Events & What’s Happening
The City of Fort Collins hosts a large community Easter egg hunt at various parks, with age-divided hunting fields, prizes, and visits from the Easter Bunny.
💡Arrive 20 minutes early and check which age-group field your child belongs to — the hunts are staggered by age to keep it fair for the youngest kids.
Month-long celebration of cycling culture in Fort Collins featuring group rides, community events, and the Bike to Work Day challenge throughout the city.
💡Look for family-friendly group rides along the Poudre Trail — helmets required and kids are always welcome.
One of the longest-running craft beer festivals in Colorado, held in Old Town Fort Collins with dozens of Colorado breweries pouring samples along the streets.
💡Arrive before noon on Saturday — the festival grounds are manageable with strollers early in the day, and there are non-alcoholic options for kids.
Free multi-day outdoor festival in Old Town Fort Collins featuring live music on multiple stages, local food vendors, arts and crafts, and a dedicated kids' area.
💡The kids' zone near the Lincoln stage has free activities and face painting — plan to spend at least an hour there before exploring the rest of the festival.
The annual Larimer County Fair held at The Ranch events complex in Loveland (near Fort Collins) features a rodeo, livestock shows, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, and live entertainment.
💡The free-admission 4-H animal barns are a highlight for younger kids — allow extra time for the pig races and the junior livestock shows.
Annual Thanksgiving morning fun run and walk through Fort Collins with 5K and 10K distances, drawing thousands of locals looking to get active before the holiday feast.
💡Register kids in the free Tot Trot (ages 5 and under) that happens right before the main race — it's a short dash and kids get a ribbon.
The Gardens on Spring Creek transforms into a dazzling holiday lights display each December, with themed light installations, a gift shop, and special evening hours for families.
💡Purchase tickets in advance online — weekend evenings sell out quickly, and weeknights before 7pm tend to be less crowded for families with young children.
Free weekly story time sessions for children ages 2–5 at multiple Poudre River Public Library District branches, featuring books, songs, and a simple craft activity.
💡The Old Town Library branch fills up fast — arrive 10 minutes early and check the library website for the weekly theme so kids can dress up if they like.
Saturday drop-in nature and gardening activities for families at the Gardens on Spring Creek, including seasonal planting projects, nature scavenger hunts, and hands-on science stations.
💡Included with garden admission — check the monthly schedule online as themes change each week, and dress kids in clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
Vibrant Saturday morning market in Old Town Fort Collins with fresh local produce, flowers, baked goods, artisan crafts, and prepared food from regional vendors.
💡Grab a fresh cinnamon roll or tamale first, then browse — kids tend to stay engaged longer with something in hand, and the market gets crowded after 10am.
Periodic Sunday events where select city streets are closed to cars and opened to cyclists, skaters, walkers, and families, with activity stations and local vendor pop-ups along the route.
💡Bring bikes, scooters, or rollerblades — kids can ride freely in the street safely, and there are usually free activity booths aimed at children along the route.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery offers free admission the first Tuesday of every month — an especially good deal since individual tickets run $9.50 for kids and $12.50 for adults.
- 💡Rolland Moore Park's spray ground (near the CSU campus on Centre Avenue) is completely free and opens around Memorial Day weekend — it's far less crowded than City Park's pool and ideal for toddlers.
- 💡A-Rental Raft & Tube's 'family float' section of the Poudre River near Ted's Place runs slow enough for kids as young as 5 on inner tubes — rent early in the morning before the 11am rush fills the parking pullouts on CO-14.
- 💡Thursday evenings May through October, Old Town Square hosts a free Farmers Market where the kids' activity tent often runs crafts and music from 4–8pm — grab dinner from the tamale and crepe vendors and skip paying for a restaurant that night.
- 💡Parking at Horsetooth Reservoir's Inlet Bay is $9/day for out-of-county visitors, but if you park at the Lory State Park trailhead on the west side and hike in, day use is only $4/person and you avoid the reservoir parking crunch entirely.
- 💡The Cache la Poudre River Trail runs paved from Salyer Natural Area near Old Town all the way toward the canyon mouth — it's flat, stroller-accessible, and completely free. The stretch between Lemay Avenue and Taft Hill Road is shaded and takes about 45 minutes round trip at a toddler pace.
- 💡New Belgium Brewery (651 Wharf Dr) offers free self-guided tours of the facility daily and the outdoor Liquid Center area welcomes families with kids before 5pm — there's a small creek-side lawn where kids can roam while parents sample beer.
- 💡For the best view of the Horsetooth Rock formation without the full hike, drive up Centennial Drive in the Hillside neighborhood west of town at sunset — it's a local secret that requires no parking fee and no trail effort.