Who actually runs Castle Rock's holiday season? Most people picture one big night, when the crowd on Wilcox Street shouts and the star on the Rock lights up. That night has an owner. So does everything around it, and none of them share a calendar.
The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce runs Starlighting itself. The Town of Castle Rock runs the December events in Festival Park and Philip S. Miller Park. The Downtown Development Authority runs the carriage rides. A team of four Castle Rock firefighters looks after the star, which keeps shining for weeks after the fireworks are over. If you plan around just one of those calendars, you can miss a ticket window, a street closure or a whole Saturday of events.
The Night Belongs to the Chamber
Starlighting is on Saturday, November 21, 2026, from 2 to 6 p.m. It covers Historic Wilcox Square, downtown Castle Rock and Festival Park. The ceremony starts at 5 p.m. on the main stage at 4th and Wilcox. The star lights at about 5:30 p.m., with fireworks right after, weather permitting. The Town's calendar listing adds that the fireworks also depend on fire danger.
The Chamber started Starlighting in 1962. The star on top of the Rock is older than that, and was first lit in 1936. General admission is free. One practical detail catches people every year: Chamber events don't take cash, only credit and debit cards. That covers the four Chamber beverage tents and the Chamber's other transactions. Food trucks and vendors line the downtown streets too.
Here's how the afternoon plays out, according to the Chamber's current schedule:
- 2:00 to 4:15 p.m.: Santa and Mrs. Claus in Festival Park
- All afternoon: Biff Gore playing live on the main stage at 4th and Wilcox, plus strolling carolers, dance groups, a kids zone with a petting zoo and face painting, and nonprofit and sponsor booths along the streets
- 5:00 p.m.: the ceremony on the main stage
- About 5:30 p.m.: the star lights, followed by fireworks
The Chamber's event map, booth map and full entertainment schedule are still listed as coming soon, so check the page again the week of the event.
The first deadline of the season has already passed by Starlighting. The Chamber auctions the chance to flip the switch that lights the star from the main stage. Bidding started at $2,000 with $250 minimum increases, and it closes Friday, November 6. The money supports the Chamber's Veterans Alliance and Tours for Teachers programs.
The Streets Close for 14 Hours Around a Four-Hour Event
Starlighting runs from 2 to 6 p.m., but downtown streets close from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. That's 14 hours of closures around a four-hour event. If you live near Wilcox or Perry, or you have an errand downtown that Saturday morning, that's the window to plan for. The Chamber lists these closures:
- Perry Street, 5th to 2nd
- North Wilcox Street, 5th to 3rd
- 4th Street, Jerry to Perry
- 3rd Street, Wilcox to Perry
- 2nd Street, Wilcox to Perry
Free shuttles run from 1:30 to 8 p.m. from three places:
| Pickup | Address | Drop-off |
|---|---|---|
| AdventHealth Castle Rock, Alexander Parking Lot | 2350 Meadows Blvd. | Fifth and Wilcox |
| Douglas County High School, South Building | 2842 Front Street | Fifth and Wilcox |
| Douglas County Fairgrounds, Lot 5 | 500 Fairgrounds Drive | Between South and Phelps streets, by Eternal Rock Lutheran Church and the Folkestad Fazekas buildings |
Return shuttles leave from the same spot where they dropped you off, and each one loops back only to its own lot. If you park at the Fairgrounds, you'll come back on the south end of downtown, not at Fifth and Wilcox.
If you'd rather drive downtown, the Chamber points to two garages: the Encore garage at Wilcox and Perry, and the garage at 3rd and Jerry. It also directs people to the Town of Castle Rock downtown parking map for the most accurate information.
The Star Itself Belongs to Four Firefighters
The Chamber runs the party, but the star is in the hands of the fire department. According to CBS Colorado, four Castle Rock firefighters known as the Keepers of the Star maintain it all year, replacing wire and sockets as needed. Wearing safety harnesses, they hike to the base, climb the Rock and then climb the star structure itself. On Starlighting day they often finish putting bulbs in the lower half of the star. When the crowd shouts "Light the Star," one of the keepers flips the breaker.
The firefighters have a second job that afternoon. The Castle Rock Professional Firefighters host the 90th Annual Chili Supper at Fire Station 151, serving beef chili, nachos, hot dogs, drinks and desserts. That's the same group that maintains the star, so the chili supper and the star come from the same firehouse.
The firefighters' calendar also sets how long the season lasts. CBS Colorado reports the star stays lit through the National Western Stock Show in Denver, and the 9News report places that shutoff at the end of the Stock Show in January. During the holidays the keepers take turns checking it and replace burned-out bulbs quickly. In some years they've added colored bulbs, like the orange and blue that went up when the Broncos made the Super Bowl. The same 2023 9News report notes the star has also been lit outside the holiday season: for the end of World War II, after September 11, 2001, during the 2020 pandemic and after Broncos Super Bowl wins.
So Starlighting doesn't end the season. It starts a stretch of roughly two months with the star lit over town, and December fills in on other groups' calendars.
December Moves to the Town's Calendar
After November 21, the main events move from the Chamber to the Town of Castle Rock, and from Wilcox Square to Festival Park at 300 Second St. and Philip S. Miller Park. The Town's 2026 calendar lists these events:
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Festival Park Starlight Market | 3 to 8 p.m. | Festival Park, 300 Second St. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Festival Park Starlight Market | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Festival Park, 300 Second St. |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Reindeer Games | 1 to 4 p.m. | Philip S. Miller Park Amphitheater, 1375 W. Plum Creek Parkway |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Storytellers and S'mores | 5 to 7 p.m. | Festival Park, 300 Second St. |
The Starlight Market brings more than 40 vendors selling crafts, art and specialty items, plus roasted chestnuts, salsa and tamales. It also has a decorated 40-foot tree, hot cocoa, food trucks and holiday music. The Downtown Development Authority describes Festival Park as a community event space with a pavilion, splash pad, fire pit and open lawn.
Saturday, December 5 is the busiest day of the season, because the market and Reindeer Games overlap. The Town's Reindeer Games listing includes Santa visits, train and hay rides, hot chocolate, games and an obstacle course on the west side of town. Families can do Reindeer Games from 1 to 4 p.m. and still reach the market downtown before it closes at 7. A week later, at Storytellers and S'mores, Santa and guests read holiday stories in Festival Park, with s'mores and cocoa.
Carriage Rides Run on a Ticket Clock
The fourth calendar has the trickiest deadline. Downtown Castle Rock has announced horse-drawn carriage rides from Sunday, November 22, 2026, the day after Starlighting, through January 3, 2027. Rides run Wednesday through Friday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. There are no rides on November 26, December 24, December 25 or December 31.
Ticket sales open weeks before the first ride. The in-person sale was October 29 at the Philip S. Miller Library, limited to 75 tickets. The online ticket link goes up at noon on Wednesday, November 18, on the organization's website, Facebook and Instagram. That's three days before the star is lit. The organizers say up front that not everyone who wants a ride will get one. If a December carriage ride is on your list, the date that matters most is November 18 at noon.
Put all four calendars together and the season starts with a switch auction that closes November 6. Then come carriage tickets on November 18, Starlighting on November 21, the first carriage rides the next evening and the Town's December weekends. The star stays lit until the Stock Show wraps up in January.
If the star season has you wondering which Castle Rock streets would put you within walking distance of Wilcox Square and Festival Park every December, the team at Mile High Lifestyles knows downtown Castle Rock block by block and is happy to walk you through it. Start Your Property Search whenever you're ready, and enjoy the star.
