Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge and Nathaniel Rateliff Partying for Polis

Balls! Colorado's going to party when Jared Polis is sworn in as governor, with celebrations starring everyone from Cyndi Lauper and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats to Melissa Etheridge.

First up: the Blue Sneaker Ball Inauguration Celebration, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8, the same day Polis is inaugurated.The lineup at this "Colorado for All" bash, set for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, includes Lauper, a longstanding LGBTQ activist, and Rateliff, who has been involving himself in social issues over the past few months. Tickets range from $35 to $75; get them here.

The next night, Wednesday, January 9, One Colorado and the Gill Foundation will throw The Purple Ball: From Hate State to Great State, which will be headlined by fellow LGBTQ activist Etheridge. Barney Frank, the first openly gay member of Congress, will be speaking, as will David Mullins and Charlie Craig, the plaintiffs from the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission Supreme Court case.

“As the state’s leading advocacy organization for LGBTQ Coloradans and their families, it’s important we recognize Colorado’s contributions to the history of the LGBTQ community, including the election of Colorado’s first openly gay governor, Jared Polis," says Daniel Ramos, One Colorado's director. "The story of Colorado from the Hate State to the Great State is a recognition of early investments from the Gill Foundation; expanding protections for LGBTQ Coloradans in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodations; protecting LGBTQ youth from bullying in Colorado schools; and ensuring transgender Coloradans can access identity documents that match who they are. Our work continues to improve the lives of LGBTQ Coloradans and their families. So for this night, we will honor the work of those who paved this path before us, celebrate this historic occasion of our country’s first gay governor, and then get back to work ensuring a more fair and just Colorado for all.”

The Purple Ball will be at the Exdo Event Center, 1399 35th Street. For more information and tickets, which cost $35 to $500, go to the One Colorado website.