Downtown Steamboat Opens Its Winter Over Thanksgiving Weekend, Starting on 10th Street
Downtown Steamboat gets its own opening weekend. It lands on the three days after Thanksgiving. On Friday, Nov. 27, the Lincoln Avenue lights come on at a new spot. On Saturday, Nov. 28, Howelsen Hill plans to start its 111th season across the river, the same day as Small Business Saturday. On Sunday the lifts there are free. If you live within walking distance of Lincoln Avenue, that weekend is downtown's season opener. The countdown this year happens at Civic Plaza by City Hall on 10th Street.
Mainstreet Steamboat's holiday events page lists Light Up the Night for Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, "in our new location at Civic Plaza by City Hall on 10th Street." It runs from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Yampa Valley Electric Association and Yampa Valley Bank sponsor it.
The event is short on purpose. Mainstreet puts it this way:
"Don't be late, because this is the shortest event of the year!"
Half an hour covers everything. There's cocoa and a cookie, a countdown from 10, Santa for the kids, and the local fire department dropping hundreds of ping-pong balls with specials printed on them. Mainstreet admits the ball hunt is hard. The balls are white, the snow is white, and it's dark until the lights come on. Mainstreet says it wraps up by 6:30 so people can still make their dinner reservations. That makes the Friday after Thanksgiving a natural night to book a downtown table for 6:45 or 7 p.m.
The lights going up on Friday were installed weeks ago. Mainstreet manages the seasonal lighting with city funding. It hired SavATree to string the lights along Lincoln Avenue from 3rd to 13th streets, and Steamboat Radio reported the work was set for Oct. 14 through 16, with lane closures on both sides of the street. The Friday countdown is the night those ten blocks of lights get switched on.
The city plans to open Howelsen Hill Ski Area on Saturday, Nov. 28, and run it daily through Sunday, March 28, conditions permitting. According to the city's press release as published by Steamboat Radio, this is the hill's 111th winter. The release calls Howelsen North America's oldest ski area. The city owns and runs it as a city park. Along with the alpine terrain, it has 13 miles of Nordic, snowshoe and snow bike trails, and the Outrun Snack Bar returns this season.
Mainstreet lists the same Saturday as Small Business Saturday, the Shop Small day held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Howelsen's opening and the shopping day falling on one date means downtown's ski hill and downtown's shops both open their winter on the same day. Steamboat Resort's free skiing for kids runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 15, so by that Saturday the resort's early-season offers are already a week old.
The weekend at a glance:
| Day | What | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving dinner out or picked up | Around town | Varies |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Light Up the Night | Civic Plaza by City Hall, 10th Street | 6 to 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Local shops | Shop hours |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Howelsen Hill planned opening | Howelsen Hill Ski Area | Conditions permitting |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | First Ski Free Sunday of the season | Howelsen Hill, then Mountain Tap Brewery | Conditions permitting |
The city's Ski Free Sunday program is back. It's planned for every Sunday from the start of the season through closing day, which puts the first one on Nov. 29 if the hill opens on schedule. The free lift ticket also works after you leave the hill. Bring your Ski Free Sunday ticket to Mountain Tap Brewery for a free pint of select beer or a cauldron of popcorn.
A downtown Sunday this season can go like this:
Once daily operations begin, the city posts hours, prices and the daily grooming report online, and you can also call the ski area at 970-879-8499.
If Sundays alone won't be enough, 2026/27 season passes are on sale through the city. Pickup at the Howelsen ticket office starts Nov. 2, so anyone reading this on publish day can already collect one. The city's 2026/27 price sheet, which it labels subject to change without notice, shows how the categories compare.
For an adult, adding Nordic to an alpine pass costs $203. That's less than the $260 Nordic-only pass, and it opens up the 13 miles of trails. The pass also travels. This winter it includes three days at several other areas, among them Bogus Basin, Snow King Mountain, Steeplechase and Mont du Lac. You can email a photo to the ticket office ahead of time to have your pass preprinted. Once the photo is approved, the office needs 48 hours to process it.
Thanksgiving dinner shapes the rest of the weekend, and one of the town's options has a deadline before the holiday week starts. Steamboat Meat & Seafood's 2026 take-away Thanksgiving menu costs $75 per person with a four-person minimum. It's fully cooked and you reheat it at home. Orders are due Monday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. Pickup is Wednesday, Nov. 25, or Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu covers turkey and gravy, herb-sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, cranberry compote, salad, bread and butter, and pumpkin pie or cheesecake. You can add extra turkey at $12 per person or a whole pumpkin pie for $30. Tax and gratuity are extra.
If you'd rather someone else do the dishes, Yampa Valley Kitchen is serving a special holiday menu next to its regular menu. It asks diners to mention the Thanksgiving meal when they book.
Winter parking rules have been in force since Nov. 1 and run through April 30. Plows need clear streets and alleys, and a car parked in violation can be ticketed or towed, as Steamboat Radio reported. Different blocks have different hours.
These hours apply all through Thanksgiving weekend, including the late evenings after Light Up the Night and Howelsen's opening day. This is general information, not legal advice, so check the city's current rules before your guests park.
After the weekend, the 10th Street plaza stays busy. Santa's Study sets up at Civic Plaza on Saturdays in December: Dec. 5 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon.
A block over, the Marshall House is moving again. The 135-year-old house was moved to its new site more than a year ago. In late October, crews rotated it 10 degrees and stabilized it, as reported by Steamboat Pilot & Today. Joella West, a former city council member who owns the property with her husband, told the paper she hopes the new lower level will be done by year-end with the house set on top of it. The finished building is planned to hold two businesses, including a speakeasy and cigar bar on the lower level, and to join the town's historical walking tours. Through December, a walk past the site will show the progress.
Howelsen and Yampa Street get busy again in early February. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club lists the 114th Winter Carnival for Feb. 2 through 7, 2027, at Howelsen Hill, the Tread of Pioneers Museum and Yampa Street.
If your Thanksgiving weekend plans include hosting family near Howelsen and they start asking what a place on these blocks would cost, Michelle Parilla can walk you through recent sales on the streets between the river and Lincoln Avenue. If you already own a home within walking distance of the Friday countdown, start with a free home valuation to see what that location is worth this winter.
Whether you are looking to buy or sell in Steamboat, she hopes that you will allow her to work for you. Contact her now!