Denver’s Biggest Events for 2025-26

Bright Nights at Four Mile (Thru Oct. 5, 2025) – For 10 weeks, larger-than-life sculptures will illuminate the night across 12 acres at Four Mile Historic Park. The event is a collaboration with Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., the largest producer of Chinese lantern festivals in North America.

Great American Beer Festival® (Oct. 9–11, 2025) – It’s America's favorite beer festival and cultural phenomenon that brings together 500 breweries and 2,000-plus beers over three days.

Paul McCartney (Oct. 11, 2025) – Hailed by Billboard as a "religious experience," the legend is bringing his Got Back tour to Coors Field this fall. It's the ultimate music lover's experience where McCartney and his longtime band will perform hours of his greatest hits from the past 60 years. Cutting-edge video technology will give every audience member a special experience. Need we say more?

U.S. men's national soccer team vs. Australia presented by American (Oct. 14, 2025) – See how the U.S. team stacks up against another World Cup rival at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The Secret World of Elephants (Oct. 24–Jan. 25, 2026) – Enter The Secret World of Elephants at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to discover the remarkable science behind nature’s most lovable giants. How do elephants “hear” with their feet? What animals are their closest living relatives? How have elephants and humans coexisted for thousands of years? Through hands-on interactions, you will feel the low-frequency rumbles elephants use to communicate, explore how they reshape their environments and come face-to-face with some of their ancestors, including dwarf elephants.

Denver Film Festival (Oct. 31–Nov. 9, 2025) – Welcome to the largest film festival in the region, featuring the best of media programming from around the world, local films and more.

Denver Arts Week (Nov. 7–16, 2025) – Denver Arts Week celebrates the Mile High City's arts and culture scene with hundreds of events around the city, including the visual arts, music and comedy.

Mile High Holidays (Nov. 21–Jan. 1, 2025) – During the holiday season, Denver will twinkle with millions of lights all across the city. Feel the warmth of family-friendly performing arts classics, find the perfect gifts and marvel at elaborate lights displays. No other city creates holiday miracles quite like Denver. Mile High Holidays has something for everyone.

Denver Christkindlmarket (Nov. 21–Dec. 23, 2025) – This annual event brings authentic German and European holiday traditions to Denver! The event offers an authentic German holiday experience. Guests can savor the season as they enjoy authentic Glühwein, Bavarian-style Biers, European coffee or hot chocolate while wandering through the market. Each charming wooden hut offers finely crafted artisan gifts and holiday treats sold by local Coloradan and international merchants.

'A Christmas Carol' (Nov 21–Dec 28, 2025) – Essential to the holiday season in Denver, this joyous and opulent musical adaptation for the whole family traces money-hoarding curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge’s triumphant overnight journey to redemption.

Mile High Drone Show (Nov. 21–Dec. 31, 2025​) – For 40 magical nights, 400 drones will soar into the sky, creating breathtaking holiday-themed animations. See these dazzling displays from across the city every night at 7 p.m. for free. From Santa and his reindeer to iconic Denver landmarks like the Mile High Tree and Denver Union Station, each night will bring a new visual experience to life.

The Mile High Tree Presented by Xcel Energy & Xfinity (Nov. 21–Dec. 31, 2025​) – Denver’s holiday season will once again be illuminated by the spectacular Mile High Tree’s dazzling light and music show. Everyone's invited to get close and step inside this brilliantly lit, 110-foot-tall immersive art installation that will be erected on the Great Lawn in Civic Center Park.

Elitch Holidays (Nov. 28, 2025–Jan. 4, 2026) – This family-friendly event brings larger-than-life holiday displays and immersive experiences for all to enjoy. It features millions of dazzling lights, a 65-foot-tall Christmas tree, twinkling snowmen who never melt, a 300-foot-long candy cane tunnel, giant presents and ornaments, a wall of lights, rides on Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park attractions, interactive activities like a light-up hopscotch, strolling holiday entertainers, Old Saint Nick and his elves, and more. 

Colorado Ballet: 'The Nutcracker' (Nov. 29–Dec. 28, 2025) – The annual event returns to delight audiences of all ages with this timeless tradition that captures the festive spirit of the season, replete with mischievous dancing mice, sweet Sugar Plums and a symphony of swirling snowflakes.

New Year's Eve (Dec. 31, 2025) – Celebrate the new year with your family by checking out fireworks, blockbuster museum exhibitions, stunning lights displays like Zoo Lights and art shows all over town. Plus, fireworks over downtown from two locations. 

National Western Stock Show & Rodeo (Jan. 10–25, 2026) – Held every January at the National Western Complex, it's the nation's premier livestock, rodeo and horse show, serving agricultural producers and consumers throughout the world. Enjoy rodeos featuring top-notch bull riders, horse shows, livestock competitions and auctions. And don’t miss acres of shopping at Colorado’s largest Western trade show. 

Blossoms of Light (Nov. 21, 2025–Jan. 12, 2026) – Celebrate the holiday season with a dazzling and ever-changing display of light and color.

Denver Restaurant Week (TBA 2026) – For more than two decades, Visit Denver's Denver Restaurant Week has been serving up a much-anticipated experience for locals and visitors alike to celebrate the city’s thriving culinary scene. You can dine at Michelin-recognized restaurants and eateries helmed by James Beard Award-winning chefs.

Denver March Powwow (March 20–22, 2026) – Since 1984, the heritage of American Indians has been celebrated in Denver every year at the March Powwow, one of the largest events of its kind in the country.

Colorado Rockies Home Opener (April 3, 2026) – What would spring be without baseball? Don’t miss the annual return of the Colorado Rockies to Coors Field!

Denver Jazz Fest (April 9–12, 2026) – This four-day inaugural event will establish Denver as a major jazz destination. Denver Jazz is a Colorado nonprofit corporation that will engage the Front Range community through diverse regional, national and international jazz performances and educational programs. Denver Jazz Fest will take place annually in April as a celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month.

Cinco de Mayo Festival (TBA 2026) – A weekend filled with food, fun and culture, this annual festival puts the spotlight on The Mile High City’s vibrant Latino population. With more than 300,000 attendees in Civic Center Park, it’s one of Denver's most fun and family-friendly events.

Denver Colfax Marathon (May 16-17, 2026) – Denver's only marathon is much more than a marathon with seven races over two days, including a half marathon. The full-length marathon follows seven miles of rivers, lakes and bridges.

Denver PrideFest (TBA 2026) – Denver PrideFest is a two-day celebration of community and culture that is welcoming, inclusive and fun for all attendees, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. There’s also a parade and 5K (run, walk, roll or sashay).

Juneteenth Music Festival (TBA 2026) – One of the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebrations, look for a parade, live performances, art, vendors and fun for the entire family.

Colorado Black Arts Festival (TBA 2026) – This free annual celebration honors African American art and culture in the historic City Park West neighborhood. Enjoy live music, art shows, a marketplace and food court.

Colorado Indian Market & Powwow (TBA 2026) – On the grounds of The Fort restaurant, Tesoro Cultural Center hosts an annual tribute to the American Indian tribes that shaped the cultural community of Old Bent’s Fort, an important fur trading post that operated along the Santa Fe Trail in the 1840s.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival (TBA 2026) – This major arts festival offers a perfect opportunity to find inspiration, connect with others through art and expand your worldview.