A new month means a new City Cast Denver guide to the Mile High! From holiday shopping hacks and Christmas concerts to lots of seasonal singing and dancing, we’ve got you covered with festive things to see, do, and eat around Denver this December! Enjoy 🎄
🫖 Get Fancy and Festive at Afternoon Tea
Holiday season is high tea season! Nothing feels quite as festive as an afternoon cuppa complete with a towering selection of scones, biscuits, and finger sandwiches. If you’re looking for something cost-effective, check out Capital Tea. In the mood for a “pinkies out” vibe? The Brown Palace is your place. Are Insta-worthy aesthetics a must? Head to Babe’s Tea Room.
🕰️ Start Your Holiday Shopping on Antique Row
Up your gift-giving game this holiday season when you find something exceptionally unique along Denver’s very own Antique Row on South Broadway. Victorian-era furniture? Check. Vintage guitars? Check. First-edition books? CHECK!
🍻 Enjoy Something Silly with ‘Drunk Christmas’
Don’t miss this performance of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol,” presented with a ridiculous twist in which the on-stage performers grow increasingly inebriated. Audacious Immersive promises an evening of frivolous good-humored hilarity (21+). Browse multiple show dates throughout December at various Denver breweries and taprooms.
☕ Cozy Up With Some Hot Chocolate
Fend off the winter chills with a piping mug of hot chocolate from The Chocolate Therapist in Historic Downtown Littleton. Go for the sipping chocolate — which comes spiced, dark, or classic, plus vegan options! — then stay for the toffees, caramels, wines, and coffees 🤤
- Personal rec: Get yourself a bar of the “Blue Suede ‘Shews” featuring dark chocolate, blueberries, and cashews.
Get cozy! (Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images)
✨ Experience the Magic of Christmas in Color
This drive-thru light show is a dazzling holiday spectacle made cozy and convenient from the comfort of your car. Pack the whole family in for a cruise under this sweeping light display synchronized to holiday music that you can play right from your own vehicle’s sound system. Take your pick from pop-up locations at Water World, Red Rocks, or Arapahoe Fairgrounds.
🎵 Carol the Night Away with Colorado Symphony
Enjoy a sophisticated evening out at one of Colorado Symphony’s upcoming holiday concerts. Programming will feature beloved caroling standbys — singing along is encouraged 😉 — and maybe even a few new Christmastime faves.
💃 Try Your Hand at Contra Dancing
Channel your best Bridgerton vibes with European-inspired folk dancing through the Colorado Friends of Old Time Music and Dance. CFOOTMAD offers lessons and dance events at locations across Denver and Boulder. No partner or experience necessary! Just bring your dancing pants and get ready for a great time.
- Pro-tip: Also check out the group’s all-inclusive, gender-neutral contra dancing events, Hands Across Contra.
🎵 See the Legendary Sister Nancy Live
On Dec. 27, Denver’s Black Box music venue will host legendary Jamaican dancehall queen Sister Nancy for a live concert. Don’t think you know her? You’ve almost certainly heard her song “Bam Bam,” which is one of the most sampled Reggae songs of all time — but if you haven’t, the time is now! 😎
🌈 Be Merry and Gay with the Denver Gay Men's Chorus
For the Christmas music lovers out there, the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus brings the spirit of the season to life with its North Pole BriGAYde, covering all the holiday classics while serving as an “LGBTQ+ catalyst for change” through music. There are multiple performance dates at a variety of locations across Denver and Boulder.
