Things to do in Denver this weekend, May 20-21

Looking for things to do in Denver this weekend? Here’s a big, curated list of options in arts and entertainment, food and drink, causes, sports and more!
6 min. read
The 715 Club, 715 E 26th Ave. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) five points; welton street; green book; denver; colorado; denverite; kevinjbeaty;

The 715 Club, 715 E 26th Ave. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Saturday

Food & drink

The 5th Annual Whiskey Throwdown & Doughnut Showdown. McNichols Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. 3-9 p.m. $40-115.

Stouts & Snouts. Dual Russian imperial stout bottle release with smoked pork and fixin's from Il Porcellino Salumi. Call to Arms Brewing Co., 4526 Tennyson St. Noon-6 p.m. 

Strange Craft 7th Anniversary Backyard BBQ. Beer from 10 breweries, food from Spudz & Frank’s BBQ and live music from Blooming Honeywise. Strange Craft Brewing Co., 1330 Zuni St., Unit M. Noon-4 p.m. $30.

Renegade's Barrel-Aged Tap Takeover featuring Bedwetter, Hammer and Sickle, Endpoint, Berbere and Contrarian. Renegade Brewing Co., 925 W. Ninth Ave. 2-10 p.m. 

Vine Street Pub 9th Anniversary Party. Live music, grilling and beer. Proceeds will go to Project Angel Heart. Vine Street Pub & Brewery, 1700 Vine St. 4:20-8:30 p.m.

Crawfish boil. Two 16-ounce beers, crawfish, fixin's and a bib. Denver Beer Co., 1695 Platte St. Noon-5 p.m. $35.

Grand opening of The Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project, 925 W. 8th Ave. Noon-11 p.m.

Entertainment

Best bet: Five Points Jazz Festival featuring Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band, Denver Jazz Orchestra, Paa Kow, Conjunto Colores, SF1, Groove ‘N Motion and more. On and around 27th and Welton streets. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Free.

Best bet: Project Pabst featuring Ice Cube, Phantogram, Danny Brown, Kurt Vile, STRFKR, Noname and more. Larimer Street between 27th and 28th streets. Noon-1 a.m. $55.

Best bet: Crom Comedy FestivalRatio Beerworks, 2920 Larimer St., and Crossroads Denver Theater, 2590 N. Washington St. 7-11:30 p.m. Free-$15.

“The Secret Garden.” The classic story comes to the stage in the form of a musical. Stage Theatre, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street. 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. $35-75.

“The Luckiest People.” A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere commissioned by Curious Theatre Company about a man whose difficult father moves in with him and his partner after the death of his mother. Curious Theater Co., 1080 Acoma St. 8 p.m. $22-$44.

The Illusionists: Live. Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis St. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. $30-105.

Next-Door Nutrition: Film Premiere. Film featuring interviews from urban farmers, local eatery owners and professional experts. Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. 7-10 p.m. 

MXP. Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 8 p.m. $25-30.

RISK! A live show and podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $20-25.

Sonic Geometry. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. 11 p.m. $8-10.

Western Skyline. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. 9 p.m. $5-10.

45s Against 45, an anti-Trump dance party featuring DJ Jason Heller, DJ Boyhollow and more. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. $5.

Start Making Sense (Talking Heads tribute band). Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St. 9 p.m. $15-20.

Duey and the Decibels do disco. Cervantes Other Side, 2637 Welton St. 9 p.m. $15-20.

Everclear. Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St. 7 p.m. $33.50-225.

Alaska Thunderfuck (of RuPaul's Drag Race). Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. 8 p.m. $25-65. Afterparty with DJ Pearl at 11:30 p.m. $15.

The Burial Plot. Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St. 7 p.m. $10.

For families

Sweet Action storytime. Ross-Broadway Branch Library librarians and Sweet Action staff will lead storytime and sing-alongs. There will be free ice cream for 50 people. Sweet Action Ice Cream, 52 Broadway. 10-11 a.m. 

For your brain

Tour of Historic Fairmount Community Mausoleum. Denver's largest community mausoleum, built in 1929-30, is the largest one of its kind between Kansas City and the West Coast. 430 South Quebec St. 10 a.m.-noon. $10.

Sports

Colorado Rockies at Cincinnati Reds, 2:10 p.m.

Colorado Rapids at Philadelphia Union, 5 p.m.

Sunday

Reminder: Getting around will be a bit of a nightmare today. The Colfax Marathon will affect 26 bus routes and shut down major streets. We've got everything you need to know over here.

Food & drink

Cajun Cook-Off with live Cajun music from The One And Only Jon Ham. Everyone should bring food. Chain Reaction Brewing Co., 902 S. Lipan St. 12:30-4 p.m. $5 donation for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Pig roast. All-you-can-eat pork and sides, and one free beer from Black Shirt Brewing Co. Dio Mio, 3264 Larimer St. 3-6 p.m. $25.

Entertainment

Best bet: Esmé Patterson with déCollage and Kitty Crimes. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. 8 p.m. $15.

“The Secret Garden.” The classic story comes to the stage in the form of a musical. Stage Theatre, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street. 1:30 p.m. $35-75.

“The Luckiest People.” A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere commissioned by Curious Theatre Company about a man whose difficult father moves in with him and his partner after the death of his mother. Curious Theater Co., 1080 Acoma St. 2 p.m. $22-$44.

Larimer Lights. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. 8 p.m. $8-10.

Quilombo Sound System. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. 8 p.m. $5-10.

Amy Kress. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. 8 p.m. $8-10.

Face of the City Showcase. Cervantes Other Side, 2637 Welton St. 5:30 p.m. $10-15.

Arkona. Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St. 7 p.m. $17-20.

Art

Foul-Mouthed Cross-Stitch Sundays. Get crafty and do some cross-stitching. All materials provided with purchase. Grandma’s House, 1710 S. Broadway. Noon-9 p.m.

For families

Bringing Back the Arts. Denver high school students play live and compete for best band awards and a $1,000 prize. Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 5:30 p.m. Free.

The Blue Trees Family Day. Help artist Konstantin Dimopoulos paint 200 kid-sized trees. Plus: environmentally friendly art activities and other kid’s entertainment. Skyline Park, 16th and Arapahoe streets. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.

Paint the Town with WalkDenver. Help paint a mural on the street outside Valverde Elementary School, 2030 W. Alameda Ave. 8-11 a.m.

Old Fuss & Feathers at Little Man Ice Cream, 2620 16th St. 2-5 p.m. 

Movement Storytime. Second Star to the Right, 4353 Tennyson St. 10:30-11:30 a.m. 

For your body

Colfax Marathon, half-marathon and 10-miler. Start locations vary. 6 a.m. Last registration opportunity is at the Expo on Saturday (9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Mile High Stadium). $75-145.

Tivoli Brewing Co. beer run. Walk, job or run and raise money for local nonprofits. Live music and free beer at the end. Tivoli Brewing Co., 900 Auraria Parkway. $30.

For a cause

Izzy's Place Benefit with Five Mile Woods, Diego Florez and Andy Thomas' Dust Heart. Proceeds benefit shelter for elderly dogs. 3 Kings Tavern, 60 S. Broadway 2-9 p.m. $5.

Sports

Colorado Rockies at Cincinnati Reds, 11:10 a.m.

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