Christmas experience at Red Rocks to have one of world's longest light tunnels

DENVER (KDVR) -- A Christmas light display that has become a tradition to visit for many families is coming to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre this season.

Christmas In Color, a drive-through, immersive holiday light experience, is in its ninth year of business. The people behind the display also light up Ice Castles like the ones in Dillon. The light display started in South Jordan, Utah and has been in Denver for six years with locations at places like Water World and the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.

The display includes millions of lights and is new at Red Rocks this year.

President and CEO Todd Glover told FOX31 that crews normally spend about a month setting up the light display. Because the park is still active for the season, crews will install lights about two weeks before opening in late November.

"There's about a million lights out there and everything is connected and networked, and so it's a big job to make these lights dance to the music," Glover said. "We'll have, you know, thousands of man hours to get all these installed, so we we can sympathize with everybody who's out there hanging Christmas lights."

The display allows visitors to gaze at the dazzling lights from the comfort of their vehicle. The lights are synchronized with holiday music that visitors can tune into on their car radio.

Glover said his favorite feature of the light display that is going up at Red Rocks is a light tunnel that will be one of the longest in the world.

"So this year we have created the world's longest light tunnel, and so this tunnel is over 700 feet long and has tens of thousands of pixels inside it," and" Glover said. "We can change the colors and so as you enter that light tunnel, you'll see just a myriad of illumination as you go down this light tunnel."

The display is about a mile long and takes about 30 to 40 minutes to drive through. Each vehicle gets a pair of glasses that create illusions of Christmas shapes with the lights, this year that shape is a snowman.

How to get tickets to Christmas in Color

The light display will be open Nov. 29 through Jan. 4, with holiday music until Dec. 29 and hits from 2024 for the rest of the days. Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 1 and Glover said he expects the event to sell out before December.

Tickets are for timed-entry are around $35 plus fees for one vehicle, depending on the date. Glover said visitors can expect to wait 10 to 15 minutes in line.

Guests will need to purchase tickets online in advance. Visitors also have the option to purchase the "party pack," which includes extra light shape glasses, light up necklaces, bracelets and a light up ornament souvenir.