Denver Shines Brightly this New Year's Eve

From parties to family-friendly fireworks and hotel discounts, The Mile High City is the place to ring in the New Year

DENVER, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver boasts endless ways to celebrate the New Year, from holiday traditions like the free, ball drop-style countdown at the Mile High Tree to New Year's Eve parties and live performances. Below is a list of events. For the most up-to-date information on this growing list, check out the VISIT DENVER website.

Celebrate New Year's Eve at one of the more than 20 wonderful Denver hotels offering holiday packages. For a full list, check out the VISIT DENVER website. 

RTD is once again offering free fares on buses and trains, supported by Molson Coors from 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 7 a.m. on Jan. 1.

New Year's Eve Fireworks & Downtown Fun

New Year's Eve at The Mile High Tree Presented by Xcel Energy and Xfinity
Dec. 31, 2024; 9 p.m., Civic Center Park
Join in on the family-friendly celebration as The Mile High Tree will host a special ball drop-style countdown to ring in the new year. The show will begin at 9 p.m. with a 60-second cascading countdown along the seven-story, 110-foot-tall immersive art tree and will immediately precede the first downtown firework display. Admission is free!

Downtown Fireworks
Dec. 31, 2024; 9 p.m. and midnight, 16th Street Mall
For more than two decades, the city has been celebrating the new year with fireworks over downtown. Two free shows will start and 9 p.m. and midnight, from two rooftop locations. The best spot to see the shows is from the 16th Street Mall. The fireworks are presented by the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-sponsored by VISIT DENVER and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District.

Mile High Drone Show
Dec. 31, 2024; 5:30 p.m. Downtown 
Catch the final Mile High Drone Show of the year, when 400 drones soar into the sky, creating breathtaking holiday-themed animations! See these dazzling displays from across the city at 5:30 p.m. ahead of the Colorado Avalanche game on New Year's Eve. From Santa and his reindeer to iconic Denver landmarks like the Mile High Tree and Denver Union Station. Keep an eye out for a surprise or two.

New Year's Eve Parties

Decadence
Dec. 30–31, 2024; Colorado Convention Center
America's biggest electronic New Year's celebration is the two-night event of the (end of the) year you won't want to miss! Get your two-day pass and dance your way into 2025.

The Clocktower Cabaret's Annual New Year's Eve Burlesque Bash
Dec. 31, 2024; 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., The Clocktower Cabaret, D&F Tower
The Clocktower Clockettes present their best and brightest acts from the past year, with the sassy, classy, high-altitude attitude audiences scream for. This top-shelf, all-star lineup is the best of the best together for one night to ring in the new year! Acts range from classic to modern, from smolderingly sensuous to laugh-out-loud hilarious counting down to a midnight toast and downtown fireworks!

2025 Denver New Year's Eve (NYE) Bar Crawl
Dec. 31, 2024; 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., Various locations downtown
From dance parties to DJs, live bands and the must-have midnight champagne cheers, the New Year's Eve Bar Crawl is the perfect place to wrap up 2024 and celebrate the kick-off of 2025 with those you care for the most.

White Rose Gala
Dec. 31, 2024; 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., The Ritz-Carlton, Denver
Kick off the New Year on a triumphant note by creating exceptional moments at the gala and carry that excellence into conquering 2025! Immerse yourself in the Roaring 20's theme, complete with art deco decor and a crowd dressed in the period's finest attire. Be enthralled by the live band, dynamic DJs and dramatic performances, all radiating the allure of the Roaring 20s.

Denver NYE Black Tie Party
Dec. 31, 2024; 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., 1075 Park Ave. W.
This NYE, ditch the couch and get fancy at Denver's biggest New Year's Eve party with an open bar, a DJ spinning everything from Top 40 to old-school hip hop and casino games where you can win sweet prizes. Plus, don't miss the epic balloon drop and confetti blast at midnight.

2024 New Year's Eve On Tap at Bierstadt Lagerhaus
Dec. 31, 2024; 9:00 p.m., 2875 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205
Ring in the new year with good friends, great beer and a lively atmosphere at New Year's Eve on Tap at Bierstadt Lagerhaus. NYE on Tap 2024 has a jam-packed schedule filled with excitement, from the moment you arrive to the final countdown with an open bar, food buffet and live music.

Family-Friendly New Year's Events

Larimer Lights
Nov. 29–Dec. 31, 2024; Larimer Square
Enjoy visits from Santa, live holiday carolers, unique shopping from local artisans at the Holiday BAZAAR and seasonal treats from top restaurants.

Zoo Lights – Sensory-Friendly Night 
Dec. 31, 2024; Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance
Enjoy a variety of accommodations including reduced crowds, low-volume music, quiet rooms and more, just for those who may feel overwhelmed by typical light experiences.

Noon Year's Eve
Dec. 31, 2024; Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
In conjunction with Snow Days, get all the glitz and glam of New York City's Times Square before bedtime. There will be ball drops at the top of every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus music, tasty treats from The Teaching Kitchen and more.

Music & Performing Arts

Greensky Bluegrass 
Dec. 30–31, 2024; The Mission Ballroom
Don't miss this eclectic bluegrass jam band to close out the year. Since their 2000 formation in Kalamazoo, MI, they have unassumingly progressed into a phenomenon on their own terms with the undying support of a devout audience. Rolling back and forth across North America on successive tours, they recently sold out 3 nights at Red Rocks, a feat unheard of in their genre.

'A Night in Vienna' 
Dec. 31, 2024; Boettcher Concert Hall
A Colorado cultural tradition returns featuring your symphony waltzing along with you into 2025! Start your celebration in style with the Colorado Symphony's presentation of "A Night in Vienna," a rousing selection of polkas, waltzes and marches.

New Year's Eve with the Jacob Larsen Band
Dec. 31, 2024; Dazzle
Join the Jacob Larsen Band for an evening filled with soulful tunes, heartfelt moments and an open dance floor. Whether you're sharing laughs with friends or enjoying a special night with someone close, this event will be the perfect way to ring in the new year.

Museum & Gallery Exhibitions

Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak
Thru Feb. 17, 2025; Denver Art Museum
One of the most versatile artists of the 20th century, Maurice Sendak is best known for award-winning titles Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There and Nutshell Library. He also designed theater sets and collaborated on films. Wild Things is titled after Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, the beloved children's book he authored in 1963 that became a cultural touchstone, signaling to all the beauty, whimsy and mischief that his art inspired over his 65-year career. Among many other highlights, the exhibition will feature the first presentation of all the original paintings for Where the Wild Things Are and significant additional loans from The Morgan Library & Museum in New York and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Danielle SeeWalker: But We Have Something to Say
Thru Dec. 31, 2024; History Colorado Center
Danielle SeeWalker is a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is an artist, writer, activist and boy mom of two, based in Denver. This exhibition uses storytelling to explore a variety of issues important to Indigenous peoples and communities. Striking nineteenth-century hair ornaments, beaded spoons and moccasins are paired with SeeWalker's art in ways that illuminate censored and erased histories.

The Power of Poison 
Thru Jan. 5, 2025; Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Explore the captivating and often paradoxical world of nature's toxic arsenal in The Power of Poison. Find out how studying poison's effects on human cells can help scientists figure out how to protect, repair and heal our own bodies and improve our health. Whether used as a defense against predators, a source of magical strength or a lifesaving medical treatment, The Power of Poison is sure to surprise you at every turn!

Shadow and Light: Patrick Marold  
Thru Jan. 5, 2025; Denver Botanic Gardens
Explore a site-specific installation highlighting the ever-changing qualities of light and shadow. Created specifically for Denver Botanic Gardens, Shadow and Light is an immersive sculptural installation integrating the poetics of space with the luminosity of light. Discover an exhibition that changes with every visit, highlighting the shifting mood of light throughout the day and across the seasons.

Dialogue and Defiance: Clyfford Still and the Abstract Expressionists
Thru Jan. 12, 2025; Clyfford Still Museum
Clyfford Still withdrew his paintings from the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1951, refusing to participate in a market prioritizing the fame of an artist and the price of their artworks. The following year, he surprised many by agreeing to participate in a group show at the Museum of Modern Art. This exhibition considers the nuanced ways in which Clyfford Still was part of an artists' community in the late 1940s and early 1950s, despite his protestations to the contrary, and how his paintings, through their scale and composition, promote ideas of community.

Migrants, a Tale of Two Hearts 
Thru Jan. 26, 2025; Museo de las Americas
The journey of migrants to the U.S. is full of internal changes taking place in the physical body and mental state. This exhibit will explore the internal and external experiences of the immigrant who leaves home in search of a new and better life.

Sporting Events

Denver Nuggets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Dec. 27, 2024; 7 p.m.; Ball Arena

Denver Nuggets vs. Detroit Pistons 
Dec. 28, 2024; 7 p.m.; Ball Arena

Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets
Dec. 31, 2024; 6 p.m.; Ball Arena

Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks
Jan. 1, 2025; 7 p.m.; Ball Arena

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 115 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.4 million visitors in 2023, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city's largest industries. Learn more about Denver at VISIT DENVER or Tourism Pays Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. 

With press or photo inquiries, please contact:
Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications
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Natalie St. Hilaire, PR & Communcations Coordinator
[email protected]

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau