Pikes Peak International Raceway ran its last scheduled motorsports event on Oct. 18. One event is still on its calendar. Magic of Lights opens Nov. 20 and runs through Jan. 2, 2027, its fifth year at the track south of Fountain. After that date, nothing is scheduled at PPIR, and nobody has said where the light display goes next.
Most of the holiday calendar around Colorado Springs is the same as last year. Electric Safari, Skate in the Park, the Festival of Lights Parade and the Broadmoor's holiday show all have 2026 dates and a familiar home. Magic of Lights is the one tradition this season that ends at a venue with nothing planned after it.
The Motorsports Season Already Ended
In May, PPIR announced on social media that 2026 would be its final season of public motorsports events. It also said everything already scheduled for the year would go ahead as planned. Since then the track has worked through a series of lasts:
- Aug. 13–16: Hot Rod Rock & Rumble returned for what FOX21 described as its 10th and final edition at PPIR.
- Oct. 16–17: Fall Bash, which PPIR's ticket page called "the final motorsports festival at PPIR." It included the Summer of Smoke finals.
- Oct. 18: Ladies Drift Day, the last scheduled event on the 2026 motorsports calendar, according to The Gazette.
- Nov. 20 to Jan. 2: Magic of Lights, the only event still listed on PPIR's calendar.
PPIR's own wording is narrower than "closing." It describes a final season of public motorsports events, and KKTV's October report on the light display's return used that same wording. As things stand, the holiday drive-through is the last reason on the calendar to turn off I-25 and onto the property.
A Track Built for Crowds of 40,000
According to The Gazette, the 1-mile oval held its first race on June 8, 1997, with 16,810 spectators. Three weeks later, on June 29, an estimated 38,100 fans came to the inaugural Indy Racing League Samsonite 200. That is still the track's record crowd.
At its peak the facility held up to 40,000 people. It hosted the Honda Indy of the IndyCar Series from 1997 to 2005, a NASCAR Busch Series race from 1998 to 2005, and regular NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series stops from 1998 to 2002. The same Gazette report notes that large-scale events have been gone from the raceway for more than 20 years.
So for two decades, PPIR's crowds have come from grassroots events: track days, drift nights, drag racing and festivals. The raceway's closing post, as quoted by The Gazette, framed its legacy around those smaller events:
"From grassroots motorsports events and festivals to track days, drift nights, drag racing, and unforgettable memories made in the paddock, PPIR has been shaped by the incredible community that supported us year after year."
For the last four winters, the biggest regular draw has been a holiday light display. Magic of Lights fits the way PPIR has actually been used since the national series left. It has never been a racing event.
What Happens After Jan. 2 Hasn't Been Announced
What's known about the property's future is thin. KOAA reported that the land, south of Fountain and west of Interstate 25, is expected to be redeveloped eventually as a mixed-use project, with plans "in the early stages." The Gazette said more information was expected "later next year." No buyer, developer or project name has been made public.
El Paso County's development review portal does have an active file under the name "Pikes Peak International Raceway", project CDR265. It was opened in March 2026. It describes a stop-work order followed by a request for permits. County reviewers' comments ask for a complete project-purpose letter and a grading and erosion control plan that was missing. The file is a permit review still in progress. It does not approve a mixed-use plan, and it doesn't describe one.
Magic of Lights' plans after this season are also unknown. KOAA reported that PPIR was considering moving some events to other venues. But local coverage of the light display's return hasn't named a new site for 2027, and it hasn't called this the display's final year in Colorado Springs. This year's run is the last one confirmed at the raceway.
What the Fifth Year Includes
KKTV reports that this year's display includes the Jolly Holiday Village, what organizers call the longest light tunnel in Colorado, illuminated scenes, and Santa photos.
Ticket prices on the Magic of Lights Colorado Springs ticket page as of mid-October 2026:
- November tickets: from $19
- Santa Saver tickets: from $24
- All-season pass: $62 for a standard vehicle
- Gate tickets: sold at the venue; no gate price is posted
The all-season pass makes more sense this year than usual. The display opens the Friday before Thanksgiving and runs into the first days of 2027. If you want one trip in November and another during the holiday break, the $62 pass covers both, and any visit after that is free.
Where the Drive Fits in the Season
Magic of Lights opens earlier than most of the season's big evening events. Only Skate in the Park opens before it. That gives the raceway drive about two weeks largely to itself before Electric Safari and the downtown parade begin.
| Event | Location | 2026–27 Dates | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skate in the Park | Acacia Park, 115 E. Platte Ave. | Nov. 13 – Jan. 31 | $15 with skate rental, sold only at the rink |
| Magic of Lights | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Nov. 20 – Jan. 2 | From $19 in November |
| Electric Safari | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo | Dec. 2 – Jan. 1 | Advance timed tickets required; prices not yet posted |
| OCC Christkindlmarket | Bancroft Park, 2408 W. Colorado Ave. | Dec. 4–6, 9–13, 16–23 | Free, noon to 8 p.m. |
| Festival of Lights Parade | Tejon Street, downtown | Dec. 5, 5:50 p.m. | Not listed |
| Broadmoor Classic Holiday Show | 1 Lake Ave. | Dec. 18, 19 and 24 | Not listed |
Electric Safari has been part of the zoo's December for years and comes back this winter as the zoo wraps up its centennial year. Its tickets go on sale closer to the event.
The Christkindlmarket in Old Colorado City is the event that's growing. The Gazette reported in January that the first year drew more people than organizers expected and caused occasional backups at the entrance. For 2026, the Colorado chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce planned a larger site, more vendors and more dates. The published dates come to 16 days this year, up from 10 in 2025. The same Gazette story said Old Colorado City Associates reported sales increases of up to 50% at nearby small businesses during last year's market.
So one holiday tradition in town is adding days, and another is running at a venue with nothing on the calendar after it. Every event in the table except Magic of Lights has a host that will still be operating next December. Magic of Lights runs through Jan. 2 at a raceway that has called 2026 its final season of public motorsports events, with no event listed after the display closes.
Colorado Springs gets attached to traditions like these, and this one is changing. If you're working out which nights to save for the raceway, the zoo or the Christkindlmarket around a holiday visit or a PCS move this winter, I'm glad to help you plan around local events as well as moving dates. Leslie Neumann is always happy to talk Colorado Springs. Let's Connect.
