Tickets to Colorado’s Polar Express just went on sale, and they sell out every year
Sep 29, 2026, 3:45 PM
It’s still September, but the most competitive Christmas ticket in Colorado went on sale this morning, and they never last long.
The Polar Express Train Ride returns to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden this holiday season, and tickets opened to the public today. Museum members got first dibs starting Sept. 22, so some dates are already thinning out. The museum says it has sold out quickly every year from 2020 through 2025, and last season it was marked sold out well before the first performance. If you’re the type who says “we’ll grab tickets closer to Christmas,” this is your one warning.
It’s more than a train ride. It’s a three-part show. The night starts in a heated Polar Express Pavilion with holiday caroling, a live performance of the “Hot Chocolate” song and dance (with actual cocoa and cookies), and a dramatic re-enactment of the story. Then everyone boards an authentic steam train bound for the North Pole. Once the sleepy passengers get back, kids can visit Santa and get a photo. The season runs Nov. 6 through Dec. 23, with main shows at 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m. It runs several nights a week to start, then every night after Thanksgiving.
Standard tickets are $80 for kids ages 2 to 15 and $100 for everyone 16 and older, and lap riders under 2 ride free. Every ticket includes hot cocoa, a cookie and a Silver Bell. Shows before Thanksgiving are 10% off, which is the best deal of the season and also the reason those dates tend to go first. First Class is sold only as tables of four. Each table gets four ceramic Polar Express mugs, an ornament, a copy of the book and a First Class Silver Bell. New this year, a First Class Preferred Viewing option gets you center-stage seats in the Pavilion and the best view of the North Pole from the train.
If Golden sells out, and it will, there’s a scenic backup plan. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs its own Polar Express from Nov. 20 through Jan. 2, 2027, with tickets from $67 to $101. A vintage steam train leaves the Durango Depot for the North Pole, chefs serve hot chocolate and a treat during a reading of the book, and Santa hands every passenger the first gift of Christmas on the ride home. The railroad’s own website already says tickets are “selling fast for the 2026 season.” Either way, don’t wait. The North Pole has limited seating.
