Denver is the place to be for the long holiday weekend, June 30–July 4, 2023. You’ll be treated to fireworks, blockbuster museum exhibitions, delicious cuisine from farm-to-table restaurants on expanded patios and outdoor activities galore.

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Outdoor Activities

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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!

City Skate at Skyline Park 

Roll into summer like never before. City Skate is your go-to spot for summer fun. Featuring downtown's first-ever roller rink and the return of the Skyline Beer Garden, City Skate is the place to be in downtown Denver. With free mini golf, local food and beer, and events throughout summer, City Skate is sure to let the good times "roll" through Oct. 2, 2022.

Water World

Beat the heat, relax in the park's beautifully landscaped 64 acres — and ride some serious waterslides.

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Carved from towering red rock monuments, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre in Morrison is one of the world's most renowned concert venues. The surrounding park has hiking trails that weave in, around and over the colorful red rocks.

Farmers' Markets

The Mile High City's more than 20 farmers' markets aren't 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 donation 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. Memorial 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.

Lesser-Known, Hidden-Gem Parks

If you’re looking for a quiet spot to have a picnic, take in great views or experience a different side of the city, check out these lesser-known Denver parks.

How to Explore the South Platte River by Bike

Take a two-wheeled tour through the heart of the city along this beautiful river. You'll cruise by some of the city's biggest attractions. 

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 actually no need to head into the mountains when Denver's regional trail system encompasses hundreds of miles for all ages and abilities to explore. 

How to Explore the Colorado Trail in Waterton Canyon

Many people think that Denver’s prettiest, closest and most accessible bit of mountain scenery is Waterton Canyon. This is the start of the famous Colorado Trail, one of the great long-distance hikes (or mountain bike rides) of the Rocky Mountains.   

Pet-Friendly Denver

Denver is home to dozens of pet-friendly activities and destinations, including dog-friendly hotels and dog parks. Find the best on-leash and off-leash fun for your best friend. 

Art & Museum Exhibitions

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Return of the Corn Mothers

WHEN: Thru Sept. 30, 2023
WHERE: History Colorado Center

Return of the Corn Mothers marks a three-year effort to honor 22 new Corn Mothers in 2022. What began in 2007 with a small grant from the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and eight local women has now expanded to include more than 70 women. Join in the rich tradition of honoring Southwest women through this revitalized exhibit.

Fantastic Brush: Twentieth-Century Chinese Ink Art from the Robert and Lisa Kessler Collection

WHEN: Thru Nov. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Art Museum

The 23 ink paintings featured in this exhibit showcase some of the most important artists in twentieth-century China, including Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Wu Changshuo and Wu Guanzhong. The collection includes examples by teachers and students, friends and colleagues. The artists come from very different backgrounds: some traveled to Europe to study Western art, some went to Japan to study Japanese art and Western art as filtered through Japanese experience, and others never went abroad. Nevertheless, all were well versed in traditional Chinese ink art.

Confection Perfection: Jolly Rancher Company

WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden

Seeking additional income for her family, homemaker-turned-entrepreneur Dorothy Harmsen heard about people making a fortune in Florida selling ice cream from newly invented soft serve machines. In 1949, Harmsen rented a store in downtown Golden and made a down payment on a new machine. Within a few years, she and her husband, Bill, built one of the most iconic confectionery companies in the world.

Epic Events

WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden

Epic Events walks you through over three dozen moments that shaped Golden’s past. Those times range from big to small, happy to sad. Some are memorable and some are best forgotten. Step inside this exhibit and feel what it’s like to live through 150 years in Golden.

Legendary People

WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden

People are the ingredient that makes Golden a vibrant community. Over the years, so many have called the area home, from nomadic Native Americans, adventurous miners and cunning politicians, to innovative business owners, hard-working students and curious tourists. Their interesting stories make for a rich history. Learn the biographical highlights of some little-known characters, like beloved educator Gertrude Bell, Olympic athlete Lindsey Horan and many more.

Signs O’ The Times

WHEN: Thru Dec. 30, 2023
WHERE: Golden History Museum & Park, Golden

Old signs are powerful evidence of the changes Golden has experienced. Simply put, signs are visual graphics we use to communicate information to each other. We’ve used them for thousands of years, and if you stop and look around, they’re everywhere. The permanent City of Golden collection currently cares for more than two dozen commercial and business signs.

By Design: Stories and Ideas Behind Objects

WHEN: Thru Jan. 1, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum

A series of thematic installations drawn primarily from the architecture and design collection, this exhibition illustrates the abundance and versatility of approaches to design. How does it come into being? Who creates it and for what purpose? What trends inspire it? And how does it serve society?

The World in Denver: Photography by Robert Weinberg

WHEN: Thru Jan. 10, 2024
WHERE: History Colorado Center

Over the course of his career, Robert Weinberg captured images of those who left their mark on Denver. Best known for his work with the Intermountain Jewish News, Weinberg focused on portraits of people in the Denver community. Weinberg's photography adds a valuable dimension to the visual record of the Mile High City during the 1980s and 1990s. Now legally blind, Weinberg created braille labels to accompany his work, ensuring that his photographs are accessible to all. He continues to advocate for the visually impaired community by promoting organizations to assist people with low vision to live independently.

Gio Ponti: Designer of a Thousand Talents

WHEN: Thru July 19, 2024
WHERE: Denver Art Museum

Gio Ponti was one of the most inventive Italian architects and designers of his time. For more than 60 years, Ponti’s exuberant approach found expression in public and private commissions from buildings, interiors and furniture to glass, ceramics and flatware, influencing international design for more than 50 years. 

I Invite Myself Vol. II

WHEN: Thru July 30, 2023
WHERE: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Colorado Springs

In the first museum solo exhibition by the award-winning inter-disciplinary artist Eiko Otake, the artist's experimental, movement-based art practice engages and pushes traditions of dance, exploring themes of mortality, time and place. The Fine Art Center’s exhibition foregrounds Otake’s recent film and video works, which have developed alongside her dance, choreography and performance installations. The works feature a body as it moves in and through various places, including the urban infrastructure of Tokyo and New York, irradiated post-nuclear disaster Fukushima, and the vast landscapes of Wyoming and California. Viewers are strongly encouraged to return, as select media will rotate over the course of the exhibition in recognition of changing seasons.

Colombia: The Corn, The River, and The Grave

WHEN: Thru Aug. 20, 2023
WHERE: 
Museo de las Americas
An identity story of the anxiety and the calm of the Colombian territory, this exhibition weaves a possible fabric about the complexities of the land as a point of divergence between the sacred and the mercantile. Exhausted from development driven by selfish interests, the alteration of the rivers, and the uneven expansion of the tombs of war, Colombia has reached a historical crossroads.

Awful Bigness

WHEN: Thru Sept. 10, 2023
WHERE: Clyfford Still Museum

Awful Bigness fills the museum’s largest, skylit galleries and celebrates Still’s biggest, most ambitious works. This installation follows a chronological display of Still’s works in the museum's first four rooms, offering an overview of Still’s groundbreaking path to abstraction.

Ansel Adams: Early Works

WHEN: June 11–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens

Discover the early work of renowned landscape photographer Ansel Adams with photos of the American West. Known best for his high-contrast photos made in the 1970s and 1980s, Adams’ earlier prints feature a softer focus, smaller scale and warmer tones, providing a glimpse into the evolution of the photographer’s signature style. The exhibition features 39 vintage photographs, including some of his best-known works. Adams was a giant in the field of landscape photography, using his art to celebrate and protect the West.

Justin Favela: Vistas in Color

WHEN: June 11–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens

Justin Favela's large-scale piñata-paper installations exist at the intersection of cultural identity and pop culture. Vibrant and immersive, Vistas in Color honors and celebrates the sweeping desert landscapes of the U.S. and Mexico and the role that they have played in Latinx identity. A tissue paper floor-to-ceiling mural, created specifically for the Gardens’ exhibition, combines imagery from desert landscapes. The single panoramic image wraps the walls of the entire ellipse-shaped gallery. Plants from different deserts are featured, as well as plants from the artist’s own home and photos. Favela is a Latinx and first-generation American artist based in Las Vegas.

Dave Yust

WHEN: June 21–Oct. 1, 2023
WHERE: Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Kirkland Museum will host an exhibition of work by longtime Colorado artist and educator Dave Yust. The show, organized by the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, Kansas, will feature the artist’s most recent work and will be supplemented when it comes to Kirkland Museum with historical pieces from the museum’s permanent collection.

Indigo

WHEN: July 2–Nov. 5, 2023
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens

Rich and alluring, the striking blue color known as indigo has served as inspiration for weavers, dyers, designers and sculptors across the globe. This exhibition features contemporary artists from the United States, Nigeria, Japan, South Korea and beyond. Indigo dye is derived from a variety of plants, most often true indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) and woad (Isatis tinctoria). With a complex history that spans millennia and traverses thousands of miles, indigo holds an influential place in global art, trade and culture. Several large-scale installations are presented, including indigo-dyed yarn by local artist Theresa Clowes and indigo-dyed fabric by Rowland Ricketts, as well as a denim quilt by Anissa Mack and small sculptures by Luisa Uribe.

Music, Comedy & Performing Arts

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'Hit & Run: Musical Improv' 

WHEN: Thru Aug. 25, 2023 (Fridays)
WHERE: RISE Comedy

Enjoy Colorado’s premier improvised musical comedy team and Denver’s longest-running improv comedy show! Hit and Run: Musical Improv® creates an hour-long, fully improvised, Broadway-style musical with live musical accompaniment, based on suggestions from the audience. You’ll see a brand new musical every week!

'The Sound of Music'

WHEN: June 10–Sept. 30, 2023
WHERE: Boulder's Dinner Theatre, Boulder

Based on the true story of the Trapp Family Singers, this Broadway classic is a tale of courage and love. The winner of several Tony awards, including Best Musical, "The Sound of Music" was the final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein.

'Much Ado About Nothing'

WHEN: June 11, June 13, June 17, June 18, June 24–25, June 29–30, July 12, July 15, July 19, July 22–23, July 28–28, July 30, Aug. 2–3, Aug. Aug. 10 and Aug. 13, 2023
WHERE: Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, CU Boulder

Since 1958, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival has delighted audiences with professional theatre on the CU Boulder campus. Complete your Colorado summer with Shakespeare under the stars in the historic Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre. Beatrice and Benedick love to bicker. The only thing they might learn to love more? Each other. (They just don’t know it yet!) In this rollicking lampoon of relationships, romance and the influence of town gossip, Shakespeare delivers a near-perfect enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy.

'The Book of Mormon'

WHEN: June 21–July 2, 2023
WHERE: Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex

This outrageous musical comedy follows the adventures of a mismatched pair of Mormon missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word. With standing room-only productions in London, on Broadway and across North America, "The Book of Mormon" has truly become an international sensation.

'Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville'

WHEN: June 23–July 16, 2023
WHERE: PACE Center, Parker

A musical comedy featuring the most-loved Jimmy Buffett classics, including “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” “Fins,” “Volcano” and many more. This hilarious, heartwarming musical is the party you’ve been waiting for!

Central City Opera's 2023 Festival 

WHEN: June 24–Aug. 6 2023
WHERE: Central City Opera House, Central City

Brush up on your Shakespeare and join Central City Opera for the 2023 Summer Festival! Three musical adaptations of timeless Shakespearian stories are brought to life on the historic opera house stage. This season features the classic opera "Romeo & Juliet" by Charles Gounod, the delightful Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me, Kate" and the exquisite masterpiece "Othello" by Gioachino Rossini.

'The Winter's Tale'

WHEN: June 24–25, June 30–July 1, July 8–9, July 15–16, July 26–27, July 30, Aug. 4–5 and Aug. 11–12, 2023
WHERE: Roe Green Theatre, CU Boulder

Since 1958, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival has delighted audiences with professional theatre on the CU Boulder campus. Complete your Colorado summer with Shakespeare in the elegant indoor Roe Green Theatre. When King Leontes inexplicably accuses his pregnant wife of infidelity he makes a cruel, rash decision that he must spend two decades atoning for. Shakespeare’s nuanced epic explores both the heartrending corrosion of jealousy and the joyous redemption of forgiveness. Borrowing elements from fantasy and mythology, “The Winter’s Tale” weaves an audacious tapestry you have to experience to believe.

Brothers Osborne

WHEN: July 1, 2023
WHERE: Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village

The 98.5 KYGO Birthday Bash features Brothers Osborne with Niko Moon, Kameron Marlowe, Hailey Whitters, Randall King and Double Wide.

Dead & Company

WHEN: July 1–3, 2023
WHERE: Folsom Field, CU Boulder

Jam out to three nights of Dead & Company - The Final Tour live at CU Boulder's Folsom Field! 

Zeds Dead

WHEN: July 2–3, 2023
WHERE: Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Enjoy two nights of music from Canadian electronic music duo Zeds Dead at Morrison's iconic Red Rocks!

Zeds Dead & Friends

WHEN: July 4, 2023
WHERE: Civic Center Park

AEG Presents is thrilled to announce Deadbeats Backyard Jamboree: Zeds Dead live at Civic Center Park.

blink-182 2023 Tour

WHEN: July 3, 2023
WHERE: Ball Arena

Head to Denver's Ball Arena for blink-182's 2023 Tour with special guests Turnstile.

Urban Adventure

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Street Art

Denver street artists have been busy brightening (and enlightening) the urban landscape for decades by making canvases of the city’s alleyways, building exteriors, warehouses, garage doors and storefronts. Grab your camera and take a stroll past some of the city's favorite murals. 

Outdoor and Patio Dining

There’s no better way to soak up summer than on one of The Mile High City’s splendid patios. From skyward rooftop terraces to lushly landscaped gardens, these are the ultimate spots to eat and drink alfresco in Denver.

Denver Beer Trail

Denver is a mecca for craft beer. But with 100 brewpubs, breweries and tap rooms in the metro area, where do you begin? Let the Denver Beer Trail be your guide with this sampling and interactive map.

Colorado Rockies vs. Detroit Tigers

WHEN: June 30–July 2, 2023
WHERE: Coors Field - Home of the Colorado Rockies

Cheer on the home team and enjoy the views at Coors Field during this three-night series!

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers

WHEN: July 4, 2023
WHERE: Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City

Celebrate Independence Day as the Colorado Rapids take on the Portland Timbers.

The Colorado Summit Ultimate Disc Home Games 

WHEN: TBA 2023
WHERE: Peter Barton Stadium
, Colorado Springs
Pro Ultimate Disc has come to Colorado! Join the state's newest professional sports team, the Colorado Summit, at their home games at Peter Barton Stadium for their inaugural season. All games have pre-game tailgating activities along with musical acts.

The Ascendant at TPC Colorado

WHEN: TBA 2023
WHERE: TPC Colorado, Berthoud

The Ascendant at TPC Colorado will return to Berthoud, Colo., for the fourth annual PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour golf tournament. Tickets and volunteer registration can be found at theAscendant.com.

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