Denver’s Biggest Events for 2024-25

Shadow and Light: Patrick Marold (thru Jan. 5, 2025) – Explore a site-specific installation highlighting the ever-changing qualities of light and shadow. Created specifically for Denver Botanic Gardens, Shadow and Light  is an immersive sculptural installation integrating the poetics of space with the luminosity of light. Discover an exhibition that changes with every visit, highlighting the shifting mood of light throughout the day and across the seasons. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15, 2024) – Each year, Americans celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Movements Toward Freedom (Sept. 20, 2024–Feb. 2, 2025) – This exhibition explores the power, possibility and vulnerability of bodily movement in contemporary life. Showcasing recent work and new commissions that span genres of performance, sculpture, video, painting and installation, Movements Toward Freedom considers the ways that physical movement plays an integral role in exercising personal and collective agency, as a means for community-building, civic change and liberation, as well as serving as an antidote to strife and a vehicle for healing and care. 

Denver Oktoberfest (Sept. 20–29, 2024) – This two-weekend festival in downtown Denver has been happening since 1969. From keg bowling to stein hoisting, live music and more, there’s something for everyone. So grab your stein, throw on your lederhosen and join in!

Doors Open Denver (Sept. 26–29, 2024) – Denver Architecture Foundation’s signature event is exactly as it sounds — an opportunity to open the doors to the places and spaces that make The Mile High City such a special city in which to live, work, study and play. The autumnal event draws architecture, art, history and culture enthusiasts.

'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' (Sept. 27–Nov. 3, 2024) – This vibrant and poignant adaptation of Erika L. Sánchez’s New York Times bestseller follows Júlia, a Chicago high schooler who is definitely not your perfect Mexican daughter. That’s her older sister Olga’s role. But everything in Júlia’s life weighs heavier after Olga dies in a tragic accident, leaving Júlia to manage her family’s grief and unravel the secret truth — that her sister may not have been so perfect after all.

DENVER WALLS (Oct. 3–5, 2024) – Don't miss this woman- and immigrant-owned mural festival that is part of the globally renowned WORLD WIDE WALLS!

Rodeo All-Star Weekend  (Oct. 4–5, 2024) – It's the ultimate pro rodeo competition with all-star contestants from around the globe.

Great American Beer Festival (Oct. 10–12, 2024) – GABF represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served in a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF brings together the brewers and diverse beers that make the U.S. the world's greatest brewing nation.

Migrants, a Tale of Two Hearts (Oct. 10, 2024–Jan. 26, 2025) – The journey of migrants to the U.S. is full of internal changes taking place in the physical body and mental state. This exhibit at Museo de las Americas will explore the internal and external experiences of the immigrant who leaves home in search of a new and better life. 

Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak (Oct. 13, 2024–Feb. 17, 2025) – Named after Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” the beloved children’s book he authored in 1963 that became a cultural touchstone, this exhibition presents more than 400 of Sendak’s creations. Visitors will see unique examples of Sendak’s timeless art, such as the final artworks for  the book, and get a sense of his extraordinary skill and deep understanding of the process of creating picture books and designs for the stage, television and film productions.  

'Hamilton' (Oct. 16–Nov. 24, 2024) – This epic saga follows the rise of founding father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, the musical has had a profound impact on culture, politics and education. 

Denver Arts Week (Nov. 1–10, 2024) – Explore vibrant art districts, check out museum exhibitions and outdoor sculptures, indulge in the performing arts, be inspired at film and literary events, and even buy some art of your own! Denver Arts Week will kick off on Nov. 3, with expanded First Friday Art Walks across the city’s creative neighborhoods, followed by the free Night at the Museums on Saturday, Nov. 4, when many of Denver’s top cultural institutions will be open for free.

Denver Film Festival (Nov. 1–10, 2024) – The 46th Denver Film Festival is a 10-day festival bringing international cinema, filmmakers, virtual reality, immersive experiences and creative conversations to Colorado. The Denver Film Festival takes place at four primary locations throughout the city of Denver, with dozens of locations hosting pop-up events to engage audiences in the Denver and Aurora Metro areas, as well as greater Colorado and its surrounding states.

Have a Seat: Mexican Chair Design Today (Thru Nov. 3, 2024) – At Denver Art Museum, see an interactive exhibition featuring three historical artworks, 17 contemporary seats designed by 22 Mexican artists, and a site-specific art installation.

Winter Warriors: The 10th Mountain Division in World War II (Thru Nov. 12, 2024) – Using photos, video and first-hand personal accounts from the troops themselves, the newly constructed marquee exhibition gallery at the History Colorado Center 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.

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (Nov. 12, 2024) – The famous physicist will be back in town to blow your mind about the universe.

Orcas: Our Shared Future (Thru Nov. 15, 2024) – Trace the evolution of our beliefs about orcas, from fear to admiration and awe, as we discover their stunning intelligence and complex social structures at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Billie Eilish (Nov. 19–20, 2024) – The noted singer and songwriter will be making a stop at Ball Arena as part of her "Hit Me Hard and Soft" world tour.

Blossoms of Light (Nov. 20, 2024–Jan. 12, 2025) – Celebrate the holiday season with a dazzling and ever-changing display of light and color.

'A Christmas Carol' (Nov. 22–Dec. 29, 2024) – Essential to the holiday season in Denver, this joyous and opulent musical adaptation for the whole family traces money-hoarding curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge’s triumphant overnight journey to redemption.

Denver Christkindlmarket (Nov. 22–Dec. 23, 2024) – This annual event brings authentic German and European holiday traditions to Denver! The event offers an authentic German holiday experience. Guests can savor the season as they enjoy authentic Glühwein, Bavarian-style Biers, European coffee or hot chocolate while wandering through the market. Each charming wooden hut offers finely crafted artisan gifts and holiday treats sold by local Coloradan and international merchants.

Mile High Holidays (Nov. 28–Jan. 1, 2024) – This holiday season, Denver will twinkle with millions of lights all across the city. Feel the warmth of family-friendly performing arts classics, find the perfect gifts and marvel at elaborate lights displays. No other city creates holiday miracles quite like Denver. Mile High Holidays has something for everyone.

Trail of Lights at Chatfield Farms (Nov. 29, 2024–Jan. 1, 2025) – Follow a winding path glistening with lights that illuminate the Colorado countryside.

Colorado Ballet: 'The Nutcracker' (Nov. 30–Dec. 29, 2024) – The annual event returns to delight audiences of all ages with this timeless tradition that captures the festive spirit of the season, replete with mischievous dancing mice, sweet Sugar Plums and a symphony of swirling snowflakes.

Mile High Tree (TBD) – Denver’s holiday season will once again be illuminated by the spectacular Mile High Tree’s dazzling light and music show. Everyone's invited to get close and step inside this brilliantly lit, 110-foot-tall immersive art installation that will be erected on the Great Lawn in Civic Center Park.

Sarah Brightman: A Christmas Symphony (Dec. 4, 2024) – International singing sensation and Broadway icon Sarah Brightman is coming to the Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex.

Language Without Words: Works by Ashley Eliza Williams – (Dec. 22, 2024 – April 13, 2025) – Encounter a world inhabited by sun, stone, weather and the intricate living tapestries of tiny organisms. Rediscover the world around you through Ashley Eliza Williams' paintings and sculptures and re-consider the natural world through the eyes of its non-human inhabitants. An invitation to discover alternate ways to interact with nature (and one another), Language Without Words is an opportunity to contemplate perspectives beyond human experience. See it at Denver Botanic Gardens.

National Western Stock Show & Rodeo (Jan. 11–26, 2025) – Held every January at the National Western Complex, it's the nation's premier livestock, rodeo and horse show, serving agricultural producers and consumers throughout the world. Enjoy rodeos featuring top-notch bull riders, horse shows, livestock competitions and auctions. And don’t miss acres of shopping at Colorado’s largest Western trade show. 

Held Impermanence (Artists Select: Katherine Simóne Reynolds) (Jan. 17–Sept. 14, 2025) – In the Clyfford Still Museum’s largest six galleries, Katherine Simóne Reynolds illuminates competing desires held in constant tension. The collection reflects Still’s ambitious attempt to keep his collection intact, a commitment that allows us to see his works alongside paintings made in painful transitions, and others that bear the scars of time. Held Impermanence asks visitors to consider healing and rest over time; how we respond to this collection with our bodies; and to contend with his and our mortality—and, with it, a shared desire to hold impermanence.

For more events and things to do, see our Denver 365 calendar.