KUSA — Memorial Day weekend is here and Colorado will be heading outside to soak up the sunshine and clean air. There are street festivals, beer festivals and creek festivals. The Junior College World Series is back in Grand Junction and Colorado's largest water park opens for the season. No matter where you live in Colorado there is a unique event near you:
Memorial Day Weekend Observances — Across Colorado
There are numerous ceremonies being held this Memorial Day weekend across Colorado to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Check out our list of ceremonies, remembrances, parades, runs, marches and celebrations being held across Colorado.
43rd Annual Territory Days — Colorado Springs
The old west returns to Old Colorado City in Colorado Springs for the 43rd annual Territory Days celebration. Territory Days is four blocks long and features live music, food, fun and entertainment for the whole family. The celebration includes one of the state's largest craft vendor fairs. There will be pony rides, gold panning, a petting zoo, toy train rides, a mechanical bull, Native American dancers, live birds of prey, old west gunfight reenactments, live blacksmithing, two beer gardens and much more. Visit ShopOldColoradoCity.com to see a list of musical performers.
Water World — Federal Heights
One of America's largest and best waterparks opens for the 2018 season this weekend. Water World has over 50 attractions meant for kids of all ages including more family tube rides than any other park in America. Parking at the park is always free and $20 one-day admission tickets are available online through June 14. Water World allows many food and drink items to be carried in so grab a picnic basket and let the family fun begin. Tickets and park rules are available online at WaterWorldColorado.com.
JUCO World Series — Grand Junction
The 61st annual JUCO World Series returns to Grand Junction's Suplizio Field this weekend. The 2018 series begins Saturday and will run through June 2. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 9 a.m. when Temple takes on Southern Idaho. The defending national champions, the Chipola (FL) Indians, are back this year, along with many top teams including Walters State (TN), San Jacinto-North (TX), Iowa Western and more. A full schedule is available at JUCOGJ.org.
BolderBOULDER — Boulder
The BolderBOULDER has grown since 1979 to be one of the largest community running events in the world. This Memorial Day more than 50,000 people of all ability levels will participate in the event. The finish line inside of CU's Folsom Field is the perfect setting for spectators to cheer on the participants with 100 waves of runners beginning at 6:50 a.m. and a grand finale planned for high noon. Register online for the BolderBOULDER here.
Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour — Denver
The old Taylor may be dead, but the new Taylor will perform at Mile High Stadium on Friday. Taylor Swift's reputation Stadium Tour includes openers Camila Cabello and Charlie XCX as well. The tour just opened two weeks ago in Arizona and the set list includes the Taylor classics Shake It Off, You Belong With Me, Blank Space, Bad Blood, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, End Game and 18 other tracks. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
Cirque du Soleil Corteo — Broomfield
Cirque du Soleil's hit production Corteo returns to Colorado for the first time since 2007. The production will stage seven performances at 1stBank Center in Broomfield this weekend before heading to Loveland the following weekend. Corteo tells the story of a clown who passed away, but his spirit is still alive. The clown experiences a festive parade of the friends, memories and laughter that made his life special. Tickets are available online at AltitudeTickets.com.
The Big Bounce America — Lone Tree
The world's biggest bounce house will be in Colorado from Friday to Sunday. The magical, candy-colored inflatable is 10,000 square feet of "fun, games and laughter" and is meant for children of all ages. The bounce house has a giant slide and ball pit, a DJ booth, a dance floor and basketball courts. Besides the bounce house there will be venders, games and perimeter seating for the whole family to enjoy. There will be different sessions for toddlers, smaller kids, bigger kids and adults. Get your tickets ahead of time at TheBigBounceAmerica.com.
Summer has arrived at Heritage Amusement Park with special activities planned all weekend long. The park features amusement rides, bumper boats, paddle boats, go karts for adults and children, miniature golf courses, an arcade and more. This Memorial Weekend there will be face painting, photo booths, a street magician and live music too. All rides and attractions are scheduled to be open and parking is free.
Denver Day of Rock — Denver
Denver Day of Rock is a one-day music festival on 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. The festival features five stages of live music. Denver Day of Rock unites the community through music and family-friendly entertainment. VIP lounge passes, drink passes and merchandise are available at DenverDayofRock.com. The 2018 lineup includes Elle King, A Thousand Horses, Delta Rae, Samantha Fish, Nicole Atkins, Something Underground, The Blue Rider and many more.
Estes Park Memorial Day Weekend Art Market — Estes Park
Estes Park will be bustling with events and activity all weekend long. Bond Park in the center of downtown will have the annual art market with more than 90 local, Colorado and national artists presenting their talents in pottery, glasswork, painting, jewelry and more. Live music and food will be available all weekend long and Estes Park's shops and river-side patios will be ready for summer.
Denver Arts Festival — Denver
The Denver Arts Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this weekend at Stapleton's Conservatory Green neighborhoods. The festival, which runs on Saturday and Sunday, features some of Colorado's and the nation's best artists. There will be performances from the Navy Brass Band, Dotsero and Spinphony, a beer and wine garden, kids arts zone and more. To see a music lineup or to download a festival map, visit DenverArtsFestival.com.
Taste of Creede — Creede
Taste of Creede returns to Creede's Main Street for a 30th year. The weekend aims to delight visitors with inspired local art and amazing food. The festival kicks off Friday night with the opening night of Barefoot in the Park and continues through Monday's Memorial Day service honoring veterans in Basham Park. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday there will be live music, entertainers, venders, food tastings, children's activities, museum tours and much more. Visit Creede.com for a complete schedule.
Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers — Commerce City
The Colorado Rapids (2-6-2) are back in town Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park for a big matchup against the Portland Timbers (5-3-2). Tickets are available online at AltitudeTickets.com.
The 39th Annual Memorial Weekend Festival returns to South Gaylord Street this weekend. The festival kicks off summer with three days of family-friendly entertainment, delicious food, venders and more. Live music begins Saturday with nine bands scheduled for the weekend. Kids will love the rides, bounce house, inflatable obstacle course, face painters and more. Visit OldSouthGaylord.com for a full music lineup.
Boulder Creek Festival — Boulder
The Boulder Creek Festival has been the unofficial kickoff to summer in Boulder for 31 years. The festival has nine separate areas with 500 venders showcasing community arts and crafts, three music stages, carnival rides and numerous food and drink vendors. The 31st Annual Boulder Creek Festival runs from Saturday to Monday in downtown Boulder along the Boulder creek corridor from 9th Street to 14th Street between Canyon Blvd. and Arapahoe Ave. Check out the dozens of musical performers and concert times here.
Little Shop of Horrors — Denver
Equinox Theatre Compnay's production of Little Shop of Horrors opens this weekend at The Bug Theatre on Navajo St. in Denver. The classic musical features a flower shop worker who stumbles across an R&B-singing carnivorous plant intent on global domination. Little Shop of Horrors will run through June 16 with performances on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are available online at EquinoxTheatreDenver.com.
Top chefs from around Colorado will be serving mouth-watering barbeque at the 15th annual Beaver Creek Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival. The festival will be held Saturday and Sunday at Beaver Creek Mountain. There will be free live music from ZZ Ward, Dragondeer, Hazel Miller Band, Otis Taylor Band, Coco Montoya, and The Delta Sonics. A craft beer festival on Saturday will have beer samples from 30 Colorado breweries. Tickets are available online. To see a complete schedule of events, visit BeaverCreek.com.
Ms. Colorado Senior America Pageant — Lone Tree
"My Fair Lady" is the theme of Saturday's Ms. Colorado Senior America Pageant. The pageant is a non-profit organization that honors women with incredible talent who have reached the "age of excellence" who aim to inspire other senior citizens. Saturday's pageant will be held at the Lone Tree Arts Center and Carolyn Slade Harden, the reigning Ms. Senior America, will be performing. Tickets are available online at LoneTreeArtsCenter.org.
Colorado Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds — Denver
The Rox are back at Coors Field for a weekend series against the Reds. The first 15,000 fans to Saturday night's game will receive 25th anniversary 'All-Time 25' T-shirts. The Rockies will host the San Francisco Giants for a Monday to Wednesday series next week. Rockies game tickets are available online at Rockies.com.
Clare Dunn Concert at The Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch — Fort Collins
Country music star — and Colorado Native — Clare Dunn will be performing an exclusive outdoor concert on Saturday at The Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch. Rising star Travis Denning will be opening the show which is set to begin at 6:15 p.m. Tickets to the concert are free, but attendees must RSVP to gain entry at BudweiserTours.com. Before the concert doors open at 4 p.m., the Anheuser-Busch brewery will be open for tours and guests 21 and older will receive beer samples.
Realities Ride & Rally — Fort Collins
The Realities Ride & Rally has been held every Memorial Day Weekend for 17 years to bring hope to local children who have been abused, neglected or who are at-risk. A rally will be held Saturday in Fort Collins' Civic Center Park and the world's largest motorcycle poker run will take place on Sunday starting at Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson in Loveland with an after-party in Fort Collins. The weekend also includes the Hot Cars Cool Nights car show, live music, patriotic pin-up contest, kid's activities, tattoo contest, fireworks and much more. Visit RealitiesForChildren.com for a complete schedule of events and registration details.
MeadowGrass Music Festival — Colorado Springs
The MeadowGrass Music Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary this weekend. The festival brings national, regional and local artists to Black Forest for a family-friendly weekend of entertainment. MeadowGrass opens Friday at 10 a.m. and will continue through Sunday. There are camping spots available and the festival has a kids activity area. An inaugural Friday Night Beer Tasting will be held Friday at 4:30 p.m. with over 15 craft breweries being featured. Visit MeadowGrass.org for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.
The water park at Denver's Elitch Gardens opens for the season on Saturday. The water park is free with theme park admission through Labor Day weekend. The water park features thrill rides as well as family rides for the little ones. Cabanas and tubes are available for rent. Single day and season passes are available at ElitchGardens.com.
Dead Sea Scrolls — Denver
The oldest known biblical documents are at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science through September 3. The Dead Sea Scrolls — a record of laws, customs and beliefs written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek -— date back over 2,000 years and to see them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also on display will be more than 600 artifacts from the ancient Middle East. Tickets for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Dead Sea Scrolls are available at DMNS.org.
Paddlefest — Buena Vista
Paddlefest is back in Buena Vista from Friday to Monday. The weekend-long festival is all about water. There are kayaking competitions, gear swaps, street vendors, guest speakers, races, tournaments and lots of live music as well as 8K and half marathon races. To see a full schedule of all the events or to register, visit CKSPaddlefest.com.
Grand Old West Days — Craig
For four days in Craig the Old West comes alive. There will be rodeos, live music, delicious food and libations. Country music star Ned LeDoux will be live in concert Saturday night with special guest Christopher Thomas. The Grand Old West Days Parade steps off at 3 p.m. Saturday in historic downtown Craig. For a complete festival schedule or to purchase tickets, visit GrandOldWestDays.com.
Do you have an event you would like us to feature? Send an email to alexander.kirk@9news.com.
MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCES | List of Memorial Day observances in Colorado
WATCH | Memorial Day Weekend Health Tips
