Denver Mayor Mike Johnston will ring in the holidays on Friday as he ceremonially lights the Mile High Tree, ushering in sky-high drone shows and the 25th version of the Christkindlmarket.
However, it will look a little different this year.
Due to a major construction project booting Christkindlmarket and the Mile High Tree out of their usual home at Civic Center park, the attractions have moved to the area around the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus, 1000 Larimer St. in Denver.
Organizers have told The Denver Post that the new location not only allows them to keep operating during Civic Center’s disruptions, but also expands visitor capacity in an area with plenty of parking, given its proximity to Ball Arena and LoDo.
The public tree lighting begins after Johnston’s 5 p.m. remarks on Friday, Nov. 21, followed by the 6 p.m. tapping of the keg to open Christindlmarket. Visit Denver leadership, emcee and CBS Colorado anchor Michael Spencer, and the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band will also be in attendance, according to a statement from Visit Denver, the city’s tourism arm.
The first Mile High Holidays Nightly Drone Show of the season begins at 7 p.m. Friday, with more shows running nightly through Dec. 31. Visit visitdenver.com/milehighholidays/holiday-events for a full schedule of public events, and visitdenver.com/milehighholidays/drone-shows for more information on the drone shows, which last about 10 to 15 minutes each.
The best viewing spots are at the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus; Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex; 54thirty Rooftop at the Le Méridien Denver Downtown; and Peaks Lounge at Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, Visit Denver said.
The Mile High Tree, a 110-foot-tall, 39-foot-diameter, 60,000-LED behemoth, “features nightly free public light shows choreographed to multicultural holiday music and accommodates up to 140 guests at a time for an immersive viewing experience within the tree,” Visit Denver wrote.
This year’s Christkindlmarket attractions also include a new glass ornament workshop and 42-foot diameter Herschell Carousel. The drone shows are being hosted in conjunction with Metropolitan State University of Denver.