Craft Fairs & Holiday Markets in Douglas County
By Connor Tien, DougCo Social · Updated August 2026
If you're hunting for handmade gifts, this is the list I keep. Every craft fair, Christmas market, and holiday boutique across Douglas County — Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, and Castle Pines — from the first fall craft fairs in September through the December Christmas markets. I update the dates as they get announced. Confirmed 2026 dates are up top; the annual regulars are here too, dated as they firm up.
The shopping calendar at a glance
| Date | Event | Town |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 12 | HRCA Fall Craft Fair | Highlands Ranch |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Chaparral Autumn Artisan Market | Parker |
| Early Nov | Castle Rock Craft Show Extraordinaire | Castle Rock |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Mountain Pine Yuletide Bazaar | Parker |
| Mid-Nov | HRCA Holiday Gift Fair | Highlands Ranch |
| Dec 4–5 | Festival Park Starlight Market | Castle Rock |
| Sat, Dec 5 | Christmas Market at Plum Creek Church | Castle Rock |
Dates confirmed for 2026 where set. Annual events without a posted 2026 date are covered below and added here once announced.
Fall Craft Fairs (September–early November)
- HRCA Fall Craft Fair — Sat Sep 12, Eastridge Rec Center (Highlands Ranch): 9 a.m.–5 p.m., free. The season's first big craft fair, with handmade goods and local makers before the holidays.
- Chaparral Autumn Artisan Market — Sat Oct 31, Chaparral HS (Parker): 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m., free. The Chaparral Marching Band Boosters’ juried craft fair (22nd annual), with dozens of makers and vendors.
- Castle Rock Craft Show Extraordinaire — early November, Douglas County Events Center (500 Fairgrounds Dr): 135-plus vendors and free to get in. It's the Castle Rock Senior Center's big fundraiser, and usually the first real holiday-shopping stop of the year. In 2025 it ran Saturday, November 8, so expect a similar early-November Saturday in 2026 (the date gets set closer to the season).
November Holiday Boutiques & Bazaars
- Mountain Pine Woman’s Club Annual Yuletide Bazaar — Sat Nov 14, Parker Fieldhouse (Parker): a beloved Parker holiday bazaar with handmade crafts, baked goods, and gifts.
- HRCA Holiday Gift Fair — mid-November, Highlands Ranch: the Highlands Ranch Community Association’s holiday shopping fair, a companion to its September craft fair.
- Holly Jolly Christmas Boutique — mid-November, The Grange in The Meadows (Castle Rock): a two-day holiday shopping boutique of local vendors and makers. In 2025 it ran November 14–15; expect a similar mid-November weekend in 2026.
- Outlets at Castle Rock — mid-to-late November: the annual Tree Lighting kicks off the holiday season, followed by Black Friday weekend, Santa’s Cottage, and Jingle Bucks shopping perks.
December Christmas Markets
- Festival Park Starlight Market — Dec 4–5, downtown Castle Rock: the big holiday market downtown, with 40-plus vendors, food trucks, holiday music, hot cocoa, and a 40-foot tree. Friday 3–8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
- Christmas Market at Plum Creek Church — Sat Dec 5, 9 a.m.–noon (Castle Rock): a free market with dozens of local artisans; 500-plus neighbors shopped last year.
- Downtown Parker Holiday Market — early December, O’Brien Park (Parker): the maker-and-artisan market inside Parker’s Hometown Holidays celebration. In 2025 it fell on December 6; expect early December 2026.
- 105 Christmas Market — mid-December, 105 West Brewing (Castle Rock): handmade crafts and seasonal goods paired with the taproom. In 2025 it ran the weekend of December 13–14; expect a similar mid-December weekend in 2026.
Shop Local: Sip & Stroll + Small Business Saturday
- Downtown Castle Rock Holiday Sip & Stroll — early December: the big downtown shop-local night. Downtown shops stay open late with festive sips, snacks, and deals; pick up a passport, collect stamps, and enter to win gift cards. Free to attend. See our full guide.
- Small Business Saturday — Saturday after Thanksgiving: downtown Castle Rock merchants run deals the whole weekend, alongside Black Friday shopping at the Outlets at Castle Rock.
Holiday Traditions: Ornaments & Make-and-Take Workshops
- The Castle Rock Starlighting ornament: Starlighting is one I actually go to, and the Chamber's ornament booth is part of the night. They put out a new commemorative ornament each year, gold-plated, with a different historic Castle Rock building on it. A lot of families collect one a year. You can get them at the celebration and the Chamber office, and they usually still have some past-year designs.
- Make-and-take craft workshops: around the holidays, local taprooms host sign-up craft nights — think Iron Mule’s sea-glass trees, Alidade’s seasonal succulents, and The Gardens ornament-decorating party in Highlands Ranch. Great for a gift you made yourself.
- Holiday carriage rides & the free winter trolley: downtown Castle Rock runs horse-drawn carriage rides and a free evening trolley through the holiday lights — the perfect pairing with a night of downtown shopping.
Craft fairs & markets coming up
Pulled live from our events calendar.
Frequently asked
What craft fairs happen in Douglas County in the fall?
The season opens with the HRCA Fall Craft Fair at the Eastridge Rec Center in Highlands Ranch (Saturday, September 12, 2026, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., free). In early November the two big ones are Chaparral High School’s Autumn Artisan Market in Parker (the Marching Band Boosters’ long-running fundraiser) and the Castle Rock Craft Show Extraordinaire at the Douglas County Events Center — a free, 135-plus-vendor show that benefits the Castle Rock Senior Activity Center and kicks off the holiday shopping season.
What are the best Christmas markets in Douglas County?
The biggest is the Festival Park Starlight Market in downtown Castle Rock (December 4–5, 2026) — 40-plus vendors, food trucks, and a giant decorated tree. Others: the Christmas Market at Plum Creek Church (Saturday, December 5), the Downtown Parker Holiday Market at O’Brien Park (inside Parker’s Hometown Holidays), and the 105 Christmas Market at 105 West Brewing in Castle Rock. Most are free to attend.
When is the Castle Rock Craft Show Extraordinaire?
Early November at the Douglas County Events Center (500 Fairgrounds Drive), on a Saturday from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s free to shop, features 135-plus vendors, and benefits the Castle Rock Senior Activity Center. The 33rd annual show ran Saturday, November 8, 2025, so expect a similar early-November Saturday in 2026; the exact date is set closer to the season and we update it here once posted.
What holiday boutiques and bazaars are in Parker and Highlands Ranch?
Parker has the Mountain Pine Woman’s Club Annual Yuletide Bazaar at the Parker Fieldhouse (Saturday, November 14) and the Downtown Parker Holiday Market at O’Brien Park in early December. Highlands Ranch has the HRCA Holiday Gift Fair (mid-November). In Castle Rock, the Holly Jolly Christmas Boutique returns to The Grange in The Meadows in mid-November.
Where can I buy a Castle Rock Starlighting ornament?
The Castle Rock Chamber sells a commemorative Starlighting ornament each year — a gold-plated collector’s piece featuring a different historic Castle Rock site annually — through its Starlighting ornament page. They sell at the Starlighting celebration and the Chamber office, and past-year ornaments are sometimes still available at the office.
What is the best way to shop local for the holidays in Castle Rock?
The Downtown Castle Rock Sip & Stroll is the big shop-local night — a free early-December passport crawl where downtown shops stay open late with festive sips, deals, and gift-card giveaways. Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) and the holiday events at the Outlets at Castle Rock round out the shop-local calendar.
How I keep this current: I re-check the organizers' calendars every week and update dates here as they post. Confirmed 2026 dates link straight to the event; the annual regulars show last year's date until the new one drops. See something missing or out of date? Tell me at [email protected].
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