October is a month of change, which means Denver’s weekend festivities fall into a trend of embracing the new weather, color and wardrobe. Being close to the heart of the city allows DU students to celebrate Halloween, fall and the Day of the Dead within Denver.
Denver offers a multitude of activities to get into the eerie and dark Halloween spirit. One of the most popular options is the Elitch Gardens Fright Festival, which runs Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. $45 will get you admittance to the park, access to roller coasters, haunted houses and an overall frightening time.
Driving for about an hour and a half outside of Denver will take you to the famous Stanley Hotel, which was the birthplace and inspiration behind Stephen King’s novel “The Shining.” You and your friends can take a tour, visit the room in which Stephen King wrote his masterpiece, or even stay in a spirited room with high paranormal activity.
Following the trend of the undead, Denver’s 13th floor haunted house has been scaring Coloradians since 1983. This year, the organization has four different haunted houses that promise to be as terrifying as possible.
On the more classic side of Halloween, the Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Performing Arts Complex is putting on an event titled: “Disney in Concert: Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’” At a starting price of $15, you and your friends and family are invited to watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” on the big screen with effects and score played by the Colorado Symphony.
Another notable Halloween festivity in Denver this year is Coloween, which is a massive Halloween themed bar crawl and costume contest. Red Rocks Parks and Ampitheatre has also put together an event this year named Hard Halloween where artists like Gramatik, Kayzo, Ghastly and more will be playing on Oct. 26 to get people into the Halloween spirit. This event leads up to the Wu-Tang Clan’s concert Red Rocks on the night of Halloween. There are also many Halloween centered movies coming out this October, including “Joker” which hits theaters Friday, Oct. 4, “The Addams Family” cartoon in theaters on Oct. 11, and sequels of both “Zombieland” and “Maleficent”, which make the big screen on Oct. 18.
If October is more about fall than Halloween for you, then there are still plenty of things to do around Denver to help you celebrate the season. Denver Botanic Garden’s famous Corn Maze is open now until Oct. 27. The Denver Zoo is holding an event called the “Enchanted Hollows” that runs from Oct. 3 to Oct. 25. The zoo offers two different fall activities, one being the Harmony Hill Bigfoot festival and the other being a showcase of professionally carved pumpkins and other activities.
If you are wanting to celebrate fall in a more classic way, for five dollars, Cottonwood Farms Pumpkin Patch in Boulder, Colo. has pumpkin picking, a corn maze, and hayrides.
Denver’s monster dash is a 5K/10k on Oct. 26 that lets you wear a costume and race around Sloan’s Lake. After the race, there will be a costume and pie eating contest, music and more. Denver Botanic Gardens is offering an event called Glow at the Gardens from Oct. 21 to the 25. Attend and enjoy the lit-up pathways that wind through the gardens and show the professional pumpkin displays along with circus performers.
As Halloween comes to a close, Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead begins. This year, Denver has a few events to commemorate the annual Mexican celebration. Denver Botanical Gardens is offering a celebration on Nov. 2, with themed activities including a screening of Disney Pixar’s Coco. The annual celebration of Dia de Los Muertos at the Museo de la Américas is free to attend. The event will include a procession, costume contest, and sugar skull decorating. You also can celebrate Dia de Los Muertos locally by attending events that allow you to honor and celebrate deceased loved ones.
Whether you celebrate the month of October through Halloween, fall or by celebrating your loved ones, there is something in Denver for everyone to enjoy during October and fall season.
Update 10/9/19, 6:47 p.m.: The 13th Floor does not have four haunted houses but the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group does have two haunted houses in Denver including The 13th Floor and the City of the Dead Asylum. The 13th Floor has three attractions and the City of the Dead Asylum has two.
