The Golden Trident

Photos courtesy of the Golden Transcript and Doug Skiba – GoldenToday.com

By Nyah Marquez-Dean

The Olde Golden Candlelight Walk is a tradition that has brightened the holiday season in Golden for more than 30 years, beginning with a candlelit parade down Washington Avenue. It ends with the lighting of the 45,000 holiday lights lining Clear Creek. With vendors, pastries and cocoa sold along the route, the walk has provided a fun and festive way to stay warm for decades, but how did it start?

The tradition began in 1988, as a part of the Olde Golden Christmas festivities, which themselves started as the Victorian Christmas, established by the Golden Landmarks Association in 1972. The Victorian Christmas in Golden later evolved into Olde Golden Christmas, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, in 1987. The Candlelight Walk is only one of many Golden Christmas traditions, with festivities like the holiday lights, Santa and his reindeer atop the arch in Washington, and many others spreading holiday cheer throughout the town for decades

The Golden High School student body, prominent helpers in many of Golden’s traditions and events, has always proved a crucial and lively part of the Candlelight Walk, kicking it off by leading the parade down Washington Avenue with singing and music. Originally, the tradition consisted of only the walk itself; however, over the years it has come to include the lighting ceremony, illuminating the holiday lights lining Clear Creek, as well as food and festivities around the town. The walk itself always takes place on the first Friday evening of December.

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This year, the Candlelight Walk took place on December sixth, beginning with a holiday show in Parfet Park at 5:00 PM, featuring a performance from Virtuosity Dance,  before the walk began at 6:30, led by Golden’s own 24th St. Singers. Starting at 15th & Washington Avenue, the walk continued down Washington until it once again reached Parfet Park, where crowds gathered to witness the “dropping of the wreath,” and the illumination of the stunning holiday lights across town, beginning with a performance from the 24th St. Singers. 

The Candlelight Walk has marked the beginning of the Golden holiday celebrations for decades, and we look forward to many more years of candle-lit wonder and festivities that bring the community together like nothing else.