Northgate's Holiday Calendar: What's Open Outside the Academy Gate, and What Takes a Pass

The biggest weekend of Northgate's holiday season is December 4 through 6. Within a few miles of I-25 Exit 156 you'll find Falcons hockey, the Air Force Academy Band's free Holly & Ivy concerts, two Darci Lynne Christmas shows and a Santa breakfast at Bass Pro. Two of those are on the Academy side of the North Gate, and they run on different rules from everything else.

Since March 1, anyone without a Department of Defense ID needs a sponsored pass to get on base. That pass covers one event at a time. Everything on Bass Pro Drive and North Gate Boulevard is drive-up, but the base side needs some planning, especially if you're hosting family who want both.

The gate rule that shapes December

The Academy's updated access rules took effect March 1. They suspended the Trusted Traveler program, require a sponsored pass for every visitor without a DoD ID, and put 100% ID checks in place at all gates. Anyone 18 or older needs a REAL ID-compliant identification to go along with the pass. Athletics events stay open to pass holders, and QR-code passes for special events are still authorized.

The line that matters most for a busy December comes straight from the Academy's Getting on Base page:

"Base access passes are issued for one event at a time. Please register for passes in succession and only after the current event has concluded. Registering for multiple passes at a time will cause a cancelation of previous registrations."

That changes how you'd plan a weekend with hockey on Friday and Holly & Ivy on Saturday. According to the Academy, the process for ticketed events works like this:

1. Buy your tickets or make your reservation with the sponsoring organization. That could be Athletics, an Admissions tour, the Planetarium or a cemetery visit.
2. Email the sponsoring organization, which sends back a QR code for pre-registration.
3. Security Forces runs a background check, and you get a decision by text. The Visitor Center page says that decision usually arrives within 24 hours.
4. On the day, use either the North Gate at Exit 156 or the South Gate at Exit 150. Both are open to sponsored visitors from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Have a REAL ID ready for every passenger 18 or older.
5. Wait until the first event is over before you register for the next pass.

Out-of-town guests without a REAL ID face one more step. U.S. citizens without one have to visit the Pass and Registration Office in person with a passport or a non-REAL ID license. That office is outside the South Gate off Exit 150 and is open weekdays only, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Academy warns that waits run one to two hours at peak times. If a relative flies in Friday night for a Saturday concert, that office will already be closed for the weekend.

The free stop outside the gate closes on the days guests arrive

The General Bradley and Zita Hosmer Visitor Center is the Academy experience you can show guests with no pass at all. It sits just outside the North Gate, and you don't need base access to get in. Admission is free, and the 34,000-square-foot building tells the story of the 47-month cadet experience through interactive galleries. Plan on one to two hours for a typical visit.

It's open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's closed on all federal holidays, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Those closures fall on the days most households have company in town:

The day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas are the open days that line up with a holiday visit. That makes them good days to show guests the Academy without dealing with a pass.

Bass Pro Drive handles the drive-up holidays

Down the hill at Polaris Pointe, there's nothing between you and the season but a parking lot.

Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops follows the chain's national schedule, now in its 18th season. Through Christmas Eve, families get a free 4x6 studio-quality photo with Santa plus a shareable video. Free reservations open seven days ahead, and walk-ins are taken first come, first served. On weekdays, kids get a Santa ornament craft through November 27, then a sticker-by-number sheet from November 30 through December 18, while supplies last. Two extras need their own reservations. Christmas Tales story time with Santa and Mrs. Claus runs Tuesdays at 5 p.m. through December 22. The Merry Morning Breakfast is at 9 a.m. on December 5, for up to four people per family, and its reservations open November 28.

Phil Long Music Hall is next door at 13071 Bass Pro Drive. If you still call it Boot Barn Hall, that name ran for five years. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported in November 2024 that the owner didn't renew the Boot Barn naming rights and signed a new deal with Phil Long instead. The Gazette also reported that venue owner VENU saw the change as a way to broaden the hall beyond a perceived country-music identity, and that the room holds up to 1,000 people. The December lineup reflects that mix:

The full schedule is on the Phil Long Music Hall calendar. For dinner before a show, Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse & Tavern shares the site at 13021 Bass Pro Drive.

The museum on North Gate Boulevard covers the school breaks

The Western Museum of Mining & Industry, at 225 North Gate Blvd, is on the same side of the gate as Bass Pro, and its late-year schedule lines up with the days kids are home:

• November 24: Thanksgiving STEaM Camp
• December 9: Homeschool Day, Mine Drift Model
• December 28–30: Winter STEaM Camp

The museum notes that all dates and activities are subject to change, so confirm before you sign anyone up. The winter camp starts the Monday after Christmas, right when the Hosmer Visitor Center has just reopened and Bass Pro's Santa has wrapped up for the year.

December 4 through 6, hour by hour

Here's how the busiest weekend looks with every event in order, marked by which side of the gate it's on:

• Friday, Dec. 4: Falcons hockey vs. Niagara, 7:05 p.m. (pass required). Holly & Ivy at Arnold Hall Theater, 7 p.m., doors open an hour early (pass required).
• Saturday, Dec. 5: Bass Pro Merry Morning Breakfast, 9 a.m. (drive-up, reservation). Darci Lynne at Phil Long Music Hall, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (drive-up, ticket). Falcons hockey vs. Lake Superior State, 5:05 p.m. (pass required). Holly & Ivy, second night (pass required).
• Sunday, Dec. 6: Holly & Ivy, final night (pass required).

The Academy Band bills Holly & Ivy as a free, all-ages program of holiday music traditions from across the country. Watch the Academy's event page for ticket details. If you want hockey one night and the concert the next, you'll be running two passes back to back. Register for the second only after the first event ends, and leave time for the background check before your visit date.

Hockey fans have a closer date too. The Falcons host Bentley on Thursday, November 12, at 7:05 p.m. Find tickets and the Athletics access request on the Falcons hockey schedule.

What Polaris Pointe adds next

The drive-up side is still growing. The Gazette reported in October that Brinkerhoff Hospitality is building Sierra, an American-Southwestern restaurant with a wood-fired kitchen, at 130 Spectrum Loop. It's a $3.5 million, 9,000-square-foot project expected to open by late 2027. Up the road near North Gate Boulevard and Struthers Road, the Gazette also reported that Baxter Auto's Northgate Subaru dealership is under construction and expected to open in early 2028. Both are outside the gate, so neither will need a pass.

We live and work up here too, and keeping track of what's open, what's opening and what takes a pass is part of the job. If family visits this season get you thinking about a move north of the Academy, The Fletcher Team & Associates can walk you through Northgate street by street. Receive Exclusive Listings & Free Home Valuation, and we'll share what we know about the neighborhood around the North Gate.