Torchlight Parades in the Rockies: Where and When to Watch

On a few nights each December, after the lifts close and the light fades, a line of flares starts to wind down the mountain. Instructors ski in slow, wide turns so the torches form a ribbon of red against the snow. Then the fireworks begin. If your family is spending the holidays in the mountains, a torchlight parade is one of the easiest traditions to plan around, because most are free to watch and over within the hour.

This guide covers each parade in the towns where InvitedHome cares for homes. You'll find the dates, the best places to stand, what comes after the torches and whether you can ski in it yourself. Where a resort hasn't posted this season's details yet, we've described the tradition and noted when dates usually appear.

A torchlight parade is a nighttime descent in which skiers and snowboarders carry lit flares down a run, usually as dusk turns to dark. At most resorts, the ski school instructors lead it. Some resorts open the parade to guests, and several run a children's version earlier in the evening with glow sticks or small torches. Fireworks often follow, so the whole evening can last well under an hour.

Telluride lights the mountain twice in one week. Both parades are run by the Telluride Ski and Snowboard School.

Christmas Eve

On Thursday, Dec 24, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.,(https://www.telluride.com/event/christmas-eve-torchlight-parade/) the instructors start at the top of the gondola and carry their torches down toward the Town of Telluride. Watching from town puts the whole descent above you, framed by the box canyon walls.

New Year's Eve

On Thursday, Dec 31, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.,(https://www.telluride.com/event/new-years-eve-torchlight-parade-fireworks/) the parade comes down again, and fireworks follow shortly after. Visit Telluride suggests the Mountain Village core as the place to watch the fireworks. The gondola connects town and Mountain Village, and it runs extended hours for some holidays and special events, so check the schedule in our Telluride gondola guide before you head out.

Staying close to either end of the gondola makes both evenings simple. Our Telluride luxury vacation rentals include homes in town and in Mountain Village.

Vail's torchlight parade is a New Year's Eve tradition on Golden Peak. Instructors from the Vail Ski and Snowboard School, joined by young athletes from the Vail Devo program, ski down in formation carrying flares and glow sticks. A fireworks display follows the descent, and you can see it from across Vail Village.

The parade depends on snow. In 2025, Vail canceled the ski-down for lack of snow and kept the fireworks, which were visible from every base area as far as West Vail. Vail usually confirms the evening's timing in late fall. Plan to be near Golden Peak by early evening.

Beaver Creek celebrates New Year's Eve with a ski-down that guests can join. In 2024, skiers and snowboarders carried glow batons from Haymeadow to the base. Riders needed a helmet and had to be at least level 5, which means comfortable on blue runs. Fireworks followed the ski-down at about 6:15 p.m., and a second show lit the mountainside around 10 p.m. This season's details are typically confirmed in late fall.

Breckenridge has posted its New Year's Eve plans for Dec 31, 2026. At 6 p.m., the Breckenridge Ski and Snowboard School carries bright red torches about 1,000 vertical feet down Peak 9. Together, the torches trace the shape of a lit Christmas tree on the mountain.

Children get their own moment. The Glow Worm Parade starts an hour earlier, and it's open to kids who can ski or ride a green run on their own. Later, fireworks launch from the base of Peak 9 at about 9:30 p.m. and run for roughly 15 minutes. Blue River Plaza and Main Street Station are both good places to watch, along with the bases of Peaks 7, 8 and 9. For the rest of your week in town, our things to do in Breckenridge guide covers the slopes and the historic district.

Aspen's torchlight moment comes earlier in the month, during Wintersköl, the town's winter carnival. Snowmass saves its parade for New Year's Eve.

Wintersköl on Aspen Mountain

Wintersköl runs Dec 10 to 13, 2026. On Saturday, Dec 12, at 7 p.m., young athletes from the Aspen Valley Ski Club and other Roaring Fork Valley clubs descend Aspen Mountain lit up with lights, and fireworks follow over the mountain. The parade is limited to club members. For everyone else, the Wintersköl Bonfire at Wagner Park, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., is the place to watch.

New Year's Eve in Snowmass

Snowmass holds its parade on Fanny Hill. On New Year's Eve 2025, the parade started at 6 p.m. and was open to intermediate skiers and snowboarders ages eight and up who could ski without poles. Registration capped at 250 participants. Spectators watched from the Snowmass Mall and Base Village. That year's fireworks were canceled because of mountain conditions. Dates for this season are typically confirmed in late fall.

Park City Mountain held its first torchlight parade on Christmas Eve 1964, in the resort's second season, and it has run every year since. The Ski and Ride School team carries the torches. In 2023, the parade came down Payday into Park City Mountain Village, with carolers at the base, cookies and cocoa to share, and a hint that Santa might appear.

The base area for the parade has varied in recent years, so check Park City Mountain's events calendar in December for this year's location and time. If you're staying through the week, our guide to ringing in the New Year in Park City covers the evenings that follow.

Deer Valley holds its parade on Dec 30, which lets you enjoy a torchlight evening without giving up New Year's Eve plans. It fits the resort's reputation for excellence, with a short, thoughtfully hosted evening at the base.

At the most recent posted parade, on Dec 30, 2024, the torches came down the Big Stick run on Bald Eagle Mountain, behind Snow Park Lodge, at about 6 p.m. The resort served complimentary hot drinks and cookies on the Snow Park plaza from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and fireworks closed the night. Dec 30 falls on a Wednesday this year, and Deer Valley typically confirms the details in late fall. Our Deer Valley ski resort guide covers the rest of your days on the mountain.

Alta lets guests carry the light. On New Year's Eve 2025, a bonfire was lit at the Wildcat base area at 5 p.m., lift loading began at 5:15 p.m., and the parade and fireworks started at 6 p.m. Skiers staged at the Collins angle station and followed intermediate terrain down Collins Gulch.

Joining took a torchlight lift ticket, limited to the first 550 skiers. For the 2025-26 season, season passholders received one free while supplies lasted, anyone buying a Dec 31 lift ticket got one free, and others paid $10. Alta asked participants to bring a flashlight or headlamp, and beginners couldn't take part. Spectators were welcome at no cost, with children accompanied by an adult. Alta is an Ikon Pass partner. Details for this season are typically confirmed in late fall.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has posted its plans for Thursday, Dec 31, 2026. The evening starts with the Glow Worm Parade for children, who carry torches instead of glow sticks. Kids load the Sweetwater Gondola between 4:30 and 5:15 p.m., and the parade begins at 5:30 p.m. Every child is welcome, no sign-up is needed, and parents can join if they like.

The Torchlight Parade, skied by the resort's Mountain Sports School staff, follows right after and reaches the base of the Sweetwater Gondola around 6 p.m. Fireworks come next. Earlier in the afternoon, an ice bar sets up outside the Bridger Gondola, with a DJ from 2 to 5 p.m.

A little planning makes these nights feel easy, especially with young children or grandparents in the group.

• Arrive before dusk
  Most parades start between 5:30 and 7 p.m. and last only a few minutes, so settle in early.
  
  
• Dress for the cold
  You'll be standing still on snow after sunset. Warm boots and mittens matter more than another layer on top.
  
  
• Check the day before
  Thin snow or poor mountain conditions can cancel a parade or its fireworks, as happened in Vail and Snowmass in 2025.
  
  
• Plan dinner around the fireworks
  In Breckenridge, the fireworks come hours after the parade, so you can have dinner in between.