How to love Denver’s City Park
Friday. Denver’s biggest public park, City Park, took a hit in April after a suspected arsonist torched its historic bandshell, where the annual, free music series Jazz in the Park takes place on summer Sundays. Never fear: the park has plenty of supporters, including at this year’s City Park Day 2026, a collaboration between a dozen community organizations and nonprofits.
The 5-8 p.m. event on Friday, May 29, takes place at City Park Pavilion, just across from the bandshell site, and features a performance from a scaled-down version of the Denver Municipal Band, ice cream from My Kings, face painting, live-animal ambassadors from Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, park rangers demonstrating the Goosinator (a humane, anti-goose device), and various tables for local orgs. And if you have Victorian garb? You should wear that, too, organizers said.
Cars can enter at Montview and Colorado boulevards, and the parking lot north of the Pavilion is ADA accessible, with RTD bus service on the 20 and 40 lines. It’s free to attend at City Park, 2001 Steele St. in Denver. Visit for more information.
Denver Fringe Festival No. 7
Opens Thursday. The wide-ranging, experimental and always-surprising Denver Fringe Festival returns for its seventh year, Thursday, June 3, to Sunday, June 7, with more than 80 shows from Denver and national artists. Those range from comedy and drama to world and regional premieres of new works, including short plays, opera, dance, queer storytelling, clowning and magic, live music, improv and more. (There’s even a “one woman, one dog” show, “Yama,” which we’d like to see.)
Events take place across Denver and Aurora at venues such as Rise Comedy, Hope Tank, The People’s Building, Ratio Beerworks, The Truss House, Savoy Denver and more. A full festival pass is $95, with individual shows varying in price, including some free ones. Pick them up online (see below) or at the Fringe Hub at Ratio Beerworks at 2920 Larimer St.
Want more? There’s a free kickoff party at the MCA Holiday Theater at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 3 (RSVP on ), and the KidsFringe events June 6-7 also include free shows. See a full list of titles, times and venues at .
CinemaQ returns to Denver Film
Friday-Sunday. The slate of themed film fests from Denver Film, the nonprofit home of the Denver Film Festival, continues to impress with events focused on women, the AAPIP community, silent films and more. This week’s focus is CinemaQ, the LGBTQ-themed event from director and founder Keith Garcia that celebrates its 18th year of new and exciting titles from queer filmmakers on diverse topics.
It opens on Friday, May 29, with “Leviticus,” which blends “psychological horror with a sharp critique of intolerance,” organizers wrote. There are also shorts programs, on-site talent for Q&As and post-screening discussions, the free “SaturGAY Morning Cartoons and Cereal” and more. It runs Friday, May 29-Sunday, May 31 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. Festival passes are $85 and screenings are $16 per person at . See the full schedule at .
Dolphins come to life on IMAX
Open now. IMAX is a selling point for films such as “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” but it started as an educational and exhibition tool. Those types of films are still arguably the most worthy IMAX experiences, at least when you can find a legit IMAX theater — which the Denver Museum of Nature & Science fortunately has.
Its latest 3D IMAX film, “Call of the Dolphins,” injects some gorgeous imagery and science into its Infinity Theater with the nonfiction survey of dolphin life, taking viewers “beneath the ocean’s surface for an up-close exploration of how dolphins live, play and interact — both with each other and with us,” organizers wrote.
Tickets are $7-$10, on top of museum admission, which ranges from $21 to $26 per person. 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver. For details and daily showtimes, call 303-370-6000 or visit .
