Summer is speeding by. Isn't it about time you grabbed some tickets...and some fun? There's plenty to do and see this weekend in Denver, where you can go on a beer quest, exercise with baby goats and travel back in time to the early days of Vail. And yes, Lakeside Amusement Park is back!
Here are ten great ticketed events in and around town this weekend (and don't miss our list of free events here):
Lakeside Amusement Park
Open Daily, 7 to 11 p.m. weekdays, 2 to 11:30 p.m. weekends
4601 Sheridan Boulevard, Lakeside
Yes, Lakeside Amusement Park is back! After many delays to staff the iconic spot, it finally reopened on July 22, and plans to stay open for the rest of the season. Tickets are $18 weekdays, $28 weekends; get yours here.
Beer Quest
Sunday, July 25, starting at 6:30 p.m. (continues July 29 through August 1)
1601 Welton Street
Colorado creative Ryan Foo is back again for more fun and games, Denver style — this time with a sword-sorcery-and-stout (or pale ale, or lager, or whatever your beer-loving little gamer heart might crave to wet your whistle) theme. He’s teamed up with Denver’s Rainbow Militia, which brings its own sense of circus arts to the endeavor, and the result is Beer Quest, an immersive and exploratory world filled with games, riddles, puzzles...and beer. Grab four to six of your most capable friends to aid Drinkledore in a quest to save his beloved friend, Sheila the dragon, as their 2-D pixel world collides with ours. Get timed tickets, $35 to $45 per person (21+ only, and beer is included), here, and plan to stick around to drink in the Champions Beergarden until midnight.
The Capulet
Paranormal Cirque ’21 Tour, daily
Through August 1
Town Center at Aurora, 14200 East Alameda Avenue
The Florida-based Cirque Italia is bringing its red-and-black circus tent and something completely different to the Aurora Town Center: The Paranormal Cirque ’21 Tour, a darker-than-average cirque performance that unravels like your worst nightmare — but is much more fun, with fabulous acrobatics, freaky characters and circus skills. Children under thirteen will not be admitted, which should give you an idea of how much fun this could be. Tickets range from $10 to $50; get yours and find more info here.
RiNo Showcase
Sunday, July 25, noon to 10 p.m.
Number Thirty Eight, 3560 Chestnut Place
The RiNo Showcase aims to bring some extra cred to the RiNo neighborhood with a crew of favorite Colorado musicians and a display of work by more than fifty Denver artists and artisans — who keep 100 percent of their earnings at the show. The party goes down at Number Thirty Eight, Westword’s Best New Venue for 2021. Admission is $20 and helps pay the musicians. A good deal, a great venue and great art — what more could you ask for on a chill Sunday? Find details and tickets here.
Sunset Baby Goat Yoga
Sunday, July 25, 7 to 8 p.m.
Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest Street
Enjoy this historic spot as well as the irresistible charm of baby Nigerian goats as you flex and flow with the herd. Hosted by Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga, the session is $30; register here.
Communications Solutions: A Story of Extravagant Love
Monday, July 26, through August 1, online
Theater 29 continues its online offering with Communications Solutions: A Story of Extravagant Love — an immersive tale of upper-management intrigue and corporate coercion that unravels via social media, email, USPS and in virtual and visceral reality at Theater 29. Written and created by Tami Canaday, Lisa Wagner Erickson, Ellen K. Graham and Shane Rodriguez, the multi-platform experience unfolds as an anonymous entity releases a cavalcade of damning documents, clandestine voicemails and alarming images on Facebook, Instagram and email. The first missive will appear on July 26, and the scandal culminates with a top-secret image appearing in a subversive storefront-window reveal at Theater 29 on August 1. Audience members can choose to experience the virtual portions of the story via email, Facebook, Instagram or all three; they will also receive information about witnessing the final subversive storefront reveal in person and online. Intrigued? Tickets are $20 per household; register and learn more here.
Summervail 50: Celebrating the Birth of Arts + Culture in the Vail Valley
Monday, July 26, 4 to 7:30 p.m.
Donovan Pavilion, Vail
In 1971, when Vail was still a fledging ski town, the first Summervail Workshop in Art and Critical Studies debuted, and for fourteen years served more than 9,000 students. Some of Summervail’s founders will be on hand for this fiftieth-anniversary celebration that includes a discussion moderated by Pulitzer-Prize Winning New York magazine senior art critic and columnist Jerry Saltz. General admission tickets are $55 in advance, $60 at the door, with discounts for Vail workers, Summervail alum and more. Find out more here.
And plan ahead:
25th Annual Chicano Music Festival & Auction
Wednesday, July 28, through Sunday, August 1
Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Drive
Su Teatro is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, and the Chicano Music Festival has been around for half of those years. It will mark this silver anniversary with five days of events, starting with XicanIndie Music in Film, an outdoor screening, on Wednesday, July 28. Ticket prices vary; for the complete schedule, go to suteatro.org
Know of a great event in Denver? We'll be updating this list through the weekend; send information to [email protected].