Basalt has two tree lightings this December, and which one is closer to home depends on where you live. The Town of Basalt lights a tree at Triangle Park in Willits on Friday, Dec. 4. A week later, on Friday, Dec. 11, it lights another on Midland Avenue in Historic Downtown.
The two lightings sit inside a larger pattern. From Thanksgiving weekend to mid-December, Basalt runs two parallel holiday seasons, one for each commercial center. Willits gets the market and the first lighting. Downtown gets the second lighting and its own night of Santa. Roaring Fork Fire & Rescue splits its Santa route along the same line. For anyone planning the next five weeks here, the calendar makes more sense as two towns taking turns.
The Kickoff Belongs to Neither District
The season starts outside both centers, at the Emma Schoolhouse. The Basalt Chamber's 2026 holiday page calls the Emma Schoolhouse Christmas Bazaar "the unofficial kickoff to holiday shopping in the midvalley" and says it has held that role for 50 years. Everything sold there is handmade food and gifts from local artists.
The 50th annual bazaar ran Friday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's held every year on the Friday and Saturday two weekends before Thanksgiving, so by Thanksgiving week it has already set the season in motion.
After that weekend, the calendar picks a side.
Thanksgiving Weekend Tilts Toward Willits
The first community event of the long weekend isn't tied to either district. The Basalt Turkey Trot runs Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26. Basalt Education Foundation organizes it, with Aspen Valley Health as presenting sponsor, and proceeds support BEF's education programs. Race-day registration runs from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m., and the 5K and one-mile fun run both start at 9:30 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28, is Small Business Saturday. The Chamber frames it around keeping holiday spending in Basalt rather than with big-box stores and online retailers.
On Sunday, the action moves to Willits. The Basalt Holiday Market fills TACAW, The Arts Campus at Willits, at 400 Robinson St. on Nov. 29. TACAW presents it in partnership with the Town of Basalt and lists these details:
- Free to attend
- Noon to 5 p.m., per TACAW's event page
- Local artists, jewelers, bakers, and other makers
- Town contact for market questions: 970-927-4701
So the weekend runs from the schoolhouse bazaar's 50-year handmade tradition to an indoor market at the valley's newer arts campus, 15 days after the bazaar closes and five days before the Willits tree goes up. That makes Willits the place where Basalt's holiday shopping comes together.
Dec. 4: Willits Lights First
Light Up Willits runs Friday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Triangle Park, presented by the Town of Basalt. The Chamber lists the evening's offerings:
- Tree lighting
- Santa in person to collect wish lists
- Live entertainment
- Food, beverages, and treats
- Horse-drawn carriage rides
Only the Willits lighting lists the carriage rides. The Downtown lighting a week later has the tree, Santa, music, and food but no carriages. Both listings carry the same advice to park farther away and walk in, since traffic and parking may be challenging.
Triangle Park comes back into the season later on. The Chamber places the Basalt Chanukah menorah lighting there too. It's hosted by Aspen Jewish Congregation, with the lighting at 5 p.m. and appetizers afterward at Sure Thing Burger. The Chamber's holiday page will carry the date.
Dec. 11: The Night Basalt Splits in Two
The second Friday is when the two-district calendar shows most clearly. Merry on Midland runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on Midland Avenue, with a tree lighting, Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music, food, and drinks.
That same evening at 5:30 p.m., Roaring Fork Fire & Rescue's Santa leaves the fire station on the first of his three "Santa in the Neighborhood" fire-truck rides. Friday's route doesn't go through downtown. It covers the midvalley neighborhoods. Downtown's ride comes the next night.
| Night | Departs | Area | Route listed by RFFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Blue Lake | Coyote Circle, Rabbit Rd, Badger Rd, Buckskin, W. Goose Lane, Black Bear Trl, Deer Run |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 5:30 p.m. | El Jebel | James Cir, Clark Dr, Floyd Rd, Sage Dr |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Sopris Village | Sopris Village |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Willits | Meadow Dr, Sopris Cir, Evans Rd, Jody Rd, E. Valley Rd, Lake Cr, Meadow Ct, Juniper Ct, Valley Ct, E. Valley Rd, Harris St, Willits Ln, Frontage Rd, City Market |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | 5:30 p.m. | Summit Loop and Summit Drive | Valley Rd, Summit Loop, Valley Rd, Parkside Ln, Summit Dr |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 5:30 p.m. | Elk Run | Elk Run Dr, Hearthstone, Lauren Ln, Elk Cir, Park Cir, Mountain Ct, Riverside Dr |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 5:30 p.m. | Historic Downtown Basalt | Midland Ave, Homestead Dr |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 5:30 p.m. | Southside | Meadowview Dr, Allison Ln, Alexander Ln |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 5:15 p.m. | Snowmass Village | Mountain View, Palisades/Creekside, Base Village, Daly Townhomes, Timbers Club, Woodbridge/Seasons 44 drive-thru, Fairway III, Sinclair Meadows, Snowmass Club drive-thru, Rodeo Place, Club Commons drive-thru |
The timing matters on Dec. 11. Merry on Midland runs until 6 p.m., and the fire truck starts its Willits and El Jebel loop at 5:30. A household on Black Bear Trail or Sopris Circle that wants both the downtown lighting and Santa rolling down its own street has a tight evening to plan. The full street list and RFFR's contact number, 970-340-7040, are on the Chamber's holiday page.
Downtown's Version Leans on Its Storefronts
Midland Avenue's party has its own history with fire trucks. An Aspen Times photo caption shows Santa arriving on an old firetruck at the Merry on Midland block party on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.
Downtown merchants work the evening into their own schedules. In the Chamber's 2025 Season of Small listings, Maison held a Merry on Midland celebration with a children's coloring station, and Midland Shoe stayed open until 7 p.m. that night after a 20%-off storewide sale on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Art Base ran a series of holiday classes last December, from holiday cards to wooden ornaments to tablescapes and door décor. Those were last year's listings, and the Season of Small page is where merchants post their seasonal events.
For dinner nearby, Gemma serves Italian food in the former Free Range Kitchen space overlooking Basalt River Park, as the Aspen Times reported in August. The Aspen Times names Angelo Elia as the chef and mentions his wife, Denise. Gemma's address is 22864 Two Rivers Road. Gemma's site says brunch and lunch return in spring 2027, so for now a tree-lighting evening means dinner.
Basalt River Park also hosts the Town's Basalty Tree Pageant. Teams sign up for a free tree that arrives already lit, decorate it, and the trees go on display at the park. This year's theme is "Holiday Music." Sign-up runs through the Chamber's holiday page, with the Town of Basalt at 970-927-4701 for questions.
The Giving Days Fall Between the Two Lightings
The two Tuesdays between the lightings are for giving. Giving Tuesday is Dec. 1, three days before Light Up Willits. Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Chamber notes that Colorado Gives Day carries a $1 million Incentive Fund, so every nonprofit that receives a donation that day gets a share. The event has raised more than $257 million since it began in 2010. For midvalley households, that puts both giving days in the gap between the Willits Friday and the Midland Friday.
Here's how the dates line up for the season:
- Nov. 13–14: Emma Schoolhouse Bazaar, 50th year
- Nov. 26: Basalt Turkey Trot, 9:30 a.m. start
- Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday
- Nov. 29: Basalt Holiday Market at TACAW, Willits
- Dec. 1: Giving Tuesday
- Dec. 4: Light Up Willits, Triangle Park, 4–6 p.m.
- Dec. 8: Colorado Gives Day
- Dec. 11: Merry on Midland, 4–6 p.m., and the RFFR Santa ride through Willits, El Jebel, Blue Lake, Sopris Village, and Summit Loop at 5:30 p.m.
- Dec. 12: RFFR Santa ride through Elk Run, Historic Downtown, and Southside at 5:30 p.m.
If you're thinking about how your corner of Basalt, whether that's Willits or Midland Avenue, fits your plans for the year ahead, Team Hansen would be glad to talk it through over coffee between the two lightings. Let's connect, and request a private consultation whenever it suits you.
