Holiday Chocolate Festival
outgrows the Broadmoor, expands to two days!
A popular Colorado Springs tradition is undergoing big changes this year, as the Holiday Chocolate Festival grows to two days and moves to a new home! The Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center, with a 55,000-ft show floor, will house the event Friday and Saturday, December 2-3. The festival has been hosted at the Broadmoor since its inception eight years ago, but last year, the crowds overwhelmed the resort, filling all of the parking spots and many attendees couldn’t even get inside.
“I’ve run more than 200 large events and festivals in the state,” says Dana Cain, owner/operator of Dana Cain Events, “and I’ve never seen anything like that. Colorado Springs REALLY loves chocolate!” she laughs. “We knew we had to make drastic changes, so we moved to the Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center where we could expand to two days and have a bigger show floor, wider aisles and plenty of free parking. I hope the folks who couldn’t get in last year will come give us another try. This year’s festival will be amazing, and we have more booths than ever.”
Attendees can now browse more than 90 booths and sample and buy more chocolate than ever, in a relaxed and festive atmosphere. More than 100,000 samples are expected to be offered, from dozens of the nation’s best chocolatiers. The annual event draws thousands of chocolate lovers from around the region, all gathering for a day to sample, sip and shop. The popular festival kicks off at 4:00 pm Friday, Dec. 2nd, with aisles and aisles of chocolate, wine, sweets and holiday gifts, open for sales and sampling until 9:00 pm. Saturday, the doors open at 10:00 am and the fun runs until 5:00 pm.
Longer hours mean more time for entertainment! Friday evening launches with The Original Dickens Carolers singing four-part harmony holiday songs from 4:00 – 6:00 throughout the show floor. The chocolate martini bar will be open for business, and a chocolate-and-wine pairing demo will be presented at 6:00 pm, followed by a Paint with Chocolate event on the main stage.
Saturday fun includes two chocolate pairing classes, a chocolate truffle making demo and two popular chocolate-eating contests, for kids and adults to enter, all set against a background of holiday music and thousands of chocolate samples.
This year’s roster of kids’ activities is expanding, with a massive operating model train layout, bounce houses and human hamster balls, as well as free face painting! The popular cookie-decorating station returns and, of course, there will be free photos with Santa all day Saturday!
For the grown-ups, the c bar is a favorite attraction, and did we mention thousands and thousands of chocolate samples throughout the festival? It’s also a chance to do some great holiday shopping, with gift vendors selling unique handcrafted items, beautiful jewelry, eclectic imports and more!
Several new chocolate companies will be participating in this year’s festival, including some brand new businesses, and some out-of-state chocolatiers. Cain says most of the festival’s favorite regular vendors are returning as well. The full list of vendors and samplers is online at www.holidaychocolatefestival.com
Admission to the Holiday Chocolate Festival is $5. Guests may purchase Taste Tickets to sample the thousands of chocolates, sweets and other treats. Taste Tickets are priced at “12 for $10” and may be purchased at the door or in advance online at www.holidaychocolatefestival.com. Festival hours are Friday 4:00 – 9:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center is located at 3650 N. Nevada, just off of I-25 in Colorado Springs.
Tickets, vendor list, event schedule and more information can be found online at www.holidaychocolatefestival.com.