The Colorado Chautauqua Association lays out its Auditorium plans as a simple grid of years and months. On the 2025 row, the first months of the year are labeled "Closed For The Winter." On the 2027 row, January says "Sundance," and every month after that says "Year-Round Concerts & Events." The end of 2026 sits between those two rows, and these coming weeks are the last stretch in which the 1898 hall sits out a Boulder winter.

That changes how the park works between now and January. While the big building sits behind scaffolding, the Community House and the Dining Hall host the season's programming, and the grounds return to their off-season rules. Then, inside of six weeks, the Auditorium has to be finished, tested and ready for an international film festival.

What the crews are finishing inside the Auditorium

The Association calls this second phase of construction "Phase II" and schedules it for October through December 2026. In September, Jason Hill, the Association's chief operating officer, told the Daily Camera that the project was on schedule and its scope had not materially changed. Between then and mid-December, he said, crews would finish the basement buildout and interior work, begin the geothermal bore field and integrate the mechanical systems. Final inspections, testing and commissioning of the mechanical and production equipment are expected by mid-December.

The winterization plan adds insulation, radiant floors heated by the geothermal system, and insulated wall panels that come down in warmer months. According to Boulder Reporting Lab, the removable panels are designed to keep the open-air look of the summer months. The same report described the overall work as the most significant renovation of the building since it went up in 1898.

The project also includes structural reinforcement, fire suppression, accessibility improvements, lighting and acoustic upgrades, indoor restrooms, concessions and a new multiuse space in the basement. CEO Shelly Benford told Boulder Reporting Lab that the work should add roughly 200 days of programming a year, and that community arts groups had already shown interest in using the hall.

Film is part of the building's history too. In a September interview with Sundance, Benford noted that the Auditorium hosted the first motion picture ever shown in Boulder. Her view of the festival's arrival:

"Sundance isn't changing Chautauqua's story. It feels more like it is becoming part of it."

Until then, the Community House carries the calendar

With the big hall closed for construction, the season's music runs through the Community House. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and shows start at 8 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 6: Blue Canyon Boys. Sold out.
• Friday, Nov. 13: Sheela Bringi & Elden Kelly, listed at $28.50.
• Saturday, Nov. 14: Caleb Schwing & the Holy Smokes with Alex Dunn, listed at $28.

On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, the Community House hosts a Community Practice with Shanti and Scott Medina at 8 a.m. It's a gentle yoga and qigong session with live music. The listed price is $15, and the Association recommends registering in advance. On Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4:30 p.m., the room screens "Talking to the Sun" as a school-garden fundraiser, listed at $44.52 to $49.87.

The Dining Hall stays open all year, daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Weekend brunch is normally first-come, first-served, but the Dining Hall takes brunch reservations on holiday weekends, Thanksgiving included.

The grounds go back to off-season rules

The 2026 Park-to-Park shuttle ran on weekends and listed holidays from May 23 through Sept. 7. The City says it returns in May 2027. Chautauqua's paid parking, $2.50 an hour on summer weekends and holidays, is tied to the shuttle season. The City says parking is free in fall, winter and spring, when Park-to-Park isn't running.

The construction isn't limited to the Auditorium. The City's infrastructure project on the cottage streets is putting electric and communications lines underground and making targeted water and stormwater improvements, with street repaving to come later. Phase 2 covers the area between Lupine and the Green and between Goldenrod and Kinnikinic Road. The City expects most of that work to be done by the end of 2026. Phase 2 began in March, paused for the summer moratorium, and was scheduled to pick up again with stormwater work in September, followed by Xcel's electric undergrounding. The City does not expect any trail closures from Phase 2.

On the trails, one seasonal rule is still in effect. Open Space and Mountain Parks requires dogs to be leashed through Dec. 1 on parts of the Bluebell-Baird, Gregory Canyon, Saddle Rock and Amphitheater trails because of bear season. After that date, those trails go back to their normal rules for the winter.

Six weeks from concert season to film festival

December is the handoff

Winterfest lands right after the Auditorium's expected commissioning, and this year's program has some of the same renewal running through it. The free tree lighting is Friday, Dec. 11, at 5:15 p.m. Jeff & Paige's holiday concert starts earlier that afternoon at 4 p.m., listed at $39.75, or $36.75 for members. On Saturday, Dec. 12, Winterfest runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It includes a free holiday market, Santa's Cottage, history tours and the Fairy Forest, plus paid craft and cookie activities. No Winterfest pass is required.

The historic cottage tour covers five cottages, including the restored Mary H. Galey cottage and the newly renovated Garlandia. It's listed at $25, or $20 for members. Carriage rides are $15, $12 for members and $10 for children ages 2 to 10. Both Breakfast with Santa seatings, at 9 and 11:30 a.m., are already sold out. Jeff Kagan and Open Space and Mountain Parks staff lead a free caroling hike from 10 to 11:30 a.m., about 1.5 miles and suitable for all ages able to manage the hike. A free shuttle runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. between New Vista High School and the Baseline Road trolley stop.

Just under six weeks later, the Auditorium opens as one of the 2027 Sundance Film Festival theaters, running January 21 through 31. Its lineup of screening venues also includes Macky Auditorium, the Boulder Theater, eTown Hall and Boulder High School Auditorium. Visit Boulder's festival FAQ says the HOP, SKIP, JUMP and Chautauqua Connector buses are planned to be free during the festival, with venues served every 10 to 15 minutes. The City of Boulder's festival transportation page recommends parking once and says most festival venues have no parking of their own. The City says more details on service, routes and parking are still to come.

Right now, the Auditorium is a construction site with free parking out front, an 8 p.m. show at the Community House a short walk away and brunch at the Dining Hall. By late January, the same building will be a heated theater screening Sundance films.

A historic building that gains 200 days of programming a year gives the blocks around it a busier calendar in every season. If you own near Chautauqua and want to talk through what a year-round Auditorium could mean for your property, Patrick Brown Group can walk you through it. Schedule a consultation.