America's Tallest LED Holiday Tree Lights Up Denver's German-Style Christmas Market

When it comes to breathtaking Christmas trees around the world, you might automatically think of the tree in New York City's Rockefeller Center or the White House Christmas tree. Denver might not be top of mind, but it should be, since it's home to America's tallest LED holiday tree. Called the "Mile High Tree," it's 110 feet tall and has 60,000 LED lights. The tree made its debut in 2019 in the Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, but in 2025, you can see it for free on the Tivoli Quad at the Auraria Campus, where the 25th Denver Christkindlmarket is also being held. The popular German-style Christmas market is usually held in Civic Center Park, but it's under construction, as of this writing.

Along with the market and the impressive tree, Tivoli Quad is also a good place to watch Denver's nightly holiday drone show. As Samantha Seems, executive director for the German American Chamber of Commerce-Colorado Chapter, told 9News, the Tivoli Quad "feels like 'holiday central' just moved here and you can see all the things, so that's pretty cool."

Denver's Christkindlmarket bills itself as "Colorado's only authentic German Holiday Market." It's the perfect place to browse the small wooden stalls to shop for all kinds of gifts and goodies as the sweet scent of roasted nuts fills the air. Other tasty food and drinks include pretzels, schnitzel, mulled wine, hot chocolate, and, of course, German-style beer. After all, Denver is the craft beer capital of the U.S.

You'll find plenty of activities and attractions at Denver's Christkindlmarket, such as a glass ornament workshop (you must sign up online in advance). Another feature is a historic, 42-foot Herschell Carousel, and you can ride on one of the restored, hand-carved horses. You can expect live music and performances throughout the day, and while the whole event is family-friendly, Sundays are specifically family days with story time, face painting, and other kid-focused activities. You might also get a chance to see Krampus at the market, a figure from German folklore that comes after misbehaving children, as well as St. Nick.

As for the Mile High Tree, there's a synchronized light and music show on the tree every 15 minutes. One of the coolest things about it is that up to 140 people can fit beneath the tree, so you can really get a unique experience of the show as you look at it from the inside. As one person said on Reddit, "Part of the enjoyment is seeing how much fun everyone is having in it. When I went there was a gruff looking guy that stepped in and gleefully said, 'Wow this is actually so neat!' Made me smile."

Some planning considerations: The last day of the holiday market is on December 23 (as of 2025), and the Mile High Tree operates from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. through New Year's Eve. There are four light rail stations within walking distance of the Tivoli Quad, and there is paid parking nearby, with the parking garages expected to fill up.