Must-Do Community Holiday Traditions (Denver, Pueblo: condo, loan, house)

[driven4agoodlife]

I'm just curious are there certain holidays where somewhere in the area something goes on that you just absolutely must do and be a part of?

For instance, in Chicago, we have the Southside Irish parade for St Patty's day, and of course the city then also turns the river green for the actual Chicago St Patty's Day parade.

Another example would be around Christmas, everyone goes downtown to see the windows at Marshall Fields (now called Macy's - but it's still Marshall Fields to Chicagoans)


Are there any big parades, festivals, celebrations, etc... like that in the Denver area that have become family traditions?

[DenverAztec]

We are a well established older city and do have many things to do here. I was just in Chicago for the lighting of Michigan Avenue just before Thanksgiving. We have the Parade of Lights that had a similar feel to it. Here is a list of events I put together for a recent transplant to Denver, I put in bold some of our holiday/celebratory events. There are more but this is what comes to mind:

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

Here are some off the top of my head, do a Google Search for each, or contact me and I will find the event for you. Hope this helps and welcome!



Adults:

• First Night at the Galleries on Santa Fe
• Kirkland Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art in LoDo
• Herb's live jazz with Laura Newman, Ballpark Neighborhood
• Drinks on the 27th floor of the Hyatt
• Happy Hour with us City Data folks
• 12:00 midnight firework's show on the 16th mall for New Year's Eve
• A hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, Bear Lake to Emerald Lake
• Hot Springs in Idaho Sprigs or Pagosa Springs
• A night at the Brown Palace or Broadmoor
• Concerts in the summer at Red Rocks Ampitheater
• Any show at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret in the Daniel's and Fisher Tower on the 16th Street Mall.
• Weekend to Aspen/Redstone/Glenwood Springs
• Highland's Street Festival
• Old South Gaylord Festival
• Art Students League Festival off Logan and 2nd
• Junior Symphony Guild home tour
• Alexander Foundation home tour
• Antiquing on South Broadway

With Kids:

• 9:30 fireworks show on the 16th stree mall for New Year's Eve
• Denver Art Museum
• National Western Stock Show, should begin in a few weeks. My favorite is the Mexican Rodeo events. There is also a parade downtown
• International Ice Sculpture Carving contest in Breckenridge
• Martin Luther King Jr. Marade (march and parade)
• Saint Patick's Day parade
• Open Doors Denver (80 structures open and free to the public for one weekend, usually in March)
• Cinco de Mayo celebration in Civic Center Park
• Capitol Hill People's Fair
• Juneteen in Five Points
• Dragon Boat Festival at Sloan's Lake
• Free jazz concerts in City Park
• Water World
• Six Flaggs Elitches
• Taste of Colorado
• Movies during the summer at Red Rocks
• Hike Roxbourough Park and also the dinosaur foot prints in the foothills by Red Rocks off of C470
• Lookout Mountain viewing deck
• State Capitol tour
• Day trip to Vail to ride the gondola during summer, or ski in winter
• Sleding down Ruby Hill Park
• Boat peddling in Washington Park or the family bike carriage rides there.
• Molly Brown House tours and any tours put on by Historic Denver (Park Hill homes, Curtis Park)
• Garden of the Gods
• Airforce Academy
• State Fair in Pueblo
• A drive over Trail Ridge Road
• Colorado History Museum
• Bike ride the Cherry Creek bike path, depending on the age of your children

[DenverAztec]

Left out the lighting of our Civic Center building, big event and it stays light through the Stock Show.

[driven4agoodlife]

Perfect, thanks!!!

I was actually at 16th st mall this year for the midnight fireworks, and fell in love with the city while I was in town!

[jeepgrl015]

Awesome post! There seem to be so many things to do on holidays. I love getting out there for those events,parades,festivals! The holidays and events that follow them is what I look forward to in chicago. I was very worried that they wouldnt have something similar to that in Colorado. What is the most popular for you guys?

I also fell in love with the city and its lights. Is it always that beautiful down there?

[DenverAztec]

I am in Chicago at least a few times a year and I love the water. I use my friends condo on Lakeshore and Delaware by the JHC. I can see the fireworks at Navy Pier in the summer and love to take the red line up to Andersonville and walk the lake back to the condo. Winter is mostly museums and shows because it is too cold. The weather there really dictates what I do as it can be too cold or too hot, so I try to go on Memorial Day or Labor Day.

Denver is no Chicago with the buildings and architecture, but we do okay compared to most cities west of the Mississippi. We have deep historical roots yet we seemed to have a youthful element, could be the sun. If you were here driven4agoodlife on New Years Eve, you can see how warm even a winter night can be. I think it was 53 degrees outside at 11:00 that night, but it can get very cold as well. It fluctuates frequently, but that is what causes you to do the inside events or just walk in the middle of winter. The Parade of Lights was very warm this year as well and tons of folks packed all the streets downtown.

The parades and fair can be very crowded and some are the largest of their type in the country. I think St. Patrick's Day parade is one of the largest in the country as is the Marade, Gay Pride and the Cinco de Mayo celebration. It is hard to say that any one of them in specific is the most popular, it depends on the person. I like the art fairs and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival is one of the best of it's type in the country. But I also like muching on turkey legs at the Renassiance Festival or People Fair and just people watching.

I think any place has it's beauty if you look for it. You may be reading comments about it being brown in the winter, what city that gets snow isn't brown or white at the moment? Our older neighborhoods can resemble State Street in Chicago, so even in the winter, there are beautiful structures here to look at and museums to wander. I love all the four seasons and actually wish we had more snow at the moment so I can take winter photos. I missed the snow falling in Chicago, but I guess that is okay when traveling for fun. I hear you have had plenty of it in the past few weeks.