On Thanksgiving Weekend, the River Run Tree Lights Up at 5:15 and the Slope Stays Lit Until 7

Keystone opened for the 2026-27 season on Friday, October 30. River Run Village sets its own start date 29 days later. On Saturday, November 28, the free Winter Carnival at Warren Station ends with the lighting of the River Run Tree at 5:15 p.m. That falls inside Keystone's first night-skiing weekend of the winter, with lifts running out of the same base until 7 p.m. For one evening, the village's holiday lights and the lights on the slope are on at the same time and share the same base.

Opening day came first, and the village's start comes later

Summit Daily reported that the resort opened on October 30, making it the second Summit County ski area to start the 2026-27 season. The opening-day plan announced two days earlier was a short one: about two miles of skiing on the River Run Gondola and Montezuma Express, the Silver Spoon and Schoolmarm green trails, a hike-to terrain park and a DJ after the lifts closed.

That's a ski-area opening. The village waits for Thanksgiving weekend. The event listing from Warren Station calls the River Run Tree lighting "the official start of the holiday season at Keystone." It describes the carnival as Warren Station and River Run Village coming together "to welcome the 2026/2027 winter season." The timing has held for at least two years. Summit Daily's 2024 preview described a similar program of Santa, a Snow Queen, music and a photo booth, also counting down to the tree at 5:15 p.m.

The afternoon, hour by hour

The carnival is free and runs from 2:00 to 5:15 p.m. on November 28. The schedule is split between two places. Warren Station Center for the Arts, at 164 Ida Belle Drive, handles the indoor half. River Run Village handles the rest. Here is how the posted schedule lines up:

1. 2:00 p.m. Warren Station doors open, and the JDB Trio starts its first set.
2. 3:00 p.m. Santa arrives in River Run Village. Inside, Bryan the Juggler and Staza the Snow Queen take the stage.
3. 3:30 p.m. JDB Trio's second set begins and runs until 4:30.
4. 4:00 p.m. Free cookies and a swag giveaway outside in the village.
5. 4:30 p.m. The juggler and the Snow Queen do their second show, which ends at 4:50.
6. 5:00 p.m. Everyone heads to the River Run Tree.
7. 5:15 p.m. The village lights come on.

The listing includes a few extras for families. Children can write letters to Santa at Warren Station and drop them in the North Pole mailbox next to the Warren Station Christmas tree. The building also has craft tables, drink specials, a free photo booth and free hot cocoa while it lasts.

The performers are mostly from Colorado. JDB Trio is John Berning on guitar and lead vocals, Maureen Bozeman on violin and Brett Lomoro on upright bass. Berning is a singer-songwriter based in Summit County, and the listing says he plays almost 100 shows a year. Bryan Connolly paid his way through CSU as a street performer and is a founding member of Circus Foundry and the jousting troupe Knights of the Tempest. Staza's act includes aerial arts, stilt walking and fire dancing.

The 4 p.m. ticket covers the lighting

Thanksgiving weekend is also the first stretch of night skiing on Keystone's calendar. The resort's night skiing page lists November 27 through 29, which this year runs Friday through Sunday, with skiing out of the River Run base area until 7 p.m.

The ticket shows how the two events overlap. Keystone sells a 4:00 p.m. night lift ticket for Saturday, November 28, at $89 for adults 13 and older and $58 for ages 5 to 12. It covers three hours, from 4:00 to 7:00. The tree lights at 5:15, an hour and a quarter in. If you're on the slope, the village lighting happens below you partway through your ticket. If you're in the village, you'll see it with the lit runs above the base.

The schedule leaves room for both. The carnival's last performance ends at 4:50, and the crowd heads to the tree at 5:00. That leaves an hour and three quarters of skiing after the switch is thrown. A family could split up, with some at the cocoa line and the photo booth and others skiing, then meet at the tree at 5:00.

The resort lists these as scheduled dates, and the night skiing page asks guests to dress in layers for cold evenings. Its winter activities page says weekend and holiday night skiing, snow tubing and the Kids Ski Free program are all back this season. Early-season lift schedules depend on terrain, so check the resort's lift and terrain status page before buying.

A community nonprofit runs the countdown

Warren Station is a community venue. Its About page says it is managed by the Keystone Neighbourhood Company, a nonprofit that is independent of Keystone Resort and works closely with it. That's why the carnival listing names two hosts, Warren Station and River Run Village. The resort runs the lifts, and the nonprofit runs much of the evening program.

Warren Station's own run-up to Thanksgiving is called Keystone Kickoff, a series of ski films and a concert. In an October 23 guide, Warren Station said the events start the first weekend of November and continue through the season. Several of them raise money for local groups. Warren Miller's "Days Off" on November 6 and 7 benefited Dillon Valley Elementary. Two Kickoff events are still ahead before the lighting:

• Saturday, November 14: Matchstick Productions' "The Way Out," benefiting Team Summit, 3:30 to 8:00 p.m., $10 to $17.
• Saturday, November 21: the Keystone Kickoff concert with CB3, 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., $5 to $8.

Keystone's pass prices also change that week. A banner on the resort's site says "Pass Prices Go Up November 15," the day after the Matchstick screening. In its Kickoff guide, Warren Station lists the passes it recommends, including the Epic Local Pass and the Keystone Plus Pass.

After Thanksgiving weekend, the slope goes dark until December 20

The Thanksgiving overlap only lasts one weekend. After November 29, Keystone's next night-skiing dates are December 20 through January 3. Warren Station has its own events scheduled for the weeks in between:

Night skiing comes back for the holidays the day after Mystic Solstice ends at 7 p.m. After that, the resort's schedule lists MLK Sunday on January 18 and Presidents Day weekend on February 15 and 16, and night skiing ends for the season on March 28.

Getting there after dark

Summit Stage switches to its winter timetable on November 15, 2026. It stays in effect through April 17, 2027 and includes a Silverthorne to Keystone route. The county's winter bus schedule has the departure times for an evening that ends at 5:15 or at 7.

If you plan to eat in the village afterward, River Run has more choices this year. Kindred Resort, which Vail Resorts calls its first luxury ski-in/ski-out hotel, is having its first winter at the River Run Gondola. Its restaurants are Kindred Spirits, Lula's Restaurant, The Goodz Tavern and Kinji Sushi. Keystone's activities page also lists two skating spots, the Dercum Rink in River Run Village and the five-acre Keystone Lake.

If you own near River Run, the lit slope and the holiday crowds are part of what your place offers each winter. If you're wondering what that's worth on the market right now, Krystal Knott and Brett Rudolph can give you a free home valuation based on recent Keystone sales.