRST THURSDAY TWILIGHT SALE
The first Thursday in December marks not only the monthly Twilight Sale at Stanley Marketplace but also the perfect start to your holiday shopping! With your event wristband, you’ll be able to take advantage of the spectacular sales and special discounts at participating shops, as well as enjoy holiday-themed drinks and bites at local eateries. Keep your eyes on their Facebook event page for updates on deals!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
Phone: 720-432-9162
Thursday-Saturday, December 3-5
DENVER’S MILE HIGH TREE
Next time you’re in downtown Denver, make sure to check out the newest holiday display—the Mile High Tree! Every 15 minutes, a dazzling light show dances to an energized holiday music mix.
It’s the largest display of its kind in North America!
16th Street Mall at Welton Street, Denver
5:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Information: FREE
Thursday-Sunday, December 3-6
OLD TIME GERMAN CHRISTMAS
So many of our holiday traditions originated in Germany, like decorating Christmas trees and counting down the days with an Advent calendar. Visit Denver’s Christkindl (German Christmas Market) for an authentic cultural festival, with craftspeople and artisans offering imported European products. There will be plenty of live entertainment, including bands, choirs, and dancing—and all your favorite holiday refreshments!
Civic Center Park, 101 W. 14th Ave., Denver
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Sun., 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
IT’S TIME FOR A CHRISTMAS TREE
You don’t have to go far to get a fresh tree from a farm—your neighborhood Christmas tree lot has a wide variety of sizes and types, including Noble, Fraser, Nordman, and Grand firs—even Charlie Brown-inspired mini-trees!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora
Thurs./Fri., 12:00-8:00 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 10 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Information
SKATE AWAY STRESS
If the combination of COVID-19 and the holidays have you stressed out, head over to The Pond at Southlands, where you can get away from it all as you glide gracefully around the ice! Skating is also a great workout and tons of fun—so what are you waiting for?
Southlands, 6155 S. Main St., Aurora
Thurs., 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.; Fri., 4:00 – 10:00 p.m.; Sat., 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; Sun., 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $12
Phone: 303-627-5000
BOTANIC GARDENS’ CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
As one of Denver’s most popular holiday displays, the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Blossoms of Lights regularly sells out, so book now for future weeks if your preferred time slot is gone! Treat the family to this twinkling winter wonderland and you are guaranteed to get into the holiday spirit!
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver
4:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $16-$21
Phone: 720-865-3500
30 YEARS OF ZOO LIGHTS!
If you grew up with the holiday tradition of visiting Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo, you’ll want to join in their 30th Anniversary celebration! If you are just beginning this magical tradition with your own family, you’ll enjoy it just as much!
Zoo Lights is a million lights sparkling throughout 80 acres of a magical urban park that’s home to the most majestic creatures in the world. How could you not be mesmerized?
Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St., Denver
5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15-$25
A WHOLE NEW CAMP CHRISTMAS
Leave it to the creative folks at DCPA to come up with a way to make their popular Camp Christmas experience just as engaging online as it was in person! The entire family can participate in curated handcrafted holiday activities at home with the interactive online guidance of the Camp Christmas experts.
There’s also a whole new world to explore—a virtual imaginary world with places like Sweetsville and Fairy Forest. Choose the digital platform or have physical materials mailed to your home—or participate in both!
DCPA Online
Register: Starting at $10
FESTIVAL OF WREATHS SILENT AUCTION
It’s almost time! Don’t miss your chance to bid on a wreath today! Due to COVID-19, the Aurora Museum is temporarily closed, but their 21st Annual Festival of Wreaths continues online! View all of the wreaths from home and place a bid for your favorite. If you win, you’ll be contacted before December 11, when wreaths will be available for pickup. Even if you don’t buy a wreath, you can still vote on your favorite wreath to help determine the Wreath of the Year!
Aurora History Museum Online
Information: FREE
THE GIVING WALL
This is a true win-win tradition: someone in need gets remembered this holiday season, and you get to make a difference in someone’s life. The Giving Wall Gift Drive at the Stanley Marketplace features rows and rows of gift tags with the names of people or families who will be facing a difficult Christmas.
Pick out a tag and follow the directions, which include buying a gift valued at around $25 and wrapping it in holiday wrapping paper. After attaching the tag to the wrapped present, return it back to Stanley Marketplace, and it will be delivered in time for Christmas!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 N. Dallas St., Aurora
Information
Friday, December 4
DAY OF JUBILEE ONLINE
For the hippest event in town, tune in to the LIVE stream of The People’s Building Day of Jubilee celebration. Renowned world-music banjo player Sam Armstrong-Zickefoose will be performing a live captured music set you won’t want to miss! There will also be a 360-degree gallery viewing of artist Kellie Fox’s watercolor exhibit Facades.
People’s Building Online with Facebook Live
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
PARADE OF LIGHTS BROADCAST
Tune in for a special broadcast of this year’s Parade of Lights, Denver’s beloved holiday tradition! The one-hour special will give you a glimpse into parades past while celebrating the very unique present holiday season.
This year’s “parade” is spread out over weeks, with floats lined up on the streets of the Mile High City for you to parade past whenever you are in downtown Denver. The broadcast special will also include holiday musical performances, special guests—and of course, Santa!
KUSA Channel 9
8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
Saturday, December 5
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAYS
Every Saturday before the holidays is a special day to give support to our locally-owned boutiques and businesses—and Stanley Marketplace is just the place to find them! Be sure to mask-up and keep your (social) distance, of course, but otherwise have a great time shopping on the perfect gifts for your loved ones.
The day kicks off with a one-hour performance by The Beverly Belles to get you in the holiday spirit! There will be free gifts and give-aways while supplies last!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 N. Dallas St., Aurora
Starting at 10:00 a.m.
Information
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS VIRTUAL DISCUSSION
Have you ever wondered how all of the holiday traditions started? Eggnog, holly and mistletoe, holiday lights? Join in this lighthearted and fun exploration of the origins of a wide variety of holiday traditions. The focus will be mostly on secular winter holiday traditions, many of which are associated with the winter solstice.
Active Minds Online Discussion
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
LIVE VIRTUAL CONCERT FROM BROADWAY
This exciting livestream direct from New York’s Shubert Virtual Studios is an evening with multi-faceted performer Vanessa Williams. This talented singer has recorded albums in virtually every genre, including pop, dance, R&B, adult contemporary, holiday, Latin, gospel and jazz. As a mother of four and a New York Times bestselling author, Willams has a lot to share!
Her platinum single Colors of the Wind, from Disney’s Pocahontas animated movie, won the Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Williams is also one of the world’s most accomplished concert artists, appearing regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world—most recently with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center!
DCPA Online
6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30
Phone: 303-893-4100
Spectacular, Sensational Southshore!
The lakeside community of Southshore is not just an exclusive, away-from-it-all but close to everything place to live, it offers access to plenty of things to do every weekend! Just minutes from Southlands and The Pond, with paths and trails practically out your front door and coming this spring – a second rec center! If you’re new to Life at the Lake, drive around and check out the beautiful model homes from Taylor Morrison, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers. Available in ranch and two-story designs, and priced between the upper $400s to the $700s.