Bancroft Park sits at 2408 W. Colorado Ave., the east end of the Old Colorado City shopping blocks. Its log cabin is where Santa takes photos. From the Saturday after Thanksgiving through Dec. 23, that one park hosts the Christmas Stroll, four weekends of Santa photos, a First Friday opening night and 16 days of a German Christmas market.
That calendar is bigger than last year's. The OCC Christkindlmarket opened in December 2025 with 10 handcrafted wooden huts. For 2026 its organizers promise twice as many huts, a closed-off side street and a larger heated tent. Put that next to the Stroll and the holiday season on West Colorado Avenue runs for nearly four weeks instead of one Saturday. It also runs on a different street. Since early summer the avenue through the district has carried one through-lane each way plus a center turn lane, with new crossings and new metered stalls near 24th Street, right at the park's end of the district.
Nov. 28 opens the season
The Christmas Stroll is set for Saturday, Nov. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. Live reindeer, fire pits and cocoa run during those same three hours. Santa photos at the Bancroft Park Cabin start earlier and run noon to 8 p.m.
The parking that evening is easier than usual. The City of Colorado Springs lists Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, as a free-meter day, and the Stroll's organizer advertises free parking for the event. No other Saturday this season has free meters.
Santa stays on after the Stroll. The cabin offers photos from noon to 4 p.m. on Nov. 29 and on the weekends of Dec. 5–6, Dec. 12–13 and Dec. 19–20. Those are the same weekends the market is open, so one trip to the park can cover both.
A market that doubled in its second December
The market is run by the German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter, the group behind Denver's Christkindlmarket for 25 years. Its stated plan for Old Colorado City is a cozier, smaller version that leans on local vendors, artists and performers. Admission is free.
What's in the park for 2026:
- Wimberger's Old World Bakery, which brings German holiday baking.
- Stein Haven, whose owner, Daniel, continues his father's business of selling authentic German beer steins.
- Würzpott, which sells spice blends made in Waiblingen, Germany.
- The Bank of America Alpenhütte, a heated, ski-themed tent with a bar, open seating and a stage for daily entertainment. It's bigger this year.
The market's full vendor list goes beyond those three. Its music lineup is free, and Krampus Nacht is one of its special event days.
The heated tent is what makes 16 days in December practical. With seating, a bar and a stage under cover, a Tuesday evening visit works about as well as a Saturday afternoon.
The calendar, day by day
The market runs noon to 8 p.m. on every listed date. Here is how the rest of the district's December lines up around it.
| Date | Day | What's on at or near Bancroft Park |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 28 | Saturday | Christmas Stroll 4–7 p.m., Santa noon–8 p.m., free meters |
| Nov. 29 | Sunday | Santa noon–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 4 | Friday | Market opens; First Friday ArtWalk 5–8 p.m. |
| Dec. 5–6 | Sat–Sun | Market; Santa noon–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 9–11 | Wed–Fri | Market |
| Dec. 12–13 | Sat–Sun | Market; Santa noon–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 16–18 | Wed–Fri | Market |
| Dec. 19–20 | Sat–Sun | Market; Santa noon–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 21–23 | Mon–Wed | Market's final three days |
Dec. 4 is the date to circle. The market opens on the same evening as the December First Friday ArtWalk, a free, self-guided walk through galleries, open studios, shops and eateries on West Colorado Avenue between 17th and 31st streets, with live artist demonstrations. From 5 to 8 p.m. that night the whole length of the district is open, not just the park.
The market is closed Dec. 7–8 and Dec. 14–15. The last stretch, Dec. 21–23, falls on a Monday through Wednesday, which suits last-minute shopping after work.
The avenue between the park and the galleries is a slower street
Anyone walking from the Alpenhütte toward a gallery on First Friday will cross a street the city is testing. The demonstration replaced two travel lanes in each direction with one, plus a center turn lane. It uses temporary delineators, pedestrian crossings, redesignated parking and bump-outs in the Old Colorado City blocks. KOAA reported in July that the narrowing made room for pedestrian areas and parking.
Shop owners have opinions on it. In August, KKTV spoke with Nick and Brandi Haskins, who opened FFO Goods in March, shortly before the changes went in.
"There's a big difference. It feels a lot more calming. People were so rushed. There's a lot less speeding, a lot less noise." Nick Haskins, co-owner of FFO Goods, speaking to KKTV
Brandi Haskins told the station the avenue is "a shopping district. It's not a cut through." In KOAA's report, Anna Holloway of Sweetwater Flower Market and Emma Hunter, manager at Eclectic, both described slower traffic and a street that felt safer. Hunter added that customers needed time to learn where and how to park. KKTV also heard from Nina Hamilton, bar manager at Thunder and Buttons. She said the district's nighttime business has been slower since paid parking replaced spaces that used to be free, and she would like to see free parking come back.
For a December evening that strings together a market, a gallery and dinner, the slower street helps on foot. The parking takes some planning.
Parking for a 16-day season
The market's hours, noon to 8 p.m., fall almost entirely inside the city's meter hours. Meters run Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 8 p.m. The rules that matter:
- The four city lots cost $1 an hour and are free on Sundays. They are the 26th Street lot at 2615 W. Cucharras, the Pikes Peak lot at 2515 W. Pikes Peak, the Cucharras lot at 2422 W. Cucharras and the Colorado Alley lot at 2617 W. Colorado. The Cucharras lot is the closest of the four to Bancroft Park.
- Market Sundays mean free lots. Dec. 6, 13 and 20 are the three Sundays the market is open, and all three line up with Santa's noon-to-4 hours at the cabin.
- Nov. 28 is the only Saturday with free meters. It's the city's Small Business Saturday meter holiday.
- Meters stop at 8 p.m. That is also when the market closes. If you arrive in the last hour and stay for dinner on the avenue, you pay for less than an hour.
- There's a PikeRide station at Bancroft Park. PikeRide lists several bike-share stations in Old Colorado City and promotes them as a way to reach the market.
Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, is also a city meter holiday, but the market ends the day before.
After the 23rd
The street you'll walk this December is the trial version. The city says the demonstration may last up to 12 months. The next phase is expected around late spring 2027, and permanent reconstruction with widened sidewalks and streetscape work between 24th and 27th streets is planned for 2027–28. The city's project page still links a public survey and says feedback will keep being collected during and after the demonstration. If you walk the district several times this month, you'll have an informed view to share.
One more addition is on the way. BJ's Velvet Freez has announced a third location at 2132 W. Colorado Ave., and the Colorado Springs Gazette reported it is expected to open by spring break 2027.
Ben Kennedy lives and works on the Westside and watches how projects like the Colorado Avenue test change the blocks around them. If you're curious how the street work and a busier Bancroft Park affect homes near the district, Broadmoor Homes Co is happy to talk it through over cocoa at the market. Let's Connect.
