Things to Do in Denver This Week, May 4-10

There’s plenty to do around Denver this week, from Denver Fashion Week and the Love Old Buildings Expo to themed dinners.

This list is refreshed every Wednesday and Friday. Bookmark this page for weekly events in and around Denver.

On a budget? Check out our list of free things to do. But for now, stick around for events worth the price of admission in and around Denver:

This Week

Denver Fashion Week
Through Saturday, May 9
Furniture Row Showroom, 5445 Bannock Street
Get ready for nine days of high fashion and runway shows during this spring’s Denver Fashion Week, including athleisure, adaptive fashion and resort wear. Each event includes drinks, mingling, live entertainment and a runway show showing off the work of several designers. See the Denver Fashion Week website for the lineup and to get tickets.

Athena Project’s 14th Annual Cocktails & Comedy Fundraiser
Thursday, May 7, 6 p.m.
Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Drive
Athena Project celebrates 14 years of amplifying the voices of women and underrepresented genders through the arts with a night of local comedians, MC Debbie Scheer, and DJ Cyn. All tickets include a full meal, desserts, a signature Athena Project cocktail, and a chance to win prizes. Tickets are $80 in advance, $85 at the door, with a special $30 artist rate with proof of work at the door. 

Love Old Buildings Expo 
Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
Clayton Campus Auditorium, 3801 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Whether you’re dreaming of restoring an old home, already knee-deep in renovations, or simply love exploring Denver’s architectural gems, Historic Denver’s Love Old Buildings Expo connects old home lovers with knowledgeable craftspeople, preservation specialists, and local experts covering everything from hardwood floors to roofing and electrical. The event includes info sessions, hands-on resources, and tours of the Clayton Campus, a 1911 Denver treasure designed by architect Maurice B. Biscoe. Admission is $20.

The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show 
Saturday, May 9, through Saturday, June 27 (select dates)
Embassy Suites Denver Downtown, 1420 Stout Street
This returning Denver production invites audiences to step directly into the story, where hidden actors are seated among guests and the investigation unfolds through natural interactions rather than staged scenes. Each performance centers on a contemporary true crime-inspired case, with attendees questioning one another, forming alliances, and determining the direction of the evening as it progresses. Tickets start at $69.95, with additional packages available, and include a full dinner and the live show.

Taste of Africa 
Saturday, May 9, 5 to 11 p.m. 
Denver Airport Marriott at Gateway Park, 16455 East 40th Circle, Aurora
A New Dimension of Hope presents an enchanting evening celebrating the rich diversity of African culture through authentic dishes from every corner of the continent, live music, and dancing. General admission and VIP table options are available, both $75 and inclusive of food. Proceeds go directly toward building schools and providing education for children in Mehmeh Village.

Plan Ahead

From Beetles to Bodies: How Environment Shapes Microbial Communities 
Wednesday, May 13, 7 p.m. 
Ricketson Auditorium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard
What do flesh-eating beetles in museums and people living in Colorado have in common? More than you might think. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science hosts genomics scientists Dr. Bridget Chalifour and Tiffany Nuessle as they explore how your environment, from neighborhood greenery to pets, shapes the microscopic communities living inside you, with possible links to mental health. Tickets are $18 for the public and $15 for members.

Ongoing Denver Events and Museum Exhibitions

Lumonics Immersed
Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, 800 East 73 Avenue
Lumonics is a multi-sensory environment intended to bring guests into a state of comfort and expanded awareness. It features interactive art, such as light sculptures, painting, music, water fountains and projection. General admission tickets are $25.

Rainforest Yoga
Saturdays and Sundays, 7:45 to 8:45 a.m.
Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 West 104th Avenue, Westminster
Get your yoga mat and a towel and head to the Butterfly Pavilion for rejuvenating yoga surrounded by butterflies and exotic plants. Registration, which is $18, is required before the class. Register here.

Glowing Wild
Select dates through Sunday, May 10
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, 2300 Steele Street
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s after-hours spring lantern event is back on select nights, showcasing sixty illuminated scenes of more than 175 larger-than-life lantern displays on its 80-acre campus. Enjoy food, beverages and live music as you stroll through the glowing lights. Tickets are available here.

The World’s Largest Dinosaurs
Through Monday, September 7
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s newest exhibit, The World’s Largest Dinosaurs, opens Friday, exploring “the biology and anatomy of sauropods — the largest land animals to ever walk the Earth.” The exhibit used to tell the story of sauropods includes a towering, life-sized model of a 60-foot-long Mamenchisauru. A special ticket is required in addition to general museum admission.

Conversation Pieces
Through October 11
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Ave Parkway
Conversation Pieces is a new fashion exhibition at the Denver Art Museum made up of never-before-seen garments from the museum’s fashion archive. It’s also an interesting window into Denver fashion history. “Designers across time utilize a shared lexicon and a shared history,” says Director and Curator of Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion at the DAM Jill D’Alessandro. “They’re in constant communication with each other, whether they’re contemporaries or separated by eras. There’s a functionality to fashion that means they have the same root problem to work from. They’re responding to the body, to cultural shifts.” Conversation Pieces is included in general museum admission.

Moments That Made Us
Through October 18
History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway
In honor of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary and Colorado’s 150th anniversary, History Colorado has collected fifty artifacts from defining moments in the country and state’s history, from George Washington’s spurs and a tape recorder from the Watergate investigation to historic documents and a firefighter’s helmet from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Get tickets here.

Do you know of a great event in Denver? We’ll update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.