Downtown Holiday Lights

Fort Collins starts the holiday season by switching on thousands of LED lights strung through the downtown trees, and they stay lit through February.

When and where

• Lighting ceremony Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, 5:30 to 7 p.m., with the countdown around 6:30 p.m.
• Old Town Square and the surrounding downtown blocks

Why we picked it

• Free, with live music before the countdown
• The lights stay up all winter, so an evening walk through Old Town works for months
• Roads around the square close from 3 p.m.; MAX, walking or biking is the easy way in