This holiday season make sure to take some time and check out the many things to do around town! Also, check our Old Town Fort Collins Page for weekly updates on events happening in the Northern Colorado area!

If you haven’t been in Old Town yet to see the holiday lights, don’t fret! You have until February to see the thousands of strands of holiday lights that illuminate historic Downtown Fort Collins. The LED lights lead to power savings of about 90% over standard lights. Trees are lit along Walnut Ave., Linden St., Pine St., Old Town Square, Oak Street Plaza, and Mountain Ave.

Meanwhile, don’t miss the opportunity to take a horse-drawn carriage ride through downtown during December. Horse Drawn Carriage Rides pick up at Old Town Square December 1 – 31. Great for families, friends, and of course romantic carriage rides through historic Downtown Fort Collins. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at various times in the evening. Saturday & Sunday from 12 – 9 PM. If you’ve never done it, it needs to be on your bucket list.

Still Need a Christmas Tree?

Things To Do With The Family

The Gardens on Spring Creek, 2145 Centre Ave.

The display starts Dec. 6 and continues through January 1st from 5-9 PM.
The public is invited to stroll through the whimsically decorated Gardens lighted by tens of thousands of twinkling LED lights. Each strand was hand-placed by volunteers and staff to create sparkling scenes that celebrate the magic of our community’s botanical garden and the holiday season. A $2 per person donation is suggested. Weekends during Garden of Lights will offer visits with Santa, a variety of holiday entertainment from local carolers and musicians, tricks from the Sugar Plum Hairies (canine fairies), cookie decorating for the kids, and the opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of the holidays.

Neighborhood Lights

For some, a drive around town or the neighborhood to see the best holiday light displays is a family tradition. Below is a list of holiday light displays, including public events and home displays.

Downtown Fort Collins Foodie Walk

Various Stores Downtown Fort Collins. December 20th, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. FREE!
Downtown Fort Collins offers a culinary adventure in a beautiful historic pedestrian area of the city. The Fort Collins Foodie Walk is a self-guided walk that occurs each month and will feature new presentations, tasting opportunities. Who is a foodie? Foodies are people who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and recreation. Foodies wish to learn everything about food, the best and the ordinary, and take in the science, industry, history, and characters surrounding food. Culinary shops in Downtown Fort Collins focus on unique quality ingredients, locally sourced and organic produce in their shops. The Fort Collins Foodie Walk offers a way for people to explore and enjoy the world of food and spices!
December Foodie Walk Highlight
Blue Skies Winery will be offering tastings of their Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet/Merlot Blend, as well as debuting their Cranberry Shiraz.
Crescendo December they will show how to “Be Bold!” Try new things in new ways – watch as we demonstrate serving a butternut squash soup, root vegetables with a unique and unexpected arrangement of toppings.

8th Season Winters Farmers Markets in Fort Collins 2013-2014

Opera Galleria, 123 North College. Saturdays, 10 am-2 pm. Exact dates: December 14 & 21. January 11, 18 & 25. February 8, 15 & 22. March 8 & 22. April 5.

Santa’s Workshop

Santa’s Workshop is located in Downtown Fort Collins.
Hours are as follows:
From November 23 to December 24 – Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
From December 17 to December 23 – Santa will be there everyday from 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Christmas Eve, December 24 – From 12:00 PM – 5 PM
Santa also speaks Spanish and Sign Language.

Plays and Performances

(click the titles below for links to the websites!)

7th annual TUBAChristmas

December 14th, 2 P.M. Oak Street Plaza Fort Collins
TUBACHRISTMAS was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips as a tribute to his teacher and mentor William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. Through the legendary William J. Bell we reflect on our heritage and honor all great artists/teachers whose legacy has given us high performance standards, well structured pedagogy, professional integrity, personal values and a camaraderie envied by all other instrumentalists. The first TUBACHRISTMAS was conducted by Paul Lavalle in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Sunday, December 22, 1974. Come celebrate the holiday season with a community brass band of TUBA Proportions! The 7th annual TUBAChristmas, will be directed by Cecil Gutierrez.

SCROOGE

November 14th, 2013-January 5th, 2014.
Leslie Bricusse’s spectacular musical extravaganza SCROOGE is a heart-warming family story based on Charles Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’. Featuring the Oscar-nominated hit “Thank You Very Much”, Packed with memorable songs and classic characters, SCROOGE is pure hit family entertainment from overture to final curtain. The Candlelight is excited to be enhancing our yuletide favorite with many surprises which will make this SCROOGE a more magical show than ever before.

Holiday Special! Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Nightly: December 12, 13, 14, 7:30 PM. Matinees: December 15, 2 PM. University Theatre, UCA 1400 Remington St. Fort Collins
Directed by Laura Jones. A new stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel explores the coming-of-age adventures of four “little women:” Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The classic stories of the March girls growing up in Civil War New England are told with humor, fierce tenderness, and pride. In Alcott’s lasting tribute to feminine strength and independence, all four face dilemmas and decisions driven by their conflicting desires to be dutiful daughters and sisters while pursuing their artistic passions and freedoms. $8/CSU students, $8/youth (under 18), $18/adult. Ticket Thursdays: FREE/CSU students: Dec. 12. Ticket Sunday: FREE/Community Members: Dec. 15. Special ticket offer space is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Canyon Concert Ballet’s Nutcracker

Evening performances will begin at 7:00 PM at the Lincoln Center Performance Hall on Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14, and matinees will be on Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15 at 2:00 PM.
The Fort Collins Symphony, directed by Wes Kenney, will perform Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved music for the Fort Collins ballet presentations. With a stellar combination of professional dancers from Lithuania and Cuba, up and coming artists from Canyon Concert Ballet, and live accompaniment from the Fort Collins Symphony, this Nutcracker promises to be a highlight of Northern Colorado’s Holiday Season. There will also be a holiday boutique. Items will include collector Nutcracker dolls in all shapes and sizes, character & holiday ornaments, stuffed animals, books and more!