Winter Park does the holidays properly. Torchlight skiers coming down the mountain on Christmas Eve under fireworks, live reindeer in the Village between ski laps, drone shows over the base at dusk, and gondola apres above the spruce trees on a dark December evening.
This guide covers Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Day, plus the practical bits nobody tells you until it is too late. For events running January through April, including Mary Jane and the skills clinics, see our full Winter Park events guide.
A note on dates. The resort publishes its holiday schedule closer to the season. Confirmed 2026 dates are marked as such. Where an event runs every year but the exact date is not yet announced, we have given the typical timing and marked it TBA. Watch the resort events calendar for updates.
Read This Before You Book the Holiday Week
If you hold an Ikon Base Pass or Ikon Session Pass, Winter Park's holiday blackout for 2026/2027 runs December 26 through 30, 2026. That is the entire week between Christmas and New Year's, and it is precisely the week most families book.
The full Ikon Pass has no blackout days and is unaffected. If you are on Base or Session and travelling that week, budget for separate lift tickets now rather than discovering it at the gate on December 26. See our lift tickets and passes page.
Also new this season: lifts open at 8:00am on Saturdays and Sundays starting December 5, 2026. An extra hour on weekend mornings through the holidays, though it is also the coldest hour of the day, so dress for it.
Thanksgiving Weekend: The Season Kicks Off
Holiday Tree Lighting
Typically the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, mid-afternoon. Thanksgiving 2026 falls on November 26, so expect the weekend of November 27 to 29. Free. Exact date TBA.
Where: Winter Park Village
The unofficial start of the holiday season here. Holiday songs while the tree brightens in the Village, followed immediately by photos with Santa. Free, short, and genuinely charming. Bring the kids and a camera.
Deck the Slopes Begins
Typically late November through late December. Free. 2026 dates TBA.
The resort's umbrella program for the whole holiday stretch. The base transforms with lights and festive weekend programming: drone shows, live reindeer, and a rotating set of family activities. Everything in the December Weekends section below sits under this banner.
December Weekends
Reindeer in the Village
Typically three December weekend days, 11:00am to 5:00pm. Free. 2026 dates TBA.
Where: Winter Park Village
Santa's reindeer set up in the Village alongside his actual sleigh, so you can meet them between ski laps and get a photo on the sleigh. If you have anyone under eight in your group, plan a ski break around this.
Holiday Drone Show
Typically the same December weekend evenings as the reindeer, at dusk around 5:45pm. Free. 2026 dates TBA.
Synchronized drones fill the night sky above the base with holiday icons, festive shapes and colour. It is a real production, it is completely free, and it is over quickly enough to hold a toddler's attention.
Local's Tip: the base village restaurant decks give the best view. Grab a table and a drink before dusk rather than standing in the plaza.
Winter Park Resort Holiday Party
Typically a mid-December afternoon, 3:30pm to 5:30pm. Free. 2026 date TBA.
Photos with Santa, hot cocoa, live holiday music, then everyone shifts outside for the drone show. Locals turn out for this one as much as visitors do, which is usually the sign of a good event.
Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24, 2026
The Torchlight Parade and Fireworks
Christmas Eve, typically 5:30pm. Free. Confirm timing closer to the date.
The most beloved tradition at Winter Park, and the single best reason to spend Christmas Eve here rather than anywhere else. Cocoa around the fire while a river of torch-carrying skiers descends the slope, capped with fireworks over the mountain.
The afternoon leading up to it is a full programme in its own right. Recent years have included photos with Santa at the Village Gazebo through the early afternoon, sweets at Treeline Treats, and hot cocoa near the Gondola Circle. A non-denominational church service has historically followed the parade at West Portal, open to everyone.
Get outside early. This is the busiest evening of the Winter Park year and the good vantage points fill well before 5:30pm.
Christmas Eve Dinner
Restaurant reservations on Christmas Eve are the hardest table to get all year, and most kitchens run limited or special-menu service. Book weeks out, not days. Start with our guide to the best restaurants in Winter Park, and note the closed days listed there before you plan.
The alternative most people overlook: cook at home. Every one of our rentals has a full kitchen, and a Christmas Eve dinner in your own place, before walking out to watch the torchlight parade, beats fighting for a 9:15pm table. Order groceries or shop ahead on arrival day.
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026
The lifts run on Christmas Day, and it is one of the quieter mornings of the holiday week because a lot of people are opening presents. If you want an uncrowded Christmas morning on snow, this is your window.
Expect Santa and the elves to be out on the mountain and around the base areas, and expect most restaurants to be closed or on very limited hours. Plan Christmas Day meals at home. Check grocery hours before the 25th, because they change and options in the valley are limited.
Holiday Week: December 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027
Holiday Apres at The Lodge at Sunspot
Typically December 26 through January 3, 4:00pm to 8:00pm daily. Free. 2026/2027 dates TBA.
This is the best-value thing on the entire holiday calendar. During the holiday week, Mountaintop Apres extends beyond its usual Thursday-to-Saturday run and goes daily. Ride the Gondola up above the spruce to the Lodge at Sunspot for live music, food and drink specials, and a view over the Fraser Valley at golden hour.
No lift ticket or reservation required after 4:00pm, which makes it perfect for a rest day, a non-skiing partner, or grandparents who came for the scenery.
Local's Tip: if you want to ride up to Sunspot before 4:00pm you will need a valid Ikon Pass, Winter Park season pass, lift ticket or Scenic Gondola Ticket. Last ride up is typically 7:00pm and last ride down 8:00pm, so do not linger past last call. Check the live music schedule, which is usually published in December.
Glow Night Tubing
Tubing hill open daily. Glow Night Tubing typically Thursday, Friday and Saturday plus holiday-week dates, 5:00pm to 7:00pm. 2026/2027 dates TBA.
Banked curves under the lights, with the option to chain your whole group together or take the fast lane solo. It is the best thing to do in Winter Park with kids who are not skiing, and the night version is genuinely a different experience from daytime.
Book ahead. Walk-up availability is not guaranteed and holiday-week times sell out first. Reserve here.
Sunset Snowshoe Tour
Typically Thursday, Friday and Saturday plus holiday dates, 4:30pm to 6:30pm. 2026/2027 dates TBA.
A guide takes you up the Gondola, then out onto a forest trail at twilight under the stars, with a complimentary beverage in the lodge when you return. No skill required, which makes it a rare activity the whole family can genuinely do together. Book ahead, space is limited.
Snowcat and S'mores Tour
Typically Thursday, Friday and Saturday plus holiday dates, 4:30pm to 6:30pm. 2026/2027 dates TBA.
Meet your driver at the Adventure & Supply Co shop, ride a snowcat up to watch the sun set over the Fraser Valley from Vasquez Ridge, then on to Lunch Rock for s'mores and drinks before heading back down. Price includes the tour, s'mores and one beverage. Book ahead.
New Year's Eve: Thursday, December 31, 2026
In Town: Rendezvous Event Center
Typically evening. Free and open to the public. 2026 times TBA.
Rendezvous Event Center, 78821 US Highway 40, Winter Park, CO 80482
The town throws its own New Year's Eve party, separate from the resort, and it is free. Recent years have run a sledding and tubing hill alongside a silent disco. Family friendly, genuinely fun, and a far better option than paying holiday prices for a mediocre dinner reservation.
Local's Tip: arrive early. Sleds, tubes and toboggans are provided on the event center hill and they go first come, first served.
On the Mountain
Holiday Apres at Sunspot typically runs on New Year's Eve too, which means you can ride the gondola up for live music at golden hour and still be back in town for the party. Watch for resort New Year's programming and any fireworks announcement closer to the date.
Holiday Logistics: The Part Nobody Warns You About
The events are the easy bit. These are the things that actually determine whether your holiday week runs smoothly.
- Book childcare when you book lodging. The resort does not offer guest childcare, and local sitters and licensed providers fill the holiday week first. See our childcare guide.
- Reserve ski school early. Holiday-week lessons sell out, and remember lift tickets are separate from lessons. See our lessons guide.
- Sort gear before you arrive. Standing in a rental line on December 26 is a poor use of a holiday morning. Check our ski rental deals.
- Make every dinner reservation you care about. During holiday weeks, walk-ins are a gamble and several restaurants are closed one day a week regardless of the season.
- Shop for groceries on arrival day. Christmas Day and New Year's Day hours are limited and the valley does not have many options.
- Plan your parking, or skip the car. The free town shuttle connects the resort, town and Fraser. See getting around Winter Park and transportation options.
- Respect the altitude on arrival day. Winter Park sits at roughly 9,000 feet, drinks hit harder up here, and a rough first night ruins the whole week. Read our high country safety guide.
- Check the passes before you drive. Dial 511 or check COtrip.org, and watch the live cameras.
Your Holiday Booking Order
- Lodging. Christmas and New Year are the two most sold-out weeks of the year here.
- Check your pass blackout dates against your travel week.
- Childcare, same day as lodging.
- Ski school and lift tickets.
- Tubing times, snowshoe and snowcat tours, which sell out earliest.
- Dinner reservations for every night you want a table, especially Christmas Eve.
- Gear delivery or rentals.
- Ground transportation from Denver.
For the full breakdown, read our holiday travel tips.
Where to Stay for the Holidays
Where you sleep decides which of these events are easy and which are a hassle.
- For the Torchlight Parade, drone shows and Sunspot apres: stay at Winter Park Resort or ski-in ski-out, so you can walk to the base and walk home in the dark with tired kids.
- For the town New Year's Eve party: the Town of Winter Park puts the Rendezvous Event Center in walking distance.
- For extended family: our private homes and Luxury Collection have the kitchens and the space for a proper holiday dinner, plus a private hot tub.
- Bringing the dog: see our pet-friendly rentals.
Check current lodging deals and browse all Winter Park vacation rentals, or call our local team at 970-722-0707.
We spend our holidays here too. Tell us your dates and we will tell you what is worth building the week around.
More Winter Park reading:
- Full Winter Park Events Guide, January through April
- Three Easy Ways to Get to Winter Park
- Childcare & Kid-Friendly Activities in Winter Park
Events are subject to change, cancellation and weather. Dates marked TBA had not been published at the time of writing. Always confirm with the organizer before building travel plans around a specific date.