Six Things to Do In and Around Denver (and Online) This Weekend

Enjoy a real blast from the past over the next few days during this chilly Valentine's Day weekend. While the weather is cold, you'll find heartwarming experiences all over town — and online.

Keep reading for ten of the best things to do in and around Denver, and don't miss our list of more free activities here.

Mercadito de Amor
Sunday, February 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Re:Vision, 3738 Morrison Road
Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend family-style when the RISE Westwood Collective and Cultura Craft Chocolate host the Mercadito de Amor, an event with craft and art vendors, sweets, homemade food, two artist-designed photo booths with ’80s old-school barrio and hot-stuff devil themes and make-and-take crafts for kids. All COVID-19 safety precautions will be observed and admission is free; learn more here.

Love Cherry Creek North
Sunday, February 14, 10 a.m. to close
Sure, it's cold, but a stroll through Cherry Creek North's sixteen walkable blocks under romantic lighting could heat up your love life, and there are plenty of warming stops along the way. Many of the stores are offering Valentine's Day deals, as are restaurants and hotels. Find out more here.

A Valentine for the Mercury Cafe
Sunday, February 14, 1 p.m.
The Mercury Cafe has been a longtime safe haven for Denver’s arts, music, literary and comedy scenes. As with so many places during the pandemic, though, it’s hit tough times. So composer and DeVotchKa multiinstrumentalist Tom Hagerman and magician Professor Phelyx have recruited a crew of local musicians, poets, comedians and more to send in Valentine’s Day video messages for a livestreamed fundraiser called A Valentine for the Mercury. Phelyx will host; Hagerman and the Grande Orquesta Navarre will play, and big names like Lumineers member Wesley Schultz, Nathaniel Rateliff, Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrea Gibson and Josh Blue will perform. For more information about how to watch and donate, go to the Mercury Cafe’s website.

Valentine's Day Quarantine Cabaret
Sunday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
1224 Washington Street, Golden
Miners Alley Playhouse is hosting a special Quarantine Cabaret with Adriane and Marco Robinson. There are in-person options for $25, and the show will also be livestreamed for $5, if you want to spend a romantic evening at home. Make reservations here.

Denver Jewish Film Festival
Through Wednesday, February 17
This year's edition of the Denver Jewish Film Festival, which got under way on February 8, includes a strong mix of documentary, narrative and short films that look at history and current Jewish life alike, with an emphasis on civil rights, social justice and varying (and sometimes competing) Jewish identities; there are also Q&As with the filmmakers and discussions on social media. Whether you're a Jew, an ally or Jew-"ish," the festival has something for you. Tickets are available for individual films or in packages at the Jewish Community Center's website.
SUE: The T. Rex Experience
Through April 25
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard
Show a kid some dinosaur bones and you’ll have a friend for life. If it happens to be a T. Rex, complete with eight-inch teeth falling out of its skull, that friendship might even last into the afterlife. Knowing this, parents will be rushing to get tickets for SUE: The T. Rex Experience, a traveling exhibit opening at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where it will hang out through the end of April. But this isn't just kid stuff: You'll walk among wall-sized, growling T. Rex animations, touch bronze casts of real prehistoric bones, and stand and stare at SUE’s for-real skeleton lit up by a multimedia light show. Timed-entry tickets are required for both museum admission (free to $19.95) and SUE: The T. Rex Experience (free to $9). Learn more here.

Know of a great event around town? Send information to [email protected]. And don't miss our list of a free things to do around town over the next few days.