Nonprofit’s drive-through holiday experience includes new moving-light displays
Christmas gifts come in all kinds of packages. But this year’s NoCo Winter Wonderland is truly one you’ve got to see to believe.
Continuing their annual holiday tradition, Colorado Youth Outdoors (CYO) is once again lighting up the season with its sparkling drive-through display. For 2025, NoCo Winter Wonderland introduces new moving-light features, including an elf lighting up Christmas with humorous consequences.
“The magic of NoCo Winter Wonderland is the joy it brings to families,” says Luke Brough, CYO’s executive director. “It’s the same kind of joy we’re lucky to see every day at CYO when a child reels in their first fish or finally hits the bullseye.”
The 15-minute tour features 22 moving-light displays, plus an additional 500,000 lights around the property. That’s one million lights if you count the reflections off CYO’s 12 ponds. The light show is open 5:15 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday from Nov. 27-Dec. 14, then nightly from Dec. 18 through the closing night, Dec. 31.
NoCo Winter Wonderland, which generates operating funds for CYO, comes to life on the nonprofit’s 220-acre property (visible from I-25 near Timnath). The site is located at 4927 County Road 36, near the intersection of Larimer County Road 5 and Kechter Road on the southeast edge of Fort Collins.
As Christmas is a time for giving, the effort behind the crowd-pleasing display is likewise a story of commitment and generosity. Volunteers donated 1,500 hours (equal to a whopping 37 weeks of a full-time staff member) to create and set up NoCo Winter Wonderland. Planning and design for the project began in June, and the installation process kicked off in September, when Chevron employees set up major lighting features. CYO volunteers work on Wednesdays through October and November to light trees and bushes around the property.
The fresh twist in this year’s show is reflected in three new animated features: a train engine, a car wash and an elf with his light display gone wrong. Visitors will see the elf plug in the display, only to be shocked by the outcome—think Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold.
Van Howbert, one of a crew of CYO sportsmen who regularly donate their time, crafted the electrocuted elf display, which has 21 circuits. Each circuit has its own plug, so each circuit has to be plugged in individually.
“This feature is by far the most complicated we’ve taken on,” Howbert says. “I’ve been helping with the light animations since 2021. It’s meticulous work, and over the years I’ve learned a lot. There’s been a huge learning curve.”
CYO is grateful for all its contributors.
“It’s extremely rewarding to create an event designed to bring families in Northern Colorado together, from infants to great grandmas,” Brough says. “Volunteers make our holiday display possible, and everyone at CYO—plus the families we serve—offers a heartfelt word of thanks. We invite the public to experience the magic of NoCo Winter Wonderland.”
Tickets are now available from coloradoyo.org/events for $25 per vehicle.
