– With endless activities and events over Labor Day weekend and through late summer, Denver is the perfect place to celebrate the season. –
DENVER, Aug. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The calendar may say summer is winding down, but not in Denver! Summer in Denver is still in full swing here with live entertainment, outdoor adventure and more. Although Labor Day Weekend is the unofficial end of summer, the fun doesn’t stop there. Below is a list of activities and events for the whole family to get the most of out of the last days of summer. For more information about Labor Day Weekend and late summer in Denver, check out the VISIT DENVER website.
Can’t-Miss Events
Denver’s summer finale – through Labor Day weekend and into September – will feature signature events, blockbuster exhibitions and outdoor concerts, including several top artists at the renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre. (Courtesy of Denver Arts & Venues, photo by Stevie Crecelius)
Dashiki Fest, Aug. 31, 2024
Levitt Pavilion DenverDashiki Fest will be a vibrant and entertaining festival. Performances will feature local artists, dances and other renowned African artists of this generation. Guests can explore a variety of food from various African vendors, African art and fashion vendors, and many interesting stands for small businesses.
Denver Food + Wine Festival, Sept. 4–7, 2024
The Tivoli Quad, Auraria CampusDon’t miss a multi-day extravaganza of food, wine and spirits. Festival events feature the best of metro Denver’s restaurant community, the finest wine and spirits, educational seminars and the culminating signature Grand Tasting.
51st Birthday Bash, Sept. 6, 2024
Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico CampusThis year’s theme is inspired by backyard expeditions and starry skies, scraped knees and muddy shoes, secret clubhouses with your best friends, and all the things that fill childhood with wonder and joy.
Flock Party 2024, Sept. 7, 2024
Denver ZooNow in its fifth year, this colorful annual benefit is a movable feast with live music, unforgettable animal experiences, on-the-spot fashion illustrations, craft cocktails and artisan eats — all in the company of real party animals! Proceeds benefit the zoo’s beloved animal family and support their wildlife conservation work in Colorado and worldwide.
Music & Performing Arts
‘DARKFIELD’, Thru Sept. 1, 2024
The Bird Lot | RiNo Art DistrictMaking its U.S. premiere in Denver this summer following sold-out runs in the UK, Australia, Asia and Mexico, DCPA Off-Center and Realscape Productions present a spine-tingling collection of immersive audio experiences inside custom-built shipping containers — and in complete darkness. DARKFIELD utilizes its signature 360-degree audio along with sensory effects and hyper-realistic sets to place you in the middle of intense narratives that will leave you questioning reality. Step inside three uniquely captivating worlds — SÉANCE, FLIGHT or COMA — and find out who you really are when the darkness sets in.
‘Waitress’, Aug. 30–Oct. 13, 2024
Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, ArvadaJenna is a waitress and expert pie-maker trapped in a small town and a rocky marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears her dreams are out of reach – until a baking contest and a handsome doctor offer up a sweet taste of happiness. Based on the 2007 film by the same name, “Waitress” features original music and lyrics by Grammy-winning musician Sara Bareilles (“Love Song,” “Brave”) and a book by Jessie Nelson.
‘Kimberly Akimbo’, Sept. 1–29, 2024
Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts ComplexKim is a bright and funny New Jersey teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. And yet her aging condition may be the least of her problems. This musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), was named best musical by the New York Drama Critics Circle, The Drama Desk Awards, The Lucille Lortel Awards and The Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Phish, Aug. 29–Sept. 1, 2024
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce CityPhish returns to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for their annual slate of Labor Day weekend shows!
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre Concerts
No summer in Denver is complete without at least one — or two, or five — trips to the awe-inspiring Red Rocks Amphitheatre, just 15 miles from downtown Denver. More than 70 million years in the making, the 9,450-seat venue is flanked by enormous 300-foot red sandstone rock formations and always boasts a star-studded musical schedule.
Aug. 27–28, 2024: Khruangbin with Peter Cat Recording Co.
Aug. 29, 2024: Lamb of God & Mastadon with Kerry King, Malevolence
Aug. 30, 2024: REZZ Rocks VI
Aug. 31, 2024: Dierks Bentley: Gravel & Gold Presented by Jersey Mike’s
Sept. 1–2, 2024: Gregory Alan Isakov with Passenger
Sept. 3–4, 2024: Human Musical Group Sensations Glass Animals: Tour of Earth
Levitt Pavilion Concerts
The Levitt Pavilion is a state-of-the-art amphitheater in Ruby Hill Park that was created as a gift to the community. This outdoor venue hosts a slew of free concerts every summer, and a few ticketed events, too.
Aug. 29, 2024: Kurt Vile and The Violators (Ticketed)
Aug. 30, 2024: Alternative TentaclesFEST hosted by Jello Biafra featuring Tsunami Bomb with Kultur Shock, Wheelchair Sports Camp and Dead Pioneers (Free)
Sept. 6, 2024: Mariachi Sol de Mi Tierra, the Fiesta Colorado Dance Company & Baile Caliente with El Javi (free)
Museum Exhibitions
Hand in Nature, Thru Sept. 1, 2024
MCA DENVER — Museum of Contemporary Art DenverGala Porras-Kim is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work questions how knowledge is acquired and tests the potential for artworks and objects to function as meaning-makers outside of traditional museum contexts. For this exhibition, Porras-Kim extends lines of questioning into conservation, preservation and care within institutional contexts to the broader natural world and lived environment.
Fazal Sheikh: Thirst | Exposure | In Place, Thru Oct. 20, 2024
Denver Art MuseumThis exhibition was created from three projects photographer Fazal Sheikh made on the Colorado Plateau from 2017 to early 2023. Sheikh’s portraits and landscapes of displaced communities and marginalized people shed light on the far-reaching consequences of extractive industry and climate change.
Winter Warriors: The 10th Mountain Division in World War II, Thru Nov. 12, 2024
History Colorado CenterUsing photos, video and first-hand personal accounts from the troops themselves, Winter Warriors: The 10th Mountain Division in World War II explores the history of the U.S. Army’s first winter warfare division from its training at Camp Hale in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains through their crucial breakthrough against the Nazi German Army in the mountains of Italy.
Orcas: Our Shared Future, Thru Nov. 15, 2024
Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceTrace the evolution of our beliefs about orcas, from fear to admiration and awe, as we discover their stunning intelligence and complex social structures. Meet a life-sized replica of an orca family as you listen to their soothing harmonies in an immersive underwater environment. Deepen your appreciation for the art of the Indigenous peoples of North America’s Northwest Coast.
Museum of Illusions, Thru Dec. 31, 2024
Museum of IllusionsDiscover a brilliant collection of perspective-changing rooms, enthralling installations, and spellbinding images. The mesmerizing exhibits will teach you that nothing is ever quite as it seems, especially in the Museum of Illusions Denver.
Dialogue and Defiance: Clyfford Still and the Abstract Expressionists, Thru Jan. 12, 2025
Clyfford Still MuseumThis exhibition considers the nuanced ways in which Clyfford Still was part of an artists’ community in the late 1940s and early 1950s, despite his protestations to the contrary, and how his paintings, through their scale and composition, promote ideas of community.
Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco, Thru Jan. 12, 2025
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative ArtVanity & Vice: American Art Deco explores the dynamic designs that emerged during the rebellious years of 1920–1933.This exhibition invites visitors into two distinct spaces occupied by a progressive Prohibition-era woman: her boudoir and a speakeasy. Explore the Art Deco objects that filled these rooms and how they reflect a time of freedom and change.
Rumors of Bloomers, Thru March 30, 2025
Center for Colorado Women’s HistoryRumors of Bloomers explores women’s experiences as expressed through undergarments. Using rarely displayed objects – such as corsets, bloomers, swimming costumes, petticoats and Mother Hubbard gowns – the exhibition highlights the ways “unmentionables” have given form and shape to bodies, while also expressing identity, autonomy, agency and protest.
Pop-up: Anthony Quinn, Aug. 2–Sept. 22, 2024
Museo de las AmericasBorn in Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles, Anthony Quinn, a two-time Oscar winner, was a legendary actor. This pop-up exhibition offers a glimpse into his lesser-known passion for drawing, painting and sculpting, highlighting his legacy as a prolific visual artist focused on themes of identity and vocation.
Sports
Colorado Rockies vs. Miami Marlins, Aug. 26–29, 2024
Coors Field – Home of the Colorado Rockies Kick off the holiday weekend at Coors Field as the Colorado Rockies take on the Miami Marlins!
Colorado Rockies vs. Baltimore Orioles, Aug. 30–Sept. 1, 2024
Coors Field – Home of the Colorado RockiesCheer on the Colorado Rockies as they battle it out against the Baltimore Orioles.
Colorado Rockies vs, LA Dodgers, Sept. 27, 2024
Coors Field – Home of the Colorado RockiesFun for the whole family with a fireworks display after the game
Broncos Preseason Games, Aug. 18 and 25
Empower Field at Mile HighBefore the Broncos’ regular-season schedule arrives, Denver will host a pair of preseason games as part of its three-game preseason slate. Denver will welcome the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals to Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2 and Week 3 of the preseason.
Outdoor Fun
Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park
Head to the only downtown theme and water park in the country for roller coasters, water slides, family entertainment and much more! Look for fireworks at 9 p.m. (as the park closes for the day) on Sept. 1, 2024.
Water World
Beat the heat, relax in the park’s beautifully landscaped 64 acres — and ride some serious waterslides.
Farmers’ Markets
The Mile High City’s more than 20 farmers’ markets are not just about locally grown produce, delicious baked goods and prepared foods — though you’ll find those in abundance! Each market is a festive, weekly street fair, many with live entertainment and family-friendly activities.
Denver Zoo
With over 3,500 animals on 84 gorgeous acres, Denver Zoo is an amazing experience year-round. Your proceeds helps to provide world-class care for the lions, giraffes and elephants, as well as other wild animals and wild places, from the Rockies to Mongolia.
Denver Botanic Gardens
One of the top five botanic gardens in the nation, Denver Botanic Gardens is an oasis in the city, offering year-round events, a children’s garden, lifelong-learning opportunities and research to preserve Colorado’s precious natural resources. Meanwhile, Chatfield Farms, located in nearby Littleton, takes pride in its exemplary nature preserve and gardens. Located on 750 acres, this picturesque site includes display gardens and a historical farm with a rustic barn.
City Parks
No matter where you find yourself in The Mile High City, you’re likely only a few steps away from a lush and relaxing green space. Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to explore Denver’s more than 5,000 acres of traditional parks and parkways, as well as an additional 14,000 acres of spectacular mountain parks in neighboring counties that are maintained by the City and County of Denver.
Denver’s Best Urban Hikes
Denver is a city with boundless outdoor fun and has an ideal location next to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. While The Mile High City is conveniently close to major peaks for hiking, there’s no need to head into the mountains when Denver’s regional trail system encompasses hundreds of miles for all ages and abilities to explore.
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors BureauCelebrating 115 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.4 million visitors in 2023, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city’s largest industries. Learn more about Denver at VISIT DENVER or Tourist Pays Denverr. Follow Denver’s social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications
Caroline Campbell, PR & Communications Manager
Natalie St.Hilaire, PR & Communications Coordinator
[email protected]
SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau