Castle Rock's Star Belongs to the Firehouse, and Its November Calendar Follows

On the day of last year's Starlighting, four Castle Rock firefighters hiked to the base of the Rock and climbed it. Then they climbed the star. That evening the crowd downtown shouted for the star to be lit, and one of the keepers flipped the breaker. CBS Colorado reported the sequence in November 2025.

The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce runs the festival under the star, and it has done so since 1962. The star is older than that. Castle Rock Hose Company No. 1 built it in 1936 as a sign of hope during the Depression. 9NEWS has told the story: the firefighters carried the materials up the Rock, Town Council paid for part of it, Castle Rock Motor Company donated welding gas and Mountain States Telephone donated used wire. The town's holiday season gets its start time from that firehouse project. The Chamber, the downtown merchants and the Outlets each put their own dates around it.

Four keepers and a breaker

According to the 2025 CBS Colorado report, four Castle Rock firefighters look after the star all year, and Jay Allen leads them. Their routine work is replacing wire and sockets. During the holidays they take turns going up to check the star, and when a bulb goes out they try to fix it quickly. One keeper told CBS Colorado that the job comes down to "keeping that tradition that we started back in 1936 alive."

The keepers have also been working on the structure itself. Following an engineer's recommendations, they made structural upgrades, and they have started replacing some of the incandescent bulbs with LEDs.

The same firehouse runs Starlighting's food tradition. This year the Castle Rock Professional Firefighters host their 90th Annual Chili Supper at Fire Station 151, with beef chili, nachos, hot dogs, drinks and desserts. The star also goes back 90 years this season, to 1936.

The star has been changed for special moments over the years. After World War II it became a "V" for victory. It was relit in March 2020 during the pandemic, and at one point it was lit in Broncos orange and blue. CBS Colorado reported that the star stays on through the National Western Stock Show, so the Denver livestock show sets the end of the season in Castle Rock, well after New Year's.

The deadline that comes first

Starlighting is still 16 days away when this post goes up, but the first deadline arrives tomorrow. Online bidding to Flip the Switch closes Friday, Nov. 6. Bids start at $2,000 and go up in $250 steps. The winner flips a switch on the main stage, gets recognition from the stage and photos of the moment, and can opt into marketing recognition in Chamber communications. The money supports two Chamber programs, the Veterans Alliance and Tours for Teachers. Details are on the Chamber's Starlighting page.

On the day itself, the keepers climb the Rock and the star to make sure it is ready, as CBS Colorado described in its 2025 report.

The November calendar the star starts

Once the star is lit, the rest of the season follows a fixed schedule. Downtown splits the week between two free or low-cost ways to see the lights, so each weeknight is covered.

The carriage rides take the most planning. According to Downtown Castle Rock, tickets must be bought in advance. The in-person sale on Oct. 29 at the library was limited to 75 tickets, so online sales starting at noon on Nov. 18 are what's left. Each carriage holds four people. In some cases two adults and three children under 10 can ride together. Most rides last about 10 minutes and loop through the core of downtown where the lights are up. The horses come from Kodiak Ranch, and the rides are kept short so the horses can rest between them. There are no rides on Nov. 26, Dec. 24, Dec. 25 or Dec. 31.

The trolley runs on Mondays and Tuesdays, the two nights the carriages don't. It follows a figure-eight with three stops: the Encore Parking Garage entrance on South Street, the crosswalk on Third Street, and the Douglas County School District parking lot entrance on 6th Street between Wilcox and Perry. A full loop takes about 12 minutes. Between the two, there is a way to see the downtown lights every night of the week from late November to the end of December, except on the four holidays listed above.

How Starlighting day runs

The Chamber's schedule for Saturday, Nov. 21 builds toward the moment the keepers flip the breaker:

1. 2 to 4:15 p.m. Santa is in Festival Park, and the kids zone, petting zoo, face painting and games are open.
2. All afternoon. The firefighters' chili supper runs at Station 151, Biff Gore plays the main stage at 4th and Wilcox, and carolers and dance groups perform on the street corners.
3. 5 p.m. The Starlighting Ceremony starts on the main stage at 4th and Wilcox.
4. About 5:30 p.m. The star is lit, and fireworks follow immediately if the weather allows.

Chamber events don't take cash, so bring a credit or debit card for the four Chamber beverage tents and the vendors.

From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., these streets are closed: Perry Street from 5th to 2nd, N. Wilcox from 5th to 3rd, 4th Street from Jerry to Perry, and 3rd and 2nd streets from Wilcox to Perry. Free shuttles run from 1:30 to 8 p.m. from three lots:

• AdventHealth Castle Rock, Alexander Parking Lot at 2350 Meadows Blvd., drops off at Fifth and Wilcox.
• Douglas County High School, South Building at 2842 Front Street, drops off at Fifth and Wilcox.
• Douglas County Fairgrounds, Lot 5 at 500 Fairgrounds Drive, drops off on the street between South and Phelps streets, by Eternal Rock Lutheran Church and the Folkestad Fazekas buildings.

Return shuttles leave from the spot where you were dropped off and loop back to their own lots, so plan to leave the way you came. If you'd rather drive, the Chamber lists downtown garage parking at the Encore garage on Wilcox and Perry and the garage at 3rd and Jerry. It refers drivers to the Town's downtown parking map for the most accurate information.

New places on the routes you'll already be driving

Several new businesses opened in Castle Rock this fall. The Outlets tree lighting on Nov. 14 is in the same complex as Peak Pizza, which DougCo Social reports opened Wednesday, Oct. 28 in Suite 660 at 5050 Factory Shops Blvd. A grand-opening celebration is expected sometime in November.

Border Burger Sports Bar opened Sept. 30 at 810 New Memphis Ct., in the former Trifecta Sports Bar and Grill space, according to the Discover DougCo tracker. For a coffee before the 9 a.m. Turkey ROCK Trot start, the new Dunkin at 1185 Aloha St. held its grand opening Oct. 24, as the Douglas County News-Press reported.

Downtown, close to the carriage and trolley routes, Graze Craze is coming to 422 Elbert St. and Pilates Addiction to 333 Perry St., both reported in late October by Discover DougCo.

Nine days before Starlighting, on Nov. 12, the Castle Rock Historical Society & Museum hosts its free monthly talk at the Philip & Jerry Miller Library, 100 S. Wilcox St., the same building where carriage tickets went on sale in person.

Carol Games has worked with Colorado land for more than 30 years. Castle Rock's star has been looked after by its own firefighters since 1936, and that kind of local stewardship is part of what makes a place worth knowing well. If you're thinking about a home or acreage in Castle Rock or the surrounding Douglas County ranch country, Western Mountain Real Estate can help you find land that suits the way you live. List With Confidence. Sell With Satisfaction.