DENVER — The Denver Greek Festival, Five Points Jazz Festival, Taste of Fort Collins, Down to Earth Days, the Smash Fine Arts Festival, and Castle Rock's Ducky Derby are a few of the returning events this weekend as summer gets into full swing.
Colorado is known for terrific festivals, concerts, sporting events and the arts. Celebrate the season this weekend by experiencing the unique culture, food and geography that makes our state so special.
Denver Greek Festival
DENVER — The Denver Greek Festival returns for its 57th annual event Friday through Sunday. The festival takes place on the grounds of the Assumption Greek Orthodox Cathedral — the big gold dome — at East Alameda Avenue and Leetsdale Drive near Glendale. Hosted by the parishioners of the Assumption Cathedral, the Denver Greek Festival celebrates Greek culture with homemade food, dancing, live entertainment, music, Greek foods, beers and wines.
The festival features traditional Greek foods such as a gyros sandwich, souvlaki, pastistio, dolmathes, keftedes, and spanakoptia, as well as desserts including baklava, kourambiethes, paximadia, and koulourakia.
Five Points Jazz Festival
DENVER — The annual Five Points Jazz Festival returns for its 21st year on Saturday, beginning with parade at noon. Celebrating the music, culture and roots of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, the free, family friendly festival takes place on Welton Street between 25th and 29th streets. The festival features more than 30 performances throughout the day, as well as food, drink and artisan vendors. A full festival schedule is available at ArtsandVenues.com.
Unicorn Festival
LITTLETON — The annual Unicorn Festival in Littleton returns for two magical days at Clement Park. The event for families and cosplayers alike will take place Saturday and Sunday with unicorn corrals and photo ops, princesses, sing-a-longs, stories, castle obstacle course, dragon slide obstacle course, fairy activities, selfie stations, food trucks and more. See the schedule and get your tickets at UnicornFestivalColorado.com.
Elizabeth Stampede
ELIZABETH — A classic Colorado rodeo returns to Elizabeth this weekend. The Elizabeth Stampede runs Thursday through Sunday. Country music star Randy Houser brings his tour to Casey Jones Park Thursday night. Friday night will see bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc events at the rodeo arena. A parade steps off at 9 a.m. Saturday. There will also be PRCA rodeo performances Saturday at 1 and 7 p.m., as well as Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available online at ElizabethStampede.com.
Top of the World Rodeo
CRIPPLE CREEK — Cripple Creek is home to the annual Top of the World Rodeo on Saturday and Sunday. Events include bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, bull riding, mixed team roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, tie down roping and mutton bustin. There will also be a street dance, beer garden and food vendors.
Pikes Peak Pride
COLORADO SPRINGS — The 2024 Pikes Peak Pride “Unite With Pride” celebration takes place Saturday and Sunday at Alamo Square Park in downtown Colorado Springs. This year, all festival events, including the Blake Lewis concert, are free to attend. There will be live entertainment both days, featuring "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" Season 6 winner Kylie Sonique Love on Saturday.
Adams County Pride
BRIGHTON — Celebrate love, diversity and equality at Adams County Pride. The free, family friendly festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Riverdale Regional Park. There will be all day entertainment including live music, artist attractions, volleyball, vendors, community resources and food, as well as the art-and-roller-skating attraction Rainbow Dome.
Denver Fringe Festival
DENVER — The Denver Fringe Festival returns Thursday through Sunday at venues throughout Denver's RiNo and Five Points. This year there will be more than 60 productions in all types of performing arts, including original theater, dance, comedy, improv and cabaret at more than 20 venues. New this year, the festival has added FringeART, its first visual art component and show, and the Fringe Free-For-All, featuring free pop-up performances. There’s also a two-day KidsFringe mini-fest with free shows for families.
Down to Earth Days
BRIGHTON — The 7th annual Down To Earth Days will be held Sunday at the Adams County Fairgrounds. The huge family friendly car show will have food trucks, burnout exhibition, live DJ, giveaways, hands-on vendor booths and more. There will be 21 trophies to win in varying classes. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. You can find tickets and vehicle registration information online.
Ducky Derby
CASTLE ROCK —The 28th annual Ducky Derby returns to Castle Rock on Sunday. The Ducky Derby and Street Fair coincides with the opening of the farmer’s market at 9 a.m. The market will have handcrafted foods, art and crafts, live music, food trucks and beer on tap. The Ducky Derby features the well-known Ducky Derby race where thousands of little rubber duckies race a half-mile along Plum Creek. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Castle Rock, the event raises funds for local charities. If you'd like to enter the duck race, one $5 ticket gets one duck. Tickets are available online at RotaryClubofCastleRock.org.
Smash Fine Arts Festival
DENVER — The annual Smash Arts Festival returns to the Fillmore Plaza at Cherry Creek North this weekend. Held Saturday and Sunday, the festival features top shelf fine artists from across the nation with a variety of painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, mixed-media, wood, and metal works. There will also be artists and live violin, piano and acoustic guitar music.
KYGO Birthday Bash
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Denver's 98.5 KYGO is bringing in some big names in country music for a summer concert at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre. Jordan Davis will headline the annual KYGO Birthday Bash concert on Sunday. The 44th birthday concert lineup also includes Mitchell Tenpenny, Chayce Beckham, Ashley Cooke, Alana Springsteen, and Chase Matthew. Tickets are on sale at AXS.com.
Taste of Fort Collins
FORT COLLINS — The Taste of Fort Collins takes place Saturday and Sunday. The festival offers food and drink from local and national restaurants, artisan vendors and live music at Fort Collins' Washington Park. Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer and rapper Rick Ross will perform as the headliners at this summer's event. Grammer will play Saturday and Ross will take the stage Sunday. A single-day pass, which provides access to food and drink vendors as well as the concert, will start at $17.
Bluegrass & Brews Festival
LOVELAND — Bluegrass & Brews Festival is returning to The Foundry Plaza as a two-day event on Friday and Saturday to kick off Loveland's "One Sweet Summer" series. This festival will feature live music from a variety of bluegrass acts and session beers from downtown craft breweries. The event features music from Po Ramblin' Boys, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, Clay Street Unit, Slay, The Fretliners, and Solar Sisters. This event is free and open to the public with free parking throughout downtown.
Danse Etoile Ballet
BOULDER — Danse Etoile Ballet presents "Frida’s Wings" on Friday and Saturday at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder. The ballet brings the life and art of Frida Kahlo to life, paying tribute to the unique and creative artist. Tickets to "Frida's Wings" are $20 to $30 at TheDairy.org.
Ovid Days Color Run
OVID — The Ovid Days Color Run begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. During the run, volunteers douse participants from head-to-toe in different colored powder. After the race participants and volunteers enjoy homemade breakfast burritos with ingredients donated from the local grocery store and prepared by the Sittner family. As the day goes on residents and visitors can enjoy live music, food trucks and a softball tournament as a part of the town's annual Ovid Days.
Colorado Concours d'Elegance
DENVER — The Colorado Concours d’Elegance & Exotic Sports Car Show returns to Arapahoe Community College on Sunday. The show will have hundreds of rare cars and motorcycles. Spectators and car owners are invited to a family-oriented day of live music, food, exhibits and special awards. Proceeds from the event go Ability Connection Colorado’s Ceative Options for Early Childhood Education Centers. Tickets are available at ColoradoConcours.org.
Rendezvous Gala
DENVER — Four Mile Historic Park's Rendezvous Gala is an elegant night where history mingles with charm under the stars. The annual gala fundraiser kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday. The event features grand provisions, live music, live and silent auctions, games and a poker saloon.
Governor’s Art Show
LOVELAND —The 33rd annual Governor’s Art Show & Sale exhibit ends Sunday. The show offers in-person fine art sales at Loveland Museum, as well as online sales. Recognized as one of the largest juried fine art shows to exclusively feature Colorado artists, this year 61 of the state’s best artists are being showcased. Find the perfect new piece for your art collection, add a statement piece to your home décor, or select a special gift for friends or family – all while supporting Colorado artists.
Thunder Valley National
LAKEWOOD — The third week of the Pro Motocross Championship comes to Lakewood's Thunder Valley Motocross Park on Saturday. The event opens at 8 a.m. for qualifying and practice. Opening ceremonies are at 12:30 p.m. followed by racing at 1 p.m. No motocross venue is as unique or challenging as Thunder Valley Motocross Park which sits at 6,128 feet.
Creede Donkey Dash
CREEDE — The annual Creede Donkey Dash takes place Saturday. The race begins at 10 a.m. on Main Street in front of Basham Park. The Creede Donkey Dash will abide by the basic rules of burro racing as established by the Western Pack Burro Association. There will also be a street festival and live music all day. To see registration details, visit Creede.com.
Estes Park Wool Market
ESTES PARK — Natural animal fiber producers, educators, retailers and consumers will come together this weekend for the 2024 Estes Park Wool Market. Workshops are planned for Thursday and Friday with the market set for Saturday and Sunday at the Estes Park Events Complex. Check out the complete show schedule at EstesParkEventsComplex.com.
GoPro Mountain Games
VAIL — The GoPro Mountain Games are a festival of adventure sports, art and music in Vail. There will be music during the daytime, concerts at The Amp at night and art activations. The 2024 GoPro Mountain Games runs Thursday through Saturday.
Summer Kickoff Concert
FRISCO — The Town of Frisco will hold its summer kickoff concert at the Frisco Bay Marina on Thursday at 4 p.m. The free concert with Vincent Antone will be followed by SunSquabi on the Frisco Bay Marina Lighthouse Lawn. Power boat and paddle sport rentals will also be available, along with free lawn games.
City Park Jazz
DENVER — City Park Jazz is back in Denver. Stafford Hunter and Jazz Explorations headlines the second week of the festival at Denver's pavilion City Park at 6 p.m. Sunday. The 2024 season continues each Sunday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. through early August.
Red Rocks
DENVER — There is no better venue for live music in the country than Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The Red Rocks 2024 concert schedule (announced so far) is still growing and this spring and summer looks to be one for the record books.
- Wednesday, June 5 - Ian Munsick
- Thursday, June 6 - Brit Floyd
- Friday, June 7 - Sarah McLachlan
- Saturday, June 8 - Big Head Todd and The Monsters
- Sunday, June 9 - Trevor Hall with Colorado Symphony
- Monday, June 10 - Film on the Rocks: The Matrix
Denver Trolley
DENVER — The last operating trolley in Denver has begun summer operations. The Denver Trolley has run along the South Platte River for more than 30 years. This summer, the trolley will operate Thursdays through Mondays beginning at 10 a.m. with the last departure at 5 p.m. The Denver Trolley departs from the home platform at REI/Confluence Park every 30 minutes. Roundtrip rides last about 25 minutes and include a narration about the surrounding area.
City Park Farmers Market
DENVER — The City Park Farmers Market has opened for its fourth season. The market has more than 100 vendors offering a variety of local Colorado produce and products from area farmers, food producers and agriculture-based brands. The market runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October. Other activations include a run club at 8 a.m., donation-based yoga at 9 a.m. and live music from local acts.
Orcas: Our Shared Future
DENVER — The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has opened its newest temporary exhibition: "Orcas: Our Share Future." The exhibition traces the evolution of our beliefs about orcas, from fear to admiration and awe, as we discover their intelligence and complex social structures. At the exhibition, visitors will see a life-sized replica of an orca family, inviting guests to witness their harmonies in an immersive underwater environment. Guests will also learn about the Indigenous peoples of North America’s Northwest Coast, whose respect for orcas is reflected in their art and traditions.
The North Pole: Santa's Workshop
CASCADE — Colorado's favorite Christmas-themed amusement park has opened for the season. Home to Santa's village and the jolly old elf himself, The North Pole: Santa’s Workshop, located at 7,500 feet at the foot of Pikes Peak west of Colorado Springs, traditionally opens the weekend before Memorial Day and remains open through Christmas. With vintage rides and sweet treats, the park as been spreading Christmas cheer since 1956.
88 Drive-In Theatre
COMMERCE CITY — The only drive-in movie theater in the Denver metro area reopened for a 48th summer season. This weekend, the Commerce City drive-in theater is showing a double feature of "Garfield" and "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." Tickets are $10 per person, and children under 12 are free. Tickets are sold only at the box office starting at 7 p.m. for that evening's program.
Movies this weekend
Sony’s "The Garfield Movie" and Warner Bros.' "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" led the box office once again last weekend.
The box office is waiting for a "big" summer movie. "Inside Out 2," which could open to over $85 million according to early projections, could be that movie which could propel other juggernauts like “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Opening this weekend
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Last weekend's box office
- “The Garfield Movie,” $14 million.
- “IF,” $10.8 million.
- “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $10.8 million.
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $8.8 million.
- “The Fall Guy,” $4.2 million.
- “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $3.6 million.
- “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle," $3.5 million.
- “In a Violent Nature,” $2.1 million.
- “Ezra,” $1.2 million.
- “Sight,” $1.1 million.
Do you know of a cool, fun Colorado festival, fair, expo, concert, or event you think we ought to mention in this week's 9Things or the future? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com.
Have a tasty weekend!
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