Spirit of Japan
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From food events, art festivals, movies and the season finale at Lakeside Amusement Park, there’s no reason to be bored in Denver this weekend.
On a budget? Check our list of free things to do. But for now, stick around for events worth the price of admission in and around Denver:
Things to Do in Denver This Weekend
People try Japanese food and spirits at last year’s Spirit of Japan.
Spirit of Japan
Spirit of Japan
Friday, September 12, through Sunday, September 14
Sakura Square, 1255 19th Street
Spirit of Japan is back for a second year, bringing Japanese food and spirits to the Mile High City this weekend. This year, there will be more space to eat and drink, and new vendors will join in the festivities. Tickets are available online.
See the director’s cut of The Eel during the Ravishing Radiance Film Series.
Denver Film
Ravishing Radiance Film Series: The Eel
Friday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, 9:30 p.m.
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue
The Ravishing Radiance Film Series gives audiences the chance to explore “boutique” label Radiance Films’ bold, eclectic titles from a variety of genres. Next up in the series is the director’s cut of The Eel. Tickets range from $12-$15.
The Loveland Chocolate and Cheese Fest is this Saturday.
Dana Cain Events
Loveland Chocolate and Cheese Fest
Saturday, September 13
The Ranch Events Complex, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland
Head to Loveland for a full day of chocolate and cheese samples, shopping and entertainment. Browse vendors and enjoy activities like a chocolate pudding eating contest, chocolate bingo, cheese rolling and more. Tickets range from $6 to $59.
Illuminate: Lighting the Way for the Arts
Saturday, September 13, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs
Sip craft cocktails, savor hors d’oeuvres, enjoy live music and experience art at the Fine Arts Center Museum during this fundraising event for the museum. The event coincides with the opening of Gathering Place, the first comprehensive reinstallation of the museum’s first-floor galleries in nearly a decade. The exhibition invites the community to explore the diverse histories, cultures and artistic voices of the Southwest and beyond. Tickets range from $85 to $100.
Orchid Show & Sale
Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14
Nick’s Garden Center & Farm Market, 2001 South Chambers Road, Aurora
Denver Orchid Society is hosting its annual fall show and sale, where visitors can enjoy breathtaking orchid displays and buy their own plants. Hundreds of orchids will be available for sale, sourced from top commercial orchid growers around the country.
Community Roots Art Festival
Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14
VisionQuest Brewery, 2510 47th Street, Suite A2, Boulder
Check out local food, art, music and dance from local BIPOC creatives and vendors at the fifth annual CRAFt event. More than 25 performers, ten food vendors and 55 artists booths will be at the festival. Tickets range from free to $49.
Season Finale at Lakeside Amusement Park
Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14
Lakeside Amusement Park, 4601 Sheridan Boulevard
This weekend is your last chance to visit Lakeside Amusement Park for the year. Enjoy some good old-fashioned fun and unlimited rides when you purchase tickets online.
African Creators Festival Curious Sunday Soirée
Kettle Arcade 1424 Larimer Street, Denver
Sunday, September 14, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Step into an immersive sensory journey of African culture at this one-day experiential event. Kenyan-born fashionista Koya Nyangi of Let Me Show You Different has been bringing African culture to Denver for the past couple of years through celebrations of fashion, art, music and food. This year’s event will feature a fashion showcase of handmade pieces from African designers, a marketplace of African brands and art, live music, cultural performances, and a multi-course feast of African flavors by James Beard Award nominee Althea Brown and Afrocentric culinary innovator Chef Kabongo. Guests are encouraged to dress up and celebrate the joy of unapologetic expression. General admission tickets are $125.
Plan Ahead Things to Do in Denver
Craft a fall-themed doormat at Spirit Hound.
Spirit Hound
Fall Doormat Decorating & Cocktails
Wednesday, September 17, 6 p.m.
Spirit Hound, 3622 Tejon Street
Craft a fall-themed doormat while you sip spirits at Spirit Hound. Tickets are $40 per person and include all the supplies you’ll need to make your doormat.
Taco Bar Dinner Benefit
Wednesday, September 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
Charlie’s, 900 East Colfax Ave
The cowboys and vaqueros of Charlie’s Night Club will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with a benefit taco dinner to support the Cameron Jesse and Joana Lucero Manito Scholarship at Regis University. “We want to celebrate the culture and history of Hispanic Heritage Month by helping to ensure the endowment of this unique scholarship. In doing so, we honor the legacy of Cameron Jesse, a young Hispanic gay leader who devoted himself with passion and commitment to advocating for the LGBTQ+ community,” says Charlie’s General Manager, Edd Schommer. Efforts from earlier in the summer during Pride raised over $1,000 for the scholarship, according to Charlie’s. All proceeds from the Taco Bar Dinner will go to the scholarship. The event is $40 per person and includes dinner and an 1800 Cucumber/ Jalapeño Margarita.
Ongoing Things to Do in Denver
Exhibition Hub executive producer John Zaller says people can expect to experience the Titanic story as if they are onboard the ship during Titanic: An Immersive Voyage.
Immersive Voyage
Titanic: An Immersive Voyage
Through Sunday, September 21
Exhibition Hub Art Center Denver, 3900 Elati Street
Want to feel like you’re literally on the Titanic? Including the part where the ship crashes into an iceberg and sinks? Then this exhibit is for you. Walk through the “unsinkable” ship’s construction to its fatal end, including a virtual reality option that takes participants down to the wreck site to see the Titanic’s remains. Tickets range from $19-$26.
Bright Nights at Four Mile Historic Park’s ladybug lantern installation.
Courtesy of Bright Nights at Four Mile
Bright Nights at Four Mile
Wednesdays through Sundays, through October 5
Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest Street
Bright Nights at Four Mile returns for its third year, transforming the park into a glowing dreamscape of interactive art, oversized lantern sculptures and immersive storytelling. Jennifer LaGraff, CEO of Four Mile Historic Park, promises that “every inch” of the park will be filled with lanterns. Tickets range from $19 to $48.
China and silverware from the Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic. “The Olympic went on until it was decommissioned after World War II, so lots more exists of it because it’s not at the bottom of the ocean,” Malcomb says.
Kristen Fiore
See Justice Done: The Legacy of the Titanic Survivors’ Committee
Through Sunday, December 28
Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania Street
The Molly Brown House’s new Titanic exhibit offers an intimate look at the aftermath of the Titanic for Margaret Brown and how she became known as the “Heroine of the Titanic.” The exhibit includes several newly acquired artifacts that tell the story of Brown’s role in forming and leading the Titanic Survivors’ Committee and helping those pulled to safety on the Carpathia – particularly the immigrants and Titanic crew members who lost everything with the sinking of the “Unsinkable Ship.” The exhibit is included with general museum admission and there are related event slated for those who want to dive deeper; learn more at mollybrown.org.
Do you know of a great event in Denver? We’ll update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.