Bright Nights
Through Nov. 8. Now a tradition, the surreal, lit-from-within sculptures of Bright Nights are back at Four Mile Historic Park with another round of gorgeous lantern sculptures that in some cases take 200 hours and 25 people to complete. “This year travels through space and time,” with oversized insects, flowers, sharks, and more.
Shows run 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, through Nov. 8, at 715 S. Forest St. in Denver. Tickets: $28 online, $30 walk-up; $21-$23 for kids. Food trucks will be on site. Call 720-865-0800 or visit for more.
Union Station + Latin America
Sunday. The plaza around Denver Union Station is about to get even more lively on Sunday, Sept. 6, with “Ritmo & Raíces: A Latin American Heritage Celebration.” The event — Spanish for “rhythm and roots” — kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with a free, family-friendly celebration featuring live music, traditional and contemporary dance, food, and history, organizers said.
The 11 a.m.-3 p.m. event, hosted with the Mexican Cultural Center, takes place on Wynkoop Plaza and the Terminal Bar patio, and also offers free face painting, bilingual tours of Denver Union Station, community-partner craft stations and Latin American-inspired food and beverage specials throughout. (Guests 21+ can also hit up the Terminal Bar Patio for a donation-based tequila tasting experience.) 1701 Wynkoop St. in Denver.
Remembering 9/11
Thursday. Aurora’s Colorado Freedom Memorial will, on Thursday, Sept. 10, mark a solemn occasion with “On the Eve of Change, Remembering the 25th Anniversary of 9/11.” The free, public program will feature “stories about the night before 9/11 in Denver as well as Jason Dahl, the United Airlines pilot of Flight 93, that crashed in Shanksville, Pa.,” organizers wrote. “There will be a civilian flyover, a static display of photos from 9/11 and a piece of steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center,” plus firefighters and service members reading the names of those who were lost.
The Colorado Freedom Memorial is located at Memorial Park, at 756 Telluride St. in Aurora. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., and seating is limited so attendees are encouraged to bring chairs. Visit for more details.
Symphonic folk
Sunday-Monday. When Boulder’s Gregory Alan Isakov takes the stage, there’s always the potential for magic. The longtime singer-songwriter, who sells out major venues internationally, is back in Colorado for a pair of shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and he’s brought Colorado Symphony back with him.
The artists’ years-long, live collaborations have only gotten better since they started more than a decade ago, so expect a chemistry you wouldn’t often find with most pop-symphony sets (folkie or otherwise). 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7, at 18300 W. Alameda Parkway in Morrison. Both shows still have resale tickets available, starting around $150-$200, via .
