The holiday season in Castle Pines has kept the same address for years. Since the first Winter Wonderland in 2021, the City of Castle Pines and the Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce have held the series at The Ridge Golf Course, and the 2026 dates are already posted for the same venue. In the five weeks before the Dec. 4 Tree Lighting, the road out front is due to get its last layer of paving, a 102,600-square-foot athletic club is scheduled to open in The Canyons, and Village Square has already turned over a few of its storefronts.
That puts residents of Castle Pines Village and the wider city on a slightly different route to the same December events.
The Late-Fall Timeline
- Late October: Asphalt work on the westbound lanes of Castle Pines Parkway is expected to begin.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Leaf and Pumpkin Composting at Elk Ridge Park, 7005 Mira Vista Lane, free to Castle Pines residents.
- Early to mid-November: Final paving of the eastbound lanes between Forest Park Drive and the Buffalo Trail roundabout, depending on weather.
- November: Life Time Castle Pines is listed as arriving at 7373 Canyon Forge Drive.
- Dec. 4 through Dec. 13: Winter Wonderland runs across two weekends at The Ridge, 1414 Castle Pines Parkway.
The Holiday Venue Sits on the Road Being Rebuilt
The Ridge's address is 1414 Castle Pines Parkway, so the City's biggest construction project of the year runs past the front door of its holiday venue. Reconstruction started June 1. The City first expected to finish in early fall, but its Oct. 5 project update now has paving running into November.
The delay goes back to a decision in July. At its July 14 meeting, City Council approved extra work after crews found the existing concrete between Forest Park Drive and the Buffalo Trail roundabout was more damaged than expected. That stretch is being rebuilt in asphalt. The westbound section from Monarch Boulevard to Deer Clover Drive, which includes the stretch in front of Timber Trail Elementary, reopened on Aug. 11 to keep school traffic moving.
The rest of the work happens in order. Once the remaining westbound lanes are paved, traffic shifts onto the new pavement. Crews then remove the eastbound concrete driving and bike lanes, leaving the curb, gutter and median in place, and finish with the eastbound paving. If the weather cooperates, that schedule clears the parkway a few weeks before the first holiday crowds head to The Ridge. The City says landscape restoration will happen alongside the rest of the work.
Village Square Turned Over Quietly
While the parkway was torn up, several storefronts at Village Square changed. Castello Italiano opened in the former Pino's space at 361 Village Square Lane, Suite 130. It held a soft opening on Aug. 31 and opened for regular business on Sept. 1, according to DougCo Social. The owners are the family behind Farro Italian Restaurant.
A few doors away, ClueClock Escape & Gameshow at 7437 Village Square Drive, Suite A115, has closed for good. The owners announced the closure on Oct. 9 and did not give a reason, DougCo Social reported.
Farther down the parkway, 7 Brew Coffee is open at 570 Castle Pines Parkway, on the southeast corner of Debbie Lane. It is a 510-square-foot double-lane drive-through with no indoor seating, and the first customer reviews appeared on Oct. 5, per DougCo Social.
Village Square is also where the fall season began this year, with the City's Fall Festival, Trick-or-Treat Street and Pumpkin Race held at 7437 Village Square Drive on Oct. 24. In December the City's events move to The Ridge.
The Biggest Opening Is East of I-25
The largest new addition this season is in The Canyons. Life Time's Castle Pines page still says "Arriving November 2026" but gives no opening day. The website for a rental-townhome project next door says the club opens in December, so the exact date may still move.
Life Time's own first-look feature describes 102,600 square feet with:
- Nine pickleball courts
- Indoor and outdoor pools
- Group-fitness studios and recovery amenities
- Kids Academy, LifeSpa and LifeClinic
- A coworking lounge
Membership enrollment opened in August 2026 through a waitlist. Pre-opening benefits included preferred pricing, app access, gear, a training session and priority class reservations. Castle Pines Connection's development roundup expects the club to bring more than 300 jobs.
The club joins a few spots on the east side that are already open. Canyon House Kitchen + Cocktails at 1419 Westbridge Drive was open to the public by February 2025. The Exchange Coffee House at 1415 Westbridge Drive is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The larger commercial district planned south of the parkway is still in the planning stage. Castle Pines Connection reported in August that no businesses had been named for the 12-acre mixed-use pad north of the parkway.
For now, people on the west side still reach The Canyons the same way, through the existing Castle Pines Parkway interchange. The Canyonside Boulevard link from Happy Canyon has not been built yet.
Winter Wonderland Returns with Longer Bingo Hours
Once the paving and openings are done, the City's December schedule looks a lot like last year's. All six events are at The Ridge, which is a public golf facility managed by Troon Golf and home to the restaurant Park Place at The Ridge.
| Event | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Lighting | Fri., Dec. 5, 5–7 p.m. | Fri., Dec. 4, 5–7 p.m. |
| Holiday Movie Night | Sat., Dec. 6, 5–7 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 5, 5–7 p.m. |
| Gingerbread House Decorating | Sun., Dec. 7, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Sun., Dec. 6, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Holiday Bingo | Sat., Dec. 13, 3–7 p.m. | Sat., Dec. 12, 3–9 p.m. |
| Holiday Carriage Rides | Dec. 13–14, 4–8 p.m. | Dec. 12–13, 4–8 p.m. |
| Holly Jolly Brunch | Sun., Dec. 14, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Sun., Dec. 13, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. |
The one real change is Holiday Bingo. It started in 2024 as a two-hour event from 5 to 7 p.m. In 2025 it ran four hours, and the 2026 listing runs from 3 to 9 p.m. That means bingo now covers the whole carriage-ride window on Dec. 12.
The City's 2026 pages still say details are coming soon, and none of them list ticket prices yet. Past years give some idea of what to expect. Carriage rides in 2024 required advance tickets, and the 2025 brunch had seatings at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Dec. 12 carriage-ride listing names both the Chamber and the City as contacts.
What Stays Under Construction After the Lights Go Up
Not everything wraps up before December. The realigned stretch of South Havana Street opened on July 15, and its traffic signals are scheduled for fall 2026. Coyote Ridge Park Phase 1 started construction on Sept. 8 and is expected to finish in spring 2027. Plans include a new pedestrian connection, accessible walks, a renovated inclusive playground, a baseball field, restrooms and a plaza with a pollinator garden.
The longest project is the Happy Canyon Road and I-25 interchange. Plans call for a replacement bridge, a second bridge, rebuilt ramps and intersection changes. The City's current schedule shows a start in late 2026 or early 2027 and completion in mid-2028, pending CDOT approvals. Construction may be starting at Happy Canyon around the same time the new parkway pavement is ready for the holiday traffic.
If you're curious how the new parkway, the Life Time opening or the turnover at Village Square might factor into what your Castle Pines home is worth, Team DTC Davis follows these changes closely and can walk you through it. Request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll put together a figure that reflects how Castle Pines looks heading into 2027.
