Colorado Springs Christmas Parade: Route, Parking and More | Arts and entertainment

Tejon Street will be filled with colorful floats, dazzling lights and holiday cheer as the Festival of Lights Parade returns to Colorado Springs tonight.

The popular event is taking place for the 40th time and brings Christmas spirit to the city center. The annual parade will feature nearly 100 unique floats and immerse Tejon in the holiday spirit.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Holidays through Sights and Sounds.”

Here’s what you should know about this year’s Festival of Lights parade:

When and where

The Festival of Lights parade takes place Saturday December 7th at 5:50 p.m

The parade begins at the intersection Boulder and Tejon roadscontinuing along Tejon and ending at Vermijo Avenue.

Park

Since every major event takes place downtown, it can be difficult to find parking. This year it will be like that free parking in these downtown parking garages throughout the day of the parade:

•Bijou Cascade Parking Garage at 215 N. Cascade Ave.

•Nevada Colorado Parking Garage at 130 S. Nevada Ave.

•The Kiowa-Nevada Parking Garage is located at 127 E. Kiowa St.

Note: Click on each location to view a Google map of the garage

Pre-parade celebrations

Family fun day for the Festival of Lights

Visit the Pioneer’s Museum for a free pre-parade holiday celebration from 2 to 6 p.m. The festival features musical performances, arts and crafts, face painting and many more family-friendly activities. The museum serves hot cocoa and cookies starting at 6 p.m. RSVP for the event here.

USOPM Winter Celebration

Prior to the parade, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum will host a Winter Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature athlete meet and greet, indoor curling, artifact demonstrations and more. Visitors also have the opportunity to hold the Olympic torch.

Click here to purchase USOPM tickets.

Tuba Christmas

Enjoy Christmas carols at the annual Tuba Christmas performance just before the parade at 3:30 p.m. in Acacia Park.

Food truck villages

Enjoy different culinary flavors at three food truck villages open during and before the parade.

The food truck villages are open from 1 to 9 p.m. at Pioneer’s Museum, Platte Avenue and Tejon Street, and Kiowa Street and Tejon.

For more information about the parade and related events, visit the official Festival of Lights website.