Catch the Glow Christmas Parade & Celebration

As dusk falls the day after Thanksgiving, the magic begins to unfold! Bands come down the street playing favorite Christmas songs with tiny white twinkly lights reflecting in the bright polished brash. Dancers sway to music. Floats loom from the night, huge and ethereal, with more and more lights that add to the mysteries and magic of Christmas legends and solstice dreams.

The annual “Catch the Glow” parade the day on November 24 caps a day of full activity in downtown Estes Park. With holiday music broadcast outdoors throughout the town helping set the scene, visitors can interact with strolling animal characters, enjoy family hay rides and visit with Santa Claus in Bond Park from noon to 4pm.  The lighted Christmas parade begins at 5:30 pm and runs the length of Elkhorn Ave. All activities are free.

With all of this activity, you’ll want to be sure to stay for the entire Catch the Glow Weekend celebration! Create new Thanksgiving traditions and weekend memories with your mountain getaway in Estes Park!

Estes Park Holiday Market

Mark your calendar for the 5thAnnual Estes Park Holiday Market the weekend before  Thanksgiving on Saturday, November 18th from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, November 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

This event will be held at the Estes Park Conference Center (201 S. St. Vrain Avenue off Highway 7 in Estes Park), adjacent to the The Ridgeline Estes Park. This event is FREE to the public. Drawings will be held every hour for a $10 certificate that the winner can spend with any of the vendors this weekend only.

The Holiday Market will feature many hand-crafted and collectible items including but not limited to: handmade quilted items, home decor, handmade rugs, polymer clay hair accessories and jewelry, knitted hats and scarves, custom handmade jewelry, hand thrown stoneware, pottery and ceramics, ornaments, Christmas wreaths and decorations, photographs, coasters, puppets, handmade cards, alpaca clothes, socks, yarn, gloves and scarves, hand knitted and needle felted gifts, illustrated quotations, quilling, tatting & beadwork, kids books, handcrafted dolls, wood ornaments, wood carvings, signs, soaps, handwoven scarves & blankets, specialty teas and coffee, salsa and dips, along with many other one of a kind unique items for your holiday shopping. Most of the vendors only accept cash or check. Visit www.estesparkholidaymarket.com for more information.

Along with the Holiday Market, there will be a silent auction to benefit flood victims so please come and support this cause!

2017 Fall Back Beer Festival

Held each year on the day we turn the clocks back, Fall Back Beer Fest is not only a celebration of beer, and beer education, held in the Estes Park Events Complex! November 4th, 2017;  VIP 12-5 & General Admission 1-5pm

With over 100 different beers being poured by the brewers themselves from over 30 Colorado breweries, festival goers are sure to walk away having learned something new about their favorite beer from the people who created it.

The Fall Back Beer Festival also coincides with the American Homebrewers Associations Annual Learn To Homebrew Day. To help celebrate, a number of AHA sanctioned home brewing clubs will be present and brewing for everyone to watch.

With seminars from beer industry experts, demonstrations from equipment fabricators, local hop farms, giveaways from local homebrew supply shops, and much more, there is sure to be something for everyone. Grab some grub at the food trucks.

As always, FBBF is family-friendly! Helping with the celebration of brewing are Colorado craft soda breweries pouring samples for guests of all ages! Plus, for everyone’s entertainment, the winner of the 2017 Rockygrass Band Competition, Meadow Mountain, will take the main stage to keep you all moving!

For ticket information and additional event information, visit the Fall Back Beer Festival Website.

The FREE shuttle will be making its rounds to help do the driving. The shuttle loops from The Visitor Center (500 Big Thompson Ave) to Bond Park in downtown (corner of E. Elkhorn & Park Ln) to Fall Back Beer Fest then back again. The loop picks up every 30 minutes with the last run leaving Fall Back at 5:10pm.

The fun will continue at Rock Cut Brewing Company following the festival. At 6pm, they’re doing a special tapping of the Wooden Goblin, a barrel-aged Black IPA, one keg only! Two Chicks Wings and Henhouse is serving a decadent Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake that pairs with it. The extra hour in Estes never sounded so delicious!