They’ll be part of a contingent of local Democratic heavy-hitters — also including Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib — visiting the Crescent City to bolster Denver’s bid as it competes against four other cities.

Crow said the fact that Denver has done it before means it’s more than prepared to do it again. Denver hosted the Democratic convention in 2008, when a fresh-faced U.S. senator from Illinois named Barack Obama accepted the party’s presidential nomination.

“We know we can do this and do this well,” the congressman from Aurora told The Denver Post in an interview on Thursday. “We have the capacity. We have the infrastructure.”

And Colorado, he said, has the blue credentials to excite the base and put them to work making sure the next occupant of the White House is a Democrat.

“At a time when the Democratic Party is facing a crisis of confidence in so many places, and in so many ways, Colorado is a beacon of how to do it right,” Crow said.

Early last month, the national party announced that Denver to host the Democratic National Convention — joining Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. The nominating convention for the party’s presidential ticket is set for Aug. 7-10, 2028.

The party and potential host cities are working out site visit plans for each in the coming weeks. A decision on which city wins the bid will likely be made this summer.

Johnston and other city representatives have lobbied for the event both formally and informally in recent months. The mayor’s spokesman, Jon Ewing, confirmed Johnston’s appearance in New Orleans this weekend and said the mayor recognizes the manifold benefits of steering the event to the Mile High City.

“Landing the DNC would be an enormous economic boon for Denver, bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Colorado and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in activity for the city and local businesses,” Ewing said.

Murib spoke to The Post by phone from New Orleans, where he’s been since Monday. He will join Crow and Johnston in speaking to the delegates at the spring meeting on Friday evening.

“We’re hoping to show them why Denver is the best place for the 2028 convention,” he said. “We want to emphasize the seamless experience they will have in Denver — from the airport to the hotels to the convention.”

Each of the finalist cities has hosted at least one past Democratic convention — Philadelphia in 2016, Boston in 2004 and Atlanta in 1988. Chicago hosted in 2024, the most recent of its dozen times playing the role.

“We want to show how the convention could be one for the history books again,” Murib said, alluding to the nomination of America’s first Black president 18 years ago.

Murib said three Denver City Council members — President Amanda Sandoval, Chris Hinds and Darrell Watson — will be at the national Democrats’ meeting as well.

Crow, an Army veteran who represents a Colorado district that takes in the eastern and southern suburbs of Denver, is serving as battleground co-chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2026 election cycle.

Colorado was among the top states in the nation for Democratic performance in the 2024 election, bucking what was otherwise a red wave that handed control of the White House and Congress to Republicans. Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris beat now-President Donald Trump in Colorado by a margin of 11 percentage points.

“We’re a model for the country,” Crow said.

He said this week’s gathering of party leaders is a critical moment in the push to get Denver back on the national stage two years from now.

“This is the biggest gathering between now and when the (convention) decision is made,” Crow said.

Murib said the meeting in New Orleans won’t be all serious business, though.

“It’s a little bit of a party — and a pitch,” he said.

Someone dressed in a big blue bear costume — an homage to the 40-foot ursine behemoth who peers into the Colorado Convention Center along 14th Street in downtown Denver — has already been getting a lot of attention from attendees, the party chair said.

“Everyone is getting a picture with the big blue bear wearing Mardi Gras beads,” he said.

The renovation covered all 13 themed floors of the hotel, including guest rooms, hyper-themed suites, and meeting and event spaces. The redesign updates the hotel’s playful style while incorporating modern technology and design elements, featuring art curated by .

“We’re officially introducing A New Era of Play at the Curtis. We’ve reimagined everything guests loved about the property to make it bigger and bolder. I couldn’t be prouder of our team of creative geniuses that brought this dream to life,” said Lizzie Raudenbush, general manager at the Curtis.

Each themed floor reflects a different concept, including a summer camp-inspired “Camp Curtis” floor, an arcade-focused “Level Up” floor and a “Knock on Wood” floor, known for its superstition-themed decor.

Guest rooms will feature interactive elements, games matching the floor theme, and a variety of new tech upgrades, including smart TVs in Hilton Connected Rooms and upgraded Wi-Fi throughout the property.

At the heart of the property’s transformation are the Curtis’ hyper-themed suites, offering experiences such as:

• Party Like a Rockstar – On the Life of the Party floor, this suite features an iridescent glitter wall and lively artwork.
• Recess – On the Blacktop floor, the suite is designed like a vintage classroom, with desks, chairs and a chalkboard accent wall.
• Get a Clue – On the 13th floor, this suite includes a mini pool table, a Clue game set and a moody color palette.

Aside from the newly renovated guestrooms, meeting and event spaces were also updated, totaling more than 30,000 square feet and featuring vibrant colors and patterns such as candy-striped walls, bright carpets and color-blocking.

This includes the Curtis’ 2,500-square-foot rooftop terrace, one of Denver’s largest outdoor hotel meeting spaces, offering city skyline views and an outdoor fireplace.

The renovation was designed by Sage Studio, the in-house creative team of the hotel’s management company, , and , a global design firm. Throughout the project, designers incorporated references to Denver’s culture, including memorabilia from the Denver Nuggets, Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies.

“It is no small feat to transform 13 themed floors and develop meeting spaces that are anything but corporate. We don’t take our nickname of Denver’s happiest hotel lightly, so we have brought smile-inducing details to every part of the guest experience at the Curtis,” Raudenbush said.

The Curtis Hotel, a DoubleTree by Hilton at 1405 Curtis St., has more than 330 guest rooms and is two blocks from 16th Street, near the Colorado Convention Center and the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

Scheduled for May 28-31 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, producers of the event had already announced a “Goonies” mini-reunion, and a “Lord of the Rings” 25th anniversary cast tour featuring hobbits Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monoghan, as well as elven hottie Orlando Bloom and Gimli actor John Rhys-Davies.

Wood will also DJ at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom on Sunday, May 31, under the name Wooden Wisdom, with Zach Cowie. Costumes are encouraged for the fantasy-themed concert from the vinyl DJ project (see for more). Promoters called it a “full-blown Lord of the Rings rave experience set to the sound of carefully curated vinyl selections … dust off your cloaks, and sharpen your elvish ears.”

Last week, the national Fan Expo convention brand also set a cast reunion for the “Scream” franchise — timed to “Scream 7’s” theatrical release, which enjoyed the best box office opening of the franchise with on its Feb. 27 opening weekend.

The “Scream” reunion will feature the resurgent Matthew Lillard (“Five Nights at Freddy’s), plus Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, and Lee Waddell. (Sorry, but “Scream” franchise regulars Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox will not be in attendance.)

“The Goonies” reunion features cast members Sean Astin (already there for “Lord of the Rings”), Corey Feldman, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Kerri Green and Martha Plimpton.

More celebrities include Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock,” “Beetlejuice”), Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride,” “Stranger Things”), Lilli Cooper (“Wicked”), Mike Coulter (“Luke Cage”), Krystina Alabado (“Mean Girls”), Josh Holloway (“Lost”), and Joel Perez (“In the Heights,” “Fun Home”).

As with past years, the pop-culture confab will feature comics artists and animators, authors, anime and animation voice actors, cosplayers and notable gamers alongside panels, kid-friendly offerings, autographs, a marketplace and more. See for tickets and more information.

Note: This story has been updated to include Elijah Woods’ May 31 DJ gig in Denver.

Through Sunday. Spring is almost here and the Colorado Garden & Home Show has plenty of inspiration on tap. The event, which began Feb. 14 at Colorado Convention Center and closes on Sunday, Feb. 22, features 19,000 square feet of “lush landscapes, creative planting ideas, and innovative designs from local experts,” organizers wrote. “Learn from celebrity guest presenter and renowned UK garden designer Jo Thompson, sharing inspiration for gardens of every size.”

She’s among more than :500 exhibitors, hands-on workshops, interactive exhibits, local shopping, and a Kids Zone,” they added. The event runs noon-6 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, at 700 14th St. in Denver. Admission: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and free for children under 12. Visit for more details.

Denver Children’s Theatre

Opens Thursday. If you’ve had a child over the last 15 years, you probably know Pete the Cat. The sunglasses-wearing, musically-inclined feline is a favorite of young kids in books and on Amazon Prime. Now they can see his story come to life thanks to Mizel Arts and Culture Center’s Denver Children’s Theatre. The singing, dancing show was created for the youngest kids, with a 45-minute production aimed at pre-K through third-graders.

“Pete the Cat: The Musical” opens Thursday, Feb. 26, and runs through March 22 with public and school performances. The Sunday, March 1, show is free as part of the SCFD Free Day and Accessibility Performance, and more public performances will take place on Sundays each week. Tickets: $15 for a single ticket or $12.50 per ticket for a family four-pack (four tickets for $50). Elaine Wolf Theatre at 350 S. Dahlia St. in Denver.  to buy and for more information.

Golden’s Comfort & Comedy Fest

Starts Monday. Having settled into its shiny new home in Golden, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center is mounting its first annual Comfort and Comedy Festival, “a two-week celebration of comedy, theatre, music, magic and interactive performance,” organizers said online. The fest, running Monday, Feb. 23, through March 8, takes place at various venues in downtown Golden, including 20 performances, workshops, nationally touring comedians and Broadway performers, family programming, late-night shows, and hands-on classes.

That’s unusual for a comedy fest, and a sign that this one might be sticking around for awhile. See stand-up comedian Josh Blue, improv troupe Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, music-comedy duo Buckets N’ Boards, Broadway performers The Chalks, and magician Peter Juris by grabbing tickets — which range from $5 to $55, depending on the event, at .

Colo. Environmental Film Fest

Friday-Sunday. Even if political leaders can’t figure out how to acknowledge, let alone address, climate change, the rest of us have an opportunity to dive in with the Colorado Environmental Film Festival. The 20th annual event trades finger-wagging for diverse, entertaining, harrowing and groundbreaking explorations of the way our natural world is changing.

The 2026 festival highlights women climate leaders, starring a CU Boulder professor in “Women of Carbon” (the opening night film on Friday, Feb. 20) and closes with a special appearance and audience Q&A with Denver TV meteorologist Mike Nelson, following the documentary “Global Warming” on Sunday, Feb. 22. In between there are 13 Colorado-tied films, 50-plus documentaries from 13 countries, world premieres, filmmaker panels, and a vibrant Eco-Expo, organizers added.

Screenings take place at various times at the Green Center at Colorado School of Mines, 924 16th St. in Golden. Visit for more information and to buy tickets. Day and full-fest passes are available; individual events run $15. ]]> 7424081 2026-02-19T07:00:07+00:00 2026-02-19T07:00:07+00:00 /2026/01/29/gatbsy-ballet-rv-show-cowboy-gathering-library/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:00:47 +0000 /?p=7406302 Colorado Ballet visits Jazz Age

Friday-Feb. 5. As with the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado, performances by Colorado Ballet offer a fine-arts fix for those seeking respite from the chaos of the world. And this week is a great excuse to visit, as the nonprofit company will debut its take on “The Great Gatsby” on Friday, Jan. 30, and with various performances through Feb. 5.

This version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s enduring novel, which is often misinterpreted as a celebration of Roaring 1920s flapper-excess, arrives with choreography by JordenMorris and an original, jazz-infused score by legendary composer Carl Davis, performed live by the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, producers said. Think glamor, elaborate sets and period-accurate dancing — all with world-class showmanship and precision.

Tickets for the shows at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. in Denver, are $40-$125. Ages 12 and up. Call 303-339-1637 or visit for tickets or more details.

Rustlin’ up a party

Friday-Saturday. After its first-ever showing at the National Western Stock Show, which ended Jan. 25, the Colorado Cowboy Gathering is headed to Golden for its 37th installment of Western songs, stories, poetry and humor, all inspired by the campfire culture of ranchers and cattle drives.

The festivities — from Friday, Jan. 30, to Saturday, Jan. 31 — include not just big-hat events but also family-friendly programming, themed sessions and an open-mic session, organizers said. Performances take place at the Buffalo Rose Event Center in Golden, 1119 Washington Ave. in Golden. Tickets for $30 are available for individual musical and storytelling shows from Colorado and national acts, via .

Late night, fully lit

Saturday. Until fairly recently, Denver’s literary scene was confined to book stores, niche festivals and writing workshops. For the past couple of years, events such as Reading Den and pop-up poetry and fiction readings have brought younger, hipper audiences out for drinks and conviviality, creating a genuine social scene around the printed word.

The latest notable is the free Late Night Lit, which organizer Jessie de la Cruz described as a way of making “adult library culture feel less like a lecture and more like a night out, rooted in reading, creativity and connection,” she wrote. Her latest event, complete with a DJ-driven afterparty, arrives on Saturday, Jan. 31, at MCA Denver’s Holiday Theater, although it’s already at capacity. So why did we bring it up? Because now is the time to RSVP for future events, via , such as Silent Pages Society, Curiosity Collective and other innovative adult library programs. All fill up shortly after being announced, de la Cruz said.

It’s also a good time to plan for the next Reading Den, another hip-lit series, on Feb. 25 at Denver’s Fort Greene bar. Visit for more.

On the road again

Through Saturday. This week’s thaw reminds us that spring and summer will be here before you know it, and that includes camping, national park visits and more outdoorsy fun that Coloradans crave. The Ultimate RV Show returns this weekend with plenty of ways to attack it.

Running through Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Colorado Convention Center, the free event is a window-shopping dream with more than 300 fully staged RVs “from compact, lightweight travel trailers to fifth wheels, toy haulers, motorhomes and more,” organizers wrote. The show also features a kids’ zone, balloon twisters, scavenger hunt, and on-site pet adoptions (for real). It’s all from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, at 700 14th St. in Denver. Visit or for more details.

It’s the first time that the event, in its modern form, will be under the open skies — something that is always risky in the fall in Denver. The goal is to blend GABF’s “legendary beer lineup with live music .. and a more immersive festival experience,” the organization said in a statement.

“Taking the festival outdoors lets us reimagine what����ap possible, and we’re excited to bring fresh energy to the festival and provide an experience that feels uniquely Colorado,” said Ann Obenchain, vice president of marketing and communications of the Brewers Association, in the same statement.

“This isn’t just a venue change for us, it����ap an evolution,” she continued. “We’ve listened to our attendees and we’re creating an outdoor festival that invites people to explore, discover, and celebrate craft beer in a completely new way — one that����ap all about gathering your friends, finding your spot on the lawn, and enjoying great beer and good times together.”

Both Levitt and the convention center are owned by the City of Denver, and the organizations worked together to move GABF, said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver, which helps manage bookings at the convention center.

“With the economy, we are seeing a lot of groups reinventing themselves. I think [the Brewers Association] was looking for something new, and they wanted to try something fresh,” he said.

Ruby Hill is more than five miles south, and a little west, of the convention center and even further from the hotels, bars and restaurants that attendees typically frequent during the weekend. It is located in a residential neighborhood. (Levitt executive director Meghan McNamara didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment for this story.)

Scharf said attendees will likely continue to base themselves downtown, just as they do for other big events that are further afield, including the National Western Stock Show and games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The Brewers Association said the festival will be reduced to two sessions over two days, down from four sessions over three days a few years ago. This year’s event will be Oct. 10-11 from noon to 4 p.m. (rather than Oct. 8-10, as had been previously announced). Tickets go on sale in June. Attending the festival will cost $60 this year, down from $85-$95 in 2025.

Other details provided by the Brewers Association:

• “The event will be rain or shine. We will be prepared for any weather and expect attendees to come prepared as well.”
• Paired, a food pairing event, will continue. “More details to come.”
• “We are working on event details and layout and still expect hundreds of breweries.”

The festival, often described as the largest or among the largest commercial beer fests in the world, began in Boulder in 1982 before moving to Denver two years later, first to the now-demolished Currigan Hall and later to the Colorado Convention Center. It reached its peak in the early 2010s when tickets sold out within seconds.

Attendance began to slip before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, as interest in craft beer leveled out. GABF was canceled in 2020 and 2021 before returning as a smaller event. The Brewers Association has repeatedly changed formats over the years and added other alcoholic beverages, like cider, seltzer and spirits, in an effort to stay relevant.

Levitt, at 1380 W. Florida Ave, is a nonprofit amphitheater in Ruby Hill Park. It opened in 2017 and is owned by the city of Denver. It typically presents 40-50 concerts and events between May and October each year.

This story was updated several times on Tuesday with new information.

Saturday. Winter Park Resort’s sassy side, the Mary Jane base area, is marking its 50th anniversary this season with a celebration on Saturday, Jan. 10. It includes a kickoff party with celebratory first laps, a ski-down parade and a birthday toast with cake at The Jane’s base area. Festivities in town will include fireworks and a free concert by Big Gigantic, an EDM duo from Boulder.

The concert takes place at the outdoor Rendezvous Event Center, 78821 US Highway 40, in Winter Park. Visit for resort lift tickets and more information. — John Meyer

Josiah Hesse’s “On Fire”

Tuesday. Denver journalist and author Josiah Hesse, who’s written about topics ranging from cannabis in exercise to conservative politics, has a new book called “On Fire for God” that traces his personal history with evangelical Christianity while growing up in Mason City, Iowa. “One part ‘Educated,’ one part rebuttal to ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ ‘On Fire for God’ explores the ways evangelical Christianity has preyed upon its followers while galvanizing them into the political force known today as the Christian right,” according to a statement.

Hesse will celebrate the incendiary tome’s Denver release with an all-ages event at the Tattered Cover Colfax from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 2526 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. A $7.25 ticket is required and includes a signed hardcover copy of the book, or a $5 Tattered Cover gift certificate (in addition to event admission). Visit for tickets or for more details. — John Wenzel

A legend in the making

Friday-Saturday. Texas native Charley Crockett is a modern-day troubadour cut from the same cloth as Outlaw Country greats but also the poignant folk-rock of Bob Dylan and the raw Americana of Lucinda Williams. The tireless touring artist and songwriter finds his true calling on stage, typically performing more than 20 songs from his dozen-plus albums over the past decade, including “One Trick Pony” and “Alamosa.”

Crockett will headline RiNo’s Mission Ballroom on Friday, Jan. 9, and Saturday, Jan. 10. Tickets for the 16-and-up shows at 4242 Wynkoop St. in Denver are $78.84-$182.07 via . — John Wenzel

International Sportsmen’s Expo

Through Sunday. The massive International Sportsmen’s Expo returns to the Colorado Convention Center this weekend for all things hunting, fishing and traversing the land. New this year for the trade show: pontoon boats and an expanded RV section, along with the usual seminars and workshops features, a kid-friendly catch-and-release trout pond, live birds from the Raptor Education Foundation, and Stay the Trail’s RC off-road test track.

Tickets are $18 for ages 16 and up. Active military with ID and those 15 and under can get in for free. Noon-7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. The event takes place at 700 14th St. in downtown Denver. Visit for tickets and more information. — John Wenzel

The restaurant at 1437 California St. called it quits last week, according to its landlord.

“Unfortunately, we have permanently closed,” says a sign on the front door, which features its smiling shrimp mascot. “Thank you for allowing us to serve the Denver community.”

The restaurant chain came to Denver in 2006 and planned to stay awhile: It signed a lease for 20 years and eight months, through January 2027. After a build-out, it opened in 2007.

The restaurant����ap first struggles came in 2016, when construction of two hotels nearby resulted in fewer customers, according to Kent Cherne, whose father purchased 1437 California St. around 1960. Cherne, whose investment firm owns it now, says he lowered rent as a result.

Cherne also helped the seafood restaurant when the pandemic struck in 2020, when revenue fell in 2024, and when his tenant was struggling again in early 2025, according to a lawsuit that Cherne Investment Co. filed against Bubba Gump and its parent companies Nov. 10.

“From April through November, Bubba Gump was late each month in paying the amounts it owed, and the payments due on Oct. 1 and Nov. 1 have not been received,” according to the lawsuit, which estimates that Cherne reduced rent by $335,000 over 10 years.

Cherne’s firm is suing for October and November rents, along with late fees, taxes, interest and unpaid wastewater fees, according to this week’s lawsuit. It does not list dollar figures.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. gets its name from the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” in which Tom Hanks’ titular character befriends the shrimp-obsessed Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue. After Blue dies in combat in Vietnam, Gump eventually opens Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in his memory.

In 2010, the real-life Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was purchased by the Landry’s restaurant group out of Texas. Landry’s owner Tilman Fertitta is currently the U.S. ambassador to Italy.

“This location was licensed to the Kelly Group, who ultimately closed the location,” Landry’s Chief Operating Officer Scott Marshall said. “There are no plans to reopen that location.”

The Kelly Group, of California, did not respond to requests for comment. There are now 20 Bubba Gump locations in the United States and 10 more outside the U.S.

Meanwhile, 1437 California St., which is known for its western-facing murals of Teddy Roosevelt and boxing great Jack Dempsey, is up for sale after 65 years with one family.

“If my dad was still alive, he would probably still be pretty attached to it, but that����ap not the case with me,” Kent Cherne said. “I recognize the challenges in trying to manage it myself and I think it����ap just time to let it go to somebody else and move on, try to find another use for it.”

At 6,250 square feet across two floors and a basement, it is one large restaurant space.

“Quite frankly, with the times that we are in now, I don’t see anybody rushing to put a restaurant in downtown, so I’m not holding out a lot of hope.” Cherne said.

More likely, it will be converted into something else or torn down, its owner added. Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission determined last month that it is demolition-eligible, city records show, and Cherne said a teardown “would not bother me.”

“It has served its usefulness to my family. My dad bought it back in about 1960, it was a parking garage, and there have been some other businesses in there since,” its owner recalls.

“Eighteen years,” he said of Bubba Gump. “It was a good run, but every dog has its day, I guess. There are not a whole lot of businesses that are solid and just keep going forever.”

Read more from our partner, .

Road closures are part of the Denver Police Department����ap safety plan for the taking place at the Colorado Convention Center from Saturday to Tuesday, the agency said.

was slated to but his appearance was canceled late Thursday night.

The conference is not open to the public. Organizers could not immediately be reached for comment on Patel’s session being canceled.

Further details about road closures were not available because they are part of the police department����ap safety plan, agency officials said Thursday.

Denver’s version of the nationwide “No Kings” protest is expected to draw at least 12,000 people to downtown starting at noon Saturday, organizers said. The event will begin at the Capitol before marchers take to the streets.

June’s protest drew an estimated 20,000 marchers and caused the Regional Transportation District to shut down Union Station and suspend most light rail routes for several hours.

“RTD will actively monitor events in real time to support public safety and, to the greatest extent possible, minimize service disruptions,” the agency said in a statement.

Customers should prepare for large crowds and sign up for service alerts, officials said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Thursday-Saturday. The Great American Beer Festival returns to Denver Thursday, Oct. 9-Saturday, Oct. 11, with hundreds of breweries from across the country serving thousands of beers inside the Colorado Convention Center. This year, festival organizers are including a spirits-tasting area for the first time, with 20 distilleries, offering 0.25-oz pours. In addition, there will be cider, hard seltzer, ready-to-drink cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. Tickets, $85-$95 per session, are available at .

The festival also means there will be dozens of tappings and other events taking place all over metro Denver, with rare and special beers available at many of them. Some of the hot spots this week will be Hops & Pie, 3920 Tennyson St., which has nightly tappings of dozens of brews; Finn’s Manor, 2927 Larimer St., along with Walter’s 303; Fire on the Mountain; and Ephemeral Rotating Taproom. Some of the local breweries to check out include Cerebral Brewing, Full Frame Beer Co., Ratio Beerworks, Renegade Brewing, and Westbound & Down Brewing’s taproom in the Dairy Block Alley. – Jonathan Shikes

Champagne and … French fries?

Saturday. Champagne Tiger, the self-described “joyously fabulous American-diner-meets-French-bistro,” hosts the 11th annual Great American Bubbles & French Fry Festival – or GABFFF – a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Great American Beer Festival, which also takes place this weekend. But this party is decidedly different because it includes bottomless champagne from NV A. Bergère, drag queens Pony & Anita Goodman, a piñata stuffed with caviar, 13 styles of French fries (from shoestring, curly, side winders to tots), and “every sauce worthy of dipping.”

The party, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., also marks Champagne Tiger’s one-year anniversary at 601 E. Colfax Ave., in Denver. Dress code: “sequins welcome, sweatpants forgiven.” Tickets to the 21+ event start at $98, but there are VIP packages as well. Call 303-942-0593 or visit for more details. — Jonathan Shikes

Aurora Borealis Fest

Friday-Saturday. The second Aurora Borealis Festival, an artist-driven gathering of light and sculpture, takes place at High Prairie Park in Painted Prairie, Friday, Oct. 10-Saturday, Oct. 11, with plenty of family-friendly spectacle. It features glowing installations and performances from across the state, including vibrant projects such as Cody Borst’s “Fictive” (an interactive greenhouse with colorful orbs and mysteries to solve) and B.J. Nolletti, Jenny Beran and Martin Beran’s “Forest of Confusion,” which “immerses families in a 60-foot grove of glowing Blue Spruce that change colors and build to a collective light show when touched,” organizers wrote.

The event, which is also sporting another Global Gift Bazaar and Flavors of Aurora Food Court, takes place 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 21448 E. 59th Place in Aurora. Tickets are $17.33, including taxes and fees; kids 4 and under are free. Visit for more information. — John Wenzel

El Día de Muertos

Saturday. Longmont’s Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) party happens to be the longest-running event of its kind in Colorado. This year’s 25th anniversary celebration finds The Longmont Museum partnering with various organizations for “an experience for Día de Muertos that is rooted in respect and authenticity,” organizers wrote.

That makes the colorful Mexican appreciation of departed ancestors one of the best in the state, with a free, all-ages street festival in downtown Longmont that includes “traditional live music and dance performances, sugar skull decorating, face painting, crafts, cultural education, food trucks, a kids’ play zone, local vendors and a Gigantes Procession,” according to organizers.

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Fourth Avenue and Main Street in Longmont. See more information and check out related events at and . — John Wenzel