Everything We Know About Denver

This weekend, among other Fourth of July activities, is the annual Cherry Creek arts Festival! Held in Cherry Creek North this is a pretty good gathering of arts in Denver and has been around for quite some time. Unlike some of the smaller festivals held downtown that don’t have a lot of variety or top of the line artists, if you are serious about art, you’ll find some good stuff here. If you just enjoying browsing but don’t have the pockets for art collecting - don’t worry there’ll plenty for you, too.

Arts Festival Hours:
Thursday, July 3 7:00pm to 10:00pm: Artist Preview Event: Clayton St Only
Friday, July 4 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday, July 5 10:00am to 8:00pm (Fireworks night)
Sunday, July 6 10:00am to 6:00pm

On the fax this week, Super Fresh Block Party. 6pm to 12am, local shops will open plus live music, fashion shows, roller derby girls, and food:

Stop by the SoCo Music Experience this Saturday at the Coors Field Central Parking Lot (Wazee and Park Ave) starting at 2 p.m. to see headliner Gnarls Barkley and other bands including Blonde Redhead, Bassnectar, Dead Confederate and Eagle Seagull.

Check it out!

Denver has not one, but TWO music festivals this year that are packed full of great bands:
Mile High Music Festival
July 19th and 20th, 2008, Dick’s Stadium
2-day tickets: $150
5 stages, sponsored by SanDisk and put on with AEG.
Lineup includes Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, O.A.R. (Of A Revolution), Spoon, Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope, Lupe Fiasco, Gavin Degraw, Josh Ritter, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Black Crowes, Flogging Molly, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, The Roots, Flobots, Rose Hill Drive, and more!

Monolith Festival
September 13th and 14th, 2008, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 50 artists on 5 stages, 2-day tickets: $110
Featuring Devotchka, Silversun Pickups, Vampire Weekend, Mickey Avalon, Atmosphere, CSS, The Kills, etc.

Monolith founders Matt Fecher (South Park Music Festival) and Josh Baker (Midwest Music Summit) are co-producing the event with AEG Live. Last year’s inaugural Monolith Festival featured the Flaming Lips, the Decemberists, Kings Of Leon, Cake and Spoon, among others.
Check out the Festival blog also.

Denver’s 33rd PrideFest, the 7th largest in the nation put on by GLBT Denver is this weekend at Civic Center Park or check out the Parade on Sunday on the Fax (Colfax) to the Park. More info here and here.

Oh yes, I said air guitar. Air guitar championships of Denver. And it’s sponsored. This is serious, people.

Last night I stopped by the Bluebird, paid $15 for a ticket, and experienced something I will never forget: Denver’s finalists competed to go to the US Air Guitar Championships, sponsored by Cuervo Black. Here’s the blog where you can follow the mayhem across the country, ending in San Fran.

Pre-competition, the Post wrote this article, and the contestants Mom comments. I suggest checking it out - it’s a classic, that features some tips on giving your best air guitar performance possible.

It’s time to sign up for Denver’s annual and very fun event: the Moonlight Classic.

What it is: The Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Classic is a 15-mile or 8 mile, non-competitive late night charity bike ride through Denver’s historic neighborhoods. Benefiting Seniors Inc - Seniors Inc. is a 39-year-old non-profit agency dedicated to helping Colorado’s elderly and their personal independence. The event starts at the Capitol and goes around Downtown and Cherry Creek (with lots of craziness and drink spots along the way!) There is also a costume contest, so come dressed to impress (or to cause lots of gasps and oos and ahhs).  It’s $35 for adults to participate.  More info here.

Bike to Work Day: June 25, 2008
I do it every year, and I can attest to the food being delicious and totally worth it. Here’s the schpeal from the site:

Are you getting frustrated with the high price of gas and heavy traffic on the roads? Have you been wondering how you can fit more exercise into your day? Bike to Work Day is the answer to all these problems, and a lot of fun to boot. Wednesday, June 25, is this year’s Bike to Work Day mark your calendar!
Bike to Work Day is an annual event that encourages people to try a different way of commuting. If you’ve never commuted by bike before, it’s the perfect time to try: there’s lots of support available for you on Bike to Work Day! After trying just once, you may decide to make it a regular routine, once a week or a few times a month. About 20,000 people throughout the metro area got on their bikes last year, and more are expected in 2008.
Great things you’ll get when you register for Bike to Work Day:
• Automatic entry into a drawing for lots of great prizes
• Free breakfast at any one of about 100 bike stops throughout the region on the morning of the event
• Fresh air and exercise while you get to work
To register, go to www.drcog.org and look for Bike to Work Day on the home page, call 303-458-7665. Bike to Work Day is organized locally by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, a nonprofit organization of more than 50 local cities and counties working together to solve regional problems such as traffic congestion.

Welcome to Friday’s installment of Summertime Funtime in Denver!

Part 3

Attend some summertime free concerts:
Confluence Park (mentioned in part 1),
Tabor Tunes - Every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m @ the Tabor Center’s 3rd floor food court.
Skyline Park Concert Series - Fridays from noon to 1:15 pm June - August @ Skyline Park (Spanning the length of Arapahoe Street from 15th to 18th Streets)
Hot Sounds Concerts @ the Denver Pavillions (Glenarm & 16th) - Thursdays at 5 pm starting June 19th.

Visit Water World! Just North of Denver @ 88th & Pecos. Tickets are $34 for adults.

Check out the Botanic Gardens Denver, located at 1005 York Street in Denver (other locations in South Denver). Open May 12 through September 14, 2008 from Saturday through Tuesday - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday through Friday - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or, better yet, attend their summer concert series. Ticket prices vary from about $40 to $55 and artists vary throughout the summer months of June, July & August. View the site for more info!

Attend the Colorado Renaissance Festival. Open on weekends in the summer starting June 14th. Highlights I recommend include face painting, watch the joust, and the ever popular Puke & Snot show. Also consider purchasing a crown, sword & shield - or my favorite, the crunk cup. Tickets are about $18 pp.

Check out the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art in it’s new location: 1485 Delgany Denver CO 80202. Hours are Tue – Thurs 10 am – 6 pm, Fri 10 am – 10 pm, Sat & Sun 10 am – 6 pm. Insider tip: go on the 1st Saturday of each month and pay only a penny to get in! Also get $1 off your ticket to get in when you use public transportation, bike or walk on any day.