Ten More Things to Do in Denver This Weekend

The weather is still rainy, but the outlook for fun this weekend is bright. Metro Denver is full of markets, festivals devoted to everything from horror to chocolate, and stunning new theater productions.

See our list of the latest art openings here, and check “A Dozen Things to Do for Free in Denver This Weekend” for some bargain options. Now keep reading for ten events worth the price of admission:

Colorado Chocolate Festival
Saturday, May 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center, 15500 East 40th Avenue
Some mothers love nothing better than pure chocolate, in all its sensual shapes and forms. Take yours to the Colorado Chocolate Festival, a perennial May favorite for choco-gourmands, or go by yourself and load up on treats to hide in secret places around the house. The fest offers more than eighty vendors tendering samples and selling sweet goods and all manner of other products that contain chocolate, from classic dipped chocolates to cupcakes and coffee. Admission is $10 at the door (free for children ages twelve and under); sample taste tickets are $10 per dozen. VIP passes are sold out; get other ticket details here.

Palestinian Cultural Day
Saturday, May 13, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway
The Museum of Boulder’s series of cultural day celebrations turns to the Palestinian community this weekend, offering a sensory sampler of delicious food from Jerusalem Cafe, henna-painting, poetry, art, live music, dance instruction and speakers, along with a select group of vendors selling clothing from the West Bank, keffiyeh scarves and other Palestinian imports. This opportunity to learn from a different culture is $10 at Eventbrite.

Rocky Mountain Nightmares
Saturday, May 13, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton Street
Billing itself as a “horror expo and film festival,” Rocky Mountain Nightmares will combine elements of both types of gatherings. There will be a full slate of convention activities for fans to enjoy, with an impressive collection of genre greats in person, a vendor floor, panels and a cosplay costume contest. All of that will be complemented by a curated screening festival of local and independent films and repertory selections from the celebrity guests’ filmography. This first fest is brought to us by Tommy Brunswick, founder of the horror con Motor City Nightmares, which celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this July. Get tickets (starting at $5) and more details here.

Found Collective Spring Marketplace
Saturday, May 13, 1 to 6 p.m.
Rembrandt Yard, 1301 Spruce Street, Boulder
Boulder’s Found Collective has a different approach to pop-up marketing: The atmosphere is easygoing, with tarot readers, live buskers and cocktails (with or without alcohol), and the vendors all offer quality merchandise. Be ready to find Mother’s Day and graduation gifts galore; learn more and find tickets, $5, at Eventbrite.

The Headliners
Saturday, May 13, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m.; Monday, May 15, 7 p.m. Run continues next weekend
Mizel Arts and Culture Center, 350 South Dahlia Street
Cherry Creek Theatre is offering the world premiere of Jeffrey Neuman’s play The Headliners, and it’s a blockbuster. It tells a fictionalized story of real-life entertainers Eva Tanguay, a vaudeville comedian played by Norell Moore, and Julian Eltinge, who was famed for his female impersonations and is portrayed by Jeremy Rill. The narrative focuses on the pair breaking gender norms when they announced their engagement more than a century before the United States legalized same-sex marriage. Read our piece on the play here; get tickets, $42, here.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in Concert: Legacy
Saturday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m.
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre, 119 Park Avenue West
Cleo Parker Robinson’s graceful and spirited dancers will put on a show that moms and their entire families can enjoy together. The program, Legacy, honors roots and African-American dance legends like Katherine Dunham, Alvin Ailey, Talley Beatty and Donald McKayle, while bringing things up to date with a brand-new commissioned work, “And Then There Was Light,” by choreographer Avree Walker. Saturday night’s event includes a pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m.; find tickets for all three performances, $35 to $75, here.

Curious Theatre Company, On the Exhale
Saturday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 14, 2 p.m. Run continues Thursdays through Sundays through June 10
Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma Street
Curious Theatre Company closes its 25th-anniversary season with On the Exhale, a one-woman show directed by departing founder and artistic director Chip Walton, with co-founder Dee Covington, who is also leaving the company, starring as a liberal college professor who is caught in the web of gun-control issues after encountering a life-changing act of violence. It’s a beautiful cap to a quarter-century of relevant programming, exemplified by On the Exhale‘s controversial plot, the kind that will get audiences talking. Particularly Friday, which is billed as “teen night” and includes a post-show conversation with Christy Montour-Larson. Admission ranges from $15 to $53 here.

Mother’s Day Brunch and Sanctuary Tour
Sunday, May 14, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary, 8640 Dahlia Street,Commerce City
The farm-animal families made at Broken Shovels are often happy accidents: an ailing rescued baby goat named John Prine who lost his brother found comfort cuddling up to some little cows; disabled goat Frances Bean and rooster Ernie both made friends with Lilah, a cow with extreme mobility issues. All these wards who have been dumped, hoarded or otherwise mistreated find sanctuary at the farm. Help raise some cash toward their care by visiting Broken Shovels for an all-vegan Mother’s day brunch. Reserve tickets, a $20 donation, here (the food-truck fare is an additional charge).

What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat and Tears?
Sunday, May 14, 4 p.m.
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue
In 1970, Blood, Sweat and Tears was one of the biggest bands in the world, after winning Album of the Year at the Grammys (and beating out The Beatles’ Abbey Road) and headlining the legendary Woodstock festival. And then it all went wrong. Filmmaker John Scheinfeld will be on hand to discuss his film What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat and Tears after the showing. Tickets are $14 (plus fees); get them here.

Do you know of a great event in Denver? We’ll be updating this list through the weekend; send information to editorial@westword.com.