Are You Ready for a Fun Christmas Time at the Denver International Airport?

Holiday Travelers Should be Excited!

The Busiest Travel Days

This year’s unusually busy 2024 Thanksgiving holiday travel season saw nearly 850,000 passengers pass through DIA airport checkpoints, a substantial increase from the same timeframe in 2023. Historically, the busiest travel days at the Denver airport are, not surprisingly, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The TSA reports that the biggest passenger movement of the year happens around the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Labor Day, The Fourth of July, and Memorial Day are also extremely busy travel dates. (Note: Is the Denver Airport called DIA or DEN?)

Enjoying a Delicious Mug of Freshly Made Eggnog

2024 is shaping up to be a special year with Denver Airport (DIA) rolling out what it terms a secret holiday pop-up bar. From passengers laying-over and making connections to others arriving for a day of travel, there is a much welcome holiday diversion. The airport is offering a unique holiday-themed bar that even includes the option to visit with Santa. Imagine enjoying a delicious mug of freshly made eggnog. When flying to or from the Mile High City, tinsel-draped decorations and thousands of twinkling lights are on full display. Seasonal music is also part of this great airport holiday experience.

Restaurants and Shops

See jumbo holiday inflatables, thousands of petite red and green decorative lights, and, yes, Christmas trees—Santa’s Layover Lounge is open and ready to enjoy. While the somewhat hidden holiday bar may be off the beaten path, a short stroll to just above Concourse B on the airport’s mezzanine level is where you will find such holiday bliss. There are many restaurants and shops. Look for candy canes and lots of ornamental inflatables draped from the ceiling and, of course, a big sign that reads “Sleigh the Layover.”

A Fun and Exciting Pop-Up

This delightful holiday hide-away lounge is a joint venture between the Denver airport authority and Skyport Hospitality. It is open to curious visitors from 8 am to 10 pm daily until Jan. 5, 2025. Santa’s Layover Lounge is for the duration of the holiday season, located at the Lounge 5280 Wine Bar. This fun and exciting pop-up features tasty flatbread pizzas named after all of Santa’s reindeer. Perhaps enjoy a turkey sandwich, holiday style, with mouthwatering cranberry jam and gravy or the ever-popular butternut squash soup.

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

Those who enjoy holiday libations will be pleased to find festive cocktails like the Pa Rum Punch and the appropriately themed Polar Expresso Martini. Some of the holiday cocktails are kid-friendly too, while others are charged-up with locally sourced liquors. One example is the gingerbread, which is old-fashioned and made with Family Jones rye whiskey. How about a Mule-tide Carol using the finest Breckenridge Distillery’s Bourbon, a splash of cranberry juice, orange bitters, and finished off with tangy ginger ale?

An Abundance of Holiday Sprinkles

For the little ones and anyone else who cannot resist a sweet treat, there is the Ghirardelli hot chocolate bar. It comes complete with fancy sweets, including peppermint, gingerbread, or caramel syrup. The toppings are just as impressive, with things like candy cane pieces, mini marshmallows, and an abundance of delightful holiday sprinkles. In years past, the Denver International Airport has stepped outside the box with its clever holiday displays, including a fully functional ice-skating rink. While the ice rink is not part of this year’s program, the pop-up bar more than makes up for it.

Denver’s Strategic Mid-Country Location

With nearly 80 million passengers transiting Denver International Airport (DEN) each year, it has been ranked as the third busiest airport in the world as of 2023, considering total passenger traffic. Approximately 70 million passengers transited through its gates and terminals that year, a notable increase over prior years as travel demand saw a big rebound, ala post-pandemic. Denver’s strategic mid-country location is an ideal and convenient hub for domestic and international flights. Its vast network of routes has bolstered its impressive high traffic ranking.

A New and Modernized Airport Infrastructure

Rounding out 2024, DEN is anticipated to hold on to its position as one of the top global airports, with passenger traffic expected to only continue increasing, potentially surpassing well over 70 million passengers. This increase is marked by a growing variety of air services, an expanding population in the Denver metro area, and the continued development of new and modernized airport infrastructure. Denver International’s role as a critical mid-country transportation hub almost guarantees that it will remain a key player in global air travel.

Seasonal Happy Places

Denver holiday pop-up bars transform regular local bars into true winter wonderlands — complete with festively decked halls, twinkling multi-colored lights, photographic and selfie opportunities, and holiday-themed cocktails. These seasonal happy places are not limited to only airports but are also found in many other locations around the Denver region. Note that many local pop-ups do have reservation requirements. Check the websites linked below. Some of these bars may have entry fees, so once again, visit the website before you venture out in search of your favorite new holiday night spot. Here are just a few examples from around Denver this holiday season:

  • Blazing Bright December 6 to January 4, 2025. The Inverness Denver at Fireside Bar and Grill, 200 Inverness Drive W., Englewood
  • Noel Opens November 29, 2024. The Bluegrass Lounge, 7415 Grandview Ave., Arvada
  • Sleigh Bar November 27 to December. 3, 2024. Milepost Zero Food Hall at McGregor Square, 1601 19th St., Suite 150, Denver

If the DIA airport pop-up turns out to be your preferred Christmas destination this holiday travel season, here are a few great travel tips that will make your Thanksgiving or Christmas journey less stressful and more rewarding.

Advanced Planning Pays Off

Passengers are well-advised to arrive at the airport at least two hours in advance of scheduled boarding time. DIA has three TSA security checkpoints. The south security checkpoint is open 24 hours a day, while the north security section is available between 4 am and 9 pm, and the bridge security checkpoint is in effect from approximately 4:30 am to 6 pm. TSA screening is usually the most congested in the early morning hours, from approximately 5 am to 10 am and from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Getting Airport Parking Right

The Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot is planned to be open 24/7 through January 6, 2025. Travelers using Pikes Peak should allow an extra 45 minutes to arrive at the terminal. The East Economy Lot and East and West valet are closed. Before driving to DIA, visit FlyDenver.com for the most accurate airport parking information. While en route by car, keep an eye out for electronic road signs along inbound Peña Blvd. Not traveling by car to the airport? Try the RTD A Line from Union Station, or find your Ride Share App driver on Level 5, Island 5, where other ground transportation services are located.

Check-In

United Airlines and Southwest Airlines check-in areas are conveniently located at the center of Level 6. United is found on the west side, and Southwest is on the east side. These newest check-in locations permit passengers to use kiosks to check in, print boarding passes, and tag luggage before placing bags on a bag-drop-off unit.

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