Things to do in Denver this weekend, May 17-19

8 min. read
“The Light Show” on display at the Denver Art Museum, May 16, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

By Lucy Haggard, for Denverite

Welcome to the weekend! Saturday's got the Five Points Jazz Festival, a decades-long tradition. On all three days, there's the Spread the Word Music Festival, now in its seventh year. If you need to get a bit sweaty, you could run the Colfax Marathon on Sunday, or any one of its shorter races, or just watch other people run a marathon. There's so much more than just these things, so take a scroll and find something good!

Friday

Just for fun

FERAL's 3rd Annual Great Gear Trade In. FERAL, 3936 Tennyson St. 10 a.m. No cover.

Science and nature

Endangered Species Day. Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Included with museum admission ($20).

Art, culture and comedy

2019 Park Hill Art Festival. Park Hill Masonic Lodge, 4819 E. Montview Blvd. 3-8 p.m. Free.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in IMAX 2D. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $9.95.

Denver Philharmonic Orchestra presents: Victory. Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St. 7:30 p.m. $25.

Bob Barrick / Zoe Berman / Matthew Davis. The Sanctuary Listening Room, 3101 W. 31st Ave. 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation $10.

Danny Elfman Violin Concerto feat. Sandy Cameron. Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St. 7:30 p.m. $15 upwards.

Food and drink

Pints for Pikas. Woods Boss Brewing, 2210 California St. 6 p.m. No cover ($1 is donated for every beer sold).

Music and nightlife

Married A Dead Man. 3 Kings Tavern, 60 S. Broadway. 7 p.m. No cover.

Aggison's Ensemble! ReCreative Denver, 765 Santa Fe Dr. 7 p.m. $5.

Hunter Hayes. Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave. 7:30 p.m. $37.50

Tech N9ne. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St. 8 p.m. $37.

Slothrust. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 8 p.m. $19-23.

Pancho Barraza. Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Pl. 8 p.m. $59.

POST/WAR, hellocentral. The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St. 8 p.m. $12-17.

LOCASH. Grizzly Rose, 5450 N. Valley Highway. 8:30 p.m. $23-25.

Allman Brown. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $13-17.

Bud Bronson & The Good Timers. Lion's Lair Lounge, 2022 E. Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $10.

The Heavy Eyes. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. $12.

David Phipps (of STS9). Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St. 9 p.m. $29.75.

Calpurnia. The Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. $25-30.

Scotty & The Late Nights (farewell show). Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. 9 p.m. $10-14.

Denver Hex Pre-Party. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. 9 p.m. $10.

Wookiefoot, Mike Love, and more (part of Spread the Word Music Festival). Cervantes' and The Other Side, 2637 Welton St. 9 p.m. $20.

Ethyl and the Regulars: An Americana Dance Party. Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. No cover.

Babah Fly with Dr3am Ca$t. Dazzle, 1512 Curtis St. 9:30 p.m. $7.

Saturday

Morning things

RiNo Spring Bazaar. DenverBazaar, 2845 Walnut St. 12-6 p.m. $5.

Just for fun

Jefferson Park Farm & Flea. Jefferson Park Pub, 2445 Eliot St. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free.

13th Annual Spring Gear Swap and Sale. Wilderness Exchange, 2401 15th St. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. No cover.

Own This City: Emergency Services. McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. 10:30 a.m. Free (suggested $5 donation).

Wagapalooza. Bruz Beers, 1675 W. 67th Ave. 11 a.m. No cover.

4th Annual Gothic Takeover. Lakeside Amusement Park, 4601 Sheridan Blvd. 1 p.m. to close. No extra cover (park entry is $4).

18th Century Walk in the Gardens. Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. 2-4 p.m. Garden admission ($12.50).

Meet and Greet for qtnbpoc. HeyDenver, 1720 Pearl St. 5 p.m. Free. *Note: this is event is only for those who identify in the qtnbpoc community, not allies.

Art, culture and comedy

Fem Fest 2019. Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Delgany St. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. $2-8.

2019 Park Hill Art Festival. Park Hill Masonic Lodge, 4819 E. Montview Blvd. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Five Points Jazz Festival. Five Points neighborhood. 11 a.m. onwards. Free.

Sonic Tone: Learn to Listen Like a Jazz Musician. Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, 2401 Welton St. 11 a.m. Free.

Zabiti Circus: A Free Celebration of Barnum. The Co-op on 1st, 5045 W. 1st Ave. 2:30 p.m. Free.

2nd Annual Sky's The Limit Showcase. McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave. 5 p.m. $10-30.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in IMAX 2D. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $9.95.

Danny Elfman Violin Concerto feat. Sandy Cameron. Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St. 7:30 p.m. $15 upwards.

Carabiner Comedy Show: Caleb Synan. 14er Brewing & Beer Garden, 3120 Blake St. 8 p.m. $5.

Food and drink

Proud Souls Backyard BBQ. The Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 12-6:30 p.m. Free (ticketed event featuring Slim Cessna's Auto Club immediately after).

Bloodies & Bluegrass. Mile High Spirits, 2201 Lawrence St. 12 p.m. Free.

Truck Stop: Food Truck Rally. University of Denver, 2199 S. University Blvd. 1-8 p.m. No cover (pay at trucks).

Retro Prom 2019. Baere Brewing Company, 320 Broadway. 7 p.m. $5.

Flower Moon Party. 54thirty, 1475 California St. 8 p.m. No cover.

Music and nightlife

BoomBox, The Werks, and more (part of Spread the Word Music Festival). Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St. 12:30 p.m. $19.99-24.99.

Open Air AAffair 4.1 // Layton Giordani and Lonely Boy. Jackson's Denver, 1520 W. 20th Ave. 4 p.m. $20-25.

Global Dub Festival 2019. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy. 4 p.m. $52.80-99.

One Epic Night. Swallow Hill Music, 71 E. Yale Ave. 6 p.m. $100.

Cub Sport. Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St. 7 p.m. $10.

Slim Cessna's Auto Club (party of Proud Souls Backyard BBQ). The Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 7:30 p.m. $20-25.

Neetesh Jung Kunwar & Bartika Eam Rai. Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St. 8 p.m. $30-75.

Lenin Ramirez. National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St. 8 p.m. $50.

Mile High Soul Club. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. $7.

Electric Feels: Indie Rock + Indie Dance Night. Summit, 1902 Blake St. 9 p.m. $10-15.

Kerala Dust and Ramona Wouters. The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St. 9 p.m. $20.

David Phipps (of STS9). Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th St. 9 p.m. $29.75.

Compass & Cavern. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $10-15.

Kirin J Callinan. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. 9 p.m. $15-18.

Jack Cloonan Band. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. 9 p.m. $8-10.

Porter Neville Quartet. Cervantes' Other Side, 2637 Welton St. 9 p.m. $25.

Eric Lake. Neon Baby, 1942 Market St. 9 p.m. Free before 10 p.m.; prices slide up afterward.

Kevin Morby. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 9 p.m. $22.50.

Sports

Denver Roller Derby's Home Team Champs Double Header. The Rollerdome, 2375 S. Delaware St. 6 p.m. $20.

Sunday

Morning things

Colfax Marathon, half marathon, 10 miler, 10K and more. Downtown Denver. Marathon starts at 6 a.m. $144 for marathon (prices go down as distance decreases).

Just for fun

Thriftcon. EXDO Event Center, 1399 35th St. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $5-12.

RiNo Spring Bazaar. DenverBazaar, 2845 Walnut St. 12-6 p.m. $5.

Denver Victorian & Steampunk Society Day. Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St. 12-5 p.m. Garden admission ($12.50).

Art, culture and comedy

2019 Park Hill Art Festival. Park Hill Masonic Lodge, 4819 E. Montview Blvd. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Danny Elfman Violin Concerto feat. Sandy Cameron. Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St. 1 p.m. $15 upwards.

Denver Choir League: Illuminate. Mile High Spirits Distillery, 2201 Lawrence St. 5:30 p.m. $16.

Trevor Noah. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy. 7 p.m. $99.75.

Game of Thrones season finale watch party. Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave. 8 p.m. Free.

Food and drink

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. Nooch Vegan Market, 10 E. Ellsworth Ave. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. No cover.

Music and nightlife

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (part of Spread the Word Music Festival). Levitt Pavilion, 1380 W. Florida Ave. 12 p.m. $18.

Maydaze. Cervantes' Other Side, 2637 Welton St. 5 p.m. $10.

Pentatonix. Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Cir. 7 p.m. $29.50 upwards.

KGNU's Sunday Night Live Westword Music Best of 2019 Nominees (live broadcast). Goosedown Tavern, 3242 E. Colfax Ave. 7 p.m.

Street Fight Radio Live. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. 8 p.m. $10-15.

The Wild Reeds. Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 8 p.m. $13-15.

Weeed. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. 8 p.m. $10-12.

OM. The Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway. 8 p.m. $20.75-22.

Narcissa. Lost Lake, 3602 E. Colfax Ave. 8 p.m. $10-12.

Ohmme. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St. 9 p.m. $10-12.

Nipples and Dimes reunion show. 3 Kings Tavern, 60 S. Broadway. 9 p.m. $10.

Groove Domestic Product. Rhinoceropolis, 3553 Brighton Blvd. 9 p.m. $10.


Didn't find what you're looking for? Here's a link to Meetups near Denver. Or you might try MileHighOnTheCheap.com's calendar.

You should also check out our guide to things to do in Denver: Spring 2019.

Want to submit a thing? Do it at our Google form!


Lucy Haggard is a student journalist at University of Colorado Boulder. She's News Director at Radio 1190 KVCU, the student radio station, and was previously Editor-In-Chief for CU Independent, the student news site. When she's not ditching class to report the news, she's probably geeking out over a map. Follow her on Twitter @lucy_haggard.

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