Outdoor Events

Friday, Sept. 25, 6-10pm (21+)
Our 21+ night kicks off with Bavarian dancers, drinking games and contests, and a lively polka DJ to keep you entertained all night long under the lights of our festival tent.

Saturday, Sept. 26, 11am-3pm (Family-friendly)
On Saturday, bring the whole family for a large-scale, family-fun celebration. Enjoy delicious German food, join contests for prizes, and dance to the tunes of a live polka band. Another incredible Bavarian dance team will take the stage to showcase traditional moves everyone will love.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Advance purchase is required. Each vehicle must have a timed-entry permit and Sunrise admission ticket purchased online before arrival. Tickets will not be sold at the Gateway, and access to the North Slope Recreation Area will not be available during event hours.

Prefer to leave the driving to us? Shuttle tickets are available! Shuttles depart from the North Pole parking lot, located 0.3 miles before the Pikes Peak entrance, and travel directly to the summit.

The Pikes Peak Gateway will open early for special sunrise events, so please take note of your arrival time when purchasing tickets.

Before you go, please prepare for the mountain drive and summit conditions:
• Avoid using air conditioning on the way up.
• Know how to downshift and use engine braking on the way down.
• Drink plenty of water before and during your visit.
• Bring warm layers. The summit is usually about 30 degrees colder than in town and can be especially cold before sunrise.

The Summit Visitor Center café and gift shop will be open for food and souvenirs.

Don’t miss this extraordinary chance to welcome the day from the top of America’s Mountain. All access is weather permitting.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Creek Week is the largest watershed-wide clean-up in the state of Colorado. Creek Week volunteers remove litter along a creek, trail, park, or open space throughout the Fountain Creek Watershed and beyond. All ages and abilities are invited to join a clean-up crew. Get outdoors, get active, and get busy creating positive change for your community and those living downstream.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

This free program is much more than a walk in the woods! It is about connecting with the natural world through sensory experiences. It is about being in nature rather than just moving through it.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Autumn Equinox Celebration: Open House, Basket Weaving, & Potluck

with Our Wild Origin: Land-Based Education
facebook.com/Ourwildorigin

Itinerary
• 3:30—4:30 pm Open House/Show & Tell
• 4:30—5:30 pm Pine Needle Basket Tutorial
• 5:30—6:30 pm Community Potluck
• 6:30—8:00 pm Pine Needle Basket Weaving Continues

📆 Saturday, September 26th
⏰ 3:30 pm — 8:00 pm
Red Crags Arts and Agriculture House
302 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO
www.smokebrush.org

Join Our Wild Origin for an Autumn Equinox Celebration! Come learn about ancestral living skills at the Open House in the EarthSkills tent. During this Show & Tell jump into the magic of land based crafts like rope making, basketry, and hide tanning. Ask co-facilitators Austin and Iraiah about their experiences exploring the natural world and crafting with materials gathered from the land.
Feeling ambitious? Choose to start a pine needle basket! Looking for a quick and easy project? Craft a pendant to wear around your neck! To make our creations, we will utilize basic stitching techniques to shape bundled pine needles into a spiral form. Participants are welcome to start their project before or after the community potluck.
Learn more…

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Experience a beloved Colorado Springs tradition reimagined! Hosted by the Trails and Open Space Coalition, the 2026 Starlight Spectacular transforms the historic grounds of Rock Ledge Ranch and the backdrop of Garden of the Gods into a glowing outdoor festival.

As the sun sets, guests gather beneath the Harvest Moon for an evening filled with music, adventure, and community.

Guests are encouraged to wear lit-up accessories, colorful LEDs, and glowing costumes to light up the night alongside the community.

Event Highlights

• Catered Dinner & Drinks: Enjoy an outdoor meal and two complimentary drinks beneath the moonlight.
• Live Entertainment & Yoga: Features live music by Roma Ransom and a dedicated outdoor yoga experience under the evening sky.
• Festival Zone & Luminary Loop: Explore interactive activities hosted by regional outdoor partners, local artists, and games for all ages, or stroll the illuminated Luminary Loop.
• Guided Sunset & Full Moon Hikes (Add-On): Upgrade your experience with an exclusive, headlamp-guided interpretive hike through Garden of the Gods led by expert guides during golden hour, twilight, and under the full Harvest Moon.
• Commemorative Merch: Purchase custom 2026 Starlight Spectacular Nalgene water bottles.

Every ticket directly supports trail stewardship, equitable outdoor access, and conservation. All proceeds benefit the Trails and Open Space Coalition, the Garden of the Gods Foundation, and the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.

Event Details

Policies: No pets allowed (service animals excepted). All ticket sales are final as they serve as direct tax-deductible donations. Event is weather permitting.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Bring a chair, bring your dog, munch on popcorn+beer+scandalously inexpensive movie theater candy and relax under the stars with us.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

All supplies provided.
Ages 12+, children must be accompanied by parent/guardian.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Join us for the 13th Annual Colorado Springs Marathon on Saturday, October 3, 2026!

Each course highlights the stunning beauty of Colorado Springs - winding past historic landmarks, through scenic parks, and finishing downtown at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, where a lively post-race celebration awaits. This premier, family-friendly event draws participants from across the country and has sold out four years in a row...secure your spot today!

Race sells out - secure your spot today.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

The Ranch buzzes with activities and fun in the crisp autumn air!

Does all this talk of harvest make you hungry? Kick back on the lawn with a slice of pie, steaming cup of cider, and food truck fare. Take time to tour the historic homes, visit the Blacksmith and purchase Ranch-made souvenirs at the General Store.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Switchbacks battle Oakland Roots at Weidner Field on Saturday, October 3, with kickoff at 7 pm, presented by Common Spirit.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Bring a chair, bring your dog, munch on popcorn+beer+scandalously inexpensive movie theater candy and relax under the stars with us.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

The Folk’n’Flannel Festival returns featuring live music, a chili cook-off, games, crafts and brews while supporting outdoor access for all!

Put on your favorite flannel and join us for UpaDowna’s annual Folk’n’Flannel Festival & Fundraiser at The Meanwhile Block in Downtown Colorado Springs!!

Enjoy live music, line dancing, chili cook-off tasting, crafts, face painting, inflatable games, local food truck and sip local brews & cocktails! Celebrate the fall season with family-friendly fun while supporting UpaDowna’s mission to make outdoor adventures accessible for all.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Celebrate 32 years of racing at the Emma Crawford Coffin Races in Manitou Springs!

In 1995, the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce launched the nation’s first ever coffin races to honor a beloved local resident, Emma Crawford. What began as a tribute has grown into a signature Manitou Springs tradition—which has inspired other coffin races across the country!

The story dates back to 1889, when Emma Crawford arrived in Manitou Springs seeking relief from tuberculosis in the town’s famed mineral springs, fresh mountain air, and sunshine. Defying those who said she was too ill, she summited Red Mountain and tied her red scarf at the peak—later asking to be laid to rest there, forever overlooking the charming mountain community she had come to love. After her passing in 1891, her fiancé, Wilhelm Hildenbrand—a civil engineer with the Pikes Peak Cog Railway—fulfilled her final wish. Joined by 11 townspeople, he carried her coffin up the 7,200-foot slope to a gravesite near the summit.

Decades later, in 1929, years of severe winters and heavy spring rains sent Emma’s coffin sliding down the mountainside. When local children discovered the remains, only the casket handles, a nameplate, and a few bones remained—cementing a legend that continues to inspire the annual races today.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Bring a chair, bring your dog, munch on popcorn+beer+scandalously inexpensive movie theater candy and relax under the stars with us.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Switchbacks battle FC Tulsa at Weidner Field on Saturday, October 24, with kickoff at 7 pm for Fourth Wing Night.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Bring a chair, bring your dog, munch on popcorn+beer+scandalously inexpensive movie theater candy and relax under the stars with us.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

The Old Colorado City Christkindlmarket returns in 2026 with an even bigger holiday celebration! Following a successful inaugural season, the market expands to 16 festive days with more handcrafted wooden vendor huts, a larger footprint, and twice the holiday spirit. Enjoy authentic German food and drinks, unique holiday shopping, live entertainment, and festive traditions in a warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Free and open to the public, the OCC Christkindlmarket continues to bring the magic of a traditional German Christmas market to the heart of Colorado Springs.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

The Pikes Peak Sports Economy Report offers an in-depth analysis of the significant economic impact that sports-related events and activities have on the Colorado Springs region. By examining key metrics such as sports tourism, venue utilization, and spending by both participants and spectators, the report illustrates how sports contribute to the local economy through direct revenue, job creation, and increased demand for services such as hospitality and transportation. It highlights the role of major sporting events, from amateur competitions to elite professional contests, in attracting visitors to the area and boosting local businesses, while also promoting the city's reputation as a hub for sports excellence.

Additionally, the report emphasizes the broader benefits that sports bring to the community, including the enhancement of local infrastructure, the fostering of civic pride, and the improvement of quality of life for residents. With Colorado Springs being home to a range of world-class sports venues and training centers, such as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, the sports economy is a critical component of the region’s identity and growth. The report serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, business leaders, and event organizers, offering data-driven insights into how sports can continue to fuel economic development and community vitality.

This calendar listing is brought to you by Peak Radar, the Pikes Peak region's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.