Christmas in Telluride is genuinely magical, and not in the way every mountain town claims. Snow cloaks the peaks, lights twinkle down Colorado Avenue, and the Victorian buildings wear wreaths and garlands like they were built for it.
Better still, nearly every holiday event here is free. This is a real town celebrating its own traditions rather than a resort staging something for visitors.
Below is the full 2026/2027 holiday calendar with dates, times, locations, prices, and links. Bookmark it and check back, since several organizers confirm details closer to the date.
Browse our Telluride Christmas rentals
At a Glance
| Date | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 13-15, 2026 | KOTO Ski Swap | Free entry |
| Nov 20, 2026 | Gondola reopens for winter | Free |
| Late Nov 2026 | Ski resort opening weekend | Lift ticket required |
| Early Dec 2026 | Telluride Arts Holiday Bazaar | Free entry |
| Early Dec 2026 | Young People's Theater | Ticketed |
| Early Dec 2026 | Choral Society Holiday Concerts | Ticketed |
| Dec 9, 2026 | Noel Night & Ski Tree Lighting | Free |
| Dec 12-13, 2026 | Mountain Village Holiday Prelude | Free |
| Mid-late Dec 2026 | Telluride Theatre holiday show | Ticketed |
| Dec 24, 2026 | Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade | Free |
| Dec 31, 2026 | New Year's Eve celebrations | Free |
| All winter | Telluride Sleighs & Wagons | Ticketed |
November: The Season Opens
KOTO Ski Swap
November 13 to 15, 2026
Wilkinson Public Library, 100 W Pacific Ave | (970) 728-4519
Free to attend
Where locals gear up for winter. Donate your used skis or buy new-to-you ones, pick up a discounted ski pass, and take part in the annual Freestyle FREE-Ride. A genuinely good place to kit out a growing kid without buying new. Details at koto.org.
Gondola Reopens for Winter
Friday, November 20, 2026 at 6:30 a.m.
Free, always
The free gondola connecting Telluride, San Sophia, and Mountain Village starts winter service. It runs 6:30 a.m. to midnight and it is the best free attraction in the county. Note that it opens before the ski resort does.
Telluride Ski Resort Opening Weekend
Late November 2026 (Thanksgiving weekend)
tellurideskiresort.com
The lifts start turning for the 2026/27 season over Thanksgiving weekend, with the season running through early April 2027. Confirm the exact opening date with the resort, as it is weather dependent.
See our guide to Telluride lift tickets and season passes for pass options and blackout dates.
Early December: Arts, Music, and Theater
Telluride Arts Holiday Bazaar
Early December 2026, typically a Friday through Sunday, from 4:00 p.m. on opening night
Ah Haa School for the Arts, 155 W Pacific Ave
Free entry
Established in 1983 and one of Telluride's best-loved traditions. Locally made art, fine crafts, and artisan foods from around the region, all under one roof. The single best place to buy a gift that actually came from here.
Dates and hours confirmed closer to the event at telluridearts.org.
Sheridan Arts Foundation Young People's Theater
Early December 2026
Sheridan Opera House, 110 N Oak St | (970) 728-6363
Ticketed
The Sheridan Arts Foundation's Young People's Theater stages its annual production at the historic 1913 opera house, performed by local students. Charming, well-attended, and the kind of thing that makes Telluride feel like a real community rather than a resort.
Show titles, dates, and tickets at sheridanoperahouse.com.
Telluride Choral Society Holiday Concerts
Early December 2026
Christ Church, 434 W Columbia Ave
Ticketed
The annual holiday choir concerts featuring local adults and youth, including a sing-along to Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and familiar carols. Intimate, warm, and a genuine highlight if you are here in early December.
Dates and tickets at telluridechoralsociety.org.
Noel Night & The Ski Tree Lighting
Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Town of Telluride, with the tree lighting at Elks Park
Free
This is the big one, and the official start of the holiday season in Telluride. Two traditions rolled into one evening.
The Ski Tree Lighting happens at Elks Park: a 17-foot holiday tree built entirely from old skis donated by the community, sponsored by the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club. When it lights up, Colorado Avenue's holiday lights come on with it. There is a bonfire, traditionally fueled by skis in an attempt to appease Ullr into delivering a white winter, and free hot chocolate for everyone.
Noel Night runs alongside it, with local retailers and restaurants offering treats, snacks, prizes, and discounts of up to 40 percent. Carolers and street performers work the sidewalks, and Santa makes an appearance.
It is free, it is festive, and it is the single best evening to be in town in December. Confirm final timing at telluride.com.
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Mountain Village Holiday Prelude
Saturday, December 12 and Sunday, December 13, 2026
Saturday from 12:00 p.m., Sunday through 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Village Core and Heritage Plaza
Free
Mountain Village transforms into the North Pole for a full weekend, and it is squarely aimed at families.
- Santa and his workshop. Children share their Christmas list and make holiday crafts with the elves.
- Free ice skating, traditionally running midday both days.
- Train rides through Mountain Village's twinkling lights.
- Free outdoor holiday movies with complimentary hot chocolate and popcorn.
- The Heritage Plaza tree lighting, followed by an ice skating party at Reflection Plaza with a live DJ.
- Merchant specials, raffles, giveaways, and food and drink deals throughout the Village.
A collaborative effort between the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, the Town of Mountain Village, Telluride Ski & Golf, and local merchants. Full schedule at townofmountainvillage.com and telluride.com.
Getting there: ride the free gondola up from town. No parking hassle, no driving.
Mid-to-Late December
Telluride Theatre Holiday Production
Mid-to-late December 2026
The Palm Theatre, 721 W Colorado Ave
Ticketed
Telluride Theatre stages its annual holiday performance, which in recent years has been Cassidy the Musical, the true story of Butch Cassidy and the Great Telluride Bank Robbery of 1889. Locally written, locally performed, and a genuine Telluride institution.
Dates and tickets at telluridetheatre.org.
Santa's Mailbox at the Telluride Post Office
Throughout December | Free
Santa's post box sits at the Telluride Post Office, 101 E Colorado Ave. Bring the kids, bring a letter, and get it posted in time for the North Pole. A small thing that children remember.
Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade
Thursday, December 24, 2026, approximately 6:30 p.m.
Visible from throughout the Town of Telluride
Free
Telluride's most beautiful tradition, and the one people remember for years.
The parade begins at the top of the gondola. Telluride Ski & Snowboard School instructors ski down the mountainside carrying blazing torches, tracing a glowing line through the dark that is visible from essentially anywhere in town. Find a spot on Colorado Avenue, look up, and wait.
Bring warm layers and be outside a few minutes early. It does not last long and you do not want to be indoors when it starts.
New Year's Eve
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Town of Telluride and Mountain Village
Free
Telluride rings in 2027 with fireworks over the box canyon, traditionally launched in the early evening from the Lift 4 area and best viewed from Mountain Village. A torchlight parade is a longstanding part of the evening, though it has been weather dependent in recent years.
At midnight, the place to be is Colorado Avenue in front of the historic San Miguel County Courthouse, where the whole town gathers to count down outdoors.
Local's tip: the gondola has historically extended service to 2:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve so you can move between town and Mountain Village without driving. Confirm closer to the date.
Full detail in our New Year's Eve in Telluride guide.
All Winter Long
Telluride Sleighs and Wagons
Throughout the winter season | Aldasoro Ranch | Ticketed, reservations required
Horse-drawn sleigh ride dinners on a historic 740-acre family ranch that is otherwise closed to the public. The great-grandchildren of pioneering sheep rancher Joaquin Aldasoro serve farm-to-table cuisine built on Basque family recipes, in a canvas-sided tent deep in the ranch.
One of the most memorable evenings available in Telluride, and it books out over the holidays. Pricing and reservations at telluridesleighs.com.
Ice Skating in Mountain Village
Throughout the winter | Reflection Plaza, Mountain Village | Typically free with skate rental available
Outdoor skating with the San Juans around you. Free during Holiday Prelude and available through the season. Check current hours with the Town of Mountain Village.
Holidays Beyond Christmas
If you are planning further into the season, these are the other dates worth building a trip around:
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, January 18, 2027. One of the busiest non-Christmas weeks of the winter.
- Telluride Comedy Festival, Presidents' Day weekend, February 2027. The 25th annual edition at the Sheridan Opera House. Presidents' Day falls on February 15, 2027. Tickets at sheridanoperahouse.com.
- Telluride Gay Ski Week, typically late February into early March 2027. A week of skiing, drag shows, comedy, and parties, and one of the warmest community events in the state. Dates and tickets at telluridegayski.com.
See our full Telluride events and festivals calendar for everything happening during your stay.
Planning Notes
- Book lodging six to nine months ahead for Christmas week and New Year's. These are the two most in-demand weeks of the Telluride year and the larger homes go first.
- Most events are free. Noel Night, the Ski Tree Lighting, Holiday Prelude, the Torchlight Parade, and New Year's all cost nothing.
- Use the free gondola. It connects town and Mountain Village and runs 6:30 a.m. to midnight, which covers nearly every event on this list.
- Dress for standing still. Most of these are outdoor evening events in December at 8,750 feet. Layers, real boots, hand warmers.
- Book restaurants now. Telluride's dining rooms are small and holiday-week reservations disappear early. See our dining guide.
Where to Stay for the Holidays
Nearly everything on this list happens in the town of Telluride or a free gondola ride away, so staying central makes the whole week easier.
- Christmas and holiday rentals
- Downtown Telluride rentals, walkable to Elks Park, Colorado Avenue, and the gondola
- Mountain Village rentals, closest to Holiday Prelude and the NYE fireworks
- Family friendly rentals
- Larger vacation homes for families gathering over the holidays
- Rentals with hot tubs
Check our current specials and browse all properties.
Contact Lodging In Telluride
We are 100 percent locally owned and have been hosting guests here since 2006. Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we will match you to the right property and point you at the events worth building the week around.
Phone: 888-998-6471
Email: Send us a message
Office: 300 S Mahoney Drive, Unit C11, Telluride, CO 81435
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Event dates, times, and pricing are sourced from event organizers, the Town of Mountain Village, and Visit Telluride, and are accurate as of publication. Several 2026 dates had not been formally confirmed at publication. Outdoor events are weather dependent. Please verify directly with organizers before finalizing plans.