Cirque du Soleil kicks off in Denver this week. Also, don’t miss these free days, Denver Chalk Art Festival, Indian Market & Powwow, Capitol Hill People’s Fair and more. See our event calendar for full listings.
Cirque du Soleil’s CORTEO at the Budweiser Events Center
May 31 – June 3
After thrilling more than 8 million people worldwide, CORTEO will embark on a new journey next March as the same enchanting production but now in arenas, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show in their own town. The show will visit Broomfield at the 1STBANK Arena from May 24 to 27 and Loveland at the Budweiser Events Center for from May 31 to June 3, 2018.
Summer in the City
June 1 – Aug 1
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The city of Aurora, Colorado invites you to join us this summer for some FREE, fun entertainment. It’s a great way to get the kids outside this summer! This event just for kids offers fun throughout the summer. There will be free, healthy snacks, inflatables, board and field games, an opportunity to try your hand at golf and the gymnastics team will be onsite as well. The library will be there with fun crafts as well as the Aurora History Museum! Come discover all the other programs that the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department offers!
Capitol Hill People’s Fair at Civic Center Park
June 1 – 3
People’s Fair is Denver’s oldest neighborhood festival and famous for bringing together a diverse population to celebrate community and enjoy the start to the summer. This Civic Center Park tradition welcomes community groups, artists, and entertainment from every corner of Denver. The uniqueness and magic of the People’s Fair is created by the blending of great family fun, carefully selected handmade arts & crafts, delicious culinary delights, fabulous entertainment and the commitment to raise funds for and promote the missions of non-profit organizations.
Food Truck Rodeo at the Aurora Municipal Center Great Lawn
June 1, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Take a break from bagged lunches and have something extraordinary at the Food Truck Rodeo! The food trucks are here to serve up delicious eats and treats at the Aurora Municipal Center. Spend your lunch time break with us on our great lawn area while tasting some yummy food.
Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodges at Coors Field – Home of the Colorado Rockies
June 1 – 3
Enjoy exciting major league baseball and come out to this series between the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Free First Saturday at the Denver Art Museum
June 2, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
General admission is free on the first Saturday of the month thanks to Your 6 Hometown Toyota Stores and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). General admission to the Denver Art Museum is FREE to all youth ages 18 and under every day, granting more kids access to art than ever before.
Let’s Go Fishing at Bear Creek Lake Park
June 2, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Families can discover the basics of fishing at this great child-focused program. Learn about types of fish, bait, fishing ethics and how to catch the big one! Anglers of all ages can fish without a license during Colorado’s Free Fishing Weekend on June 2 and 3.
Appreciation of the Horse – Recognizing Dr. Marven Beeman
June 2 – 3
For over 35 years the Cottonwood Riding Club home of The Denver Polo Club has been home to all types of equestrians. This weekend we will host all of them at the top levels. Our Opening Weekend event is designed to kick off the summer season and get everyone excited for a Colorado summer! The weekend will include international competitors as well as our local heroes. Friday night we welcome the exhibitors, players and riders with a welcome party then Saturday we roll right into Polo, Jr. A/O and wrap up the evening with a PBR Rough Stock Rodeo complete with Mutton Busting.
Denver Chalk Art Festival at Larimer Square
June 2 –3
More than 200 professional, amateur and student artists will delight and amaze Denverites with their incredible talents in what has become one of the city’s most treasured events. Over the course of two days, the artists will take to the street armed with vivid pastel chalks and spend hours on their hands and knees recreating major masterpieces or sharing original works of art. Spectators will watch as the intricate chalk paintings come to life and spread out to adorn four downtown blocks in and around Larimer Square. Visitors will enjoy live music, food and beverages while also having the rare opportunity to interact with the artists as they work.
Indian Market & Powwow at the Tesoro Cultural Center
June 2–3
Tesoro Cultural Center will welcome back the Indian Market & Powwow in its 18th year on Saturday, June 2, and Sunday, June 3, on the grounds of Colorado’s iconic restaurant, The Fort. The event offers free and ample parking, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and admission – just $5 per person, free for children 12 and under – benefits Tesoro’s ongoing educational programs and initiatives.
Learning Center Grand Opening at Code Ninjas Highlands Ranch
June 2, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Code Ninjas Highlands Ranch, a new learning center that teaches kids (7-14) to code (computer programming), is hosting its Grand Opening at its first location in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The center will showcase the new facility, its instructors, and will be taking last minute registrations for the first round of classes being June 4 through August 4. There will be prizes, giveaways and games.
SCFD Community Free Days at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
June 3, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free day at DMNS! A fee still applies to IMAX films, Planetarium shows, and temporary exhibitions. Reservations and amenities (lunchroom, coat and lunch storage, bus drop off, etc.) for school groups are not available on SCFD Community Free Days.
Free Day at the Molly Brown House Museum
June 3, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Free admission for the residents of: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties – must show ID. January 20, March 28, June 3, August 1 (Colorado Day), September 22, and November 10 (Veteran’s Day). On free day, please consider making a donation according to your ability. The Museum is much busier on free days, so also consider visiting on a regular admission day instead. If you have a large group or a group with special needs, we can book a tour any day by offering free or reduced admission.
Free Day at the Denver Botanic Gardens
June 5, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free Days occur throughout the year at both York Street and Chatfield Farms, thanks to funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). No tickets are needed for admission to Free Days. Free Days are for regular Gardens hours only and do not include ticketed events.
Free Day at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms
June 5, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free Days occur throughout the year at both York Street and Chatfield Farms, thanks to funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). No tickets are needed for admission to Free Days. Free Days are for regular Gardens hours only and do not include ticketed events.
FREE Astronomy Outreach Event at Sheraton Downtown Denver
June 5, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
An afternoon of hands-on science and astronomy with world renowned PhD scientists from NASA, national labs, universities and other agencies working in astronomy and astrophysics. This event is geared for students in 5th-12th grade interested in STEM. Meet astronomers, physicists and other scientists at the 232nd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Denver, Colorado.
Free Target Tuesday Night at Denver Children’s Museum at Marsico Campus
June 5, 4:00 – 8:00 pm
Target is committed to giving back to the communities where their guests and team members live and work. Through their generous sponsorship of the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, families can play for FREE the first Tuesday of each month from 4 – 8 pm.
Ongoing Events and Exhibits
“Happy City: Art for the People” is a six-week (May 18-June 30) citywide art intervention produced by The Denver Theatre District at Denver Union Station’s Plaza and Great Hall. The art instillation sites are located throughout Denver and includes streets, alleyways, billboards, video screens and Union Station, among other locations.
Play Ball! at the History Colorado Center
April 7-September 30, 2018
See classic baseball artifacts—from Babe Ruth to the Blake Street Bombers. Treasured memorabilia and iconic photographs bring the past to life through stories that begin on the ball field and echo through American history. Size up your hand against Babe Ruth’s. Find the nails Ty Cobb used to hold his favorite bat together, and admire the glove flashed by Willie Mays to make some of the game’s most memorable catches. See the uniform Joe DiMaggio wore in his final World Series and a receipt for roses he sent to Marilyn Monroe. historycolorado.org/exhibit/play-ball
Dead Sea Scrolls at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
March 16-Sept. 3
Dead Sea Scrolls is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts that include the oldest known biblical documents dating back over 2,000 years. The scrolls will be dramatically presented within a massive exhibit case featuring carefully regulated individual chambers, along with the full English translation. dmns.org/dead-sea-scrolls
Denver Puzzling Adventure at Civic Center Park
Puzzling Adventures™ are a cross between a scavenger hunt, an informative self-guided tour, and The Amazing Race®. Each adventure consists of a series of locations that you are guided to where you are required to answer questions or solve puzzles to receive your next instruction. http://puzzlingadventures.com
Eyes On at Denver Art Museum
December 3, 2017 – July 8, 2018, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Xiaoze Xie has a lifelong passion for books. In his worldview, books are conveyers of prestige and signifiers of collective cultural knowledge: repositories of historical meaning, cultural conflict, and political strife. For Eyes On: Xiaoze Xie, the artist has created still-life paintings of books, videos, and installations based on banned and forbidden books in China. http://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/eyes-on-xiaoze-xie
Past the Tangled Present at the Denver Art Museum
November 14, 2017 – October 28, 2018, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
This interactive and immersive installation by Denver artist Jaime Molina was born of imagination and the joy of discovery. Step into a different world where the paintings on the wall flow into 3-D objects that Molina created for the space. Sit on boxes painted with faces and play in a garden of fabricated cacti. http://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/past-tangled-present
Creatures of Light at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
February 23- June 10, 2018
They light up our lives, but have you ever wondered how? Delve into the world of living things that blink, glow, flash, and flicker, from tiny fireflies to strange creatures in the ocean depths. The new exhibition Creatures of Light explores the mysterious world of bioluminescence and biofluorescence, visible light emitted by living things. This enlightening experience features larger-than-life models, engaging immersive environments, fun activities, and real animals, fungi, and minerals that get their glow on. http://www.dmns.org
Colors of East Africa
Jan. 20-May 19, 2018
Colors of East Africa, an exceptional showcase of eight countries along the Great Rift Valley, continues through May 19 at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures. The exhibit features art and artifacts on loan from over 40 collectors and international travelers in Northern Colorado. Many items reflect the intersection between the wildlife and the indigenous cultures, such as a loin cloth fashioned from fish vertebrae and a Maasai shield & weaponry. http://globalvillagemuseum.org/upcoming-main-gallery/
AI Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads
Oct. 18, 2017–Oct. 17, 2018
The 12 bronze heads of Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals represent the 12 animals of the traditional Chinese zodiac. See it for free at Civic Center Park! https://www.denver.org
Zoom In: The Centennial State in 100 Objects
Nov. 21, 2017–Dec. 31, 2018
History Colorado created a brand-new space, the Tim Schultz Gallery, to house this 3,700-square-foot exhibit of 100 objects, each of which had a role in shaping the history and culture of Colorado. https://www.historycolorado.org/venue/history-colorado-center
Pixelated: Sculpture by Mike Whiting
April 28–Sept. 23, 2018
Mike Whiting’s geometric sculptures at the Denver Botanic Gardens also represent the intersection of two distinct visual styles: 8-bit pixel graphics—which have enjoyed a recent resurgence in games like Minecraft—and minimalist sculpture. Technological limitations in early video games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders reduced the graphics to simplified shapes, while the minimalist art movement created artworks that purposely lacked detail. Pixelated investigates the opposite intents of these two artistic approaches that result in a strikingly similar visual outcome. https://www.botanicgardens.org/exhibits/pixelated-sculpture-mike-whiting
Peak-A-Boo Play
Peak-A-Boo Play launched in spring 2018 in The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace. The space is a clean, safe, pop-up experience offering drop-in, open play for kiddos three years of age and under. Parents/caretakers must be present and will have opportunities to socialize, grab coffee and take a breather while kids explore over 500-square-feet of mats, plush tumbling gear, sensory toys, bubbles, music and more. Summer admission is $10 per child with sibling discounts available. Hours of operation are Monday and Thursday mornings, 9 to noon; however, schedule is subject to change/expand and will be regularly posted to website and social channels.
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
