This year The Broadmoor will welcome visitors without a room reservation for 12 days between Monday, November 30, and Thursday, December 17. All 12 are Mondays through Thursdays, split across three consecutive weeks. That is the longest window locals have had in several seasons, and it starts the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend. Its end date matters as much. The last day for walk-in visitors is the day before the first Holiday Show, and from then on the hotel's holiday calendar is built around overnight guests and dining reservations.
For anyone in Broadmoor or the surrounding southwest side who counts a walk past the gingerbread display as part of December, the dates have changed enough over the years to be worth laying out side by side.
| Season | Access for non-overnight visitors | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Public access ended at 3 p.m. daily until after Christmas | KKTV |
| 2023 | Open to the public before Dec. 21, then limited to hotel guests, show attendees and diners | KKTV |
| 2024 | One window, Dec. 16 to Dec. 19 | Denver Gazette |
| 2025 | Mondays through Thursdays, through Dec. 18 | Denver Gazette |
| 2026 | Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, Dec. 7 to Dec. 10, Dec. 14 to Dec. 17 | The Broadmoor |
The Window Has Widened, but Only on Weekdays
In 2024 the resort gave non-overnight guests a single four-day stretch, December 16 through 19, according to the Denver Gazette. Last year the Denver Gazette reported visits on Mondays through Thursdays through December 18. The Broadmoor is owned by the Denver-based Anschutz Corp., which also owns the Gazette through Clarity Media Group, and the paper says so at the end of both articles.
The 2026 schedule on the resort's holiday FAQ keeps last year's weekday pattern and starts it on November 30. That gives three full Monday-through-Thursday blocks. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are outside the windows in every week of the season.
The weekday-only rule has a long history. In 2017, KKTV reported that the resort was nearly full, its dining was completely booked, and the property was at capacity. That year public access ended at 3 p.m. each day until after Christmas. The current FAQ explains the schedule as a way to share the season "while ensuring a positive and safe experience for all."
What a Weekday Visit Looks Like
Visitors without a reservation park in the garage. Valet is only for overnight guests and diners who have booked in advance. The resort's policies page lists visitor parking at $6 per half hour, up to $30 a day. A two-hour walk through the lobbies at that rate costs $24, which is close to a full day's maximum.
The FAQ also says that high demand will limit dining options throughout the property. Plan for a walk, not a walk followed by an unplanned dinner.
The size of the decorations makes a weekday afternoon worth it. When KKTV went behind the scenes in 2023, crews were putting up 20 Christmas trees and about a million lights across the Main, West and South areas, including the lobbies. According to the same report, outdoor tree decorating starts in August and the indoor work takes about two weeks.
The gingerbread display is the main reason many people come. The Denver Gazette traces the tradition to the 1960s and credits a team led by Executive Pastry Chef Franck Labasse, who sketches each design and keeps the plans to himself until the unveiling. The 2025 display drew on the Winter Olympics. Earlier versions included Santa in a golf cart for the U.S. Senior Open, Santa in a boat like the one on the resort's lake, Santa on a train like the one up Pikes Peak, and Santa in a vintage Cadillac like the one founder Spencer Penrose drove. The resort's month-by-month calendar lists the unveiling of the 2026 gingerbread creation among its November events.
The Season Starts on a Saturday Outside the Windows
The resort holds its White Lights Ceremony on Saturday, November 28, when "more than a million lights illuminate the night." The Soli Deo Gloria Concert is the same day. That Saturday also has the first Breakfast with Santa, with more seatings on December 13 and December 19 at 8:30, 9 or 9:30 a.m. Breakfast with Santa is for overnight guests and Golf Club members only. It requires a reservation and costs $85 per adult, $50 per child ages 3 to 10, and nothing for children 2 and under.
So the season opens on a weekend, and the first weekday window begins two days later. Golf Club member households can book the breakfasts. Everyone else visits on the weekdays that follow.
Dec. 18 Is When the Hotel Turns to Its Guests
The last local window closes Thursday, December 17. The Holiday Show runs December 18, 19 and 24. The lineup includes Julie Bradley, Derek Evilsizor, Amy Mushall, Amber Marek, Cheerish Martin, Miriam Roth, saxophonist Nelson Rangell and violinist Ilya Shpilberg. The show package includes one night's lodging and show tickets. It starts at $705 for double occupancy, with doors at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. The FAQ says the Holiday Shows, the New Year's Eve Gala and the Bash are available to anyone who books an overnight stay.
The resort's Twelve Days of Christmas runs from December 21 to January 3, with demonstrations, tastings, storytime and bingo. During that stretch a dining reservation is the main way in for locals who are not staying the night:
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: holiday specials at all Broadmoor restaurants, including a four-course menu for $112 plus a 20% service charge.
- Christmas Day Holiday Brunch: 10 a.m. in Broadmoor Hall, $145 per adult and $50 per child age 10 and under, plus a 20% service charge. Reservations are required.
- Groups of 12 or more: a three-course holiday dinner in The Penrose Room or Summit through November and December for $138 per person, plus a 26% service charge and sales tax.
- New Year's Eve Gala: December 31, packages from $1,075 double occupancy, doors at 7:30 p.m., dinner at 8 p.m. and dancing from 9:30 p.m. Drinks are not included.
For a household that wants Christmas week at the hotel, a booking with a date on it now does the job the open lobby did earlier in the month.
The Weekends Belong to the Mountain
Since the Broadmoor windows close Friday through Sunday, the weekends of the season shift a little farther up and down Cheyenne Mountain.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's Electric Safari runs nightly from December 4 through January 1, except Christmas Eve. This year it has 85 light sculptures across 50 acres and a new holiday drone show. Timed tickets must be bought in advance. The zoo's pricing calendar lists nonmember adult tickets from $19.75 to $24.75 depending on the date, with non-peak nights $5 cheaper. Members get in free on every date but still need to reserve in advance. That makes a Monday-through-Thursday Electric Safari visit the better value as well as the quieter option, so it can be paired with a weekday hotel visit in the same week.
At Cheyenne Mountain State Park, the Gazette's holiday roundup lists fresh-cut Christmas trees for $65 on November 28 through 30 and December 5 and 6. Tree recycling follows on December 30, January 2 and 3, and January 9 and 10, for a suggested $5 donation per tree. Both tree-sale weekends fall right before a Broadmoor weekday window, so a Saturday at the state park and the following Monday at the hotel line up.
The Lights Outlast the Lobby
The interior decorations come down after January 3. The exterior white lights stay up until March 1. The resort recommends a January or February staycation to enjoy them. That leaves about eight weeks of lights after the lobby décor is gone.
The dates to remember are November 30 to December 3, December 7 to 10, and December 14 to 17. Every one of them is a weekday, and the garage is the way in.
If you are thinking about owning a home within sight of those white lights, or about selling one, Trish Ingels brings more than 30 years of Broadmoor knowledge to every conversation. Request a private consultation whenever the timing is right for you.
