At 6500 Lookout Road, the Gunbarrel Branch Library's study rooms will hold a yule log workshop with cocoa on a Saturday afternoon in December. Over on Longbow Drive, a bluegrass band plays the free Friday-night show at MainStage Brewing's taproom. On Nautilus Court, Avery Brewing is setting up a Krampus-themed Christmas market.
Gunbarrel has no Main Street to string lights across, and it has no single December event that pulls everyone to one place. Its holiday season runs on three weekly schedules that rarely overlap and seldom leave a day uncovered. The neighborhood group Gunbarrel United built its October through December 2026 events page around those same three venues.
Three rooms, three clocks
The library's holiday programs mostly fall in the morning and afternoon. The two taprooms take over in the evening, and their weekly closures don't line up, so between them almost every night is covered.
| Gunbarrel Branch Library | Avery Brewing | MainStage Brewing Gunbarrel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | 6500 Lookout Rd. | 4910 Nautilus Ct. | 6035 Longbow Dr., Unit 109 |
| Monday | Afternoon programs and clubs | Closed | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Tuesday to Thursday | Storytimes, clubs | 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Friday | Varies | 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday | Morning storytime, afternoon programs | 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 3 to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | Afternoon talks and films | 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 1 to 7 p.m. |
Avery's Monday closure is where the other two rooms come in. Library clubs meet on Mondays throughout the season, and MainStage pours from 3 p.m. that day.
The library holds most of the holiday calendar
Most of Gunbarrel's dated holiday programming is at the branch library, not at the breweries. The Boulder Public Library calendar lists the season's Gunbarrel programs from late November through the end of December.
- Winter Baby Rave, Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 to 4 p.m.
- Baby Handprint Keepsake, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2 to 3 p.m.
- Decorate a Yule Log, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2 to 3 p.m., all ages, with cocoa and a log to take home
- In Concert: Firefly Winds, Sunday, Dec. 13, 3 to 4 p.m., a winter music program for all ages
- Blind Date with a Book: White Elephant Exchange, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2 to 3 p.m.
- Active Minds: The Story of Toys, Monday, Dec. 21, 2 to 3 p.m.
The regular monthly groups run alongside those programs. Gunbarrel Classic Movies screens on Sundays, Nov. 22 and Dec. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. Social Stitchers meets on Saturdays, Nov. 28 and Dec. 26, from noon to 2 p.m. Magic the Gathering players meet Mondays, Nov. 23 and Dec. 28, from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. December's book groups are Shelf Talkers on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 5 p.m. and the Short Story Book Club on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 5:30 p.m. The Great Decisions discussion meets Sunday, Dec. 20, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
One program connects the library to the outdoors. On Monday, Dec. 7, from 10 to 11 a.m., Community Chats brings in staff from Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks department. The city's 2026 open space project list has the Teller Farms North Trailhead under renovation from September through January 2027. The work adds horse-trailer parking and a vault restroom. Trailhead parking is closed for the whole project, while the trails stay open.
The evening room on Longbow Drive
If the library covers the afternoons, the newest of the three rooms covers weeknight evenings. MainStage Brewing, the Lyons brewery, opened its Gunbarrel taproom on May 2, 2025, at 6035 Longbow Drive. It took over the space after Beyond the Mountain Brewing closed on April 27 of that year, as the Daily Camera reported. Boulder Reporting Lab noted that Beyond the Mountain had operated there since 2017. The address has been a neighborhood taproom for most of a decade. This is MainStage's first December there with a full year behind it.
The weekly schedule is the draw. Wednesday is an open bluegrass pick from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday is MainGrass, a free bluegrass showcase from 6 to 9 p.m. with rotating Colorado musicians and no repeat lineups. Saturdays bring live music, and trivia, karaoke and Dice & Drafts rotate through the other nights. The taproom serves light snacks and nonalcoholic options, and the full food menu is at the Lyons location. Performers for specific December nights are posted on the MainStage events calendar.
The beer garden with the marquee night
Avery Brewing has the season's one event built to draw a crowd. The Krampusnacht Christmas Market is Saturday, Dec. 5, and Avery lists it for 5 to 9 p.m. at its 4910 Nautilus Court taproom. Event times can shift, so check the listing the week of the market.
On either side of that night, Avery's December is mostly regular programming. Tuesday trivia with Trevonious Monk runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sundays are Beer & Board Game Days, and Full Throttle Yoga meets at 10:30 a.m. on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. Next Stop Comedy Nights fall on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and Wednesday, Dec. 23. On Thursday, Nov. 19, Avery hosts a Community Book Swap from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, when all three rooms line up
On most December days, one room is busy while the others run their regular schedule. Saturday, Dec. 5, is the exception. All three have something on, and the times follow one another through the day:
- 10:15 a.m. Family storytime at the Gunbarrel Branch Library.
- 3 p.m. Winter Baby Rave at the library, and MainStage opens at the same hour for its Saturday live music.
- 5 p.m. The Krampusnacht Christmas Market opens at Avery and runs until 9 p.m.
- 9 p.m. Both taprooms close on their posted Saturday hours.
For one Saturday, that sequence works as Gunbarrel's version of a downtown holiday stroll, spread across a library and two industrial-park taprooms.
Thanksgiving week and the last week of the year
Because the season runs on three schedules, a change at any one venue shows up quickly. Avery has flagged special hours for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and for New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve it plans to close at 4 p.m. Avery's taproom page carries the current hours for each of those days. At the library, the family storytime on Saturday, Nov. 28, is canceled, while Social Stitchers still meets that afternoon from noon to 2 p.m.
The week after Christmas, the library's monthly groups keep going. Social Stitchers meets Saturday, Dec. 26, Gunbarrel Classic Movies screens Sunday, Dec. 27, and Magic the Gathering meets Monday, Dec. 28.
Knowing Gunbarrel means knowing details like which taproom is open on a Monday and which Saturday brings all three rooms together. Barb Passalacqua brings that same knowledge of Lookout Road, Spine Road and Longbow Drive to every pricing conversation. If this season has you curious what your Gunbarrel home is worth, start with an instant home valuation and Barb will walk you through what it means for your street.
