LoDo's holiday season comes from three plazas: Union Station, McGregor Square and Larimer Square. Each one runs its own calendar. All three start on Friday, November 27, and on that day the order is set first by a football game and then by sunset. After that weekend the schedules settle into a weekly pattern that barely overlaps. Larimer Square takes Saturdays, Union Station takes Sundays, and McGregor Skate is open nearly every day in between.
You can plan December around that pattern. It starts with one long Friday.
Friday, November 27, in order
McGregor Square starts first, and the Broncos game decides its timing. The McGregor Skate Grand Opening & Holiday Tree Lighting runs 1 to 8 p.m. at 1901 Wazee St. The schedule is tied to the game, so the times below follow it:
- 1 p.m. The Broncos game plays on McGregor Square's 66-foot Big Screen as a free watch party.
- 2 to 4 p.m. Dinger, the Rockies mascot, poses for holiday photos in a Santa suit.
- Halftime. The McGregor Square tree is lit on the plaza.
- After the Denver Colorado FSC performance on the ice. McGregor Skate opens for the season.
- After the final whistle. Elf plays on the Big Screen, and a local-vendor holiday market runs over on Wynkoop.
- 4 p.m. Grand Illumination 2026 begins at Denver Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St.
- 6 p.m. The lighting ceremony starts outside the station.
- 6:10 p.m. Union Station's 40-foot tree, with more than 7,000 lights, goes on.
McGregor's event is free for all ages, and the square asks people to RSVP through Eventbrite. Union Station's Grand Illumination runs until 8 p.m. It includes The Denver Dolls, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music in the Great Hall and seasonal drink specials at Terminal Bar.
Halftime has no fixed time, so the McGregor lighting happens whenever the game reaches it. Union Station's ceremony is set for 6:10 p.m. If you want to see both trees lit, the game sets the first stop and the clock sets the second.
Larimer Square starts Larimer Lights the same day. The free program runs through December 31 with projection mapping, décor, Santa visits, carolers and seasonal food and drink from the block's restaurants. On Friday and Saturday, November 27 and 28, Santa photos run 1 to 5 p.m. alongside Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals from Larimer Square's retailers.
After opening weekend, each plaza keeps its own day
Union Station runs Santa at the Station on four Sundays. Visits are free, first come, first served, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Great Hall. Larimer Lights builds its scheduled programs around Saturdays. Laid side by side, the two calendars almost never meet:
| Weekend | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 28–29 | Larimer Square Santa photos, 1–5 p.m. | Santa at the Station, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., plus the Urban Holiday Market at Union Station, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Dec. 5–6 | Larimer Square kids' crafts 2–6 p.m. and music 1–7 p.m.; the Parade of Lights starts at 6 p.m. while the music is still going | Santa at the Station, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12–13 | Larimer Square pet photos with Santa, 1–5 p.m. | Santa at the Station, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 19–20 | Larimer Square Santa photos, 1–7 p.m. | Santa at the Station, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. |
The Urban Holiday Market runs its last weekend on November 28 and 29. It is free, with local artists, makers and specialty food vendors at the station from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That weekend is the only one when two different Union Station events share a day.
The Denver Dolls perform at Union Station's lighting on November 27 and then at Larimer Square's December 5 lineup, along with Something Vinyl Club and the Original Dickens Carolers. If you miss them at one plaza, you can catch them at the other eight days later.
McGregor Skate fills the weekdays
The rink at McGregor Square is open almost every day, unlike the weekend programs at the other two plazas. Here are the season's details from the McGregor Skate page:
- Season: November 27, 2026, through January 25, 2027
- Hours through January 4: Monday to Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
- Hours January 5 to 25: closed Monday to Thursday, Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
- Prices: adults $15 and children $9 including skate rental; $6 admission with your own skates; military $6 with rental and valid ID; free for seniors 65 and older and children under 2
- Closed: December 24 and 25, and closing at 6 p.m. on December 31
- Ice cleaning: the rink pauses at set times, such as 2:30, 5 and 7:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday through January 4
Reservations are encouraged but not required, and the rink may hold some walk-up spots even when online booking is full. On Thursday, January 8, it keeps special noon-to-4 p.m. hours for the Stock Show Parade.
Once Larimer Lights wraps on December 31, McGregor takes over Saturday nights as well. Its 6 p.m. theme nights are Pajamas on Ice on January 2, Rhinestone Rodeo on January 9, '80s Night on January 16 and Disco on Ice on January 23. Skaters who dress for the theme get 50% off skate rental.
December 5 is the busiest day on the calendar
The 52nd annual 9NEWS Parade of Lights steps off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, and KUSA airs it live from 6 to 7 p.m. The route starts at 14th and Bannock. It runs along Tremont between 14th and 17th, then 17th from Tremont to Curtis, Curtis from 17th to 15th, and 15th from Curtis to Glenarm.
The 2026 route changes one turn. According to the Downtown Denver Partnership, the parade now turns left from 17th onto Curtis Street instead of Arapahoe. If you have watched from the same Arapahoe corner for years, check the new route first. The Partnership's 2026 parade map shows the route, planned street closures and logistics. The parade is free to watch, and grandstand and VIP tickets are sold through the Partnership.
Larimer Square schedules its longest program for that Saturday. Kids' crafts run 2 to 6 p.m. and holiday music runs 1 to 7 p.m., so the block stays busy right up to the 6 p.m. step-off.
The 21+ calendar starts a week early
Union Station's adults-only season starts first. Miracle, the holiday pop-up cocktail bar on the station's lower level, opens tomorrow, November 20, and runs daily from 4 p.m. to midnight through December 26. It is 21+ only. Reservations opened November 1 and are recommended through Tock. On weekends, Miracle opens downstairs at 4 p.m., the same day as Santa upstairs on Sundays or the Larimer programs on Saturdays.
The citywide attractions open the same week at Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus, 1000 Larimer St. The Denver Christkindlmarket runs November 20 through December 23. Market hours are 1 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with every day from December 17 to 23 on the longer hours. It is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The 110-foot Mile High Tree has 60,000 LED lights and runs light-and-music shows every 15 minutes from 5 to 10 p.m. through December 31, according to the City of Denver's holiday page. Visit Denver lists free Mile High Drone Shows there nightly at 7 p.m. through December 31.
New tenants around the plazas
Several storefronts near the plazas are changing hands this season. BusinessDen reported that Tupelo Honey closed at 1650 Wewatta St. on October 16. A sign on the door said its lease had ended.
Two new concepts are lined up nearby. At 1755 Blake St., the former Lob space, co-founder Brandon Robinson described Tipsy Putt to BusinessDen as a golfer-focused social club and said the opening is planned for "later this year." At 999 17th St., Jeff Moerke signed a lease for Nine9Nine Steakhouse, Seafood and Raw Bar. He told BusinessDen on November 6 that he hopes to open "at the end of the year."
Both of those timelines run into the same weeks as Miracle, Santa at the Station and McGregor's busiest skating days. The holiday schedule at the three plazas will repeat next year, and these new tenants are moving in around it now.
If you own in LoDo or near Union Station, the tenants changing around these plazas affect what buyers see when they walk your block. Johnny Lee tracks downtown condo sales alongside those changes. Get your instant home valuation to see where your place stands this season.
