Six Northern Colorado destinations formalized their longstanding partnership this winter by launching a collaborative holiday light experience that spans from Boulder to Fort Collins.
The Northern Colorado Holiday Light Trail emerged from individual city programs that evolved during the pandemic. What for some began as festive socially distanced activities has transformed into a regional celebration showcasing diverse winter landscapes and experiences.
"We really do want people to just find joy in either their own backyard or come to Northern Colorado and find kind-of hidden gems," said Katy Schneider, Vice President of Marketing at Visit Fort Collins.
The collaboration builds on two decades of regional partnership.
"Those six destinations have been working together for over 20 years to market ourselves as a region, as a place where people can come and experience a variety of activities," Schneider explained.
Each location offers several distinct experiences. Fort Collins features illuminated botanical gardens, Greeley has the Festival of Trees at the Union Colony Civic Center, while Loveland's Chapungu Sculpture Garden hosts Winter Wonderlights, a walkable display incorporating light shows synchronized to music.
“This is definitely the best year. There's a lot more stuff going on. It's really cool,” said Kyle Lassiter as celebrations got underway on Wonderlights’ opening night.
The Lassiter family has attended the event in Loveland for the last few years, bringing out three generations for the fun.
“It's kind of become a tradition for us,” Ann Lassiter said as her parents, husband and two kids made their way further down the trail. “It seems to get better every year. It seems like there’s just more to see, more vendors (and) more music.”
While Wonderlights offers a half-hour choreographed light show every evening, certain nights — like the opening — kick things up a notch.
"Our Live nights are truly like an immersive holiday festival," explained Chris Bierdeman of Visit Loveland, describing evenings that include live music, dance groups, and reindeer encounters.
Two of the most popular exhibits on opening night were the live reindeer and ice sculpting. Both featured kids trying to get closer to the action, and cautious parents warning them to stay back.
The holiday market was another big part of the event.
First-time attendee Cindy Peden has lived in Greeley for the past eight years and was excited to get part of her holiday shopping done while at the light trail.
“It’s great to support local businesses,” Peden said. “Especially with the way things are going, I think it helps everyone to have a little bit better of a Christmas.”
Many event organizers also tap into the holidays as a time to give back to the community. This year Visit Loveland continues a partnership with the Larimer County Food Bank.
“We encourage our guests to bring non-perishable food items on our Live nights,” said Bierdeman. “We also have QR codes around the park, so if you didn't remember to bring your food or you don't have any around, it's actually even better for the food bank to receive financial donations because they can do more with the dollar than what we can if we're just buying stuff at the grocery store.”
At Colorado Youth Outdoors, near Fort Collins, the drive-through light displays reflect off twelve ponds and include illuminated wildlife sculptures representing Colorado's iconic big game species. The event helps raise funds for the nonprofit, which is dedicated to building family relationships through activities like fishing and archery.
"What I love about this holiday light display is that it just showcases the elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus all doing the same thing that we advocate for at Colorado Youth Outdoors, which is just spending time together," said CYO’s Heidi Warren.
While some displays in the NOCO Holiday Light Trail charge admission, others are free and accessible to all visitors. Most installations continue through early January, with specific dates varying by location.
Some of the events along the Holiday Light trail include:
Boulder
The Colorado Chautauqua's Winterfest, Dec. 5 - 7, Chautauqua Park
Estes Park
Holiday Lights Driving Tour, Nov. 23 - Jan. 1, various locations throughout town
Greeley
35th Annual Festival of Trees, Nov. 29 - Dec. 7, Union Colony Civic Center
Longmont
Longmont Lights Festival, Dec. 13, 5 -8 p.m., Roosevelt Park
