Vail Christmas: Spending the Holidays in Vail and Beaver Creek

Vail and Beaver Creek celebrate Christmas in two different styles. In Vail, the holidays fill two lively villages with tree lightings, Santa visits, skating shows and a holiday market on the bridge. A short drive down the valley, Beaver Creek celebrates in a smaller, cozier village where warm cookies come out every afternoon and the Vilar Performing Arts Center stages holiday shows.

Both resorts open in November this season, so the mountains have several weeks of skiing behind them by Christmas.

Many families choose between the two based on the kind of evenings they want. Vail has two villages, Vail Village and Lionshead, with a wide choice of restaurants and plenty going on after dark. Beaver Creek is more compact and quieter, built around a single pedestrian village with an ice rink at its center.

Many families split their week between both. The free Core Transit Vail/Beaver Creek Express bus runs between the two about every 20 minutes in winter, according to Beaver Creek’s getting-here guide. For a deeper comparison of the mountains themselves, see our guide to Beaver Creek vs Vail.

Vail Mountain plans to open on November 13 and Beaver Creek on November 25, according to Vail Resorts. Both dates depend on weather and conditions.

The Vail Après calendar fills December with free village events, from tree lightings to skating shows.

Tree Lightings and Santa

Lionshead lights its tree on November 27 at 6 pm, and the Vail Village tree lighting follows on December 6 at 5 pm. Santa visits with families during Smile with Santa on November 27 and 29 and December 6, 13, 20, 21 and 22, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, so plan a stop for photos.

Kringle Crossing and the Market

In recent seasons, Kringle Crossing has set up a small holiday village of chalets on the International Bridge, with Santa visits and carolers. Vail Village has also hosted the Vail Kris Kringle Market in mid-December, a good place for handmade gifts and holiday treats. Watch for this year’s dates later in the fall.

The Vail Ice Spectacular

The Vail Ice Spectacular takes over Dobson Arena on Wednesday, December 23, from 6:30 to 8 pm. Dobson reopens this fall after a full remodel, and Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show headline its grand reopening concert on Saturday, November 28.

Skating Under the Lights

Vail has two outdoor rinks, at Solaris Plaza in Vail Village and at the Arrabelle in Lionshead, and the indoor Dobson Arena offers public sessions too, according to Discover Vail. Skating shows take place at the Arrabelle rink on December 5, 12 and 19, and at Solaris on December 26 and January 2, each at 4:45 pm.

Families looking for something lighthearted can also join the Ugly Sweater Fun Run on Sunday, December 13, at 8:30 am or the Wednesday afternoon silent discos through December.

Beaver Creek’s holiday season begins over Thanksgiving weekend with the Tree Lighting and Ice Spectacular, with live music and skating on the village rink. From there, the village settles into a cozy holiday rhythm.

Afternoons bring Cookie Time, Beaver Creek’s long-running tradition of warm chocolate chip cookies served at 3 pm. The Beaver Creek Ice Rink sits in the middle of the village, with skate and ice-bike rentals, so evening skating is just a short walk from dinner.

For a holiday dinner on the mountain, Beano’s Cabin opens for its winter dinners on Saturday, December 19, and reservations are required. Our guide to the best restaurants in Beaver Creek covers more of the village’s dining.

Holiday Shows at the Vilar

The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek Village has three holiday performances this season. Frisson’s Christmas by Candlelight plays on Sunday, December 20, at 6:30 pm, with holiday classics and a carol sing-along to close the night. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol follows on Wednesday, December 23, at 3 pm and 7:30 pm. Then John Oates and The Good Road Band take the stage on Monday, December 28, at 7 pm.

Two ranches near Vail run horse-drawn sleigh rides, according to Discover Vail. At 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott, a sleigh carries you to dinner at the 1890 Nelson Cabin. At Bearcat Stables in Edwards, you can choose an après ride or a four-course dinner ride. Both run from late November to mid-March, conditions permitting, and reservations are required, so book as soon as your dates are set.

Vail rings in the new year with its torchlight parade and fireworks on Thursday, December 31, at 6 pm, according to the Vail Après calendar. Vail Ski and Snowboard School instructors ski down Golden Peak carrying flares, and the fireworks can be seen from Vail Village, Lionshead and West Vail. The early hour makes it easy to enjoy with young children.

Beaver Creek celebrates in its own way. In 2024, the evening included a glow-baton ski-down from Haymeadow for skiers and riders at level 5 and up. A New Year’s Eve circus filled the village, and two fireworks shows lit the sky, one early in the evening and one closer to 10 pm. Look for this year’s program on the resort’s events page in December.

Our guide to the best torchlight parades in the Rockies shows how Vail’s celebration compares with other mountain towns.

• Expect a busy week
  Epic Local and Epic Day passes are blacked out from December 26 to 31, which tells you how popular that week is. Book lift tickets and ski school as soon as your dates are set.
  
  
• Book your home first
  Reserve your home before you plan the rest of the trip, since holiday week is the most popular of the season.
  
  
• Reserve Christmas dinners now
  Hotel restaurants such as those at the Four Seasons Vail offer special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus, and they recommend reservations well ahead.
  
  
• Ride the free buses
  Vail’s town buses are free all year. In Beaver Creek, Village Connect offers free on-demand rides between Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead.

Our Vail luxury vacation rentals and Beaver Creek luxury vacation rentals give everyone room to gather, with our local team caring for every detail of your stay. It would be our pleasure to help you plan a Christmas in the mountains.