Today is September 1, which means we have officially entered my favorite part of the year: the BER months.
September. October. November. December.
I LOVE this time of year.
The weather finally starts cooling down—which, frankly, makes me a much nicer person. 😂 The kids are back in school (yes, a schedule!). Colorado starts showing off. And suddenly there are pumpkin patches, fall festivals, outdoor movies, Halloween festivities, holiday markets, Christmas lights and approximately one million reasons to get out of the house.
Our family also has something like 13 birthdays between October 24 and January 3, so these four months are not exactly quiet around here. But somehow they still feel like the time of year when life slows down a little. Dinner gets cozier. Weekends feel more intentional. And there is always something fun to look forward to.
So, in honor of the official beginning of the BER months, I went looking for things happening around the south Denver metro area that we can actually put on our calendars now.
Some require tickets. Some are completely free. Some happen once. Others give you weeks to find a free Saturday and go.
Because sometimes I am a plan-it-six-weeks-in-advance person.
And sometimes I am a what-the-heck-are-we-doing-today? person.
Here are 20 things already announced for September through December 2026 that look worth adding to the calendar.
💗 = something I'm especially hoping to get to myself.
SEPTEMBER 🍂
We're not technically in fall yet, but I'm declaring it fall anyway.
💗 1. Castle Pines Drive-In Movie
September 19 | Castle Pines | Get tickets HERE
This one is already officially on our family calendar—we bought our tickets!
Castle Pines is turning the future Soaring Hawk Park into a drive-in theater for a showing of Zootopia 2. Parking begins at 5:30 p.m., with the movie starting at 7 p.m.
I remember going to the Drive-In as a kid in my jammies with popcorn and having the best time so I LOVE that Castle Pines makes this an option for families in 2026.
Good to know: Tickets are $10 per vehicle, so this is one I'd reserve ahead.
2. Centennial Chalk Art Festival
September 12 | The Streets at SouthGlenn, Centennial | Get all the Deets HERE
Nearly 100 artists will transform the sidewalks at The Streets at SouthGlenn into giant chalk masterpieces, with live music, local vendors, restaurants and a children's market happening around them.
It's free, runs from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and is exactly the kind of thing you can decide to do Saturday morning without having planned your entire life around it.
3. Castle Rock Artfest
September 12–13 | Downtown Castle Rock | Full Details HERE
More than 100 artists, live entertainment and a full weekend wandering downtown Castle Rock.
This is a great grown-ups activity, date activity OR bring-the-kids-and-see-how-long-they-last activity.
4. Highlands Ranch Oktoberfest
September 26 | Highlands Ranch Town Center | Learn ALL About it HERE
German food, live music, beer, stein-hoisting and a full afternoon/evening Oktoberfest celebration.
There is also an Oktoberfest 5K that morning if you are the kind of person who likes to earn your pretzel.
I personally prefer to simply purchase my pretzel. 😂
5. Parker Fall Fest
September 26 | O'Brien Park, Parker | Get the FULL Rundown HERE
Parker's Fall Fest runs from 4–7:30 p.m. and includes an artisan market, children's entrepreneurial market, activities, food and plenty of fall atmosphere.
Even better: admission is free.
🍁 SEPTEMBER BONUS:
Lone Creek Farms Fall Festival opens September 25 in Franktown and runs Thursday–Sunday through November 1.
Which brings us to...
OCTOBER 🎃
Colorado's annual reminder that we live in an exceptionally pretty place.
If September is the warm-up, October is when I become completely insufferable about fall.
Pumpkins. Sweaters. VESTS! Cooler mornings. Leaves. Halloween.
I want all of it.
💗 6. Lone Creek Farms Fall Festival + Pumpkin Patch
September 25–November 1 | Franktown | Get Your Tickets HERE
After doing Chatfield Farms for the past several years—and genuinely loving it—I think this may be the year our family tries somewhere new.
Lone Creek Farms has a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hayrides, farm animals, pig races, zip lines, jumping areas and more than 20 attractions.
It's family-owned, it's practically in our backyard, and I have a feeling my girls are going to lose their minds over the pig races.
No advance reservation is required, which I also LOVE because October calendars have a tendency to implode.
ALSO WORTH KNOWING: The Patch in Elizabeth is another fantastic-looking option if you want to make a real day of it, with a four-acre corn maze, hayrides, animals, jumping pillow, apple cannons and plenty more.
💗 7. Bright Nights at Four Mile
Through November 8 | Four Mile Historic Park, Denver | Tickets Available HERE
This is my “worth driving north” pick.
Bright Nights transforms Four Mile Historic Park with enormous illuminated lantern installations. It's an evening experience rather than another daytime pumpkin festival, which makes it a completely different kind of fall outing.
And because it runs through November 8, you have plenty of chances to find a night that works instead of trying to cram everything into one October weekend.
Tickets are available now.
8. Lone Tree Fall Festival at Schweiger Ranch
October 4 | Schweiger Ranch, Lone Tree | Details HERE
This one sounds wonderfully old-fashioned.
Pumpkin picking, marshmallow roasting, storytelling, a petting zoo, crafts, carriage rides and the chance to explore historic Schweiger Ranch.
It runs 11 a.m.–3 p.m., making it an easy Sunday fall outing without sacrificing the entire day.
9. Sip in Centennial
October 17 | Centennial Center Park | Purchase Tasting Ticket HERE
And here's one for the adults.
Sip in Centennial brings Colorado breweries and distilleries together with live music and food trucks from 1–5 p.m.
Admission to the event itself is free; adults 21+ can purchase a tasting card if they want to participate in the beverage tastings.
💗 10. Castle Pines Fall Festival, Trick-or-Treat Street + Pumpkin Race
October 24 | Village Square, Castle Pines | Full Details Found HERE
This one feels like a no-brainer for us.
Trick-or-treating, pumpkins, a petting zoo, the farmers market and—perhaps most importantly—a pumpkin race.
If you've never watched people send decorated pumpkins careening downhill, perhaps this is the year.
NOVEMBER 🦃🎄
Halloween ends and I immediately become a Christmas person.
There are people who believe Christmas should patiently wait until after Thanksgiving.
I respect those people.
I am not one of them.
November is when Colorado starts flipping the switch from fall to full holiday mode, and several of the big traditions begin BEFORE Thanksgiving.
💗 11. Blossoms of Light
Begins November 20 | Denver Botanic Gardens | Check Out Tickets HERE
This is one of those Colorado holiday traditions that deserves its reputation.
The gardens become an enormous immersive light display, and because it runs well beyond opening weekend, you can choose a night that actually works for your family.
12. Trail of Lights
Begins November 21 | Chatfield Farms, Littleton | Get All the Info HERE
If downtown Denver feels like too much of an undertaking, this is such a good south-metro alternative.
Chatfield Farms lights up the historic farm and surrounding cottonwoods, with fire pits, hot chocolate and all the cozy Christmas things.
This one runs through early January, so there is plenty of flexibility.
13. Castle Rock Starlighting
November 21 | Downtown Castle Rock | Check it Out HERE
If you've never watched the Castle Rock Star light up for the holidays, put this one on the list.
The celebration runs from 2–6 p.m. with Santa and Mrs. Claus, entertainment, hot chocolate and vendors before the Star is officially lit. Weather permitting, fireworks follow.
It's wonderfully old-school small-town Christmas—and one of the things that makes this area feel particularly magical during the holidays.
14. Parker's Holiday Season Kickoff
Thanksgiving Weekend | Parker | Get All the Info HERE
Parker's Ice Trail at Discovery Park is scheduled to open November 27, followed by the beginning of Parker's Hometown Holiday Experience on November 28.
This is another one I love because it isn't a single-day commitment. You can put it in the back of your mind and pull it out when you suddenly find yourself with a free December afternoon.
15. Denver Christkindlmarket
Begins November 20 | Denver | Check it Out HERE
Yes, we're leaving the south metro again.
But for hot spiced drinks, European-style market stalls, lights, food and an excuse to feel like you briefly transported yourself to Germany without buying a plane ticket, I'll allow it.
This is another go-when-it-works activity rather than a one-day event, which earns it a spot on my list.
DECEMBER 🎄✨
My natural habitat.
At this point I have completely stopped pretending to be normal about Christmas.
December calendars fill FAST, so I particularly like having a mix of ticketed events that require some planning and completely free things where we can just show up.
💗 16. Englewood Holiday Express
December 4–5 + December 11–12 | Belleview Park, Englewood | Tickets on Sale October 5th!
I hadn't had this one on my radar before, and it sounds ADORABLE.
Belleview Park transforms into a winter wonderland with lights, s'mores, crafts, unlimited train rides and visits with Santa.
Tickets are $15 per person, with kids under two free. Tickets go on sale October 5 for Englewood residents and October 7 for everyone else, so this is exactly the kind of thing worth knowing about now.
17. Lone Tree Merry Days
December 4–6 | Lone Tree Arts Center + around Lone Tree | Get Your Info HERE
Three days of holiday festivities kick off with the city's Holiday Tree Lighting and continue with community events throughout the weekend.
If you're looking for something close to home without driving downtown, put this weekend on the calendar.
💗 18. Holiday Celebration at the Highlands Ranch Mansion
December 5 | Highlands Ranch | Information Found HERE
Christmas + a historic mansion?
You have my attention.
The annual celebration includes Santa, horse-drawn hayrides, choirs, Mansion tours, crafts and other holiday activities.
This is precisely the kind of Christmas outing that I am incapable of resisting.
19. Reindeer Games
December 5 | Philip S. Miller Park, Castle Rock | Check It Out HERE
This is one for families with younger kids: Santa, hot chocolate, games, train and hay rides, and plenty of Christmas activities.
It's an easy afternoon outing and another good option if you don't want every December activity to involve driving into Denver.
💗 20. Storytellers & S'mores
December 12 | Festival Park, Castle Rock | FREE Event Details HERE
Santa and friends reading Christmas stories from a giant storyteller chair.
Fire pits.
S'mores.
Hot chocolate.
Honestly, I'm not sure what else I need to say.
And this is only the beginning...
The crazy thing is that it's only September 1.
More fall festivals, holiday markets, Santa experiences, light displays and Christmas events will be announced over the next few months, so I'll keep adding to this list as we get closer.
But I love having something to look forward to.
Maybe you're the person buying December tickets in September.
Maybe you'll screenshot this and completely forget about it until a Saturday morning when your kids are climbing the walls.
Both are acceptable uses of this list.
And if there's a fall or holiday tradition your family absolutely loves that I missed, please send it to me. I'm always looking for another excuse to add something festive to our calendar.
Happy BER months. 🍂🎃🦃🎄
We made it!!!