Ten Things to Do In and Around Denver This Weekend

There's action all around town this weekend, including activities that you can experience in person and virtually. Dance, drink and discover the city, even if you never leave your living room. For example, Doors Open Denver continues through October 15, bringing some of the city's greatest architecture into your home. But if you head to History Colorado, you can get a big serving of democracy and participate in a community shrine.

Keep reading for ten more of the best things to do in and around Denver this weekend:

Color of Conversation African American Film Festival
Through October 10
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, 119 West Park Avenue
Run&Shoot Filmworks, producer of the Color of Conversation African American Film Festival in Denver and the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, is hosting a combined two-part festival in partnership with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio in honor of the dance troupe's fiftieth anniversary. This year's film fest focuses on racial justice, and films run all day through October 10; you can see many of them online, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble is also hosting evening showings. See the complate schedule here.

Urban Market
Saturday, October 10, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Skyline Park, 1100 16th Street
Want to get out and about? The outdoor Urban Market returns to Skyline Park with local arts and craft artists selling their work directly; other vendors will offer clothing, furniture, food and other treasures. Find out more here.

National Period Day
Saturday, October 10, noon to 1 p.m.
La Alma Park
Celebrate National Period Day at a free event with speakers — including Denver School Board member Tay Anderson, Senator Faith Winter and Representative Brianna Titone — discussing how to end stigma and period poverty. There will also be a product drive and period-kit distribution. It's sponsored by Period Kits; find out more here.

Ofrendas: Offerings of Hope "Calavera Face Painting"
Saturday, October 10, noon to 1 p.m.
Not even COVID can keep Día de los Muertos at bay, but because of crowd-control problems, a lot of area events are happening online this year, thanks to the Latino Cultural Arts Center and its collective of cultural partners. That includes a series of free Day of the Dead workshops for all ages on Saturdays through October, created by the folks at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council. The first, "Calavera Face Painting," will be offered virtually from noon to 1 p.m. October 10. Learn more about these and other related programs, and register online here.

TheBigWonderful Beer Fest
Saturday, October 10, 1, 4 and 6:30 p.m.
Belleview Station, 6785 East Chenango Avenue
TheBigWonderful is throwing a big beerfest with three different musical sessions. Sip and sample beers from more than ten breweries; there will also be wine and cocktails. And listen to music, of course. The three sessions start at 1 p.m., with the Something Vinyl Club Hip Hop Party; at 4 p.m., it's Brianna Straut; and at 6:30 p.m., DeadPhish Orchestra. Tickets are $30 to $35 in advance ($10 more at the door); get yours here.

A Yellow Rose Project
Saturday, October 10, 4 to 8 p.m.
Colorado Photographic Arts Center, 1070 Bannock Street
A year ago, women artists were invited to make work in response, reflection or reaction to the ratification of the 19th Amendment; more than 100 did. Now the results, curated by Meg Griffiths and Frances Jakubek, will be displayed at a new exhibit that offers a deeper understanding of American history and culture, from the past to the present, and on to the future, at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center. Timed entries to the gallery will be available from 4 to 6:30 p.m.; at 7 p.m., there will be a virtual town hall with talks by the curators, artists and Jillian Allison, director of the Center for Colorado Women's History. Register for the town hall here; find out more about the show here.

Hope Gala Livestream!
Saturday, October 10, 5 p.m.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and SafeHouse Denver has turned its annual fundraiser into the Hope Gala Livestream! The program includes a speaker discussing how she survived domestic violence, descriptions of SafeHouse Denver's services, and an auction that will support its work. Sign up for the program here; it's free to watch, but you'll want to donate.
Flatirons Food Film Festival Preview Fundraiser
Saturday, October 10, 5:30 p.m.
The Flatirons Food Film Festival has moved its eighth festival to January, but is hosting a special fundraiser on October 10, in partnership with First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and Slow Food Boulder County: Back to the Source: Reclaiming Native American Food Traditions. This event centers on Gather, a new documentary about a growing movement among Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities by obtaining sovereignty over their ancestral food systems. Ben Jacobs of Tocabe, a Native American eatery with two locations in Denver, will host a demonstration at 5:30; a showing of Gather will start at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion with director Sanjay Rawal; Sammy Gensaw of the Yurok Tribe and Twila Cassadore of the San Carlos Apache, who are featured in the film; and A-dae Briones of First Nations. Tocabe takeout dinners will be available for viewers to purchase and eat while watching the movie. Tickets are $24 and include the Jacobs demo; get them here.

Art, Beer and Me Scavenger Hunt
Sunday, October 11, through October 25
Burns Family Artisan Ales is hosting a free, socially distanced scavenger hunt that asks you to find fourteen public art pieces, all within the city of Denver. This is the third in a series of events hosted by Burns to say goodbye to 2020. Register and find out more here.

Hispanic Heritage Month Free Day at Museo de las Americas
Saturday, October 10, noon to 5 p.m.
Museo de Las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive
In collaboration with Denver Public Library, Museo de las Americas will present a free day with tours and arts-and-crafts activities entirely en español. The Bookmobile will be there, full of Spanish books, movies and magazines. Registration is required; sign up here.

Know of another great event in Denver? Send information to [email protected].