Keep reading for five things to do today in metro Denver:
The 31st annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in Civic Center Park includes the perennially popular Chihuahua races.
Courtesy of NEWSED
Sunday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Civic Center Park
Cinco de Mayo returns to Civic Center Park with two days of festivities, including a lowrider car contest, Chihuahua races, a taco-eating competition and plenty of food vendors. Three stages will host live music and dance performances; a community parade will take off from the park into downtown at 11 a.m. Saturday. As always, admission is free (though a VIP version is available); get the details here.
Sugar Plum Bazaar Spring Fling
Sunday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
The decade-old Sugar Plum, a Denver craft and vintage success story, carries on with another spring bazaar just in time to shop for Mother’s Day and graduation gifts. The free, two-day affair in the Hangar at Stanley Marketplace will be loaded with dozens of local vendors selling handmade jewelry, original art, fancy food products, upcycled home goods, vintage clothing and more. Find Info here.
Second Annual Asian American and Pacific Islander+ Festival
Sunday, May 7, 10:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele Street
Everyone’s seen a lion at the zoo, but what about an Asian lion dance? This weekend, the family-friendly Asian American and Pacific Islander+ Festival returns to the Denver Zoo. Lion dancers will indeed perform their acrobatic routines (at 10:15 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily), while speakers and dance, martial arts and musical groups entertain the rest of the day. On the sidelines, the fest also hosts craft workshops and a big vendor market. There’s no extra charge to enjoy the fest outside of the regular zoo gate admission of $18 to $24; timed tickets must be reserved in advance here.
Raul Chavez Commemoration of Life
Sunday, May 7, noon
Crown Hill Cemetery, 7777 West 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge
Grupo Huitzilopochtli will commemorate the life of Raul Chavez, Mexican dance icon and curandero, on the one-year anniversary of his passing. Chavez was born in 1952 in Mazatlan; in 1969 he immigrated to Colorado, and in 1981 helped local Chicano youth establish their own danzante group, Grupo Tlaloc. In 1992 he formed a small family dance group, Huitzilopochtli, now based at the Lakewood United Methodist Church and led by his daughter, Maria Chavez. The ceremony is open; a GoFundMe campaign is underway to purchase a grave marker.
Boulder Philharmonic, Jarabe Mexicano: Fiesta en Familia
Sunday, May 7, 3 p.m.
Pinnacle Performing Arts Complex
1001 West 84th Avenue, Federal Heights
Get in one last Olé! for Cinco de Mayo when the Boulder Phil presents guest musicians Jarabe Mexicano, a San Diego quintet whose Latinx fusion sound crosses borders at the speed of sound. Using specialized instruments like mariachi’s stringed guitarrón and vihuela, they channel it all: Tex-Mex, norteño, latin rock and cumbia, as well as the more traditional rancheras and trío romántico ballads. That’s not surprising, considering that “Jarabe” means “concoction.” Catch the performance at the Pinnacle complex; get tickets, $15 to $25, here. For $5 youth tickets, call 303-449-1343.
Plan ahead bonus:
Rocky Mountain Land Library’s Denver Parks Book Club Series
June 11 through September 18; registration begins Monday, May 1, 10 a.m.
The Rocky Mountain Land Library serves dual purposes: as a steward of disappearing land and resources and a librarian to like-minded people looking to incorporate greener values into everyday life, while learning to respect history, culture and open space. RMLL’s free Denver Parks Book Club Series furthers those goals by combining books tied to nature, conservation and Colorado history with meetings in lesser-known Denver parks. To start, participants will discuss Woman of Light, author Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s best-selling fictional Chicano family saga, at La Alma/Lincoln Park on June 11, with three more book sessions scheduled monthly through September. Registration opens May 1 for all four; participating is free, but RSVPs are required in advance here.
Do you know of a great free event around town? We'll be updating this list through the week; send information to [email protected].
