Ten Tastiest Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar May 6-8

A trinity of holidays descends on Denver this weekend. The Cinco de Mayo celebration will take over Civic Center Park, the Kentucky Derby will take over bars around town for two minutes on Saturday, and on Sunday we'll honor motherhood at big Mother's Day brunches. Check out our lists of the top spots for Derby-drinking and Mother's Day for a slew of entertainment options. But Denver has much more than big hats and big family parties on the culinary calendar; keep reading for details on ten of the tastiest events in town this weekend. 

Friday, May 6

You know summer is close when Marczyk Fine Foods brings back its Friday Burger Night. From 5 to 7:30 p.m., both locations — Colfax and 17th — will be firing up the grills and serving Niman Ranch burgers with all the fixins' for $8.99. For more information, contact your favorite Marczyk location. 

Get ready for a full weekend of festivities at TheBigWonderful's launch party. The festivities get under way with a Pre-Party from 4 to 10 p.m. today, featuring live music, food vendors, a beer garden and more. The first full day of the market tomorrow will bring shopping, drinks, live music, games and a live stream of the Kentucky Derby; on Sunday, bring mom to a Mother's Day celebration complete with champagne and bloody Mary brunch, and plenty of gift possibilities. Tickets range from $5 to $20; get yours here.  

Head to Infinite Monkey Theorem on First Friday for music, local art and wine, all for a good cause. From 5 to 10 p.m. today, the taproom will host a party to raise money for the University of Colorado Cancer Center; the featured artist is is Lena Dechamps, DJ EJAY will provide the soundtrack, and Denver 808 will have food available for purchase. For more information, contact the winery at 303-736-8376. 

The Colorado Chocolate Festival takes over the Denver Mart today and tomorrow. Chocolate fanatics can indulge in more than 80,000 samples, chocolate pairing demos, Mother's Day gift booths, chocolate-eating contests, live music and the presentation of the Chocolatier Championship Awards. Admission to the chocolate fest is $5 and tasting tickets are $10 for twelve. For hardcore choco-holics, there are also Chocolate Jury Judging Tickets for $35, and VIP tickets for $50. Get tickets and all the chocolaty details at chocolate-festival.org.  

Keep reading for more culinary events.
Saturday, May 7

Invest in Kids will celebrate having served more than 100,000 children and parents since its founding in 1999, with a gala at Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum today. You can enjoy bites from some of Denver’s top restaurants, including Ace Eat Serve, Barolo Grill, DiFranco’s, Linger, Lola, Mijo, Rioja, The Kitchen and Vesta Dipping Grill during a strolling dinner and cocktail reception. There will also be an auction, live entertainment, dancing and more. You can get in on the festivities from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $250 per person, and can be purchased at iik.org. 

The Cherry Creek Fresh Market season kicks off rom 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center's northwest corner. In addition to local vendors, the market will also offer chef demonstrations, kitchen and garden artisan products, gardening tips, live music and more. You can check out the market every Saturday through October 29. For more information, visit coloradofreshmarkets.com. 

Stoic & Genuine continues its School of Fish cooking class series, with a two-hour class today covering the Gamefish of Hawaii. Chef Jorel Pierce will teach you all about the history, economic importance and cooking techniques involving gamefish of the Hawaiian islands. Class runs from 10 a.m. to noon and costs $70; make a reservation and learn more at stoicandgenuine.com.   
 
The fourth annual South Denver Beer Fest will take place at Clement Park in Littleton today and tomorrow. The outdoor beer festival will feature over 200 craft beers, food vendors, live music, yard games, inflatable horse races and a beard contest with prizes for the most epic beard. General admission tickets are $40 and VIP are $85; grab yours and learn more at southdenverbeerfest.com. 

Head down to Terra Thai at 6 p.m. today, when you can enjoy live jazz by Wilbur Rehmann and Hoy Chitpreecha and try authentic Chiang Mai food.  Tickets are $20 and include a five-course northern Thai meal, drinks and music. Reservations are required; call the restaurant at 303-440-3559. 
 
Sunday, May 8 

The Alamo Drafthouse is launching a new series, KOSI Spectacular Brunchtacular, in partnership with KOSI 101.1. The theater will show fifteen films leading up to the fifteenth anniversary of the Aspen Grove Mall in November, and the series will kick off at 11 a.m. today with The Sound of Music. Tickets are $40 and include the movie, brunch, a cocktail and shopping deals at Aspen Grove that are exclusive to ticket holders. Find tickets and more information here. 

For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected].