Lakewood's holidays come from two separate organizers. Belmar puts on the plaza events: the tree, the rink, the wagon rides and this year's new street party. The City of Lakewood runs its own season from Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, Lakewood Cultural Center and Bear Creek Lake Park. Each one publishes its own schedule. They run side by side all season, and in the first weekend of December they stack up, with each one holding an evening event three days in a row.
That stretch shapes the season. Most weeks you can treat the two lists separately. From Thursday, Dec. 3 through Saturday, Dec. 5, you'll be planning around both at once, so it helps to know what each calendar covers before deciding where your evenings go.
Friday is the night Belmar lights the plaza
Belmar's tree and rink open tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 20. The Holiday Tree Lighting runs from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Plaza at Belmar, and the tree is lit at 6 p.m. Public skating at The RINK at Belmar Presented by GFiber starts at 6 p.m. the same night, so the lighting and the first skate session of the year happen together.
The rink is open through Jan. 31, 2027. Its rules are worth knowing before your first visit.
- Pricing: $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under, skate rental included. It's $8 if you bring your own skates, $8 for military with ID, and free for seniors 65 and older.
- Tickets: Online tickets don't give priority entry or let you skip the line. Each ticket covers one hour of skating, which you can use at any time during open hours on the date you picked. Walk-ups are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis.
- What to bring: You need a driver's license, passport or other government-issued ID to rent skates, and student IDs aren't accepted. Every skater needs a signed liability waiver, and minors skating without a parent need one signed by a parent or guardian.
- Resurfacing: The ice closes for 30 minutes at scheduled times so it can be resurfaced.
Hours change partway through the season. Through Jan. 3, the rink is open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Fridays from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. From Jan. 4 to Jan. 31, it closes Monday through Thursday and opens only Friday through Sunday. If you were counting on a weeknight skate, go before winter break ends. Holiday hours are noon to 9 p.m. for Thanksgiving, Nov. 23 to 26, and for winter break, Dec. 22 to Jan. 2. On Christmas Eve it's open noon to 4 p.m., and it's closed on Christmas Day.
The Christmas Artisan Market is already open in the Plaza at Belmar and runs through Nov. 29.
The city's season started two weeks earlier
The City of Lakewood's season opened on Nov. 6, at Lakewood Cultural Center instead of on the plaza. The free Holiday Pop-Up Market in the center's Corner Gallery runs through Dec. 23. In the same building, the Winter Salon Exhibition shows works priced under $500 from November through January, along with the Lakewood Arts Council Members Art Show. The center's regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. It also opens for evening and weekend shows.
The city's calendar also reaches the Bear Creek side of Lakewood, which Belmar's doesn't. On Monday, Nov. 23, Bear Creek Lake Park holds Turkey Talk in the Visitor Center classroom from 3 to 5 p.m. It's free and open to all ages. The city lists it as a drop-in program about wild turkeys' habits and calls, with activities and crafts. The rink's Thanksgiving hours begin that same day at noon. That means a family on school break can start the afternoon at the lake and end it on the ice.
Dec. 3 to Dec. 5, when the two calendars overlap
From Thursday to Saturday of the first week of December, the city and Belmar each hold at least one event a day:
| Date | City of Lakewood | Belmar |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Lakewood Lights, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, 5–8 p.m. | Rink open, 4–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Snow Ball, Clements Community Center | Holiday Lights & Winter Wagon Rides, Plaza at Belmar, 5–8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers, Lakewood Cultural Center, 2 and 7:30 p.m. | Belmar Yule, S. Upham Street, 3–7 p.m. |
Thursday belongs to the city. Lakewood Lights at 801 S. Yarrow St. includes a lighting ceremony and holiday carols at the Gazebo. The Colfax Hub section of the park is open and decorated for the night. Hot cocoa and cookies are free in the diner, with a suggested $1 donation. Santa's visits work differently from the rest of the evening. His workshop in the Heritage Lakewood Visitor Center opens at 3 p.m., two hours before the main event. Sensory-friendly visits run from 3 to 5 p.m. Visits are first come, first served. Staff take your name and cell number and text you when it's your turn, and they stop adding names once the night's capacity is reached. For families who want a Santa visit, Thursday starts in the afternoon.
Friday is the first of Belmar's three free wagon-ride nights, and no RSVP is needed. The other two are Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. Since there are two more chances later, Friday is the easiest of the three days to give up.
Saturday takes the most planning. Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers plays at Lakewood Cultural Center at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with tickets from $36 to $71, and runs again Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. Belmar Yule runs from 3 to 7 p.m. One way to fit both on Saturday is Yule in the afternoon and the 7:30 p.m. show. The Sunday matinee also leaves Saturday free for the street party.
Belmar Yule is new this year
Of everything on either calendar, only Belmar Yule is new this year. Belmar describes it as a new celebration on S. Upham Street, presented with Alameda Connects. Alameda Connects is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit that serves Lakewood's Alameda Avenue corridor through community meetings, grants and work with local leaders. Its involvement sets Yule apart from Belmar's other events. The tree lighting, rink and wagon rides all happen in the Plaza at Belmar. Yule is a corridor event out on a street.
According to Belmar's event listing, the whole event is under a heated tent. Food and seasonal drinks come from Tstreet Roadhouse and Old 121 Brewery, and there's a Holiday Market. From 4 to 6 p.m., a dancing Christmas tree and a candy cane stilt walker will be outside the tent for family photos. Neue Polka Colorado, a Colorado pop-polka fusion band, plays traditional polka and popular hits arranged as polka from 4 to 7 p.m., and dancing is encouraged. With music starting at 4 p.m., arriving at 3 gives you an hour with the market and food stands before the tent fills up.
The rest of December leads out to Bear Creek Lake Park
After the first weekend, the two calendars spread out again. On the city side, Canadian Brass plays Lakewood Cultural Center on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with tickets from $36 to $71. Washington Heights Art Center holds its Holiday Pottery Sale on Dec. 12, and Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park hosts a Holiday Craft Tea on Dec. 19. Belmar's wagon rides return on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18.
The city's season ends where Belmar's calendar doesn't go. On Monday, Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice Celebration at Bear Creek Lake Park, 15600 W. Morrison Road, starts with a guided night hike from 6 to 8 p.m. Afterward there's a campfire with a marshmallow roast and the traditional burning of the yule log. The program asks guests to bring their own mug for a hot drink. It costs $5 per person, and registration is required. The city's registration catalog caps it at 150 participants. Lakewood Lights has no registration and runs on a texted queue. The solstice hike needs an advance sign-up with a fixed number of spots, so if a December evening at the lake is on your list, sign up first.
Winter break camps for kids run Dec. 28 to 31 at Lakewood Cultural Center and Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. Through Jan. 2, the rink stays on its noon-to-9 p.m. winter break hours, so the ice is open from noon every day that week except Christmas Day.
At Paragon Realty Professionals, we follow both Lakewood calendars because they're part of everyday life here, from the Belmar plaza to the trails at Bear Creek Lake Park. If you have questions about life in the Bear Creek Corridor this season or in the year ahead, please Contact Us.
