At some point along the line, probably in college, everyone realizes something: The night before Thanksgiving is a great time to party.
Old friends come home to visit family, demanding a welcome-back celebration. New friends, transplanted to Denver, might stay in town. The bars are open. Best of all, most people don’t have to work on Thanksgiving. (Raise a glass to those who do.)
And since there’s little to accomplish on Turkey Day besides eating, it’s not a big deal if you’re a little worn out.
Accordingly, bars caught on a while ago to the pre-Thanksgiving blowout phenomenon. With another theme to latch on to, local bars and clubs are throwing Thanksgiving parties all over town on Wednesday.
Bring a new friend, or show off new places to an old pal.
Downtown, three of Francois Safieddine’s clubs are set to gobble up the Thanksgiving crowds.
Monarck and its sister club, 24K (both at 1416 Market St.) are getting into the holiday’s patriotic spirit with “United We Party,” a joint celebration.
It’s geared toward the college crowd — locals who’ll be reconvening in Denver after (or during) a hectic fall semester. Flash a college ID and get a free cocktail on the house.
Another Safieddine lounge, 5 Degrees (1475 Lawrence St.), hosts its second annual Thanksgiving-eve party, “Got Pie?”
DJ Maciek will spin top 40, mash-ups and house while ladies get in the spirit with free drinks from 10 p.m. to midnight.
Register to win a holiday getaway to Mexico, too — just in time for cold-weather season in Colorado.
Just down the street, the Martini Ranch (1317 14th St.) is stocked up for “Wishbone Wednesday.”
The first 80 people who sign up on denver2night.com’s guest list will get five wishbones at the door. Then they can face off with the bartenders in the classic Thanksgiving rite — except if the customer wins, he gets a free drink. Remember to wish really hard when breaking the wishbone. It helps.
For partiers on the southern end of town, the Purple Martini Tech Center (8000 E. Belleview Ave.) is readying a “Thanksgiving Eve Affair.”
The night’s sponsored by Snow Queen, a Kazakhstani vodka, meaning it’ll be on special for $140 a bottle. Head over after work if you must — the fun starts at 4 p.m.
For a more down-to-earth start to your turkey tomorrows, visit The Walnut Room (3131 Walnut St.) for their weekly PBR Wednesday.
Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon are only 50 cents. It sounds pretty dangerous, but the Walnut Room also has a full menu of delicious pizzas to keep things sane.
DJs will start spinning at 9 p.m., turning the Nut’s front room into a bona fide dance party. (The headliner in the live-venue area is Irish band Seneca, if that sounds like a better plan.)
No matter what happens, remember to drink lots of water and get to bed relatively early. A grumpy Thanksgiving is no fun, and Mom will be extremely annoyed.
Burning up the house.
House-music fans, this one’s for you: Renowned DJs Miguel Migs and Julius Papp hit up Bar Standard (1037 Broadway) on Saturday for an eclectic, electric installation of the club’s weekly house night.
Papp is a veteran. He started DJing in 1985 after discovering his love of music through disco and new wave tunes.
The native of Canada learned all he could by watching, listening and reading about what was hot in clubs in New York and Chicago. Now in San Francisco, he spins — and produces — a mix of soul, jazz, Latin, disco and whatever else he’s feeling at the moment.
Expect a similar vibe from fellow San Franciscan Miguel Migs. Show up early, around 9 p.m., to check out local house crew The Treehouse Collective, too.
