DISPATCH #21 · TUE, NOVEMBER 3, 2026 · NoCo · TUE HIGH 57°
Postcard from NoCo
Hi NoCo families. The holiday lights in Old Town Fort Collins come on Friday. Live music starts in Old Town Square at 5:30, the countdown is at 6:30, and the lights stay on every night through February. It drops to the mid-30s after dark, so bring hats. On Saturday morning, the winter farmers market opens its season inside the Foothills mall with free kids' activities, and at 1, Loveland's Día de los Muertos celebration has mariachi music, dancers, and a kids' storytime. Oh, the places you'll actually go.
JP & Alexis
Be Like Blippi Live — Prices vary
Thu 11/5 · 6pm · Monfort Concert Hall, Union Colony Civic Center, 701 10th Ave, Greeley
Blippi and Meekah, played by stage performers, sing and dance to songs like "The Excavator Song," "Monster Truck," and "Dino Dance." A live show for toddlers and young kids who like to sing along. Tickets →
Random Acts of Kindness Spree — $25
Tue 11/3 and Wed 11/4 · 11am to 1pm · starts at Lima Coffee Roasters, 302 S College Ave, Fort Collins
A two-hour walk around Old Town with a live host who guides your group remotely from stop to stop. At each stop you do something small for someone else, like leaving a note for a stranger or buying someone a coffee. Run by Alley Kat Adventures. Tickets →
Acrylic Sugar Skulls — FREE
Tue 11/3 · 2pm to 4pm · Johnstown Library Makerspace, 400 S Parish Ave, Johnstown
Drop in and paint your own acrylic sugar skull for Día de los Muertos. All ages. Details →
Patchwork Paper Pumpkins — FREE
Wed 11/4 · 10am to 11am · Johnstown Library, 400 S Parish Ave, Johnstown
This week's Messy Art: build a patchwork paper pumpkin out of patterned and textured paper. Details →
Needle Felt Magic and Cast On! Learn to Knit — $98 per class (three Wednesdays)
Wed 11/4, 11/11, and 11/18 · felting 11am to noon, knitting 12:30pm to 1:30pm · Lambspun, 1101 E Lincoln Ave, Fort Collins
Two beginner classes for ages 7 and up. In felting, kids shape wool into small sculptures with felting needles. In knitting, they learn to cast on, knit, and cast off. Fiber, a first yarn, and needles are provided. Felting → · Knitting →
Cheyenne Mountain ZOOMobile — FREE
Thu 11/5 · 3:45pm to 4:45pm · Farr Regional Library, 1939 61st Ave, Greeley
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff bring five or six live animals, and kids may get to touch one. All ages. Space is limited. Details →
Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony — FREE
Fri 11/6 · 5:30pm to 7pm · Old Town Square, Fort Collins
Live music on the Old Town Square stage from 5:30, then a short ceremony at 6:30 with a countdown to turn on the lights in the trees across Old Town. The lights stay on every night through February. Walnut, Linden, and Mountain close around the square from 3pm, and parking is limited. Details →
Flora Alchemy: Solo Show — FREE
Fri 11/6 · starts at 5pm · Windsor Art & Heritage Center, 116 5th St, Windsor
An all-ages solo exhibition of paintings, photography, and botanical installations.
Wildcraft Farmers Market opening day — FREE
Sat 11/7 · 10am to 2pm · inside Foothills, 215 E Foothills Pkwy, Fort Collins
The Fort Collins winter farmers market opens its 20th season under a new name, with more than 100 vendors, a ribbon-cutting, live music, and free kids' activities with Natural Discovery Kids. Free parking. It runs every Saturday through April. Details →
Loveland's 10th Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration — FREE
Sat 11/7 · starts at 1pm · Pulliam Community Building, 545 N Cleveland Ave, Loveland
Mariachi music, folklórico and Aztec dancers, hands-on craft tables, a kids' storytime, and a community ofrenda. Details →
Black-Footed Ferret Feeding — FREE
Sat 11/7 · 9:30am · Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, 408 Mason Ct, Fort Collins
A US Fish and Wildlife Service specialist talks about black-footed ferret conservation and feeds the museum's ferrets breakfast. You don't need museum admission. Space is limited, and the museum says it can be canceled without notice. Details →
Symphony and Stories for Children — FREE
Sat 11/7 · 11am to 11:30am · Council Tree Library, 2733 Council Tree Ave, Fort Collins
Fort Collins Symphony musicians play and tell stories for ages 4 to 6 and their grown-ups. Details →
Off the Hook Arts Fall Soirée — $50 through Fri 11/6, $55 after
Sun 11/8 · 2:30pm to 6pm · Big View Studio, 310 Willow St, Fort Collins
A benefit concert for Off the Hook Arts, a nonprofit that gives free music lessons and instruments to low-income kids. The Tierro Trio, with Bridget Law of Elephant Revival, plays three pieces with students from the nonprofit's Chamber Music Academy. Tickets include small bites, wine, and nonalcoholic drinks, and there's a silent auction. Tickets are also sold at the door. Tickets →
Animal Afternoon — FREE
Sun 11/8 · 3pm to 4pm · Council Tree Library, 2733 Council Tree Ave, Fort Collins
Kids in kindergarten through 5th grade read aloud to certified therapy dogs and cats. Drop in; the animals stay 40 to 60 minutes, so come early. Details →
Gobble, Hunt, & Make — FREE
Mon 11/9 · 2pm to 4pm · Johnstown Library, 400 S Parish Ave, Johnstown
A Thanksgiving scavenger hunt for all ages, then older kids can make a seasonal pendant in the Makerspace. Details →
Free Play Night at Pinball Jones — $10
Mon 11/9 · from noon · Pinball Jones, 107 Linden St, Fort Collins
Pay $10 at the door and every pinball machine is on free play for the rest of the day. The arcade, below Old Town Square, welcomes kids and also has a bar. Free play runs every Monday. Details →
NoCo Regulars
Sunday is the last day of the season for the Fort Collins Farmers Market, and Greeley's market moves indoors Saturday. Fort Collins Farmers Market (Sun 10 to 2, 1001 E Harmony Rd, last day 11/8) · Greeley Winter Farmers' Market (Sat 9 to noon at Zoe's Cafe & Events, 715 10th St; 1st and 3rd Saturdays through April)
Community Corner
This week's question: where does your family go to see holiday lights in NoCo? Hit reply with the spot and the town.
Got a family event on your radar? Add it at theplacesno.co/submit-event and it might land in an upcoming dispatch.
That's the week, NoCo. The lights come on in Old Town Friday, and Saturday has the winter market opening in Fort Collins and Día de los Muertos in Loveland. Know a family who'd want to be in Old Town Square for the countdown? Forward this to them.
Be the parent who somehow always knows about this stuff.
JP & Alexis
Forwarded this from a friend? Get your own free dispatch every Tuesday at theplacesno.co.