On Friday, December 4, Santa Claus arrives at the George Di Ciero City and County Building at 1 DesCombes Drive. Children from local schools sing carols, the mayor lights the community holiday tree, a holiday wagon ride loops through the evening and kids line up to talk to Santa. In the city's words, "the Community Park trees are spectacular."
That Friday starts the busiest stretch of Broomfield's December. Over the next nine days, the city's best-known holiday events follow one another across a handful of older civic and historic sites: the city building and Community Park, Brunner Farmhouse on Main Street, the Depot Museum on West 10th Avenue and the Broomfield Auditorium on Community Park Road. Most of it falls on one Friday and two Saturdays, so a household can plan the whole stretch around a single run of dates.
Friday, December 4: the tree at 1 DesCombes Drive
The City and County of Broomfield's December calendar lists the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at the George Di Ciero City and County Building. The city's activity listing for the ceremony has the evening running until 8:30 p.m. If you arrive by 5:30, you'll catch the opening, then have the full evening for the wagon ride and the line to see Santa.
Here's what the city lists for the night:
- Santa's arrival
- Caroling by children from local schools
- The mayor lighting the community holiday tree
- A holiday wagon ride
- Time for children to talk with Santa
It's the first Friday in December, and a December evening in Broomfield gets cold once the sun goes down. The city's own listing ends with "Bundle up," which is fair advice for a night spent outside under the Community Park trees.
Saturday, December 5: Brunner Farmhouse on Main Street
The next afternoon, the season moves from the city building to a farmhouse. The Broomfield Historical Society lists its Olde Time Holiday Market for December 5, 1 to 4 p.m., at Brunner Farmhouse and Gardens, 640 Main Street.
Put the two days side by side and you get a full first weekend: a Friday night under the Community Park trees, then a Saturday afternoon at the farmhouse. The market is a three-hour window in early afternoon, so the morning stays free and you can be home before dark.
The Historical Society also runs the programming at the Depot Museum, the stop that anchors the following Saturday.
Saturday, December 12 is the fullest day of the season
The second Saturday packs the most into a single date. Two separate programs, at two separate historic and civic sites, fill the morning, the afternoon and the evening.
At the Broomfield Depot Museum, 2201 W. 10th Ave., Broomfield Library is hosting Polar Express Storytime. Families pick a reading of "The Polar Express," then stay for activities afterward. Pajamas or a holiday outfit are welcome but optional. The program is free and doesn't require registration. Children under 12 need an adult with them.
That evening, the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra performs "Music of Hope and Joy" at the Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road.
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 9:30 a.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 10:00 a.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 10:30 a.m. | Polar Express Storytime, bilingual Spanish and English | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 11:00 a.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 12:30 p.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 1:00 p.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 1:30 p.m. | Polar Express Storytime, bilingual Spanish and English | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 2:00 p.m. | Polar Express Storytime | Broomfield Depot Museum |
| 7:30 p.m. | Broomfield Symphony Orchestra, "Music of Hope and Joy" | Broomfield Auditorium |
The storytime schedule has nine readings, and two of them, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., are read in both Spanish and English. With no registration, you can choose a slot around nap times and the rest of your Saturday instead of a sign-up deadline. Because the readings run until 2 p.m., a family can do the Depot in the morning or early afternoon, go home, and still make the 7:30 p.m. concert.
Sunday, December 13 closes the stretch with a matinee
The symphony repeats "Music of Hope and Joy" at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, at the same Broomfield Auditorium. Grandparents who would rather not drive after dark, or households whose Saturday is already full at the Depot, can catch the same program on a Sunday afternoon. Tickets for both performances are sold through the orchestra's ticketing page, which is linked from the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra's site.
Here are those ten days at a glance:
- Fri, Dec. 4: Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, George Di Ciero City and County Building, 1 DesCombes Drive
- Sat, Dec. 5: Olde Time Holiday Market, Brunner Farmhouse and Gardens, 640 Main Street, 1 to 4 p.m.
- Sat, Dec. 12: Polar Express Storytime, Broomfield Depot Museum, 2201 W. 10th Ave., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sat, Dec. 12: Broomfield Symphony Orchestra, Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, 7:30 p.m.
- Sun, Dec. 13: Broomfield Symphony Orchestra, Broomfield Auditorium, 3 p.m.
The Community Center holds the quieter dates on either side
Outside those ten days, the calendar thins out to smaller, more specific events, and most of them are at the Broomfield Community Center, 280 Spader Way.
The building's biggest holiday crowd comes earlier in the season. The city scheduled its Jingle Bell Market Craft Fair there for November 14, with free admission. According to the city's vendor listing, the market draws more than 2,000 guests, and this year the vendor waitlist filled up and spots were awarded by lottery.
Here's what's still ahead at the Community Center and nearby dates:
- Friday, November 20: Holiday Bridge Tournament, noon to 4 p.m., Broomfield Community Center
- Sunday, November 29: Broomfield High School Bands' Winter Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Thursday, December 17: Holiday Playdate, 9:15 to 10 a.m., Broomfield Community Center
- Friday, December 18: Lakeshore Holiday Lunch, noon to 1 p.m., Broomfield Community Center
Each one is built for a particular crowd. There's an afternoon of bridge the day after this post goes up, a Sunday market that supports a high school's band program over Thanksgiving weekend, a 45-minute morning playdate for families with little ones, and an hour-long lunch the week before Christmas. For the band market, check the bands' page for location details before you head out.
Two newer places to eat between events
Both of these opened in Broomfield since late summer, so you may not have them on your list yet.
The Loco Potato opened on August 21 near Sheridan Boulevard and 120th Avenue, according to the Broomfield Enterprise.
Cosmo's Pizza, the Boulder-born chain known for big slices and spicy ranch, had opened its Broomfield location by mid-September. BizWest reported on September 14, 2026, that the company had announced the opening on social media. The new pizzeria is at 1255 First Ave. Cosmo's got its start in 2001 on Boulder's University Hill and also has locations in Boulder, Denver, Lafayette and Fort Collins, BizWest noted. Pizza is an easy dinner after a cold evening outside, and with a 7:30 symphony start on December 12, there's room for an early dinner on the busiest Saturday of the season.
If family is in town for the tree lighting weekend and someone starts asking what homes near Community Park or Main Street are like, we're glad to talk it through with no pressure. North Metro Realty has been working in Broomfield for years and knows these blocks well. Call or text to start your home search or get a home valuation.
