The most expensive holiday seat in Lakewood this year is $71, for Canadian Brass or the Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers at Lakewood Cultural Center. A spot in line to see Santa at Lakewood Lights costs nothing. The city's own calendar fills almost everything in between, and it costs less than you might expect.
The City of Lakewood publishes a Holiday Events and Happenings page that runs from Nov. 6, 2026, through Jan. 11, 2027. It lists shows, classes, markets, a solstice hike and kids' camps at city-run venues: Lakewood Cultural Center, Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, Washington Heights Art Center and Bear Creek Lake Park. For a Green Mountain household, that means you can fill most of the season with city events. You don't need a drive downtown, and you rarely need a big ticket budget.
Here's the season, sorted by cost, starting with the free nights.
The free nights: Belmar on Nov. 20, Heritage Lakewood on Dec. 3
The season has two big community evenings, two weeks apart.
Belmar's Holiday Tree Lighting, Friday, Nov. 20. The event page runs it from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Plaza at Belmar, with the tree lit at 6. It's free, with crafts, Santa, wagon rides and shopping offers from participating businesses. The Holiday Shopping Stroll is the same day, so the stores are part of the evening.
Lakewood Lights, Thursday, Dec. 3. The city's Lakewood Lights runs 5 to 8 p.m. at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, 801 S. Yarrow St. You get a lighting ceremony, light displays around the grounds, live music, hot cocoa and an ornament-making table. If you have young kids, the Santa details decide your evening:
- Santa sits in his workshop inside the Heritage Lakewood Visitor Center from 3 to 8 p.m., two hours before the lighting starts.
- Visits from 3 to 5 p.m. are sensory friendly.
- Visits are free and first come, first served. Staff take your name and cell number and text you when it's your turn.
- The city says Santa can only see so many children in one night, so names go on the list only while space and time allow. Its advice is to arrive at the start of the evening.
Because of the text queue, you can sign up early, walk the displays and come back when your phone buzzes. The 3 p.m. start also gives families who want a quieter visit a clear window before the crowd arrives.
Two smaller free events round out this tier. Turkey Talk, a nature presentation about turkeys, runs Monday, Nov. 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Visitor Center Classroom at Bear Creek Lake Park, 15600 W. Morrison Road. The Holiday Arts and Pottery Sale is free to attend on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washington Heights Arts Center, 6375 W. 1st Ave.
$50 and under: a night hike, a woodcarving class and a youth Scrooge
The next tier costs about what a family dinner out would.
The cheapest ticketed event of the season is also the most unusual. On Monday, Dec. 21, Bear Creek Lake Park leads a Winter Solstice guided night hike from 6 to 8 p.m., starting at the Visitor Center Amphitheater. It's open to all ages and costs $5. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so the timing is the whole point.
Industrial Dance Alliance brings Scrooge to Lakewood Cultural Center for two nights. On Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., students perform their version of the show. On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m., the company performs. Tickets are $27.99, or $17 for children and youth, with fees included. A family of four with two kids would pay about $90 in total. One premium Nutcracker seat costs $68.
The city's CivicRec catalog lists a Holiday Woodcarving session on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Washington Heights Art Center. It's for ages 18 and up and costs $50. The city's holiday roundup lists a woodcarving workshop on Nov. 15 instead, so check the catalog for the date before you plan around it.
At Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, the roundup also lists Holiday Scents and Soapmaking on Dec. 8 and a Holiday Craft Tea on Dec. 19. Book both through the city's catalog.
The ticketed stage at 470 S. Allison Parkway
Most of the season's big performances are at one building, Lakewood Cultural Center.
| Show | Dates and times | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers: Be of Good Cheer | Dec. 5 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. | $36 to $71 |
| Ballet Ariel's The Nutcracker | Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 12 at 2 and 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. | $44, $56 or $68, including a $6 fee |
| Canadian Brass | Dec. 16 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. | $36 to $71 |
Ballet Ariel calls this year's Nutcracker a new production. It follows Clara from the holiday party through the Land of Snow to the Sugar Plum Fairy Castle, set to Tchaikovsky's score, and group discounts are available. Its four performances fall on the same weekend as the free pottery sale at Washington Heights. You could see the 2 p.m. Saturday show and shop the sale earlier that day.
The Canadian Brass matinee on Wednesday, Dec. 16, is the only weekday-afternoon show on the list. That makes it the easiest one for retirees, or for anyone who would rather skip a December evening drive.
The Lakewood Arts Council members' show and the Winter Salon also hang at the center from November into January. Every piece in the Winter Salon is priced under $500. Get there early for a show and you can browse the galleries before the doors open.
Gifts that stay local: four places to shop and one church fair
Lakewood's holiday shopping, like its events, is mostly run by the city or by local makers.
- Holiday Pop Up Market, Lakewood Cultural Center Corner Gallery. This season the city added a second shop in the cultural center lobby, with a focus on artisan work. It opens Nov. 6. The market's own page lists Nov. 23 as the last day, but the city's holiday roundup runs it through Dec. 23. Call ahead before a late-December trip.
- Museum Store at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. Open all year, it sells gifts, retro toys and souvenirs tied to the 20th century. If you're there for Lakewood Lights, it's an easy stop.
- Belmar's Winter Shop Edition and Holiday Shop Edition at Lakewood Social House. Belmar's events calendar lists Nov. 3 to 22 for the Winter Shop Edition and Dec. 1 to 24 for the Holiday Shop Edition. Both feature holiday goods from local makers.
- St. Joseph Episcopal Church Holiday Craft Fair. The church's 2026 craft fair is Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The page doesn't list an address or admission price, so check with the church before you go.
- Holiday Arts and Pottery Sale, Washington Heights Arts Center. Free to attend on Dec. 12, as noted above.
Three weekends that stack up
The calendar has a few dense stretches where one trip covers several events.
Nov. 13 and 14. Scrooge plays Friday night and Saturday evening. St. Joseph's craft fair fills Saturday daytime. The Pop Up Market and Belmar's Winter Shop Edition are both open by then.
Dec. 3 to 6. Lakewood Lights is Thursday. The Snow Ball, an afternoon event for adults 55 and older, is Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. Its event page places it at Lakewood Link Recreation Center, while the city roundup lists Clements Community Center, and registration had not posted when the page was last updated. On the weekend, the Stocking Stuffers play three times, and the woodcarving session is Saturday afternoon if the Dec. 5 date holds.
Dec. 11 to 13. The Nutcracker runs four times, and the pottery sale fills Saturday daytime.
Families with school-age kids should also note the city's camps. Thanksgiving Break Camps run Nov. 23 to 25 and Winter Break Camps run Dec. 28 to 31, both at Lakewood Cultural Center and Heritage Lakewood. Turkey Talk at Bear Creek Lake Park falls on the first afternoon of the Thanksgiving camps.
Add it all up and a Green Mountain household could do the tree lighting, Lakewood Lights, Turkey Talk, the pottery sale and the solstice hike for the price of one $5 hike ticket per person. Ballet Ariel or Canadian Brass would be the splurge on top.
Planning a December move or a spring listing and want to sort out timing around a full holiday calendar? Brian Harvey at Green Mountain Lakewood is glad to talk through what makes sense for your household. Let's Connect.
