Two of the biggest gatherings near Bonnie Brae this fall fall within six days of each other. Firefly Handmade's holiday market closes Old South Gaylord's 1000 block on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22. Then on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26, the 53rd Mile High United Way Turkey Trot fills Washington Park.
Each organizer gives drivers the same advice. Firefly asks visitors to park on neighboring streets and read the signs. The Turkey Trot points drivers to South High School, the edges of the park and the All City Stadium lot, and asks them to respect posted signs and the neighbors. For people who live a few blocks away, the week mostly comes down to timing.
The Week, Day by Day
| Date | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Turkey Trot base price goes up $5 | Online |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Turkey Trot base price goes up another $5 | Online |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Firefly Handmade Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 1000 block of S. Gaylord St. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Firefly market, day two, plus first advance packet pickup | S. Gaylord St.; Fleet Feet Cherry Creek |
| Mon., Nov. 23 to Wed., Nov. 25 | Legacy Pie Co. Thanksgiving pickup window | Aspen Grove pop-up |
| Tue., Nov. 24 and Wed., Nov. 25 | More advance packet pickup days | Fleet Feet Cherry Creek |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Turkey Trot, first wave at 9 a.m.; price goes up again for race-day sign-ups | South High School and Washington Park |
Sunday the 22nd is the busiest day on the list. It's the market's second day and the first day to pick up race packets, and the two spots are in different parts of town.
Saturday and Sunday on the 1000 Block
Firefly Handmade brings more than 80 artists, makers and designers to Old South Gaylord Street. It's outdoors, with live music from Colorado artists, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Admission is free, and the organizer calls it family- and pup-friendly. The market fills the block between Tennessee and Mississippi avenues, and the navigation address is 1004 S. Gaylord St.
South Gaylord itself is closed to cars for the event. Firefly also notes that parking on the surrounding blocks is regularly monitored, which makes walking over the easiest way in.
The market also sits right in front of the newest restaurant on the street. Wash Park Social at 1096 S. Gaylord St. took over the old Wash Park Grille space this spring. Westword counted it among Denver's April openings, and The Denver Post covered the changeover in March. Its posted hours run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, so it's open before the first vendors set up and well after the last ones pack up.
Happy hour there is weekdays only, from 3 to 6 p.m. Specials include $6 Coors Light, $8 house wines, $12 Parktinis, and snacks from $8 to $15. That makes it a better fit for the quieter evenings of Thanksgiving week than for market weekend.
The Sunday Errand That Shares a Day With the Market
Advance packet pickup for the Turkey Trot is at Fleet Feet Cherry Creek, 3000 E. 1st Ave. #112. The registration platform, Race Roster, lists the pickup days as Sunday, Nov. 22, Tuesday, Nov. 24, and Wednesday, Nov. 25. One section of Mile High United Way's own page still lists weekday-and-date pairs from an earlier year, so check with the organizer before you make the drive.
According to the organizer, the store has an exterior entrance on the southeast side of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, just off the Cherry Creek Trail. Park in the East or West parking deck and head to the ground floor. Parking is validated. One person can pick up packets for a whole family or team, as long as they have each runner's first and last name.
Sunday is the only weekend pickup day. Anyone who wants to browse the market and also have bibs in hand before Thanksgiving can do both that day, as long as they plan around the market's 4 p.m. close. Packets are also available on race morning starting at 7:30 a.m. in front of South High School.
The Price Climbs Three Times
The Turkey Trot is priced on a schedule that rewards signing up early. In late October, Race Roster listed registration at $55.24 including fees, with a $5 discount at checkout for youth 12 and under and adults 60 and older. The base price goes up $5 on each of these dates:
- Nov. 1
- Nov. 20, the day before the Firefly market opens
- Nov. 26, race day
On-site registration is open on Thanksgiving morning at the tents in front of South High School. The organizer warns that it can't guarantee shirt sizes for race-day sign-ups.
Thanksgiving Morning in the Park
The Mile High United Way Turkey Trot is a 4-mile race and walk that starts at South High School, 1700 E. Louisiana Ave. The 1-mile Lil' Gobbler Family Fun Run uses the same start and finish lines. Here's the schedule as the organizer lists it:
- 7:30 a.m.: registration opens
- 8:15 a.m.: Wave 1 corrals open
- 9:00 a.m.: Wave 1 starts
- 9:30 a.m.: Wave 2 starts
- 10:00 a.m.: Wave 3 starts
- 10:15 a.m.: Lil' Gobbler 1-mile fun run starts
Last year's numbers show how big the morning gets. Mile High United Way says nearly 11,600 runners took part in 2025 and raised more than $770,000. The race also counts as a qualifier for the BolderBoulder.
The organizer's rules cover most of what neighbors ask about:
- Dogs: welcome, on a non-retractable leash no longer than 6 feet.
- Strollers and wagons: allowed in every wave. The 9 and 9:30 a.m. waves draw more competitive runners, so the organizer suggests starting toward the back. Bikes, scooters and skateboards aren't allowed.
- Adaptive athletes: anyone can take an early start with the 9 a.m. wave by being at the front of the line by 8:45 a.m.
- After the finish: the Finish Village has a Lil' Gobbler Family Fun Zone with games, face painting and photos with Gobbles the Turkey, plus a craft beer garden that requires ID.
- Spectators: you need a bib for the post-race area, but the organizer encourages people to cheer anywhere along the course.
Drivers will head for South High School, the park's edges and the All City Stadium lot south of the school. Neighbors who arrive on foot skip that search entirely, and the walk home can take them past the one familiar stop on University Boulevard.
Pie, and a Cone on the Way Home
Legacy Pie Co. has a Wash Park shop at 300 E. Alameda Ave., but its 2026 Thanksgiving pre-orders are picked up at a pop-up in Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Dr., from Nov. 23 to 25. The pop-up menu lists a 10-inch pumpkin pie for $27, or $29 with whipped cream, a maple-honey pecan pie for $35, and a take-and-bake Thanksgiving pot pie for $29. Pickup falls in the same Monday-to-Wednesday window as packet pickup, so plan both trips before the holiday.
Closer to home, Bonnie Brae Ice Cream at 799 S. University Blvd. posts fall hours of 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shop hasn't posted separate hours for Thanksgiving Day, so call ahead before planning a post-race cone or an after-dinner walk over.
If walking home from the start line or browsing Gaylord on a Saturday has you thinking about which nearby blocks put both within easy reach, Julie Winger would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a neighborhood consultation, and we can walk the routes between Bonnie Brae, Old South Gaylord and the park together.
