Staying in town Memorial Day weekend? The city is full of entertainment opportunities, with familiar festivals, new theatrical productions and food fiestas.
If you're short of cash, check our list of ten free events and the latest gallery openings in Art Attack. Now keep reading for six things to do worth the price of admission:
Q BBQ Fest Denver
Sunday, May 28, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Empower Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant Street
Taking a Memorial Day weekend staycation but don’t want to spend it at home? Go stuff your face at the Q BBQ Fest Denver, one of the biggest hog fests you’ll ever see. Get to the meat of the situation first by choosing the three-hour pit-pass or the four-hour VIP version with extra perks; tickets include all-you-can-eat ribs and all-you-can-drink beverages. Tickets range from $99 to $149 (children twelve and under get in free, youths up to twenty are $35). Whose mouth is watering? get tickets and learn more here.
On the Exhale
Sunday, May 28, 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 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. And, in fact, there's a post-show discussion on Saturday. During the run, tickets range from $15 to $53 here.
Best Town
Sunday, May 28, 2 p.m. Run continues through June 11. Industry Night: Monday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.
Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan Street
More than twenty years since the many-headed collaboration machine that is Buntport Theater moved into a Denver warehouse in 2000, the company formed by six creative friends at Colorado College is still on point, building original theater works from the ground up. Buntport ends spring with another world premiere, called Best Town. It takes place in an abandoned Canadian town and might have something to do with how we all spent our time during the last strange few years. They also say it’s about “stars, isolation, the magic of libraries and Laura Ashley curtains,” so there’s that. The first three performances will be mask-required to serve the immunocompromised (for the rest of the run, it’s up to you); get name-your-own-price tickets here.
Margaret at the World's Fair
Sunday, May 28, 1 p.m.
Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania Street
The Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 drew in visitors from every state. Colorado's Margaret “Molly” Brown visited this fair with her family in the fall of 1893, and that excursion is celebrated with the new exhibit The World Is Changing, at the home where she once lived. On Thursdays and Sundays, a special guided tour is offered of the exhibit, sharing information about Margaret Brown's visit to this and other fairs. Tickets start at $20 for adults with varying discounts, including $2 off for Colorado residents. Find out more here.
Technics DMC DENVER DJ Battle
Sunday, May 28, 4 to 9 p.m.
Bar Standard, 1037 Broadway
The battle presented by Mile High DJ Supply includes DJ Babu + DJ Swamp + DJ Trayze, hosted by DJ Hijinx. Ticket are $15 in advance, $20 at the door; find out more here.
Plan ahead:
Pre-Screening Scream With Juan of the Dead
Tuesday, May 30, 6 p.m.
MCA at the Holiday Theatre, 2644 West 32nd Avenue
As part of the Cinema Azteca collection, MCA Denver and the Biennial of the Americas invite you to a pre-screening (pre-screaming?) party for the genre-bending film Juan of the Dead, with bites by Highland Tap & Burger and beats by Yucasoul of Siembra Tropical. After the reception, take a seat for the Cuban horror-comedy that follows a group of friends who must fend off a zombie apocalypse in Havana with the help of their resident slacker, Juan. Tickets are $5 to $15; find out more here.
Do you know of a great event in Denver? We'll be updating this list through the weekend; send information to [email protected].