Share This Post

Events

21 top family-friendly events in Denver this week

21 top family-friendly events in Denver this week

Awesome events in Denver this week include the Lafayette Peach Festival, WeeCycle Diaper Bank Launch Party and Family Funday, and a Joy Park free night. See our event calendar for details.

Barks and Brews at Outlets at Castle Rock
August 18, 4-7 p.m.
To celebrate the dog days of summer, Outlets at Castle Rock is inviting all puppy parents and beer aficionados to the annual ‘Barks & Brews’ event on Saturday, August 18. From 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the center will welcome hundreds of local pets and their owners for a fun, relaxing day of beer tasting, food truck bites and live entertainment at Colorado’s favorite pet-friendly center.

Just Between Friends of Aurora Sale at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds
Aug 16 – 19
Thousands of shoppers find bargains on kids’ clothing for newborn-preteen, toys, strollers, furniture, baby equipment, books, shoes, maternity items and more…all at 50-90% below retail. Thursday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. $2 admission; Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (25% off sale); Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (50% off).

Velorama Festival at Coors Field Parking Lot A
Aug 17 – 18
The Coors Field Parking lot A in RiNo Art District will become a three-day street party celebrating biking culture in Colorado. Daily family-friendly festivities include participant rides, kids zones, a bike and lifestyle expo with 50+ exhibitors, local food, fun games, after parties and more. Kids 10+ under will be free! Sunday will be a family-focused day.

Joy Park Free Nights at Children’s Museum of Denver
Aug 17, 4:00 – 8:00 pm
Discover the joy of climbing, digging, zip-lining, splashing, messy, all-in play for free during our Joy Park Free Nights! We’re keeping the exhibit open after hours from 4 – 8 pm (or dusk) on the third Friday of the month, May – September, thanks to a collaboration with Denver Parks and Recreation.

Global Fest at Aurora Municipal Center
Aug 18
Celebrating its 5th year, Global Fest is an annual gathering that engages and infuses culture and community. The event features a Parade of Nations, Fashion Show, 30+ Local Vendors and Globally inspired food vendors. With over 170 languages spoken in our municipality this festival provides a unique opportunity for our community to become one.

8th Annual 5K Pajama Jog at City Park
August 18, 8:00 – 11:00 am
Sleep Tight Colorado is excited to be hosting their 8th Annual 5K Pajama Jog in Denver’s City Park on Saturday, August 18th starting at 8AM. Support a great cause and appear in a costume for contest prizes. The 5K is professionally timed and participants may choose to run, jog, or walk. You can sign up as a team and get your friends and family together.

19th Annual Lafayette Peach Festival
Aug 18, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
The 19th Annual Peach Festival centers around world famous all natural Palisade, Colorado peaches. Enjoy peach pies, peach cobbler and peach smoothies. Food vendors, crafters, antique dealers along with some of the finest artists from the Front Range and Western States will be showcased. Children’s activities in two locations.

Women in STEM Summer Science Day
Aug 18, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
The Women in STEM group on the Anschutz Medical Campus is hosting the second Summer Science Day! This event will take place on the Anschutz Medical Campus on August 18th from 9am-3pm and is open to middle and high school girls. Children can attend without a guardian, but we encourage adult attendance as well.

Denver Pet Expo at National Western Complex
Aug 18 – 19
The super awesome 7th Annual Denver Pet Expo is back! Bring your pet* to this indoor event. Shop, play learn or adopt as you check out nearly 150 exhibitors- with everything from artisan pet beds to organic small batch pet treats to pet behaviorists to budget-friendly pet travel options – with the latest and greatest in pet products and services, amazing discounts on pet items you won’t find anywhere else, check out low-cost pet vaccinations** and free nail trims enjoy live obedience DEMOS, LURE COURSING, and other incredible displays of canine athletic prowess and your pet can participate too (no matter their age or ability)!

Mothers of Multiples Society Sale at Douglas County Fairgrounds
Aug 18, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
It’s finally here! Twice a year, Mile High Mamas does a round-up detailing Colorado’s popular children’s consignment sales. Thousands of shoppers find bargains on kids’ clothing for newborn-preteen, toys, strollers, furniture, baby equipment, books, shoes, maternity items and more…all at 50-90% below retail.

WeeCycle Diaper Bank Launch Party and Family Funday at Local 46
Aug 18, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
 Come enjoy a Family Funday at Local 46 and help us celebrate the 2018 launch of the WeeCycle Diaper Bank. We will have live music by Castle Byers, face painters, character guests, balloon twisters and more. Your ticket purchase will include all entertainment, free give-a-ways and will help us wipe out diaper need. Food and beverage is available for purchase.

Pitmaster BBQ and Music Fest
Aug 18  – 19
This special event will bring up to six of America’s best award-winning masters of Pit cooking of smoked flavored meats and live country, rock, and blues music from today’s known local and national artists. The festival brings together unique regional tastes of barbecue from southern vinegar-based sauce to dry rubs and combined it with Coloradoan’s favorite foods, craft beers and spirits, and other favorites.

Thrive: A Workshop for New and Expecting Moms to Thrive in their First Year of Motherhood at East Library
Aug 18, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Are you struggling to prepare the best you can for this new chapter in your life as being a first-time mom? The Thrive Workshop was created to help support you in your path as a beautiful mom. In this 4-hour workshop, you’ll learn the top 5 challenges new moms face and how to prepare for them and the 7 secrets ‘experienced’ moms wish they knew in their first year.

Ongoing Events and Exhibits

Mindbender Mansion
July 20 
Love brainteasers? Enter “Mindbender Mansion,” a quirky place full of puzzles, brainteasers and interactive challenges that put minds of all ages to the test. This unique, high-energy experience opened at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on July 20.

Play Ball! and LEGOradoat 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. Also, don’t miss LEGOrado where you can unlock the stories that have shaped the past by exploring a giant LEGO® re-creation of Colorado history. The pro builders from the Colorado and Wyoming LEGO Users Group have created this sprawling concoction of Colorado scenes—both factful and fanciful.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

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

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.

Amber Johnson
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.

Share This Post

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.

Leave a Reply