Here are the top happenings across Colorado for the rest of December

By the Thirst Team

Get Out of Town is our roundup of the best events across Colorado for the next couple of weeks. For more happenings, check out our events calendar.

Note: There will be no event roundup next week. We hope you enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. We’ll be back on Dec. 30 to help you plan New Year’s Eve and beyond.

Santa’s parades and events across Colorado

Santa is making a couple more Colorado stops before he loads up the sleigh for his big night. x

Alamosa’s parade of lights is at 6 p.m. Saturday, with Christmas caps and socks given away to all new December babies.
Downtown Pagosa Springs hosts its Old Fashioned Christmas from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Olympic qualifiers at Copper Mountain all week

The nation’s top freeskiers and snowboarders are at Copper Mountain this week. They are competing for spots on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team, and a trip to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The 22-foot-tall Woodward Copper Halfpipe is the first Olympic-size halfpipe to open in North America every season, and is the only pre-season, full-length U.S. Ski Team downhill training course.

Competitions have been running all week, culminating in men’s and women’s snowboard finals on Friday, and men’s and women’s freeski finals on Saturday. Spectators can watch from the bottom or the left wall of the halfpipe.

Viking festival in Breckenridge Dec. 18-20

The 62nd Ullr Fest celebrates Vikings, winter and Ullr, the Norse god of snow in Breckenridge. Celebrants can join the Main Street parade, participate in a world record-breaking attempt at the longest Shotski, and enjoy a bonfire.

Snowboarding competition in Breck Dec. 19-21

Breckenridge Ski Resort also hosts a new snowboarding event alongside UllrFest. The Rockstar Energy Open snowboarding festival is free and open to the public, combining world-class snowboarding competitions with live music, art installations and an interactive fan village. The event will draw Olympic gold medalists and debut a new rider-designed, multi-terrain course.

Beer and brass in Boulder Tuesday

The Boulder Brassaholics, a sextet that plays New Orleans jazz and more, will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23, at Wild Provisions Beer Project in Boulder. They promise plenty of holiday tunes, plus a “sing along with the Brassaholics” finale.

Holiday fireworks and torchlight parades in the mountains

Torchlight parades schussing down ski slopes are a wonderful holiday tradition for your Colorado bucket lists. This year, make plans to celebrate Christmas and new year at these resorts:

Winter Park hosts a torchlight parade at 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve.
Telluride’s Christmas Eve torchlight parade starts at 6:30 p.m. Telluride will have another torchlight parade, along with fireworks, on New Year’s Eve.
Snowmass hosts a torchlight parade (registration is now available for intermediate skiers) and fireworks on Fanny Hill on New Year’s Eve.
Granby Ranch’s New Year’s Eve celebration starts with a kids LED light parade, adult torchlight parade, fireworks and a party until midnight.
Powderhorn also has an LED children’s parade at 5:40 on New Year’s Eve, followed by fireworks and accompanied by a live DJ.
Down south, Purgatory has a torchlight parade and fireworks on the Ski Beach, starting at 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve.
Grand Lake lights New Year’s Eve fireworks against the mountains and over the frozen lake.
Steamboat Springs changes it up with a glowing Snowcat parade at 5:30 p.m., along with fireworks, a torchlight parade, night skiing and a DJ dance party.
Vail’s torchlight parade and fireworks display begin at 6:15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. If they don’t fit in the Get Out of Town column, we will add them to our events calendar.