By the morning of November 2, the City of Englewood's ticket system already showed every Holiday Express entry slot from 3 p.m. through 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 as sold out. The 7 p.m. slot on each of those nights still had more than 20 tickets open, and so did the 3 p.m. slot on Friday, Dec. 11. Holiday Express sells by the half hour, and the event's own rules make a late ticket worth more than it looks.

How the ticket listing looked on Nov. 2

The Englewood Holiday Express runs four evenings this year: Dec. 4 and 5, then Dec. 11 and 12, from 3 to 8:30 p.m. at Englewood Farm & Train in Belleview Park, 1111 W. Belleview Ave. Tickets cost $15 per person. Children under two get in free. Mile High on the Cheap notes that those under-two guests still need a ticket of their own. Englewood residents could buy starting Oct. 5, and everyone else from Oct. 7. By Oct. 21, Macaroni KID Englewood was telling families that tickets were going fast.

Here's how the city's ticket page looked on Nov. 2:

• Friday, Dec. 4: 3:00 through 6:30 p.m. sold out; 7:00 p.m. showing 20+ available
• Saturday, Dec. 5: 3:00 through 6:30 p.m. sold out; 7:00 p.m. showing 20+ available
• Friday, Dec. 11: 3:00 p.m. showing 20+ available; 3:30 p.m. sold out

Those counts change every day, so check the live listing before you plan an evening around a slot. On opening weekend, the 7 p.m. entry was the only slot still open on either night.

Why a 7 p.m. ticket still gets you a full night

The city's event page states the ticket rule this way:

"Your ticket time is your entry time, not your ride time."

Entry slots run every half hour, and the last one is 7:30 p.m. Trains load on a rolling basis and leave about every 15 minutes. Rides are unlimited, and the price includes Santa, crafts and s'mores. Hot cocoa and other warm drinks cost extra.

A 7 p.m. entry gives you 90 minutes before the 8:30 close. With a train leaving every quarter hour, that's enough time to ride more than once, see Santa and roast a s'more. You're also there for the stretch of the night when the park's lights are the whole show. The 3 p.m. family gets a longer visit. The 7 p.m. family gets the same Belleview Park at the same price.

Parking is free, according to Mile High on the Cheap.

The $5 Sunday ride, for anyone who mainly wants the lights

The city also runs a smaller event that gets less attention. On two Sundays, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13, the Englewood Train runs from 3 to 7:30 p.m. for rides around Belleview Park under the holiday lights. Hot cocoa is for sale. Tickets cost $5 per person for each ride, and they went on sale to everyone at the same time, 9 a.m. on Nov. 2, with no resident head start.

The math is easy. A family of four pays $60 for a Holiday Express night, with Santa, crafts, s'mores and unlimited rides included. The same family pays $20 for one lap on a Sunday. If your kids have already met Santa somewhere else this month, or a grandparent mostly wants to see the lights from the train, the Sunday ride gets you that for a third of the price. The Sunday rides also fall the day after each Holiday Express Saturday.

Buying tickets on the city's system

Every ticket goes through the Englewood Parks and Recreation online account, and that step slows down a lot of first-time buyers. The city lays out the process:

1. Log in to your Englewood Parks and Recreation account, or create one if you don't have one yet.
2. Choose an entry time on the ticket page.
3. Check that your email address is correct, since tickets arrive by email.
4. Look for a message from "Englewood Parks and Recreation Department," and check spam or junk folders if it doesn't show up.

The event page also describes the grounds. You enter from the parking lot, walk down a paved asphalt ramp and step over two railroad ties. Santa, the hot cocoa stand and the train line are all on asphalt. Crafts, s'mores and some other areas are on grass. The train has a wheelchair ramp and secure straps. For specific accommodations, the city lists an events contact on the Holiday Express page.

The year-round draw behind the December demand

Holiday Express is the December version of a draw that lasts all year. The city says the Englewood Farm & Train has operated in Belleview Park for more than 50 years and averages 60,000 riders a year. The train itself is newer than many local families realize. The Englewood Herald reported that an electric train replaced the park's gasoline-powered one, which was more than 30 years old. The paper said the new train cost about $493,000, and about 65% of that came from Denver Broncos sale proceeds that the Metropolitan Football Stadium District passed along to member cities for youth programs.

The rest of the park is next. The city's Belleview Park Renovations project, designed with Logan Simpson, puts the estimated cost at $9,025,000. The plan includes:

• A new barn and administrative building with improved animal enclosures, better routes for getting around, and educational space
• New restrooms inside the barn
• A large pavilion for group gatherings and events
• Resurfaced, restriped parking lots with better lighting
• ADA pathway upgrades, water-wise irrigation and ballfield lighting

The city's project timeline shows the feasibility study finished in May through August 2025. Design is expected to finish in fall 2026, and construction is expected to start in spring 2027. The city says it wants to keep the park's historic character while replacing features that are nearing the end of their useful life. This December's Holiday Express takes place in the park as it stands today, while the plans for its replacement are being finished.

Planning Englewood's December around the train

Since the train runs on fixed nights, the rest of the city's December calendar fits around it. Here's the season in date order:

1. Thursday, Dec. 3. EASEL Co Art Space opens its Winter Art Market, with work from the 19 artist members of NKollectiv plus guest artists. It runs through Jan. 24, 2027.
2. Friday, Dec. 4. Carolers & Cookies runs from 2 to 3 p.m. at Malley Recreation Center, 3380 S. Lincoln St. The 5280+ Senior Chorales sing, and registration is $5 for residents and $7 for nonresidents. Holiday Express opens that afternoon.
3. Saturday, Dec. 5. The Holiday Market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the Holiday Tree Lighting follows from 3 to 6 p.m. Both are at Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway, with local vendors, live performances, Santa, a build-your-own s'mores station and food trucks. The tree lighting overlaps with the Holiday Express slots that were already sold out by Nov. 2. A 7 p.m. entry at Belleview Park starts an hour after the tree lighting ends, so you can do both in one evening.
4. Sunday, Dec. 6. The first $5 Sunday train ride, 3 to 7:30 p.m.
5. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12. Holiday Express's second weekend.
6. Saturday, Dec. 12. Second Saturday, led by Nicole Korbe of EASEL Co Art Space and Hayley Schneider of SeeSaw Gallery, with pop-ups, music, gallery and studio events, and food and drink at participating businesses. The day also marks two years since NKollectiv moved to Downtown Englewood from the Santa Fe Art District, and EASEL is holding an anniversary and holiday party. Participating venues and hours are on EASEL's Second Saturdays map.
7. Sunday, Dec. 13. The last $5 Sunday train ride, 3 to 7:30 p.m.

If the late slot sells out too, the Sundays are the fallback. If the art walk and a 7 p.m. train both appeal, Dec. 12 can cover both: afternoon at the galleries, evening at Belleview Park.

When the train is part of your family's December, the dates you plan around are part of living in Englewood. If you'd like to talk about what Belleview Park's renovation plans could mean for your corner of the city, or you just want a local's read on the season, reach out to Dowling Group. Let Kerri be your guide.