The two dates that matter most for the Highlands Ranch holidays this year come in October. On Monday, Oct. 19 at 10 a.m., tickets go on sale for the Colorado Symphony musicians playing inside the decorated Highlands Ranch Mansion. One week later, on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., tickets open for The Denver Brass at Southridge Recreation Center.
Almost everything else on the 2026 holiday calendar is free, with no ticket sale to watch. That includes the hayrides at the Mansion, Santa at Town Center, the gift fair at Eastridge and the tree lighting. The handful of events that do need a ticket are the smaller indoor performances, and their on-sale dates come six to nine weeks before the music starts. If you want those seats, start planning this month. For the rest, a free Saturday is enough.
Here is the season in the order you'll need to act on it.
The Ticketed Shows and When They Open
All four holiday performances run through the Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association, which brings cultural events to the community with support from the Scientific Cultural Facilities District. Tickets for the first three shows are sold through Eventbrite links on the HRCA holiday events page, and the Denver Brass sale link points back to that same page.
| Performance | Date | Venue | Ticket status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutcracker Highlights, International Youth Ballet | Nov. 20–22, four shows | Southridge Rec Center, 4800 McArthur Ranch Rd. | On sale now |
| Swingin' the Holidays, holiday jazz | Wed., Dec. 2, 6:30–8 p.m. | Not listed on the HRCA page | On sale now |
| Classical Concert at the Mansion, Colorado Symphony members | Tue., Dec. 15, 6:30–8 p.m. | Highlands Ranch Mansion, 9950 E Gateway Dr. | Opens Mon., Oct. 19, 10 a.m. |
| Sounds of the Season, The Denver Brass | Mon., Dec. 21 and Tue., Dec. 22, 6:30–8 p.m. | Southridge Rec Center, 4800 McArthur Ranch Rd. | Opens Mon., Oct. 26, 10 a.m. |
Nutcracker Highlights is the one built for kids. It's a one-hour version of the ballet, short enough for young audiences, and every child goes home with a Nutcracker gift. Shows run Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m.
Swingin' the Holidays features vocalist Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield, a jazz and soul singer on the University of Denver faculty, with the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra Trio on saxophone, guitar and drums. HRCA bills it as a family-friendly mix of holiday favorites and classic jazz.
The Mansion concert pairs solo voice and a string quartet with bassoon, horn and clarinet, performed in the Mansion while it's decorated for the season. The Denver Brass show is the last event of the season, held just days before Christmas, with carols and fanfares at Southridge.
HRCA hasn't published ticket prices or past sell-out history for these concerts. What it has published is the exact hour each sale opens, and for anyone attending rather than selling, those two Mondays in October are the only fixed deadlines on the season's calendar.
November 14 Is a Two-Stop Saturday
The first free event of the season shares a morning with a chore, and the two fit together well.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, HRCA's Holiday Gift Fair fills Eastridge Recreation Center at 9568 University Blvd. Admission is free, and the listing gives no advance-booking window.
That same morning, from 8 a.m. to noon, the Highlands Ranch Metro District runs its yard-waste composting and tree-limb recycling drop-off in the middle lot at Redstone Park, near the playground. If your fall cleanup left a pile of branches by the side yard, you can drop them at Redstone before noon and still have the whole afternoon for the gift fair. The fair also comes a week before Nutcracker weekend, so it's the season's first chance to shop locally before the ticketed events start.
December 5 at the Mansion Starts in a School Parking Lot
The Holiday Celebration at the Mansion is the season's biggest free event. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, hosted by the Highlands Ranch Metro District. The schedule includes horse-drawn hayrides, Santa Claus, face painting, school choir performances, Nutcracker selections danced by local performers, holiday story times, reindeer games on the lawn and booth vendors. Volunteer docents will be on hand for self-guided tours of the house, and food trucks will sell food and drinks.
Getting there is the part to plan for. When the Mansion first posted the event in January, the off-site parking location was still listed as "to be determined." The Metro District's current event listing now names the location, and it's the same plan as 2025:
- Park in the west lot at Mountain Vista High School, the student parking lot.
- Shuttle buses start running to the Mansion at 9:30 a.m., half an hour before the event opens.
- Parking at the Mansion itself is limited to vehicles with disability placards or license plates.
According to Macaroni KID Highlands Ranch's 2025 event listing, last year's celebration used the same Mountain Vista west lot and the same 9:30 a.m. shuttle start, so anyone who went last year already knows the routine. Questions go to the Metro District at 303-791-0430 or [email protected].
You can see the Mansion two very different ways this December. On Dec. 5 it's free and open all day for anyone who rides the shuttle. Ten days later, on Dec. 15, it's a ticketed evening concert for a seated audience. That's the same building and the same decorations, and only the second visit depends on what you did on Oct. 19.
December 12 Moves the Season to Town Center
A week after the Mansion, the season moves to Hometown Holiday. HRCA's afternoon event and tree lighting runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 at Highlands Ranch Town Center, 9315 Dorchester St. It's free and open to the public.
The setup differs from the Mansion in a few practical ways:
- Parking: HRCA lists free parking nearby, and Link on Demand transportation is also available. No shuttle lot is involved.
- Weather: The event is entirely outdoors and will be canceled only in severe weather, so dress for a December afternoon at dusk.
- Food and drink: Food trucks and vendors sell food, a cash bar serves seasonal drinks and checks IDs, and kids get hot cocoa.
- The main event: Santa photos, a holiday gift market, live music and holiday games build up to the lighting ceremony.
The gift market is still filling up. HRCA is taking vendor applications from handcrafters, food vendors and local businesses through Nov. 30. Fees are $100 for handcrafters, $150 for food vendors and $300 for businesses and community organizations. Event planners review the applications, and acceptance isn't guaranteed. If you make holiday décor or treats at home, Nov. 30 is your deadline. The Metro District is also looking for vendors for the Mansion celebration, especially crafters selling holiday gifts, through its community event registration page.
The Week Before Christmas, and the Tree Afterward
From Dec. 12 on, the season is mostly back indoors. The Denver Brass plays Southridge on Dec. 21 and 22 for anyone who bought tickets after they opened on Oct. 26.
The last date on the calendar hasn't been set yet. The Metro District's community events schedule lists Christmas tree recycling between December 2026 and January 2027 at Redstone, Toepfer and Dad Clark parks, with exact dates still to be announced. Redstone shows up at both ends of the season. It takes yard waste in mid-November, and it's one of the three drop-off sites for trees once the holidays are over.
Here's the full calendar in one place:
- Mon., Oct. 19, 10 a.m.: Mansion concert tickets go on sale
- Mon., Oct. 26, 10 a.m.: Denver Brass tickets go on sale
- Sat., Nov. 14: Yard-waste drop-off at Redstone Park, 8 a.m. to noon; Holiday Gift Fair at Eastridge, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Nov. 20–22: Nutcracker Highlights at Southridge
- Mon., Nov. 30: Hometown Holiday vendor applications close
- Wed., Dec. 2: Swingin' the Holidays
- Sat., Dec. 5: Holiday Celebration at the Mansion, with shuttles from Mountain Vista High School starting at 9:30 a.m.
- Sat., Dec. 12: Hometown Holiday and tree lighting at Town Center, noon to 5 p.m.
- Tue., Dec. 15: Classical Concert at the Mansion
- Dec. 21–22: Sounds of the Season at Southridge
- December–January, dates TBD: Christmas tree recycling at Redstone, Toepfer and Dad Clark parks
Hosting family this year and trying to plan around these dates? I'm always glad to talk through what's going on in Highlands Ranch, whether it's a holiday weekend or a bigger plan for next year. Melissa Smessaert is here when you're ready to Schedule a Consultation.
