World News
Free movies, music festivals, baseball and more
With Labor Day quickly approaching on Monday, September 2, it’s time to tighten up those end-of-summer plans or even make some new ones.
Here are five ideas for the days before and after the holidays, including free, low-cost and family-friendly options. (Find more things to do at denverpost.com/things-to-do.)
Denver Food + Wine Festival
Labor Day week marks the return of the Denver Food + Wine Festivalone of the city’s largest and most popular food and drink events. Hundreds of restaurants and spirits brands will be present at the meeting from September 4 to 7. Stay here for educational seminars and the Grand Tasting. It all takes place at the Tivoli Quad, Auraria campus, 1000 Larimer St. in Denver. Tickets cost $150-$225 for the Grand Tasting, with varying prices for other programs. denverfoodandwine.com
Music festivals, large and small
While Phish owns Labor Day music in Denver – with its traditional August 29-September music. 1 run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City (sufficient GA, standing room tickets still available at ticketmaster.com) — there’s plenty more on tap. Monument Lake in Weston houses the Caveman music festivalAugust 30-Sept. 1, with on-site camping and a well-booked mix of 20 indie and ’90s alt-rock, folk, Americana and other artists. That includes sets from Kurt Vile and the Violators, the Wallflowers, Toadies, Jamestown Revival, Band of Heathens and Red Clay Strays. Tickets: $120 per day or $220 for all three days. cavemanmusicfestival.com
Also check out Levitt Pavilion free festivals for all ages over labor day weekend, including the Rocky Mountain Tentacle Party on August 30, featuring bands from punk legend Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label: Tsunami Bomb, Kulture Shock, Rolstoel Sports Camp and Dead Pioneers. Biafra, a part-time Boulderite, will host.
The next day, August 31, Dashiki party from the Colorado African Cultural Center features live music, arts and crafts, vendors, fashion, dancing and more. Both shows are free and family friendly. 1380 W. Florida Avenue in Denver. To see levittdenver.org for more free shows for all ages.
Outdoor movies, fade quickly
Films under the stars won’t last much longer, as series like Denver Film’s popular Film on the Rocks have already wrapped on August 19. Avanti food and drinks Denver’s free series will screen “Legally Blonde” on the patio on August 29 (avantifandb.com), while Aurora Stanley Marketplace presents Film on the Field with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” from August 31 (stanleymarketplace.com). Evergreen Park and Recreation carries “Barbie”. Buchanan Park Field on August 30 for the latest Family Movie Night (evergreenrecreation.com).
Golden’s Parfet Park will also have “Barbie” on September 6, and 88 Drive-In’s Retro Week offers “Grease” and “Dirty Dancing” through September 29 ($10 per person, children under 12 free; facebook.com/88drivein).
The cracking of the bat
Colorado Rockies diehards and visiting team fans tend to match each other in numbers Coorsveld most days. But whether you love the Blake Street Bombers or their rivals, you still have a few chances to catch a late summer game before the Rox kick off the offseason. That includes their home series against the Miami Marlins, August 26-29, followed by more games against the Baltimore Orioles, August 30-September. 1. Prices vary (hugely). (mlb.com/rockies/scheme)
Last call for theme parks
While theme parks tend to reopen on lucrative holiday weekends to catch the Halloween and Christmas traffic, their main runs are quickly coming to an end. Just as the swimming pools empty over Labor Day weekend, so too Water world in Federal Heights, the 50-ride water park that ends its regular seasonal hours on September 2 (waterworldcolorado.com).
Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver, the regular season also ends on September 2, with limited weekend hours until the fall (elitchgardens.com). The historic (albeit often semi-open) Denver theme park Amusement park on the lake is open until September 16 (lakesideamusementpark.com).
