Twenty-Plus Tasty Events on Denver's Culinary Calendar, September 16-18

Today is both Mexican Independence Day and National Guacamole Day, and R Taco is celebrating by serving up guac for a good cause. Head to any R Taco location, and $1 from every order of guacamole you purchase will go to Littleton-based nonprofit Rachel’s Challenge, which teaches students and adults alike skills and strategies to combat bullying. Or you can celebrate Mexican Independence Day at Centro, which will be serving $4 tamales, $25 pitchers of margaritas and palomas, and $15 buckets of Corona. And there's much more on the culinary calendar this weekend; keep reading for the delicious details.

Friday, September 16 

Explore Colorado's wine country during Colorado Mountain Winefest this weekend. The festival — which poured into Palisade yesterday, and will continue through Sunday — features tastings, pairings, tours and more. Ticket prices vary by event; check out the full schedule here.   

As part of Denver Startup Week, Voodoo Comedy Playhouse will host "Green Giants: Little Stories of Mighty Food Brands" today at noon. You can learn the story behind the startups of six local businesses through ten-minute stories; get all the details here.  

Parker Oktoberfest pours into O'Brien Park today, where you'll find the free fest all weekend long. The festival will feature German music, dancers, German food, beer, wine, other beverages, vendors and more. Get more information here.  

The Clayton Moonbeam Harvest will be cooking for a good cause from 6 to 10 p.m. today. The event features twelve local chefs, each creating an original recipe including at least one fresh produce ingredient that is grown on the Clayton campus. Tickets are $150, and proceeds benefit the Clayton Early Learning City; purchase tickets at claytonmoonbeamharvest.org.  

Starting at 5 p.m., the Terminal Bar Plaza Beer Garden in Union Station will throw an Oktoberfest celebration complete with live music by the Polkanauts, plus a bratwurst-eating competition with a New Belgium Cruiser Bike as the grand prize. For more information, click here. 

The CherryArts Festival takes over the Stanley Marketplace this weekend, starting with a ticketed tasting tonight at 6 p.m. You can browse art from national artists, nosh on food from local restaurants and food trucks, and enjoy live entertainment. Tickets to tonight's tasting are $60 for general admission and $75 for early-admission VIP. Saturday and Sunday's festivities are free to attend. For more information, check out cherryartsstanley.org. 

Blue Moon Brewing Company is celebrating the grand opening of its new brewery with a free bash with food, art, live music and beer starting at 6 p.m. The evening will feature performances by Grammy-nominated artist Mayer Hawthorne and Family of the Year. You'll get your first two beers free and can vote for the brewery’s first Community Created Beer while snacking on complimentary appetizers created by chef Roy Choi of Kogi food truck. To make sure you get home safely, you can also take advantage of discounted Uber rides, as well as free RTD passes. Register and learn more here. 

Come celebrate the late Gary Lee Bomar during Gary Lee Days, which will bring together art, fashion, music and more on South Broadway. The inaugural event gets rolling today with music from Pretty Mouth and the Trade-Ins starting at 8 p.m. at Gary Lee's Motor Club and Grub. The festivities continue Saturday with a full day of events, from 2 p.m. to midnight. Admission to the party is free, and money raised from a live art auction will benefit the MaxFund no-kill animal shelter. You can find more details on the event's Facebook page.    

Old Town Lafayette's Art Night Out wraps up its 2016 summer season with a live performance by Ginga. The street festival, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight along Public Road from Emma to Cannon streets, highlights local bands, beers, food and more, and is free to attend. Don't miss your last chance for an artful night out; learn more here.  

The first annual Breckenridge Wine Classic kicked off yesterday and will run through Sunday. The festival features grand tasting events, seminars, pairings and more. Visit breckenridgewineclassic.com, for tickets and more information.  
 
Snowmass will be popping bottles this weekend, too, during its Snowmass Wine Festival, which takes over the Village today and tomorrow. The two-day festival features a wine dinner ($135 per person) and a Grand Tasting ($85 earlybird tickets, $99 per person at the door). Grab tickets and learn more here.
Keep reading for culinary events on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday, September 17 

Elitch Gardens celebrates its fourth annual Thrills & Pils' BrewFest from noon to 5 p.m. today. You can get unlimited samples of more than 75 beers from over forty breweries, as well as admission to the park for $46.99, or $15 for pass holders. Grab your tickets and more information at elitchgardens.com. 

Pastry chef Nadine Donovan will set up a pop-up ice cream social on Ace's patio from noon to 3 p.m. today. The Ace Bar Bus will serve as a temporary ice cream truck offering homemade cones and $2 scoops of Donovan's ice cream creations. Ace will also offer patio seating and free ping-pong to guests of the pop-up ice cream social. For more information, contact Ace at 303-800-7705. 

SausageFest: An Oktoberfest Celebration starts a two-weekend stint at Globe Hall today, where you can rock out to music from The Polkanauts and Lederhosers starting at 7 p.m. Your $10 ticket includes one Prost beer, one smoked German-style sausage and admission to the fest. Kids under twelve get in free and get one free sausage per child. Get tickets and all the juicy details here.  If you can't make the festivities this weekend, the fun continues next Saturday, September 24. 

A dozen Larimer Square restaurants will expand their patios into the street for Dining Al Fresco this evening. From 5 to 11 p.m., you can enjoy a rare dinner under the lights of Larimer Street. Reservations are recommended. Visit larimersquare.com to find a list of participating restaurants.

Join ten Cherry Creek North art galleries and several participating restaurants for Cherry Creek North’s second annual Art Feast today. During the walking tour, each gallery will showcase its work with live demonstrations, musical performances and store discounts, while you sip wine and enjoy bites from neighborhood restaurants. The free event starts at 3 p.m. at Fillmore Plaza, where you will receive a map of participating galleries. For more information, check out cherrycreeknorth.com.

The Wildlife Experience at CU South Denver will host Parallel Pairings: Whiskey from 6 to 8:30 p.m. this evening. You can indulge in a five-course dinner paired with specially selected whiskeys from Western Spirits. Prior to each course you'll learn about specific tasting notes from the chef and whiskey master. Following dinner, browse the museum during exclusive after-hours access. Tickets are $85 or $150 per couple; grab yours and learn more here. 

The third annual Bike for Backpacks charity event wraps up a five-day, 226-mile bike ride through the Rocky Mountains with a party at St. Patrick's Brewing Company. From noon to 4 p.m. today, you can enjoy St. Patrick's beer, tacos from Denver 808 Fusion Grindz food truck, and much more. A $15 adult ticket gets you food and a beer from St. Patrick's Brewing Company; additional beer tickets can be purchased for $10. A $10 kid's ticket gets you food and a non-alcoholic drink. You can find tickets and more information here.  

The Dumb Friends League's Wag `n Trail — a dog-friendly hike to benefit homeless pets at the League’s south location, the Buddy Center, in Castle Rock — takes place today from 8 a.m. to noon at Glendale Farm Open Space (located near I-25 and Surrey Ridge) in Douglas County. The event will feature a 1.6-mile hike, beer garden, vendors, dog sporting demonstrations, food trucks, music, adoptable dogs and a five-acre, off-leash dog park. Registration is $50 and includes an event photo of you and your dog, a bag of treats, a craft beer or root beer, and ice cream for both you and your dog. Register and get all the details here. 

Sunday, September 18

In honor of National Cheeseburger Day, Wayback Burgers is hosting its ninth annual Triple Triple Challenge today. If you think you have what it takes, you can compete against the clock to take down a massive nine-patty Triple Triple Burger. Whoever finishes the burger the fastest will earn the title of Triple Triple “Chompion” and a $3,330 grand prize. Head over to waybackburgers.com,to register for the competition and learn more.  

Acres Farms, along with the Squeaky Bean Farm + Table, is hosting a fundraising farm dinner, Sowing the Seeds at Acres, starting at 5 p.m. today. The fundraiser for Warren Tech and Acres Farm will feature seven of Denver’s top chefs cooking up a very special seven-course meal, paired with seven mocktails, all featuring ingredients from the farm and served right next to where the produce was grown. The dinner is $91.80 per person; get tickets and all the details here. 

For more Food & Drink events, go to our online calendar. If you know of an event that should be included in that calendar, send information to [email protected].