Last winter, Ice Castles opened in Cripple Creek three and a half weeks late and missed Christmas. This winter it won't open in Cripple Creek at all. On October 2, the city announced that the attraction will skip the 2026-27 season. Ice Castles first came to town in 2023.

That leaves Cripple Creek's winter calendar in the town's own hands. The city has scheduled events from Thanksgiving weekend through the Parade of Lights, and the Butte Theater's holiday show runs alongside them. The Ice Festival is set for mid-February. The gap is January, which so far has nothing on the city's published calendar.

Why the Castles Aren't Coming Back This Year

The castles need overnight temperatures that stay below freezing, and last winter that didn't happen. Marie Rieger, Cripple Creek's director of marketing and events, told the Pikes Peak Courier at The Gazette that the castles were melting. She said the delayed opening that made them miss the Christmas season "was devastating." She also said the drop in attendance "dramatically" hurt lodging, food and beverage businesses, because the event usually draws thousands of people to town, especially around Christmas.

Water was part of the decision as well. Rieger told The Gazette that "with the drought and all the fires, we just want to be mindful of our water usage and also what message that sends to other communities who are struggling with water." KRDO reported a broader set of reasons. Ice Castles itself is cutting back how many locations it runs this season. City officials said water concerns in parts of Teller County came up in talks, but they also said Cripple Creek has enough water to host the attraction.

KRDO reported that the city plans to bring the castles back when conditions improve. Rieger told The Gazette it is too early to say whether that will happen next year.

The Calendar the City Has Built Instead

The castles drew people to town on a single attraction's schedule. The replacement is a set of separate one-night and one-weekend events, most of them in a three-week stretch. Here is the city's 2026 events calendar for the rest of the year, along with the Butte Theater's holiday run:

Two of these dates are direct responses to the castles leaving. In the same Gazette report, Rieger said the tree lighting would be held the Saturday after Thanksgiving and the Christmas Parade would move to the evening of December 12. The tree lighting and Small Business Saturday land on the same day, November 28. The Aspen Mine Center event and the evening parade fall on back-to-back nights, December 11 and 12.

The city notes that every date on its calendar is subject to change. Confirm specific times with the city before you plan around them.

The Butte Theater Holds the Middle

The longest-running item on the winter calendar is Winter Wonderettes, a holiday musical comedy at the Butte Theater. It runs from November 20 through December 27, 2026. The show is set as a 1960s holiday revue in which four friends perform at a Christmas party, with songs including "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Winter Wonderland."

That run covers what the castles lost last year. The castles opened three and a half weeks late and missed the Christmas season. This year the Butte has shows on the calendar through the week after Christmas. The theater runs on the city's own site, so the run doesn't depend on overnight temperatures.

January Is the Open Month

After the Butte's run ends on December 27, the city's published calendar has nothing until February. That is the stretch the castles used to cover. KRDO described them as an economic boost during the town's slower winter months. Over time the attraction added a bar, snack sales and firepits, and new designs each season.

The town's two best-known daytime attractions are also closed this winter. The Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad says its 2026 season is over and it plans to reopen in May 2027 from its depot at 520 E Carr Ave. The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine says on its website that it is closed "for the foreseeable future." That notice isn't dated, so check the site for updates.

That leaves outdoor options for January. Mueller State Park lists more than 44 miles of trails. Colorado Parks and Wildlife lists cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding there in winter. The park's main page showed no closures when we checked. That status changes, and the page is old, so check CPW's Mueller page for current alerts before you drive over. Closer to home, Victor's two-mile Vindicator Valley Trail is described as good for year-round exploring in a Visit Colorado Springs day-trip guide updated in May 2026.

February Belongs to the Ice Festival

The Cripple Creek Ice Festival is still on this year's calendar. Rieger told The Gazette the festival will run February 12 to 20 and called it "bigger and better than ever."

Be careful with the details. The city's events page links to a "2027 Ice Festival," but the page it opens is titled "2026 Ice Festival" and covers last year's February 14 to 22 event. The 2026 program included free entry, ice-carving challenges, People's Choice voting, vendors and food trucks. As of mid-October, the city hasn't published a 2027 program or venue. The 2026 page shows what the festival has looked like, but it isn't a confirmed plan for next year.

The city runs the festival on its own February dates, and it's the one large winter draw that stayed on the calendar this year.

What Could Still Change

The calendar above may not be final. Rieger told The Gazette that other replacement events were being planned but needed City Council approval first. The October 7 council agenda included a work session with the Marketing and Events Director. None of the new-business items on that agenda named a new event. If January events are approved, they will most likely show up on a future council agenda first.

A longer-term planning effort is also underway. The Gazette reported in late September that the Colorado Tourism Office picked Cripple Creek for its Destination Blueprint program. The year-long program assesses the area, brings together businesses, public agencies and residents, and provides 100 hours of consulting. The timing means Cripple Creek will go through that planning work during its first winter without Ice Castles since 2023.

If you own or are weighing a short-term rental in Cripple Creek, this winter's calendar is different from the ones the castles shaped. If you want your projections checked against this season's actual event dates, Good Neighbor Realty can help. Get a free valuation & investment plan.