Street closures planned for Fort Collins holiday lighting ceremony

Street closures near Old Town Square are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, for the annual Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony.

Walnut Street will close between College Avenue and Mountain Avenue, as will the 200 block of Linden Street between Walnut and Jefferson streets. Eastbound and westbound Mountain Avenue will close between College Avenue and Remington Street, and Remington Street will close between Mountain Avenue and Oak Street. Parking garage access on Remington Street will remain open during that closure.

Attendees should expect heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic before and after the ceremony. Parking garages are at 209 E. Mountain Ave. (Old Town Garage), 120 N. Mason St. (Civic Center) and 165 Chestnut St. (Firehouse Alley). Attendees are encouraged to take MAX, carpool, walk or bike to the event.

The downtown light display will be illuminated for the first time this season Nov. 6. Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band is scheduled to perform on the Old Town Square stage from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A short ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., before the lights turn on. “There’s a moment right when the lights switch on when you can feel the whole square take a breath and smile,” said Parks and Recreation Director LeAnn Williams.

The lights are funded and installed each year through a collaborative effort involving the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Downtown Development Authority and the Downtown General Improvement District. More than 65,000 individual lights are placed in trees throughout Old Town and are scheduled to be illuminated each evening from Nov. 6 through Feb. 14, 2027. The Gardens on Spring Creek will bring a special light installation created just for Downtown to Oak Street Plaza this year. Visitors can view the display, take photos and learn about the upcoming Garden of Lights event.