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’Tis the season! Every year, zoos, gardens, parks, and even private homes throughout the Denver metro area deck the halls with elaborate displays of holiday lights that would make Clark Griswold cry tears of joy (and jealousy).
Below, we’ve rounded up a list of the best residential and public spots where you can stroll through spectacular setups, drive by flashy facades, and pose for the perfect family photo op.
Residential Displays
The Gingerbread House
- Where: 10221 S. Fairgate Way, Highlands Ranch
- Tip: Spot this light show in a 2023 episode of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight.
This sparkly scene, which features 20,000 LEDs outlining nearly every edge of Walter Hazard’s home, is beloved by those near (neighborhood kids were the ones who named it “The Gingerbread House”) and far (German magazine Der Spiegel featured it in a roundup of the best holiday displays in America). “It’s so orderly,” Hazard says. “The Germans love that.”
Star Wars: The Battle for the North Pole
- Where: 9973 Blackbird Place, Highlands Ranch
- Tip: Feeling charitable? Make a donation to Make-A-Wish Colorado.
Ron DePoty’s love for Christmas lights started as a child, when his family would adorn his grandmother’s house each Thanksgiving. Since then, he’s decorated every college dorm room, apartment balcony, and home he’s called his own. In 2014, DePoty and his wife, Megan, bought a Star Wars inflatable for their growing display, prompting the DePotys to transform their Highlands Ranch house into one of the most colorful attractions in the galaxy.
Ron, Megan, and their three children spend a couple of weeks setting up 50 inflatables and 20,000-plus lights. New this year, the family added an animated R2-D2 model and true-to-size Chewbacca, and on select nights, they’ll open the gate to allow onlookers access to their backyard to peep even more lights. Catch Yoda, C-3PO, and giant inflatable starships before the plug is pulled on the DePoty display on January 1.
It’s A Wonderful Light
- Where: 4822 S. Picadilly Ct., Aurora
- Tip: Stop by on December 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. for a night of hot chocolate, live music, and selfies with superheroes.
Corey Christiansen’s decorating theory is pretty straightforward: “I want my display to be as dense as possible.” For 2025’s show, Christiansen is adorning his Aurora home with more than 200,000 bulbs, which he starts hanging the day after Halloween. This year, he’s introducing the “Tree Tree,” an 11-foot-tall Tannenbaum made from 25 mini trees. With the help of a pal, Christiansen spent three months building the structure.
Visitors are encouraged to donate to the Autism Society of Colorado, an organization Christiansen is passionate about because his two children were both diagnosed with autism.
Onstott Christmas Extravaganza
- Where: 10046 Fraser St., Commerce City
- Tip: Bring a missive to drop in a magical mailbox that delivers letters straight to St. Nick in the North Pole. (Notes with a return address will even receive a special reply from the big guy himself.)
When Mike and Jenn Onstott met more than a decade ago, they immediately bonded over their love of Christmas decorations. Now, they share their affection for all that twinkles with the rest of us via a massive display of 35,000 LED lights and colorful arches set to Christmas tunes. This year, the Onstotts are spreading their holiday cheer by hosting a virtual fundraiser for Food Bank of the Rockies.
Cottoncreek Manor
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- Where: 9971 Cottoncreek Dr., Highlands Ranch
- Tip: Bundle up because you’ll want to get out of the car for this one: The family encourages onlookers to walk through some of the displays.
The Rohr family has been decorating their Highlands Ranch home since 2012—and not just for Christmas. Each year, they host a ticketed haunted house event complete with live actors and jump scares, then they trade in gore for garlands once November rolls around. (But you can still catch their love for Halloween in their spooky Jack Frost and Ebenezer Scrooge animatronics!)
This year, the family is adding even more lights to their display of more than 100,000 LEDs, including a giant propeller plane inflatable on the roof.
Arvada Light Show
- Where: 8205 W. 66th Ave., Arvada
- Tip: Bring a letter for Santa to drop in the on-site mailbox inside the gazebo.
It’s still unclear whether the wise men followed a star or the glow of this home on 66th Avenue. Nestled on a hilltop, it shines like a beacon across the burbs. Although its elevated location gives passersby a great show even from afar, the owners allow visitors to walk up their driveway and around the yard to see it closer, which means you’ll catch a gazebo aglow with blue lights and filled with snowmen, an illuminated koi pond with a waterfall, plenty of characters like a yeti and Minnie Mouse.
Stricker’s Winter Wonderland
- Where: 6636 S. Lafayette St., Centennial
- Tip: Pay a visit on December 20 from 6 to 10 p.m., when a certain jolly old fellow is scheduled to visit for photos and any last-minute gift requests.
Joe Stricker and his family are no strangers to the holiday decorating game (swing by around Halloween to catch their aptly named Haunted Yard, filled with skeletons and jack-o’-lanterns) but their annual Christmas light display is particularly showstopping. With holiday music, a Christmas countdown, Santa and his elves working hard in the window, and a life-size Clark Griswold cutout, this whimsical wonderland is a Centennial staple.
Littles can sit on the home’s front steps to watch movies like Frosty the Snowman projected by the front door.
Greeley Holidaze House
- Where: 1712 37th Ave., Greeley
- Tip: Find the glowing teddy bear on the driveway for a free candy cane while you visit.
Headed north for the holidays? Visit Adam and Jessica Artz’s Greeley home to glimpse over-the-top decorating that’s been in the family for more than 60 years (and also a selection on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight last year). Characters crowd their lawn (including caroling mice and Charlie Brown and his friends), a giant Jack Skellington prop stands near the front door, and light-up birds perch on the main tree.
Public Displays
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance Zoo Lights
- Where: 2300 Steele St., Denver (City Park)
- When: Now–Jan. 4
- Cost: $26–$30 for adults, $19–$23 for kids
No list of Denver holiday lights would be complete without Zoo Lights, which has been spreading Christmas cheer for more than 30 years. In 2025, more than 3 million lights and 300 sculptures will illuminate the Denver Zoo’s 80 acres—a feat that requires months of preparation (staffers begin decking the halls as early as August).
While the Zoo Lights masterminds typically stick to tried-and-true displays (elephant silhouettes with moving trunks, a bright-blue whale, flashy fluorescent peacocks), they introduce something new each year. In 2025, visitors will get to see new animated light sculptures, including macaws near the Tropical Discovery indoor rainforest.
Elitch Gardens Elitch Holidays
- Where: 2000 Elitch Circle, Denver (Auraria)
- When: Now–Jan. 4
- Cost: $25
If you’re looking for a light show that’s both theatrical and a little thrilling, this sprawling seasonal display at Elitch Gardens might even spark a smile from the Grinches in the group. At Elitch Holidays, more than 4 million lights illuminate tunnels, a 65-foot-tall Christmas tree, and a giant snowman that you can stroll through. Take a photo in front of the 300-foot-long wall of lights, and then tell Santa, who is on-site nightly, exactly what you’ll be expecting in your stocking.
This year’s fest includes more rides with your ticket than ever, so hit the Tower of Doom, Boomerang, or the Big Wheel to take in the twinkling from a new perspective.
Hudson Gardens Hudson Holidays
- Where: 6115 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton
- When: Now–Jan. 4
- Cost: $20–$25 for adults, $15–$20 for kids
At Littleton’s Hudson Gardens, stroll the trails to catch plenty of lit-up trees, projections, holiday mazes, and scenes from Santa’s workshop. Visit on special theme nights throughout the season for extra activities, like a sleigh ride pulled by Clydesdales on December 4 and 14, or the invitation to dress your crew up in Christmas garb on Ugly Sweater Night on December 19.
Adults can grab cocktails at the on-site bar, and hot chocolate and food concessions are also available for purchase.
The Gardens on Spring Creek Garden of Lights
- Where: 2145 Centre Ave., Fort Collins
- When: Dec. 12–Dec. 28
- Cost: $12–$14 for adults, $8–$10 for kids
Ride your sleigh up north for the annual Garden of Lights—a half-mile stretch at the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins where nearly every square inch is covered in Christmas lights. Santa Claus touches down nightly, and you can sip on a holiday cocktail from the on-site bar. Check the online calendar for additional entertainment like a cappella carolers and the Sugar Plum Furries Dog Troupe.
Denver Botonic Gardens Blossoms of Light
- Where: 1007 York St., Denver (Cheesman Park)
- When: Now–Jan. 11
- Cost: $27–$33 for adults, $22–$24 for kids
For more than 40 years, locals have flocked to Denver Botanic Gardens each holiday season to see 1 million LED lights illuminate the property’s 23 acres. From the glowing snowflakes that appear to float on the water or the innovative show where glowing rods of light change color in sync across a massive lawn, it certainly seems like Santa sprinkled some extra magic here in the Mile High City.
And don’t forget to grab a cup of loaded hot chocolate—a warm cup of cocoa topped with marshmallows, whipped cream, and drizzled chocolate—to keep you cozy as you stroll.
Christmas in Color
- Where: Water World, 8801 N. Pecos St., Federal Heights; Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison
- When: Now–Dec. 28
- Cost: $35 per vehicle
In these two over-the-top creations, you can stay warm and cozy while enjoying holiday lights from your vehicle. Drive the mile-long corridor through light-up tunnels, singing Christmas trees, and waving reindeer—all of which sync to music you stream through a radio station.
To keep the 1.5 million lights bright and colorful, the crew replaces about 40 percent of the LEDs each year. But new technology has allowed Christmas in Color to push the boundaries even further. “The ability to control every bulb really makes it into a screen like your TV, where each bulb is a pixel,” says Todd Glover, CEO of Christmas in Color.
Mile High Tree
- Where: 1000 Larimer St., Denver (Auraria)
- When: Now–Dec. 31
- Cost: Free
Although the Mile High Tree was honored with Denver’s nickname, the tree itself was built an ocean away. The Denver-commissioned, seven-story-tall wonder was created by 75-year-old ILMEX Illumination in the small southern city of Puente Genil, Córdoba, Spain, but now it stands as the seasonal crown jewel of Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus. Adorned with 110 feet of lights and set to a medley of classic holiday tunes, it turns on nightly this month for free shows. Visitors can even sprawl out on the ground inside the tree to catch the show from a different perspective.
Stop by on New Year’s Eve (9 p.m.) for a New York City–style ball drop to ring in 2025 and to say farewell to the tree for another year.
Mile High Holidays Drone Show
- Where: The drones launch west of Downtown at 7 p.m.
- When: Now–Dec. 31
- Cost: Free
Denver’s holiday drone show returns for a second year, this time casting 600 machines into the sky for 41 nights. Created by Denver-based Brightflight Drone Shows, the nightly performance features 15-minute animations of everything from Santa riding his sleigh to an aerial version of the Mile High Tree. Select nights feature tributes to Colorado’s professional sports teams.
The show is free to watch and can be seen above the sky just west of downtown, although top viewing spots include the Tivoli Quad on Auraria Campus, Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, and the 54thirty Rooftop.
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