On a Monday in November 2025, Charles Lammers and Casey Stine of Visit Loveland installed large candy canes beside the red Love Locks heart on the south shore of Lake Loveland. The Loveland Reporter-Herald photographed them at work. Over the weekend before that, volunteers had trimmed the light poles along the lake, the ones you can see from Eisenhower Boulevard. Across the highway, crews had started setting up the 12 Days of Christmas display in Dwayne Webster Veterans Park.
If you drive US 34 past the lake most evenings, the glow can look like something the city simply switches on. Much of it is volunteer work. The garland on the lakeside poles comes from a small, all-volunteer nonprofit. Each year it pays for the decorations by selling a single collectible ornament, designed by a different local artist every year. That arrangement is why the south shore lights up each December. It also means the lights depend on people who live here keeping it going.
A tradition that started with a budget cut
The Winter Holiday Council describes itself as a small volunteer group that has installed and maintained holiday decorations around Loveland since 1989. According to a 2018 Reporter-Herald account, the council formed that year after the city cut its budget for holiday decorations, and the Lake Loveland decorations have been one of its longest-running projects.
The lake work is mostly done by hand. In November 2024, the Reporter-Herald reported that council volunteers wrapped lighted garland around 24 light poles along the south shore walking path. They also strung garland along the bridge at the west end of the path. The lights are solar powered and stay up through December.
The money comes from the ornament. In the same report, the Reporter-Herald explained that the council raises funds for decorations, upkeep and supplies by selling a unique ornament made by a different artist each year. The 2024 design was "Five Goldens Ringing" by Jim Hingtgen, which shows dogs ringing bells. The 2026 ornament is "Snow Day" by Thad McCauley, and it sells for $30 through the council's site. The tradition started in 1990, according to The Denver Post, and the council is already asking for designs for next year. Its call for the 38th annual ornament takes submissions before December 25, 2026. It offers $200 for a design sketch and $500 for a mold-ready sculpture.
So every ornament bought means a little more garland on the lake next year.
How the 12 Days display ended up across from the lake
For years, the larger-than-life 12 Days of Christmas scenes, from the partridge to the pipers, stood at the Outlets of Loveland, which is now Loveland Yards. In September 2023, the City of Loveland announced the move. Days before the south side of the outlets property sold, the owner called Cindy Mackin, the city's visitor services manager, to ask whether Visit Loveland wanted to buy the display.
"It was a great opportunity to keep the beloved holiday display in our community and move it closer to the heart of Loveland," Mackin said in the city's announcement.
The display landed at Dwayne Webster Veterans Park, with the Winter Holiday Council and the city's Parks and Recreation Department as partners. In the same release, council vice chair Kathryn Vinson said the group hoped to "preserve this lighted treasure for the enjoyment of all who see it." This December is the display's fourth season at the park.
The partnership has kept the same setup each year. In 2024, the Reporter-Herald reported that a crew hired by Visit Loveland put up the figures, with some financial help from the council. The paper's photos showed Sarah LePiere of Rhythm EFX preparing one of the 11 pipers piping. Ornament money helps pay for both the garland on the lake side of the highway and the figures in the park.
The south shore, stop by stop
Together, the lake side and the park side make one short holiday route, and you can see most of it without leaving the car. Here is what sits where.
| Stop | Where it is | What you'll find |
|---|---|---|
| South Shore Parkway | 499 W. Eisenhower Blvd., along the lake | Walking path with Recreation Trail access, benches, sculptures, lakeshore parking, and the council's garland-wrapped light poles and west-end bridge |
| Love Locks heart | Southeast end of the lake near W. Eisenhower Blvd. and Lake Drive | Red steel heart more than 12 feet tall and 14 feet wide, where Visit Loveland has set out holiday candy canes |
| Dwayne Webster Veterans Park | 401 W. 13th St., at Grant St. and W. Eisenhower Blvd. | The 12 Days of Christmas display along the park's north edge, plus veterans memorials and a large cannon display |
The 12 Days display is free and meant to be seen from your car. The Visit Fort Collins NoCo Holiday Light Trail lists it from Thursday, November 26, through Friday, January 1, from 5 to 9 p.m., at 422 W. Eisenhower Blvd. Those dates are the announced schedule, so check the listing before you plan an evening around opening night. The city lists the park's parking as limited. That is why the figures face the highway, where the city's 2023 announcement said they would be visible along the park's northernmost edge.
If you'd rather walk, the lakeshore parking at South Shore Parkway puts you right on the path under the decorated poles. From there, the heart is at the southeast end of the lake.
If you're bringing a lock to the heart
The heart draws visitors all year, and the candy canes make it a holiday photo spot. If you add a lock while you're there, Visit Loveland's love-lock page sets out a few rules:
- Locks have to be smaller than 4 by 4 by 3 inches.
- Attach them to the metal grid on the back. Locks on the front of the sculpture are removed.
- Throw the key in the nearby trash can, not in the lake or the pond.
- Visit Loveland sells locks for $20 at the Visitors Center, and you're welcome to bring your own metal lock if it fits the size limit.
Keeping it lit next year
The council's Beautify Lake Loveland page asks for both donations and helping hands to get the south shore ready for holiday traffic, whether people are driving past or walking. There are a few ways to help, depending on how much time you have:
- Buy the ornament. "Snow Day" funds the decorations, upkeep and supplies for the season.
- Volunteer. The council's volunteer page lists roles in event planning, marketing, fundraising, logistics, physical setup work and artistic design. You can offer donations through its contact form or at [email protected].
- Submit a design. Local artists have until before December 25, 2026, to enter the 38th annual ornament call.
The council also looks after the Namaqua Star, which the Reporter-Herald reported has lit up the same day as the downtown tree in past seasons. On its Namaqua Star page, the council says the landmark needs a full electrical replacement and asks the community for donations. Money for the lake and money for the star both come through the same small group.
The rest of Loveland's lights this season
The south shore isn't the only display in town. Here are the other big ones on the 2026 calendar, according to Visit Loveland's 2026 holiday lights guide:
- All is Bright Tour at Centerra runs nightly November 13 through January 1. Visit Loveland lists hours of 5 to 10 p.m., and the Visit Fort Collins trail lists 5 to 9 p.m., so check the tour map before a late visit. You can walk or drive past the lights at Chapungu Sculpture Park, The Promenade Shops and The Marketplace.
- Festival of Lights is Friday, November 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Fourth Street. It will span all five newly finished blocks of the HIP Streets renovation, with a stationary float parade and Black Belt Santa.
- Christmas Walk in the Woods at Savage Woods runs December 12 through 31, except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Prices vary by night.
In past years, the council aimed to have its decorations up by the downtown Festival of Lights. If that holds this year, the south shore garland should be glowing by the evening of November 20.
When you drive Eisenhower this season, consider picking up a "Snow Day" ornament. It's a small way to help keep those south shore poles lit next December. If you'd like to talk about life around Lake Loveland, through the holidays and beyond, Kristin Tibbs would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.
