New Years’ Fireworks atop Pikes Peak presented by the AdAmAn Club
Unique to the Pikes Peak region, the AdAmAn Club has been hiking to the top of Pikes Peak since 1922 to set off a firework display to ring in the new year.
Fruit Cake Toss
Since 1996, Manitou Springs hosts the annual Fruitcake Toss where one of the holiday’s most debated desserts will soar through the air. Don’t want to toss a fruitcake? Participate in the bake-off!
Cripple Creek Ice Festival
Come see sculptures chiseled from 160-pound blocks of ice at the Cripple Creek Ice Festival. Each year has a new theme for the frozen art and visitors can enjoy food and drink from vendors and the Ice Martini Bar.
Valentine’s Day
Take your sweetie out on the town for Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re in the mood for a romantic dinner or something fun for the whole family, you have a variety of options.
Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cook-Off & Carnivale Parade
Manitou Springs brings some New Orleans fare to the Rocky Mountains at the Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cook-Off. Enjoy taste-testing from amateur cooks to professional chefs and see who wins! Then head to Manitou Avenue for the Carnivale Parade.
St. Patrick’s Day
Don’t forget to wear green to the annual Colorado Springs St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown and Woodland Park. Check out the other festive celebrations happening around town.
Mad Hatter Saturday
Be transported to a fairy tale as the streets of Old Colorado City turn into Wonderland. See all the favorite costumed characters, have a cuppa at tea parties, and do some local shopping and dining.
Easter
Easter egg hunts, Easter bunny photos, and a 5K race can be all happen to celebrate the springtime holiday.
MeadowGrass Music Festival
Since 2008, MeadowGrass Music Festival has been filling Black Forest with an array of eclectic music at this 3-day festival featuring over 20 bands. Camp, enjoy beer, do some yoga and more!
Mother’s Day
Colorado Springs will make Mom feel special with all the events happening for her. Enjoy brunch, tea time, painting and more.
Territory Days
It’s a Colorado Springs tradition to kick off summer at Territory Days over Memorial Day Weekend. Old Colorado City hosts over 180 vendors, numerous stages for live music and beer gardens, plus Old West re-enactments.
Farmers Markets
Due to the Rocky Mountain climate, the farmers market season is a much-loved time here in Colorado Springs. Starting in June and lasting through October, shop from over 20 local markets throughout Colorado Springs every day of the week.
Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack
Come see the only streetcar racing event of this size at the half-mile side-by-side race at the Colorado Springs Airport. Watch as more than 200 cars race head-to-head.
Colorado Springs Western Street Breakfast
Kick-off rodeo season by celebrating Colorado’s Western roots at the Western Street Breakfast. Enjoy a plate of pancakes in the streets of Downton Colorado Springs while seeing performances from iconic and local western bands, gunslingers, Native American Hoop Dancers, and more!
International Hill Climb
Another classic event that’s unique to the Colorado Springs area is the International Hill Climb. Cars have been participating in the “Race to the Clouds” since 1916, making this the second oldest car race in the country.
July 4th
Independence Day is a wonderful time to spend with friends and family BBQ’ing and being awed by fireworks. Check out all July 4th celebrations happening in and around Colorado Springs.
Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo
Grab your hat and boots and head to the Norris-Penrose Event Center as riders compete in the Pikes Peak or But Rodeo. This annual Colorado Springs event started in 1937 by Spencer Penrose, a local entrepreneur who opened The Broadmoor.
El Paso County Fair
The El Paso County Fair’s roots go back to 1905 when it began as a small celebration for the potato harvest around the Thanksgiving holiday. Since then, the Fair has grown to include a carnival, concerts, bull riding, equestrian, auto races, 4H/Future Farmers of America, and other events.
Wine Festival
Woodland Park has been hosting an annual wine festival since 2007 complete with food, jazz music, and a variety of vendors.
Pikes Peak Ascent & Marathon
Runners have been racing up the side of Pikes Peak since 1956 in the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon. The race begins in Manitou Springs and travels 13 miles up the Barr Trail where the Ascent finishes. Marathoners will head back down the mountain to complete their run back in Manitou Springs.
Parade of Homes
Tour a variety of the Pikes Peak Region’s newest homes where builders show off the latest in interior and exterior design. Get a feel for the neighborhoods, attend events and seminars, and be inspired.
Labor Day Lift Off
Wake up before the sun and make your way to Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. Over 70 hot air balloons take to the sky every Labor Day weekend. If weather and wind conditions are just right you may even see the ballons skim Prospect Lake. Stay for the skydivers and vendors, and come back in the evenings for the nightly balloon glow. Check out other Labor Day Weekend events around Colorado Springs.
Restaurant Week
Many restaurants around the Colorado Springs area offer a multi-course meal for the discounted, tiered pricing for a full week so you can sample without breaking the bank. Download the Restaurant Week app for a full list of participating restaurants.
Fall colors in the Mountains
Mid-to-late September is when the green trees of summer begin to change to brilliant yellows and reds, ushering in the autumn season. Be sure to take a drive to the mountains or perhaps a helicopter tour at the Royal Gorge to see this beautiful display of Colorful Colorado before the bright colors fade in mid-October.
Oktoberfest
Head up to Woodland Park for the two-day festival that has been held since 1997. Enjoy traditional German beer, food, and musical entertainment. Check out all the other fall events Colorado Springs has to offer.
Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival
Manitou Springs comes alive in October for the Emma Crawford Coffin Races where costumed teams race coffin-shaped cars down Manitou Avenue. The local folklore says that Emma Crawford, a resident of Manitou Springs, passed away from tuberculosis in 1891 and was buried on Red Mountain. Erosion caused Emma’s coffin to slide down Red Mountain thirty-eight years later, and in 1995 the first coffin races were held in her honor.
Boo at the Zoo & Boo at the Bridge
Make your Halloween stops at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Royal Gorge Bridge & Park as they host treat nights and fun, festive entertainment for the whole family.
Halloween
Fall festivals, trick-or-treating for the little ones, and haunted houses for the big kids – Colorado Springs is a spooktacular place to be for Halloween.
Small Business Saturday
Support your neighbors every Saturday after Thanksgiving during Small Business Saturday! Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs all offer great boutique shops with unique gifts and local treasures.
Winter Lights at Seven Falls
Colorful holiday lights have been lighting up Seven falls since 1947. In recent years this tradition has evolved into a formal event where more than 100,000 lights illuminate the waters and surrounding paths.
Skate in the Park
Adding to the Downtown Christmas festivities, the annual ice rink in Acacia Park will be open for skating November through the New Year.
Downtown Christmas Stroll
Enjoy hot wassail, say hi to Santa, sing along with carolers, and do some Downtown holiday shopping throughout December. Don’t forget to take advantage of free holiday parking at all city-operated parking garages every Saturday and Sunday from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
Festival of Lights Parade
Since 1984, the streets of Downtown Colorado Springs fill up with parade-goers and floats bedecked with twinkling Christmas lights in the annual Festival of Lights Parade. Keep the holiday fun going by seeing the best and brightest Christmas light displays around the city.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Electric Safari
Celebrate the holiday season at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo where they decorate over 50 acres with 85 light displays and stay open late most nights in December.
Visit Santa at the North Pole
While the North Pole in Cascade in open year-round, ’tis the perfect time to go visit Santa’s workshop. Take the whole family on rides, be amazed by glassblowers and magicians, do some holiday shopping, and see Santa himself.
Rock Ledge Ranch Holiday Evening
Rock Ledge Ranch, Colorado Springs’ own living history museum, hosts a holiday event full of tractor rides, lantern tours, barn dancing, blacksmithing, traditional music and more for one night only.
