Golden's holiday event calendar covers about two weeks, from a Friday night candle walk on Dec. 4 to a two-hour gathering of costumed characters on Dec. 19. The lights switched on at the first event stay up into the middle of February. So the three Olde Golden Holidays dates mostly mark the start of the season, and most of it comes after them.
The three events each run on a clock, with set start times, a shuttle window and a cutoff for candle sales. After Dec. 19, the lights stay up whether you have a plan or not. And this year, a few of the downtown restaurants near the event routes have changed.
Dec. 4 starts on a tight schedule
The Candlelight Walk is the night Golden's 45,000 holiday lights along Clear Creek and downtown come on for the season. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and is free, but the part that matters moves fast.
- 6:30 p.m. The walk starts at Washington Avenue and 15th Street.
- About 6:50 p.m. A 30-minute holiday performance begins in Parfet Park.
- About 7:20 p.m. Santa appears and helps switch on the lights.
So the walk, the show and the lighting all happen in less than an hour. If you get there at 7:30, you'll miss the lights coming on and arrive after they're already lit.
The candles have their own timeline. Commemorative battery-operated candles go on sale at Baby Doe's Clothing & Accessories on Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, while supplies last. On the night of the walk, partner nonprofits sell wax candles, and possibly some glow sticks, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Most cost $1 to $3, cash only, at these spots:
- Parfet Park
- Golden Welcome Center
- 12th and Washington
- 13th and Washington
- 14th and Washington
A free shuttle runs from the Splash Lot at 3151 Illinois St. between 5 and 9 p.m. It drops riders at the top of the hill at 18th and Washington and picks them up at the bottom, on the north side of 10th Street across from Parfet Park. That route is all downhill, which helps on a cold December night.
Once the lights are on, head for the creek
After the lights come on, the Clear Creek corridor becomes the main walk, and two downtown institutions stay open late with special activities. The Golden Public Library is open late. Golden History Museum & Park has a luminaria walk, blacksmith demonstrations, a bonfire, dancing and free cocoa from the Golden Lions Club.
That makes Dec. 4 two outings in one evening. Washington Avenue between 15th Street and Parfet Park has the crowd and the countdown. The creek, History Park and the library are the slower part afterward, under lights that went on a few minutes earlier. Many Washington Avenue shops also stay open, with hot cider, cocoa and outdoor cafes along the way.
The other two dates are daytime events
The rest of the calendar happens in daylight, so planning for it is different.
| Event | Date | Time | Where it happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candlelight Walk | Friday, Dec. 4 | 6 to 9 p.m., walk at 6:30 | Washington Ave. from 15th St. to Parfet Park |
| Holiday Parade | Saturday, Dec. 12 | 10:30 a.m. | Washington Ave. from 10th to 13th St. |
| Jingle on the Avenue | Saturday, Dec. 19 | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Along Washington Ave. |
This year the Holiday Parade brings back its themed format as "Western Winter Wonderland." The lineup includes floats, elves, Victorian carolers, marching bands, antique cars, the Grinch, Buffalo Bill and Santa. Anyone who wants to be in it rather than watch from the curb has a deadline: parade applications are due by Friday, Nov. 13.
The parade takes an hour or so, but the day goes on after it. Free carriage rides run from noon to 2 p.m. from a pickup on 12th Street west of Washington Avenue, by Bella Colibri. Kids can drop off letters to Santa at the Welcome Center, and Parfet Park takes new toys for donation from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For parking, the parade page points to the garages on Jackson Street between 11th and 13th Streets. Visit Golden's parking guide adds that the public garages are one block east of Washington Avenue. The Clear Creek lot at 304 10th St. has free daytime parking, and the free Ore Cart shuttle runs around town and connects to the W Line station. Free daytime parking works for the two Saturdays and not for the Friday night walk, which is part of why the walk has its own shuttle.
Jingle on the Avenue on Dec. 19 is the shortest of the three: two hours of holiday music, crafts, Santa and costumed reindeer, and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. It ends at 1 p.m., and with it the event calendar is done for the year.
Some downtown tables have changed
Two familiar downtown spots won't be open this season. BusinessDen reported that Nosu Ramen, at 700 12th St. since 2020, announced in early October that it was closing. Abejas Bistro at 807 13th St. first closed temporarily for building issues and made the closure permanent a few days later, after 11 years of serving brunch and dinner there. Westword also covered both closings. BusinessDen quoted the restaurant's farewell post:
"The restaurant industry has changed considerably over the past few years, and the decision to close has not come easily. While this is not the ending we had envisioned, we are incredibly proud of what we created together."
Both addresses are a block or two from the 12th and 13th Street candle tables and the parade route, the same blocks December crowds walk through.
The newest addition downtown keeps morning hours. Call Your Mother, the bagel shop BusinessDen first reported in April as headed to Golden, now lists its Golden location at 1106 Washington Ave., Suite 101. Its locations page shows hours of 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. That fits the two Saturdays: breakfast before a 10:30 parade, or a stop before Jingle at 11. It's closed by the time the candles come out on Dec. 4.
The lights come down in two stages
After Dec. 19, the lights carry the season, and they don't all come down together.
End of January: the lights along Clear Creek, including the trees and the Billy Drew Bridge, plus the displays at History Park, Parfet Park and other spots around town.
Through Feb. 15: the white lights throughout downtown Golden, the multicolored lights on the north fence running roughly from the Golden Welcome Center to the Golden Public Library, and the Welcome Center with the big tree outside it.
Counting from Dec. 4, the creek lights stay on for about eight weeks and the downtown white lights for about ten. The three events add up to roughly a Friday evening, a Saturday morning and two hours on another Saturday. Most of the time the lights are on comes after the last event, through January and into early February.
That's the time for an easy evening walk: creek path to the Billy Drew Bridge before the end of January, then Washington Avenue and the Welcome Center tree any night until Feb. 15.
If the lights have you thinking about a longer stay in Golden, Moxie Property Group knows these blocks as well in January as in December, and we're glad to show you around. Start Your Colorado Search.
