At 11 a.m. on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tava House opens its doors for its first holiday season. The building at 120 S. Center St. opened in May 2026 and held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Oct. 17. From Nov. 28 through Dec. 6, it hosts more of the town's holiday calendar than any other single address.
The Pikes Peak Courier's Mountain of Art column counts "more than a week of FREE artology in Woodland Park from Nov. 28 through Dec. 6." That's nine days. Read in order, they move from one building on Center Street out to the full length of US 24. The first weekend happens inside, a Friday evening moves it outdoors, and the Saturday parade takes over the highway.
The first weekend happens indoors, and most of it at Tava House
The Saturday after Thanksgiving brings art fairs, maker's markets and art shows to three stops, according to the Courier: Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church, Tava House and the Ute Pass Cultural Center.
At Tava House, the event is a free Makers Market on Nov. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., selling handmade gifts, crafts, art, jewelry and products from local small businesses. Across town at the Ute Pass Cultural Center, 210 E. Midland Ave., the 2026 Woodland Park Holiday Show is listed for the same day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission. That listing comes from a general event directory, so check the hours with the cultural center before you plan your morning around them.
Sunday stays at Tava House. Artists Sunday is an international day for celebrating the arts during the holiday shopping season, and Reserve Our Gallery hosts Woodland Park's version. This year a "Small Brew Sunday" joins it. Tava House's listing gives the details:
- When: Nov. 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Where: the River Room at Tava House
- Artists: demonstrations from eight local artists, plus a pop-up gift shop and gallery brought in by Reserve Our Gallery
- Beer: a flight from four breweries for $8
Why one building can carry a whole weekend
A single address can host two straight days of holiday events because of how Tava House is built. Its owner describes four venues under one roof: the Taproom, Firebrand Chophouse, Bar Above the Clouds and the River Room. The Oct. 17 grand opening also opened a Woodland Park Art Gallery location in the River Room and unveiled a community mural.
That's why the Artists Sunday plan works there. The demonstrations, the gift shop and the brewery flight share one building, with a dining room and two bars a few steps away. The Courier calls the pairing "brew and artist demonstrations at one stop." If you're bringing family who come up for Thanksgiving and stay through the weekend, you can spend Saturday and Sunday in one walkable spot just off Center Street without moving the car.
Dec. 1 closes the long way home through the forest
Between the two weekends, the National Forest changes. Starting Dec. 1, the Pike-San Isabel National Forests' annual order bars motor vehicles from Rampart Range Road, Forest Service Road 300, and the current order runs through April 1, 2027. If you've been using the last open weeks of fall for a drive on Rampart Range Road, you have until the end of November. The Forest Service closure notice was last updated May 1, 2026, so check its alerts page before heading out.
That leaves the second half of the stretch in town, and it starts moving outdoors on Friday.
Dec. 4 takes the art walk out to the tree lighting
The First Friday Art Walk on Dec. 4 has an "Elf on the Shelf" theme. Find the elf at each stop and you get extra entries in the door prize drawing. Tava House is a stop again, open for the walk from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Courier says the same night is the City of Woodland Park's annual tree-lighting ceremony. Its column adds that "if the city has it again, the annual Winter Day in the Park happens that day, too." Last year's Winter Day in the Park and the official tree lighting were held together at Memorial Park on Dec. 5, 2025, according to a city notice. For this year's time and location, watch woodlandpark.gov as the date gets closer.
On this night, the art walk and the city's own tradition share the evening, so you can see the galleries and the tree on one trip downtown. From 4 to 7 p.m., the Tava House stop is open while the light fades on a December evening.
Dec. 5 belongs to US 24
Saturday is the fullest day of the nine, and it ends with the whole town on the highway.
| Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Pancake breakfast with Santa, with art activities for kids, by the Ute Pass Kiwanis | Venue to be confirmed |
| 2 to 4 p.m. | "Value of White Art Celebration," an afternoon of "snowballs, sweet and spirited" | Reserve Our Gallery |
| 6 p.m. | Lights Above the Clouds Parade | US 24 |
| After the parade | Awards ceremony and after-party | Ute Pass Cultural Center |
The Kiwanis breakfast has moved around over the years. The city's calendar listed the 2024 Breakfast With Santa in the main room of the Ute Pass Cultural Center from 8 to 11 a.m. Check this year's details with the Ute Pass Kiwanis before you set an alarm.
The Lights Above the Clouds Parade is the event the rest of the stretch has been building toward. The Courier describes more than 50 floats over about an hour. Because it runs that long, "Warm Your Bum Fires" burn along the route. Afterward, the awards ceremony moves to the Ute Pass Cultural Center with singing and cookies. The evening also has a crazy hat contest, and this year's hats are meant to celebrate America's 250th anniversary. If you want to enter, decorate your hat before you leave the house.
For timing your drive, last year's closure is the best guide. The city's 2025 parade notice ran the route along Highway 24 from Highway 67 to E. Grace Avenue. US 24 closed in both directions shortly before the 6 p.m. start, and so did the streets that cross it. That notice named the Lights Above the Clouds Committee as organizer and gave [email protected] for float entries. Last year's notice went up on Nov. 17, so watch for this year's route and closure times before you plan a Saturday evening errand across town.
That closure is why the day is laid out the way it is. Plan the breakfast and the afternoon at Reserve Our Gallery ahead of the closure, and save the cultural center for after the last float passes. The after-party is at 210 E. Midland Ave., just off the route.
Dec. 6 ends the stretch indoors
The last event is the quietest. The Woodland Park Wind Symphony plays its holiday concert on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. at the Nazarene Church.
The nine days end the way their first weekend did, with people indoors on a Sunday afternoon. The difference is the setting. The opening weekend was about Tava House, a new building still finding its place in the town's calendar. The closing concert belongs to a community ensemble the Courier calls a "time-honored special event." In between, the stretch goes from a market on Center Street to a tree lighting, then to fifty-some floats on the highway, and back inside for a 4 p.m. downbeat.
The nine days at a glance
- Sat., Nov. 28: Makers Market at Tava House, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus the holiday show at the Ute Pass Cultural Center and a stop at Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church
- Sun., Nov. 29: Artists Sunday and Small Brew Sunday in the River Room at Tava House, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tue., Dec. 1: Rampart Range Road closes to motor vehicles for the winter
- Fri., Dec. 4: First Friday Art Walk with the "Elf on the Shelf" theme, Tava House open 4 to 7 p.m., and the city tree lighting
- Sat., Dec. 5: Kiwanis pancake breakfast with Santa, Reserve Our Gallery from 2 to 4 p.m., and the Lights Above the Clouds Parade at 6 p.m.
- Sun., Dec. 6: Woodland Park Wind Symphony at the Nazarene Church, 4 p.m.
Thinking about putting your Woodland Park home on the market in the spring? The weeks between the parade and the new year are a good time to find out where it stands. Robin Chambon Kerr has lived in this area her whole life and can walk you through what homes near downtown and along the US 24 corridor are bringing right now. When you're ready, Colorado Springs Collective is glad to help you request your home valuation.
