Fall is in full swing in Denver with the Stanley Arts Festival, Westwood Chile Fest, and Gem & Mineral Day. See our event calendar for more details.
Getaway 5K/10K at the Boulder Reservoir
Sept 8, 8:30 – 11:30 am
Sun, Fun, Run! Escape to the Getaway 5K & 10K in Boulder, CO on September 8th! This experience is designed for the entire family. No matter what your age, you’re sure to have a good time. The event will feature a 10K, 5K and a Kid’s Fun Run, plus some great swag! And for a limited time, you can take advantage of this awesome $12 off discount code – just type in SunFunRun1A when you register!
Free Day at Molly Brown House Museum
Sept 6, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free admission for the residents of: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties – must show ID. January 27, May 1, August 1 (Colorado Day–Free for everyone!), September 6, and November 9 (Veteran’s Day). On free day, please consider making a donation according to your ability.
A Child’s Song Grand Reopening & Ribbon Cutting at A Child’s Song
Sept 6, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Join us on Thursday, September 6th, 2018 from 4 – 6pm for a celebration of almost 20 years of music education! Our grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony will be a fun open house format featuring: Instrument demos, Exploration of AussieRoo climbing gym, Art experiment and teacher meet and greet.
Haute Tots Consignment Sale at the Arvada Methodist Church
Sept 7– 8
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.
Stanley Arts Festival at the Stanley Marketplace
Sept 7 – 9
Stanley Arts Festival produced by CherryArts includes FREE admission, national art & local flavor, family activities, interactive art installations and live entertainment.
Dogs & Donuts
Sept 8, 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Join us for the High Line Canal Conservancy’s first annual Dogs & Donuts. Bring your favorite pup to this free family event! Enjoy complimentary coffee, donuts and Santiago’s breakfast burritos (while they last) and lots of fun with our four-legged friends on the High Line Canal.
Free Day at the Longmont Museum
Sept 8, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Longmont Museum, housed in a distinctive contemporary building, features changing exhibits in history, art, and science, as well as the award-winning Front Range Rising, a long-term exhibit on the history and culture of this region. The Museum recently opened an expansion, featuring the 250-seat Stewart Auditorium and Cone-Shortall stage, the Swan Atrium, and the Kaiser Permanente Education Center.
29th Annual Friendship Powwow & American Indian Cultural Celebration at the Denver Art Museum
Sept 8, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Join us for the 29th annual Friendship Powwow and American Indian Cultural Celebration! Everyone is welcome and general admission is free. One of the Denver Art Museum’s (DAM) longest-running events, the 29th Annual Friendship Powwow and American Indian Cultural Celebration will feature American Indian dancers, drum groups, hands-on activities, booths hosted by artists and community groups, and more.
Gem & Mineral Day at Friends of Dinosaur Ridge
Sept 8, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Dinosaur Discovery Days are free outdoor events hosted by Dinosaur Ridge at the Main Visitor Center Complex and along the Ridge Trail on the second Saturday of the month between May and October. Volunteers are stationed along the Dinosaur Ridge Trail at significant interpretive sites, while many others staff booths and activities at the Main Visitor Center Complex for kids of all ages. Visitors can hike at their own pace or take the shuttle bus at $4 per person on these special days (ages three and under ride free).
Westminster Public Library Mini Con ’18
Sept 8, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Experience the excitement of Westminster Public Library’s first mini comic con. Enjoy the work of local artists, attend presentations and demonstrations, make comic book themed crafts, and more.
2018 Westwood Chile Fest
Sept 8, 12:00 – 7:00 pm
The Westwood Chile Fest is a one-day event in Westwood that celebrates Hispanic-centric cultures that make up 80% of this Denver neighborhood, with a strong focus on authentic food and the arts. Free and open to the public, this celebratory event takes place along the Morrison Road Corridor, an area rich with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans. The Westwood Chile Fest is an event that is able to bring diverse communities together with local food, art, music, and dance.
RidgeFest
Sept 8, 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Celebrate Wheat Ridge and its one of a kind charm at RidgeFest. This day of fun for the whole family will be held Saturday, September 8 from 3 to 9pm, in the heart of the Ridge at 38 district. Localworks’ RidgeFest is a free event highlighting the unique character and culture of Wheat Ridge. The event will feature four bluegrass bands, a classic car show, cottage foods, chalk art, vendors, food trucks, local beer, lots of kids’ activities and more.
Day Out with Thomas at the Colorado Railroad Museum
Sept 8 –9 pm
Museum Members receive a $2 per ticket discount.
Low Sensory Morning at the Downtown Aquarium
Sept 9, 8:30 – 10:30 am
For our guests that prefer a calmer and more sensory-friendly environment join us for a special morning. We will open early at 8:30am, turn up the lights and turn down the ambient sounds in the exhibits.
Bark in the Park
Sept 9, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
The University of Denver Women’s Soccer team will be hosting Eastern Washington University on September 9th. Bring your dog, friends, and family and enjoy the afternoon out by the Denver Soccer Stadium for our annual Bark in the Park game!
CRUSH WALLS at RiNo Art District
Sept 3 – Sep 9 @ 6:48 pm
This year, the festival expands into an interdisciplinary event, adding urban sculpture, photography exhibitions, film screenings, live artist battles and social gatherings in local venues to the already established mural program. CRUSH WALLS will also reach across the river, growing from a 10-block event on the East side to a 30-block event connecting RiNo East with RiNo West.
Ongoing Events and Exhibits
Mindbender Mansion
July 20 – January 6, 2019
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. 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
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.
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.
