Plan ahead! Here's a quick overview of the big annual events in Golden. Find out what's happening today (and all day, every day) with our regular Calendar of Events.
Colorado Cowboy Gathering | UllrGrass | Goldens in Golden | Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF) | Colorado School of Mines E-Days | Annual Easter Egg Hunt | Golden Super Cruise | Golden Bike Cruise | Golden Farmers Market | Artsweek Golden | Golden Summer Jam | 4th of July | Movies and Music in the Park | Buffalo Bill Days | Golden Fine Arts Festival | Thomas the Tank Engine Visits the Railroad Museum | GoldenFest Fundraiser for the GVFD | The Golden Gallop | Knock Your Boots Off Beer Tasting and Chili Cook-Off | Golden Cemetery Tour | Golden Civic Foundation Gala and Auction | Halloween Trick-or-Treat Street | The Polar Express | Candlelight Walk | Olde Golden Holidays on Parade
JANUARY
Colorado Cowboy Gathering
January 17 & 18, 2025
Golden is home to the annual Colorado Cowboy Gathering celebrating the cowboy life and culture. Well-known and lesser-known cowboys (and girls) educate, entertain, and enlighten the public with poetry, song, and verse. Themed Session Matinee programs are plentiful for the kids. The Gathering is a real family event. www.ColoradoCowboyGathering.org
Ullrgrass
January 31-February 2, 2025
Who says it’s too cold for an outdoor party? Dress the part in Viking regalia and celebrate the Norse God of winter, bluegrass music, and craft beer. The family-oriented event also includes games and craft activities for kids, an Ullr-egg hunt, Ullr costume parade, and a variety of tasty treats from on-site food trucks. www.ullrgrass.com
FEBRUARY
Goldens in Golden
February 7, 2026
What better place to show off your Golden Retriever on National Golden Retriever Day in the parade on Washington Avenue! Pet-friendly businesses provide treats, merchandise, and places to stay and mingle with fellow Golden Retriever owners. https://www.visitgolden.com/events/annual-events/goldens-in-golden/
The Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF)
February 20-22, 2026
The CEFF includes local and national feature length and short films for all ages, thought-provoking dialogue, festival celebrations for both filmmakers and audience members, children's films, a filmmaker forum, and information from a variety of environmental groups. The festival presents informative and entertaining films that explore interconnected ecological, social, and economic themes. www.ceff.net
APRIL
Colorado School of Mines E-Days
April 11-13, 2025
Fireworks in April.....it must be E-Days. Every spring the Colorado School of Mines students unwind and celebrate Engineer's Days for three days. Activities include Casino Night, an ore-cart pull, field day, soap box derby, musical performances, a car show, a carnival, a cardboard boat race at Clear Creek, and more. The whole event culminates with the fireworks which the whole community can enjoy. www.mines.edu/Traditions
Easter Egg Hunt
April 19, 2025
The Downtown Merchants Association and the Kiwanis Club work together to make the Saturday before Easter a fun community event. The day starts with a brief and very intense Easter Egg Hunt in Parfet Park. The crowd then strolls up and down Washington Avenue, meeting the Easter Bunny and various other characters (Mother Goose sometimes makes an appearance).
MAY
Golden Super Cruise
May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, 2025
A large group of classic car owners converges on Golden the first Saturday of every month, May through October. They meet in the afternoon, in the South Golden Road area. Many of the participants make a point of driving through downtown Golden. The cars are incredible, and people really enjoy walking around, looking at them, and talking with the owners. www.goldensupercruise.com
Golden Bike Cruise
May 27, June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30, 2025
The family friendly Golden Cruise ride starts and finishes in the outdoor common area between the Armory Building and Calvary Episcopal Church. New Belgium Brewing Company serves up the beer, and Bob's Atomic Burgers provides their fabulous hamburgers. The event runs through October on the last Tuesday of the month. Each week has a costume theme, and live music adds to the festivities.
Golden Farmers Market
Every Saturday Morning, May 31 - October 4, 2025
The Farmers Market is a good place for Saturday breakfast and lunch from late spring through mid-fall. Vendors sell local produce, flowers, plants, and prepared food. The market is held in the parking lot next to the Golden Library. goldenfarmersmarket.org
JUNE
Artsweek Golden
June 20-22, 2025
ARTSWEEK GOLDEN is a celebration of the arts orchestrated by Foothills Art Center in partnership with arts-oriented organizations in beautiful Golden, Colorado. Foothills Art Center traces its roots to 1968 when a group of artists formed to renovate the historic First Presbyterian Church into a thriving regional arts center. www.artsweekgolden.org
Golden Summer Jam
June 22, 2025
Sponsored by the Golden Civic Foundation, the Golden Summer Jam takes place at the Colorado Railroad Museum with live music, food and fun for all ages. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with Golden families and residents and celebrate Golden’s small town, friendly atmosphere. www.goldencivicfoundation.org/gcevents/
JULY
4th of July Celebration
The Golden Lions Club puts on a great community party every 4th of July in Lions Park. The event includes free rides for children and free live music. People come with picnics or buy food from the vendors. The Golden Civic Foundation and the City contribute financially to the events, and the Lions sell raffle tickets so people can win prizes contributed by local merchants. www.goldenlionsclub.org
Movies & Music in the Park
2025 Dates: June 13 - July 11 - August 8
July through September the City of Golden presents monthly live music and outdoor films for families to enjoy in Parfet Park. Families can bring a picnic dinner and settle in for an evening's entertainment under the stars.
Buffalo Bill Days
July 25-27, 2025
Scheduled every year for the last weekend in July, Buffalo Bill Days starts on Thursday with a golf tournament at Fossil Trace, and continues on Friday night with rides and vendors in Parfet Park. On Saturday morning, the Volunteer Fire Department provides a fund-raising pancake breakfast. A big parade through the downtown area follows, with many Golden businesses and non-profit organizations participating, plus a few organizations from the surrounding metro area. A stage in Parfet Park hosts live music all weekend. Learn more about it at the Buffalo Bill Days web site: www.goldenbuffalobilldays.com
AUGUST
Fine Arts Festival
August 9 & 10, 2025
The Golden Fine Arts Festival, an August event for over three decades, has grown in both size and prestige every year. The event is located on 11th Street, next to the Clear Creek History Park. Admission is free, and includes live music and a children’s art center. Food vendors are available, as well as free horse-drawn carriage rides. Many area organizations offer special events to tie in with the festival, such as the arts and crafts exhibits at the Clear Creek History Park. www.goldenfineartsfestival.org
SEPTEMBER
Thomas the Tank Engine Visits the Railroad Museum
September 6-7, 13-14, and 20-21, 2025
For three weekends each year, Thomas the Tank Engine, the star of a popular children’s show, visits the Colorado Railroad Museum. The event is wildly popular and draws thousands of children. www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org
GoldenFest Fundraiser for the GVFD @ Golden City Brewery
2025 date to be announced
Every fall, the Golden City Brewery sells limited-edition printed pint glasses with a beer, with all proceeds going directly to the Department. Join them to support the (mostly volunteer) Golden Fire- Rescue Department!
The Golden Gallop
September 21, 2025
The Golden Gallop is Golden's biggest annual race. It starts beneath the Welcome arch and ends in Parfet Park. There are both 5K and 10K routes, plus a Kids Fun Run. It benefits the Golden Schools Foundation. goldengallop.com
OCTOBER
Knock Your Boots Off Beer Tasting and Chili Cook-Off
2025 date to be announced
The month of October and chili just seem to go together! Sponsored by Coors Distributing Company and the Golden Chamber of Commerce, Goldenites have been perfecting their chili recipes for this annual event. Plenty of beer provided by Coors helps cool down your taste buds from sampling the chili made by local competitors. Store specials, entertainment, and downtown festivities complete the event. www.goldenbeerchilicookoff.org
Golden Cemetery Tour
October 11, 2025
The Golden Cemetery Tour is an annual fund-raiser for the Golden History Museum. The City's arboretum-like graveyard is a splendid place to recall the doings of our previous residents. Recent tours have been themed to cover Millers & Scribblers (2020, self-guided), Founders & Boosters of the Cemetery (2021), Farmers & Ranchers (2022), Business Mavens (2023), and Women of Golden (2024).
Golden Civic Foundation Gala and Auction
October 18, 2025
This annual event is hugely supported by the community: businesses, non-profits, and individuals donate items for auction, and hundreds show up to bid at the auction. The reason this event is so popular? Because 100% of the money made at this auction is given away to Golden's schools, museums, cultural organizations, and other non-profit organizations. www.goldencivicfoundation.org
Halloween Trick-or-Treat Street
October 31, 2025
The Golden Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Merchants Association offer safe trick-or-treating every Halloween. Children are invited to come downtown after school, walk Washington Avenue to show off their costumes, and visit the stores for a special treat. Participants as well as spectators add to the fun of this community event. www.goldencochamber.org
NOVEMBER
The Polar Express
November 8-9-10, 15-16-17, and 22-23-24-25-26 | Daily in December through the 23rd, 2025
This event debuted at the Railroad Museum in 2014, and was an immediate sell-out. Such popularity means that the Polar Express will be with us for many years to come. Families love sipping hot chocolate as dancing chefs tell the story of The Polar Express. Afterwards, they enjoy a train ride which includes many delights and surprises. Through December.
DECEMBER
Candlelight Walk
2025 date to be announced
This event started many years ago when a hundred or so locals gathered near the Foothills Art Center - Creative Campus to walk down Washington Avenue carrying candles and singing Christmas songs. Word has spread throughout Colorado, and now thousands show up, still carrying candles and still singing, and still walking downhill from Foothills to the Welcome Center. When the group reaches the Creek, the Mayor flips a switch and all of the holiday lights along Clear Creek go on, eliciting gasps of admiration and much applause. www.oldegoldenchristmas.com
Olde Golden Holiday Parade
2025 dates to be announced
Enjoy the festive sights of local businesses, non-profits, equestrian groups, and bands parading their holiday best through historic downtown Golden!
www.oldegoldenchristmas.com