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 Week
Galactic Gold CelebrationFriday, August 8, 7-10 p.m.
Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is celebrating its 125th birthday with a cosmic cowboy event that blends the spirit of the West with the boundless optimism of the space age. The evening includes themed food and drinks, science experiments and demonstrations throughout the museum, DJs and more. General admission for this 21+ event is $150 and western or space attire is encouraged.
Go back in time to the Y2K during the 2000s Bar Crawl featuring a performance by Drake Bell in LoDo.
2000s Bar Crawl
Saturday, August 9, 3 p.m.
Con Safos, 1949 Market Street
Feeling nostalgic for trashier times? Dig your baby tees, butterfly clips and bucket hats out of your closet and head to LoDo for the 2000s Bar Crawl, which includes Y2K-themed drinks, DJs, a red carpet and a performance by 2000s icon Drake Bell from the hit Nickelodeon shows All That, The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh. General admission tickets are $24.99.
Diamonds and Dog Tags
Saturday, August 9, 5-10 p.m.
Cableland Mansion, 4150 East Shangri La Drive
Diamonds and Dog Tags is a fundraiser benefiting the Warrior Bonfire Program and Purple Heart recipients. The evening includes a Purple Heart panel of speakers, a live performance by Dave Bray USA, a silent auction, a whiskey pull, a U.S. flag retirement ceremony and more. General admission is $100.
Questionable Advice: A Comedy Advice Show
Saturday, August 9, 8-10 p.m.
Sexploratorium, 1800 South Broadway
A panel of quick-witted comedians will come together to tackle the audience's most pressing (or ridiculous) questions. It's not a typical comedy show, it's a fast-paced, interactive experience where the advice probably isn't helpful, but it is hilarious. Tickets are $20.
ThriftCon Denver
Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
National Western Complex, 4655 North Humboldt Street
Over 100 curated vendors selling vintage clothing and collectibles will be at the National Western Complex all weekend for ThriftCon. If you have the patience to dig through the racks and piles, you just might find the wardrobe refresh you're looking for. Tickets are $17; kids under 13 get in free.
Violins of Hope
Sunday, August 10, 6 p.m.
Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
The Arvada Center, Chabad of Northwest Denver and musicians of the Red Rocks String Quartet will bring stories of injustice, suffering, resilience and survival to life on the Arvada Center's main stage for Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust. The Violins of Hope are a collection of historic violins, once played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, that symbolize resilience and the enduring power of music. Many of the violins will be on display at the Arvada Center through August 10. Tickets for the show start at $30.
Dogs and Cats Living Together
Sunday, August 10, 7:30 p.m.
Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton Street, Aurora
One Night Stand Theater will take to the Vintage Theatre stage to share tales of dogs, cats and other pets through short plays. Tickets for this one-night-only show are $12.
Plan Ahead Things to Do in Denver
The second film in the Reel to Real Film Series is the Severin Films restoration of The Changeling.
Denver Film
Tuesday, August 12, 6:30 p.m.; Series runs at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through August 26
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue
History Colorado and Denver Film have partnered up for Reel to Real, a four-week film series bringing Colorado’s history, culture and communities to life through film. History Colorado curators and other experts will lead discussions covering the film’s historical context, impact and more after each screening. General tickets are $15. The second film in the series is the Severin Films restoration of The Changeling. Damion Pechota, a national and state register historian with History Colorado, will talk about the restoration and the film's impact.
Ongoing Things to Do in Denver
As you round the corner to the end of History is Painted by the Victors, you'll be met with "The Great Mystery," which shows Miss Chief on horseback with her shoulders raised in a shrug.
Denver Art Museum
Through Sunday, August 17
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
Kent Monkman's new exhibit at DAM is an emotional rollercoaster of an exhibit about indigenous experiences, both historical and modern. Monkman's larger-than-life, vibrant acrylic paintings look at themes like indigenous gender, sexuality, action and joy and the impact of governmental policies, residential and boarding schools, specific historic events, the mass institutionalizing and incarceration of Indigenous people, forced urbanization and more. The exhibit is included with general museum admission.
Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep
Through Sunday, September 7
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard
Explore the deep blue sea at a new temporary exhibit at DMNS, which takes guests back 200 million years to experience a prehistoric underwater world. Engage with fossils, hands-on activities and more. Tickets range from $7 to $9, plus museum admission, which ranges from $21 to $26. Buy tickets at dmns.org.
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
Through Sunday, September 21
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.
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
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
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.
Do you know of a great event in Denver? We'll update this list throughout the week; send information to [email protected].
