On Nov. 13, the Acacia Park tree lighting will look a lot like it does every year: a choir singalong at 5, then the 6 p.m. lighting with city officials, sponsors and possibly Santa. What has changed is the street around it. Twenty-four new businesses opened downtown in 2026, and more than a dozen others are in the pipeline, according to the Downtown Partnership's annual update as reported by The Gazette.
Most of the holiday traditions still happen at the north end, near Acacia Park. A good share of the new businesses opened at the other end of Tejon, near Moreno Avenue and Weidner Field. If you only go to the tree lighting and the parade, you miss half of what's new downtown.
Where the season happens, and where the new businesses are
The Gazette described the openings as running along Tejon Street, "from its south end at Moreno Avenue to its north end at Colorado College." The same article notes that new and planned apartments are concentrated along downtown's southern and southwestern edges, near Weidner Field and the South Nevada corridor. Developers have permits for a second phase of Experience at Epicenter next to Weidner Field, which adds 410 apartments and another 12,000 square feet of retail space.
The holiday calendar is still built around the north end. The rink is at 115 E. Platte Ave. The tree lighting is at the Acacia Park bandshell. The Character Stroll and the Holiday Stroll both run along Tejon and Bijou. The Partnership has also been putting money into storefronts, with more than $330,000 in grants to 11 downtown businesses this year for signage, lighting, opening inventory and marketing.
Nov. 13 at the north end
Opening night starts with the Soli Deo Gloria Choir leading a caroling singalong at the bandshell from 5 to 5:45 p.m. The tree lighting follows at 6. Both are free. A public skate session runs from 5 to 7 p.m. for anyone who wants to stay on the ice.
Skate in the Park reopens Nov. 13, 2026, and runs through Jan. 31. Admission is $15 and includes skates. Active-duty military and first responders get $2 off, and kids 4 and under skate free with a paying adult. You can only buy tickets at the rink, and card payments carry a 3% processing fee.
A few blocks from the rink, two new businesses fit a winter evening. Stoney's Bar & Grill opened its first Colorado Springs location at 118 N. Tejon St. in early September. It's in the space Oskar Blues Bar & Grill left when it closed last December. Easy's Records & Vintage at 327 N. Tejon St. held its grand opening Sept. 10 and sells records and other vintage media, which makes it an easy place to pick up a gift on the way to the rink.
Here are the new and announced businesses this post covers, listed north to south, with what the sources confirm about each:
| Business | Address | What it is | Status as reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy's Records & Vintage | 327 N. Tejon St. | Records and vintage media | Grand opening Sept. 10 |
| Lolley's Ice Cream | 216 N. Tejon St. | Scratch-made, all-gluten-free ice cream | Announced in January; opening not confirmed |
| Stoney's Bar & Grill | 118 N. Tejon St. | Colorado-themed sports bar | Opened early September |
| Slice 420 Express | 107 N. Tejon St. | Late-night pizza by the slice | Planned; opening not confirmed |
| The Karaoke Studio | 324 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Ste. 140 | Private themed karaoke rooms with a bar | Aiming for early December |
| The Sportsbook Bar & Grill | 402 S. Tejon St., Ste. 100 | Full-service sports bar and restaurant | Grand opening June 5 |
| The Green Magick Vault | 514 S. Tejon St., inside COATI | Herbs, teas, botanical body care, crystals | Opened Sept. 1 |
| Ice Guys / Dice Guys | 29 E. Moreno Ave. | Homemade ice cream and a board game shop | Grand opening June 12 |
| Landmarks Coffee | 635 S. Sierra Madre St., Ste. 100 | Craft coffee, formerly a food truck | Opened in August |
South Tejon makes a second stop
Walk about 10 blocks south of the rink and downtown feels newer. The Green Magick Vault held its ribbon-cutting Sept. 1 inside COATI at 514 S. Tejon St. It sells herbs, teas, botanical body care and crystals. Check the hours before you plan a weekend stop around it. The shop's own site lists Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, and one Saturday each month for the Moon Market.
A block and a half away, Ice Guys / Dice Guys at 29 E. Moreno Ave. sells homemade ice cream alongside a board game shop. It held its grand opening in June. The Sportsbook Bar & Grill at 402 S. Tejon St. held its grand opening June 5 and lists a weekday happy hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Next to Weidner Field, Landmarks Coffee moved from a food truck into a permanent shop at 635 S. Sierra Madre St. in August. It's open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. That makes it the earliest new option in this post. Nearby, The Brit Pub has occupied the first two floors of Experience at Epicenter since October 2025.
The shopping contest rewards covering the whole street
From Nov. 6 through Dec. 13, the Downtown Partnership's Shop Local + Win Local campaign gives one entry for every $50 spent at eligible downtown retailers. There are five weekly $250 downtown prize packages and a $1,000 grand prize, sponsored by Bank of Colorado. Check the campaign details for which shops take part. With this many new businesses, the eligible list probably looks different from last year's.
Three more dates fall inside the contest window:
- Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Character Stroll, with character photos in Acacia Park and a stroll along Tejon and Bijou.
- Nov. 28, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Holiday Art & Gift Market at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, with more than 40 artisan vendors and free admission.
- Dec. 9, 5 to 8 p.m. The Holiday Stroll along Tejon and Bijou.
The Cozy Coach Downtown Jeep Tours run November through January. Each is a 20-minute ride past downtown's lights. A date night package adds two rink tickets, and the Holly, Jolly, Christmas Trolley runs Thursday through Sunday only.
Dec. 5 connects both ends of Tejon
The busiest Saturday of the season is Dec. 5. Go Elf Yourself at Benny's Lounge runs from 2 to 5 p.m. as a fundraiser for the Downtown Creative District. At 5:50 p.m. the 42nd Festival of Lights Parade starts on Tejon Street, according to the official parade site. The Downtown Partnership's parade page still showed the 2025 listing when this was written, so go by the parade site's date.
A parade on Tejon is the one holiday event that covers the same street as most of this year's openings. Arriving early from the south, with coffee or ice cream on South Tejon, uses the part of downtown the traditional evening skips.
The Karaoke Studio may also open around then. Its FAQ says it is "aiming for an Early December grand opening" at 324 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 140. It expects to open Thursday through Sunday afternoons and evenings, with longer weekend hours, and will post regular hours closer to opening. Each group gets its own themed room.
What's still unconfirmed
Not every name on downtown's 2026 list is confirmed open. Before planning a stop at any of these, check with the business:
- The Karaoke Studio has given early December as a target, with no specific date.
- Lolley's Ice Cream announced 216 N. Tejon St. in January and planned a spring opening. No source we found confirms it opened.
- Slice 420 Express at 107 N. Tejon St. was expected "before fall," according to an August report in Springs Magazine. We found no confirmation that it has opened.
- The Sportsbook and Ice Guys / Dice Guys both held June grand openings. We found no more recent reports on either, so check current hours before you go.
The year also saw closures. The Gazette's roundup lists Vine & Wheel, TILL Neighborhood Bistro & Bar, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar and 707 Pizza Co. among them.
Downtown's year of openings has changed what's within walking distance of Tejon. If you're wondering what this year means for your own place, Colorado Springs Collective can give you a clear, local read. Request your home valuation.
