Anyone staying in Denver this summer can enjoy a diverse list of seasonal hometown events to attend with their friends, family or sweetheart. Below is a snippet of this summer’s biggest happenings-most of which offer free admission for budget-minded folks.
Experience Japanese culture at the Colorado Cherry Blossom Festival: This annual cultural celebration takes place June 22-23 at the Sakura Square in LoDo. Come and observe an event-packed tradition complete with music, arts and dance. Vendors will tempt your taste buds with mouth-watering Asian delicacies and offer a wide array of colorful merchandise from vintage kimonos to custom-made accessories and exquisite fine art. Sip sake while enjoying continuous live entertainment comprised of martial arts matches, Japanese flower arrangement demonstrations, tea ceremonies, calligraphy, traditional performances and more. Admission is free and the event is accessible via light rail.
Join the jesters at the Colorado Renaissance Festival: Take a step back into medieval times with your fair maiden or knight-in-shining-armor at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, an ongoing event spanning eight weekends beginning on June 15 until Aug. 4, Saturdays and Sundays only. Each weekend portrays a designated theme (“Mardi Gras Style Carnival,” “Wine Revelry,” “Love and Romance,” etc.) to make each visit unique. Festival entertainment includes classic jousting competitions, an Endangered Cat Show featuring exotic felines demonstrating their athletic prowess, sword swallowers along with fire-eaters, illusionists and hypnotists alike-all framed by a background of roaring laughter and high-spirited Celtic music. General adult admission is $20 but order early or visit a local King Soopers for discounted tickets. The event is located in Larkspur, about 20 minutes south of Denver.
Witness vintage sex appeal at the Colorado Burlesque Festival: To spice things up this summer, invite your sweetheart or a group of friends to the four-day long Colorado Burlesque Festival happening July 11-14 at the Clocktower Cabaret on the 16th St. Mall. Delight in some playful female striptease and bawdy musical comedy at this jazzy, sequin-speckled event. Featuring the red headed “Burning Sensation” Ophelia Flame along with Foxy Tann, “The Boss of Burlesque” and the charming Fanny Spankings, performances include Late Naughty Nightcap Shows where the acts turn up the heat with extra teasing fun. This singing, dancing and comedy-filled event culminates with a Saturday Night Spectacular at the Paramount Theatre starring festival headliners, special guests and international performers all on one stage. Tickets are on sale now ranging from $20 general admission to $50 VIP service.
Under the sea with the Denver Downtown Aquarium Mystic Mermaids exhibit: Mermaids may be mythological beings, but taking a visit to the Downtown Aquarium may be the closest you’ll ever get to meeting one of these fantastical creatures. The Denver Aquarium is home to the famous Mystic Mermaids exhibit which features a band (or a pod?) of graceful mermaids who perform intricate underwater choreography set to music while educating viewers on how to care for the ocean. These beautiful mermaids with their long, flowing locks and bright silky tails will enchant you as they dive among the aquarium’s sea animals. Get your free tickets at the Driscoll Student Information Desk to watch these realistic and highly-skilled fishtailed swimmers lip sync underwater and learn a few things about the ocean environment.
Walk among visual masterpieces at the Denver Chalk Art Festival: Take a leisurely promenade around Larimer Square June 1-2 while admiring elaborate street art done by more than 200 artists, including award-winning street painters and talented Colorado youth, who will don out their best work in a competition for prizes. Come witness this historic artistic tradition originating in 16th century Renaissance Italy, a time when artists began transforming asphalt into canvases using chalk. This temporary museum of chalk art is completed by live music, wine-tasting pavilions and a photo contest to which event visitors can submit their pictures for the chance to win a pair of Southwest Airlines tickets. Admission is free.
Staying in town for the break doesn’t mean forfeiting your summer fun; take a friend and explore any of these hot spots to make some truly sizzling memories. For more summer events including food, cultural, art and music festivals visit: http://www.denver.org/what-to-do/museum-art/denver-summer-festivals.
