COLORADO NEWS

Going to 9NEWS Parade of Lights in Denver? Here’s what you need to know

Dec 4, 2025, 4:43 PM | Updated: Dec 5, 2025, 2:15 pm

For the 51st time, downtown Denver will host a parade to kick off the holiday season. The 9NEWS Parade of Lights is Saturday night. If you’re headed downtown, here is what you need to know before you go…

You’ll see 40 illuminated floats, helium-filled character balloons, marching bands, equestrian units and cultural entries and a special appearance from Santa Claus all starting in front of the spectacularly-lit Denver City and County Building before snaking through downtown Denver on a two-mile parade route.

The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. Spectators can get the best seats by purchasing grandstand seating directly in front of the City and County Building. A limited number of grandstand tickets can be found on the Parade of Lights website.

You can also stay home and watch on 9NEWS, the 9NEWS+ streaming app (for Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV) as well as on 9NEWS.com and the 9NEWS mobile app.

Here’s a map of the parade route…

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Going to 9NEWS Parade of Lights in Denver? Here’s what you need to know