Colorado Explorer: Holiday parades

By Linda DuVal

One of the best ways to get into the spirit of the season is to don your winter boots and hat and stand on a street corner to watch the floats go by—bands, dance groups and other entertainment, and of course Santa Claus.

Many towns and cities in Colorado have holiday parades, large or small. Here are a few worth checking out.

Denver's downtown city lights provide a stunning backdrop for its 33rd annual Parade of Lights, which stretches for two miles and is so good it's presented twice. Catch it at 8 p.m. on Nov. 30 or 6 p.m. on Dec. 1 as it winds its way from Civic Center Park to the spectacularly lighted Denver City & County Building.

Colorado Springs' annual Festival of Lights parade draws about 80 entries and 100,000 spectators each year. Starting downtown at 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 1, the one-hour parade usually features the Fort Carson color guard. Floats and bands taking part are judged and the best win trophies.

Grand Junction's largest parade of the year starts at 6 p.m. on Dec. 1. About 100 floats, bands and other entries—most of them with lights—travel through eight blocks of downtown. This year's theme is "Christmas Past, Present and Future." After the last Christmas carol fades away, parade-goers can do some holiday shopping at downtown stores.

Pueblo shoots off fireworks to mark the beginning of the annual Christmas Parade of Lights, at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 24. All entries must be lighted, even the marching bands! The parade is followed by a tree-lighting ceremony, visits with Santa Claus for the kids, and entertainment by singers and dancers for the rest of us. This year's theme is "A Cowboy Christmas." The event is attended annually by 30,000-50,000 people, but the parade route is a mile long, so there's room for everyone.

Estes Park makes a Christmas-card setting for just about any winter event, but it's particularly suited to a holiday parade. The annual Come Catch the Glow Christmas Parade, on Nov. 23, starts the town's holiday season in style. Activities begin at noon, with everything from clowns to carolers, pony rides to hay rides. The parade itself begins at 5:30 p.m., capping off a day of fun.

Burlington kicks off its old-fashioned Christmas celebration with its annual Parade of Lights, starting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7. The parade, which features high school bands, floats and the requisite Santa Claus, heads down 14th Street. Local shops remain open that night so everyone can get a head start on (or finish up) their holiday shopping.

Linda DuVal is former travel editor of The Gazette in Colorado Springs and a freelance writer.