Since February 2025, downtown Loveland's 4th Street has been rebuilt one block at a time. Each finished block got its own block party, timed to an event downtown was already holding. The last block, Block 4 between Cleveland Avenue and Railroad Avenue, is now open to traffic. On Friday, Nov. 20, the Loveland Downtown District will hold its Festival of Lights on what it calls "the newly completed 4th Street."
That makes this year's tree lighting the closing event of a pattern that has been running for almost two years. Each finished block got a party, and Nov. 20 is the first event planned for all five blocks together. A few finishing jobs will continue past that night, and the east side of town turns on its lights a week earlier.
Five Blocks, One Party at a Time
The City of Loveland calls the work the 4th Street Revitalization Project, part of its Heart Improvement Plan, or HIP Streets. It covers five blocks of 4th Street from Garfield Avenue to Washington Avenue. The City's July release on Block 3 explains how it works: "For every block that's opened, a block party has been paired with an existing Downtown Loveland event." Traffic usually came back first, and the party followed weeks or months later.
| Block | Stretch of 4th Street | Reopened to traffic | Block party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blocks 1 and 2 | Washington Avenue to Lincoln Avenue | After the 2025 Festival of Lights | Festival of Lights, Nov. 21, 2025 |
| Block 5 | Railroad Avenue to Garfield Avenue | March 12, 2026 | Bluegrass & Brews Festival, June 5, 2026 |
| Block 3 | Lincoln Avenue to Cleveland Avenue | July 24, 2026 | Pastels on 5th Street, Sept. 12, 2026 |
| Block 4 | Cleveland Avenue to Railroad Avenue | Open as of the City's Oct. 19 update | Opened briefly for the Oct. 10 Pumpkin Festival |
Block 4 took the longest. In July the City said the block had "the density of active doorways and businesses," so crews rebuilt its sidewalks in small sections. Temporary walkways kept every storefront reachable during business hours. In October, the Loveland Reporter-Herald reported that the block would open just for the Pumpkin Festival weekend and then close again for construction. Lucy Waneka of the Loveland Downtown District told the paper the arrangement helped downtown businesses.
What Changed Underneath and On Top of the Street
Most of the money went to things people won't see on Nov. 20. The City puts the total program cost at $24.5 million. Of that, $12 million comes from utility-enterprise funds and $12.5 million from Certificates of Participation, with no money from the General Fund. Under the street, crews upgraded the water, stormwater, power, telecommunications and gas systems. The water and stormwater work alone added 4,150 feet of waterlines and 3,080 feet of stormwater pipe, replacing pipes that in some places dated to the late 1800s.
Some of the changes are easy to spot. Storm runoff now drains down the middle of 4th Street, not into gutters along the curb. The City's stormwater manager says the center-drain design will make the street "pedestrian-friendly and improve visitor experiences for public events, festivals and concerts." The sidewalks are now level pavers, with new pedestrian crossings, better accessibility and more room for patios. Large sandstone art pedestals stand at the corners of each block.
The center-drain design pays off at a festival. A street with no curb gutters is easier to fill with people from one storefront to the other, which is what the Downtown District has planned for the Festival of Lights.
Block 4 Is Open, but Crews Are Still Working Nearby
The City's weekly HIP Streets update for Oct. 19 to 25 shows a street that is nearly finished. It does not say the whole project is done. As of that update:
- Block 4 is open to traffic, with limited southbound access at Railroad Avenue east.
- On Block 5, cars can only get in from Garfield Avenue.
- The BNSF railroad crossing on 4th Street is fully closed to vehicles, and the pedestrian crossings at the tracks are moving, so follow the posted signs.
- Crews are paving the Railroad Avenue west intersection and the parking lots beside it.
- Permanent sculptures are being installed on Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 5, which may close some parking spaces for a while.
- The sidewalk at 225 E. 4th St. is closed for work that is not part of the project.
The 225 E. 4th St. building is the future Rio Grande. The Reporter-Herald reported that the owner expects the restaurant's opening to be pushed back about six months after a partial roof collapse on Sept. 30.
Back in July, the City said the railroad-area intersections should be done "before the holidays." If you plan to drive in on Nov. 20, check the most recent weekly update before you leave.
What Nov. 20 Puts on the New Street
The Festival of Lights runs 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20. The Downtown District's event page describes it this way:
"A hometown tradition, our Festival of Lights signature event draws local crowds into Downtown Loveland for the debut of holiday lighting along 4th Street."
The schedule includes live music, a tree lighting, live reindeer, a holiday market, carriage rides and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Floats on Fourth, the parked-float display, is set up to keep the middle of the street open for people on foot.
When Blocks 1 and 2 opened at the Nov. 21, 2025 Festival of Lights, there were two finished blocks between Washington Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. This year's event page bills the whole street as finished, from the Rialto Theater block east to the tracks.
The Pedestals Are Waiting for Their Art
The sandstone pedestals at each corner were built for art that hasn't all arrived yet. Under the City's Art in Public Places program, sculptures are coming back to 4th Street a few at a time. That includes nine pieces from The Art Advocacy Project, or TAAP, which runs a rotating 3-D sculpture program. The Rialto Theater plans a new marquee sign facing 4th Street. It will also reinstall "Persistence of Vision," the Patrick Kennedy bronze that is widely recognized as part of the theater.
The City has also picked a new art feature that will run across all five blocks, with installation planned for the first quarter of 2027.
Centerra Turns On Its Lights a Week Earlier
On the east side of town, the season starts on Friday, Nov. 13, at Flip the Switch at Chapungu Sculpture Park, 5995 Sky Pond Drive, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event includes carolers. That night also starts Centerra's All Is Bright Tour, a self-guided route of lights that runs nightly through Jan. 1. The tour covers Chapungu Illuminated, decorated neighborhoods and businesses, and hot cocoa stops. Centerra residents and businesses can sign up to add their own displays to the tour map.
The tour lists a skate at the Promenade Shops at Centerra ice rink, but the rink won't be open on Nov. 13. Galway Companies, which bought the center last year for $55 million, tore out the old rink. In its place it is building a landscaped space for year-round use, with fire pits and easier sightlines to the ice, according to the Reporter-Herald. The company's Oct. 6 announcement says the redesigned rink is scheduled to open in late November 2026. The same announcement lists nine new tenants. MINISO, Christopher & Banks and Windsor were expected this fall, and JD Sports, Hot Topic, BoxLunch, Cabinet IQ, Hot Pot Grill and Los Dos Potrillos are expected by spring 2027.
So Loveland gets two separate holiday openings this year. Centerra's lights come first, on Nov. 13. The renovated rink follows in late November, and downtown's rebuilt street hosts its festival on Nov. 20.
November in Order
Nov. 13 is the busiest day on the calendar. Here is the month in date order:
- Friday, Nov. 13, 5 to 7 p.m. Flip the Switch at Chapungu Sculpture Park, the first night of the All Is Bright Tour.
- Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14. The City's Ski & Sports Swap.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m. An evening of original poetry written in response to the abstract-art exhibition at the Loveland Museum, 503 N. Lincoln Ave.
- Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. The Drifters at the Rialto Theater, a block from the new pedestals.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 8 p.m. The Festival of Lights on 4th Street.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. Magician Jeki Yoo at the Rialto.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission at the Loveland Museum, across Lincoln Avenue from the 4th Street blocks that reopened first.
- Late November. The redesigned Promenade Shops rink opens, according to Galway Companies' announcement.
If you live near downtown and want to know how the rebuilt 4th Street figures into your home's value, Venna Hillman can walk you through it over coffee on one of the new blocks. Start with an instant home valuation and we'll go from there.
