61. Miniature & Doll Fall Show and Sale
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 651-6856 or (970) 224-38
Address: 7801 E. Orchard Rd.
Description: This is a benefit for the Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys, though the show and sale is never held at the tiny museum. It typically includes more than 100 national artists who specialize in making miniatures, dolls, teddy bears, and toys. They display and sell their wares during a 2-day weekend in mid-September. The sale is preceded by 3 days of workshops that are open to the public but require preregistration. Based on a different theme each year, the event also includes food, a banquet, seminars, an auction, workshops, and a theme brunch.
62. Oktoberfest
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (720) 255-1001
Description: Denver’s main bow to the famous harvest festival of Munich (and the nation’s second-largest Oktoberfest celebration, according to sponsors) is filled with polka bands and beer-drinking and sausage-eating fun. You’ll see plenty of jolly Germanic costumes. One of the highlights of Larimer Square’s festival year, this event is free unless you eat and drink. Oktoberfest includes Kinderplatz, a kids’ area that has included Prince Ludwig’s Castle, where kids can enjoy the Black Forest Maze and German storytellers, “the world’s shortest parade,” and more than 100 opportunities to do the Chicken Dance. The festival is usually held over 2 weekends in later September.
63. Spanish Colonial & Western Art Market and 1830s Rendezvous
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 697-4771
Address: 19192 Colorado Hwy. 8
Description: Each September, Morrison’s unique Fort Restaurant opens its gates to a quintessentially Western event. Fine Spanish artists from Colorado and New Mexico gather on the grounds to display and sell their creations. They’re joined by reenactors dressed as 1830s-era mountain men, trappers, traders, and interpreters for a weekend of entertainment, storytelling, competition, and dancing. A patron preview party is held on Friday night, followed by the market on Saturday and Sunday. To get to the Fort from downtown Denver, take I-70 west to C-470 (exit 260). Follow C-470 south to US 285 south (Fairplay exit), then go 1.5 miles to the Highway 8 Morrison exit. The Fort is on the right.
64. Summerset Festival
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 973-9155
Description: This end-of-summer (second weekend after Labor Day) outdoor celebration generally draws more than 40,000 people. Events include hot-air balloons, a muscle car show, three stages of entertainment, fireworks, a fishing derby, a pancake breakfast, a softball tournament, midway games, arts and crafts booths, and a skate festival. Admission is free.
65. Cider Days Harvest Festival
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 987-7850
Address: 801 S. Yarrow St.
Description: In the early 20th century, apple trees were so common in Lakewood that the area was called Cider Hill. On the first weekend in October, the town celebrates its heritage with demonstrations of cider making, antique farm machinery, mule-drawn wagon and barrel train rides, a vintage tractor-pull competition, food vendors, arts and crafts, and live music.
66. Denver Beer Fest
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Coinciding with the Great American Beer Festival, this 9-day event includes brewery tours, beer tastings, beer-paired dinners, and more than 140 other beer-related events. There’s also a “Denver beer crawl,” involving a dozen bars and breweries as well as prizes that include tickets for the Great American Beer Festival.
67. Denver Zombie Crawl
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Insider Pick:
Description: Every October, thousands of the walking dead stagger and shuffle down the 16th Street Mall in this playfully macabre public parade. Zombie Crawls are held all over the world, but the Denver event is one of the largest. All ages are welcome and the event is free, but undead participants are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to donate to the Food Bank of the Rockies. Zombies don’t attack their own kind, so you’ll be safer if you come in costume. Maybe.
68. Great Pumpkin Harvest Festival
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (720) 865-0800
Address: 715 S. Forest St.
Description: Usually held in early October, this event takes place in the park’s 12-acre historic farm. Activities include old-time music, games, dancing, hayrides, a pie-eating contest, and scarecrow making. The event is free, and pumpkins are available for sale.
69. Pumpkin Festival at Chatfield Nature Preserve
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 973-3705
Address: 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Rd.
Description: Bring a wheelbarrow and pick your own pumpkin(s) from the pumpkin patch. From tennis-ball size to behemoth, the sale of these orange globes raises money for the arboretum. There are also hay-rack rides, face painting, free amusement rides for kids, pumpkin-themed activities, and crafts and food booths. This event lasts from Friday through Sunday. Take C-470 to the Wadsworth exit, then follow Wadsworth south to Deer Creek Canyon Road. Turn right; the entrance is 0.25 mile down on the left.
70. Denver Arts Week
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 892-1112 (Visit Denver)
Description: Denver’s vibrant arts scene is celebrated with more than 300 events in the city’s galleries, museums, theaters, and performing arts venues. Admission is heavily discounted or free, and many local hotels offer special rates for the week. The week kicks off with the First Friday Artwalk held in several art districts around the city. Another highlight is Night at the Museums with free admission to more than a dozen museums. They stay open late, and a complimentary shuttle helps people “museum-hop” around town.
71. L’Esprit de Noel Home Tour & Boutique
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 292-6500
Description: Each year the Central City Opera Guild stages this fund-raiser to support the opera’s education and community programs. Local florists donate their time to decorate upscale homes for the holiday season, then open the finished products for 3 days of tours. It’s held the weekend before Thanksgiving, featuring homes in high-end developments. The event is kicked off with a patron preview party, then is opened to the public.
72. LoDo Holiday Lighting of Union Station
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 628-5428
Description: Join as many as 3,500 people as they gather to watch the lighting of Union Station around Thanksgiving. The LoDo district is seeking to expand coverage and promotion, making this a bigger event each year. Already it is a favorite among local residents.
73. Starlighting
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (866) 441-8508
Address: 301 Wilcox St.
Description: The annual lighting of the Christmas star on top of Castle Rock, the monolith that towers above the city of Castle Rock has been going on since 1936. It goes along with a ceremony in Courthouse Square, and includes carolers, Santa, reindeer, a fireworks show, ice-skating, entertainment, and hot chocolate. It is followed by a fire department–sponsored chili supper, all on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Everything is free except the chili, which will only set you back a few dollars.
74. Starz Denver Film Festival
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 595-3456
Description: This 11-day festival showcases more than 200 top feature, documentary, and short films from around the world, screened at the SIE FilmCenter on East Colfax, UA Denver Pavillions, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, and other locations. They’re all located downtown. Usually held the second week in November, it draws a host of actors, directors, and producers. Previous festivals have drawn celebrities such as Robert Altman, Geena Davis, Sean Penn, and Shirley MacLaine. After some film showings, enjoy a question-and-answer session with the director, producer, actors, or others involved in the film’s genesis. Call or visit the website for ticket information.
75. Zoo Lights
City: Denver, CO
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (303) 376-4800, (720) 337-1400
Insider Pick:
Description: This memorable family event begins at the end of November and runs evenings through December. Thousands of sparkling lights strung on trees create Christmas light sculptures of colored animals. There’s nightly entertainment, storytelling, holiday refreshments, and an appearance by Santa Claus (until Christmas). Amid all the lights, it’s fun to visit the animals and see what they do with their time on a winter night. Be aware that some of the animals are not out, but the seals and sea lions often make visitors laugh with their antics.