It’s the Wild Wild Westeros in Colorado as Season 7 of “Game of Thrones” returns to HBO at 7 p.m. MST Sunday night after a 13-month hiatus.
For past seasons, public had been a staple of the show for bars and restaurants across the United States. Many a fan was turned away at the door from raucous, standing-room-only filled to capacity with transfixed audiences, glued to makeshift projectors displaying every second of the sex and carnage.
That fun came crashing down in 2015, when HBO began to on the communal broadcasts, putting the kibosh on unofficial watch parties and litigating pirate downloaders.
Last April, HBO Denver’s Mayan Theater for a private viewing of the Season 6 premiere. This year, no such network-sanctioned party will be hosted in Colorado. The ban has driven festivities surrounding the dark drama into the shadows, forcing fans to host private get-togethers and businesses not to advertise their events.
A few brave locales in metro Denver have bucked the powers that be and promised viewing parties against threat of termination. Herewith, a few ways you can game out and throne on across metro Denver.
Watch party: Phantom Canyon Brewing Company
Colorado Springs
For $20, you can watch the season premiere and enjoy GoT-inspired food and drinks. Organizers highly encourage costumes, and will award a prize to the best-dressed attendee. Beware: Space is limited. Act fast or you’ll be stuck watching in Harrenhal.
2 East Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs; 719-635-2800; Tickets at .
Sunday: 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Dance party: Tracks Denver
RiNo, Denver
Too excited for the premiere to sit still? Get your groove on and make it a full weekend of Game of Thrones love at Tracks Denver, where back-to-back nights of Thrones-themed dance parties will give you a chance to prepare for Sunday night’s mayhem. On Friday, “Ominous: Winter Is Coming” will feature a slate of DJs for an 18-and-over crowd. On Saturday, “Turnt: Snow Queen” starts at 9 p.m. for guests 21 and older.
3500 Walnut St.; 303-863-7326; tickets start at $10, .’
Friday, Saturday: doors open at 9 p.m.
Watch party: Stoney’s Bar & Grill
Capitol Hill, Denver
Stoney’s will revive its regular Sunday-night watch parties with a pre-broadcast celebration of drinks, trivia, and live music from the Daenerys and the Targaryens. The fun continues every Sunday night all season long, with free admission.
1111 Lincoln St.; 303-830-6839;
Sunday: band starts at 6 p.m.
