A Very Merry Berthoud's Second Year Moves to Mountain Avenue by Afternoon

What do you do with cold kids at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, after the cookie tables at Third and Massachusetts pack up, when the Parade of Lights won't start down Mountain Avenue until 5?

Planning the day mostly means planning those two hours. The lineup posted through Berthoud Main Street puts most of the daytime fun in one cluster that closes at 3 p.m. The parade starts at 5 p.m. Small businesses along Mountain Avenue and its side streets fill the two hours in between, and their stops lead toward the parade route. Plan around that shift and the day works.

Last Year Gave the Day a Name

The festival is only in its second year. The Loveland Reporter-Herald covered the 2025 debut as Berthoud's first all-in-one holiday celebration. It folded long-running traditions into one day under one name. Town Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Horvath told the paper, "We've done a Parade of Lights for years with one-off little events. This is the cohesive holiday glue that brings everyone downtown and gives it a name."

That first year also gave Fickel Park its centerpiece. The town decorated an 80-foot Colorado blue spruce with 4,000 feet of lights, and the town's forestry department confirmed the height. Last year's lineup included ice skating on Third Street, Cowboy Christmas at The Rancher's Wife, and blacksmithing and carriage rides on Massachusetts Avenue.

For 2026, SouthState Bank is the presenting sponsor. Berthoud Main Street, the Town of Berthoud and the Berthoud Chamber are bringing the festival back, with activities hosted by local businesses and organizations. The 2026 lineup posted so far puts more of the daytime in one place. It also lets downtown businesses fill most of the afternoon.

The Morning Belongs to Third and Massachusetts

The day starts a little earlier and farther out. The Town of Berthoud's free Winter Craft Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Berthoud Recreation Center, 1000 N. Berthoud Parkway. If the craft fair is your first stop, plan to arrive downtown after it opens at 9.

Downtown, most of the activity sits within a few blocks of Third Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Here is how the posted roster lays it out:

Two more morning stops sit just off that cluster. Wildfire Arts Center at 425 Massachusetts Ave. is hosting free family crafts and a holiday photo op from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wreath decorating there costs extra. Berthoud Community Library at 236 Welch Ave. has a free hot chocolate bar and free children's books over the same hours. The library also has public restrooms, which matters a lot to anyone with young kids.

The Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the festival. The parade organizers' site also lists letters-to-Santa mailboxes around downtown and blacksmithing demonstrations along Mountain Avenue. It says shops will offer gift wrapping and holiday deals throughout the day.

All of that makes a full morning in a small area. It also means a large share of the activities end at the same time.

Three O'Clock Is When the Map Shifts

At 3 p.m., the holiday market, the petting zoo, the s'mores, the Lions Club cookies, the library's cocoa, Wildfire's crafts and Mat + Motion's ornaments are all scheduled to end. So is the craft fair at the Rec Center. Santa and SNOWLYMPICS run another hour, to 4 p.m.

House of Rossi Boutique at 311 Mountain Ave. has a holiday candy bar inside the boutique from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so it works as a last stop before the change. After that, businesses on and near Mountain Avenue cover the rest of the afternoon. On the roster, these are the stops that run past 3 or start later:

• Cornerstone Cafe NFOC, 250 Mountain Ave.: a free hot cocoa bar, cookies and a Living Nativity from 2 to 4 p.m. The scheduled window opens just as the Third Street cluster starts to close.
• Marley & Moose, 520 Mountain Ave.: Santa letters and festive crafts on the patio from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the longest-running family activity on the list.
• Berthoud Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 157 Mountain Ave.: free hot cocoa to go before the parade, from 4 to 5 p.m.
• Rise Artisan Bread, 403 5th Street: a free gingerbread photo op all day. It's an easy stop at any hour.

Put in order, the afternoon moves from the 3rd Street cluster to the cafe at 250 Mountain, and from there to cocoa at 157 Mountain just before the parade starts. The parade lines up on Second Street at 4 p.m. and steps off at 5. A family that ends the afternoon on Mountain Avenue is already standing on the route.

Dusk on Mountain Avenue

The Berthoud Parade of Lights starts at 5 p.m. It begins at Second Street and runs along Mountain Avenue through downtown to Eighth Street. Float entries must carry lights. Music is encouraged, and candy can't be thrown from floats. Families planning a spot along the curb can expect lit floats, but not candy tossed to the crowd.

Caroling and the tree lighting at Fickel Park follow the parade. The parade site lists them at 5:45 p.m., and the activity roster lists the lighting at 6. Last year, the Reporter-Herald described floats led by Santa's sleigh heading down Mountain Avenue to Fickel Park, where Santa flipped the switch on the blue spruce.

The organizers plan a 6 p.m. "explore downtown" block, with holiday specials inside downtown shops and restaurants after the outdoor events. For dinner, two Mountain Avenue-area options fit the evening:

• City Star Brewing, 321 Mountain Ave. It's also one of the pickup spots for Berthoud Giving Trees tags.
• Osito's, 405 5th St. This will be the restaurant's first holiday season. It opened in February 2026 in the Fifth Street space that used to house La Casita, as the Berthoud Surveyor reported. Its site invites walk-ins and links to online ordering.

The Saturday Before Sets It Up

The holiday season downtown starts a week earlier. Small Business Saturday runs all day downtown on November 28. The Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum at 224 Mountain Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.

On December 5 itself, Berthoud Giving Trees tags are available all day at City Star, the library and Hays. The activity roster is a business signup list, so check the Berthoud Main Street event page for final times the week of the festival.

At Bison Real Estate Group, we like to see downtown Berthoud full of families on a December afternoon. If you'll be on Mountain Avenue for the parade and want to talk about what the next year could look like for your home, say hello or start with a free valuation. Let's Connect and Get Your Home Valuation.