logo
6 fun festivals happening around Denver this weekend

6 fun festivals happening around Denver this weekend

Axios05-06-2025
Watch more than 200 artists transform city streets into vibrant masterpieces at this year's Denver Chalk Art Festival.
Zoom in: The annual event, held around the Golden Triangle Creative District, will feature five artists who have been crafting their chalk art mastery for decades.
They include pastel portrait specialist Dawn Wagner, award-winning artist Julie Kirk Purcell and Denver-based Chris Carlson, whose 3D creations double as optical illusions.
Zoom out: Food vendors and beverage booths will be sprinkled throughout the festival site on Bannock between 11th and 13th avenues.
If you go: The family-friendly event is free and runs this Saturday and Sunday.
Nearby landmarks include the Denver Art Museum, Kirkland Museum, Clyfford Still Museum, Evans School and Leven Deli.
Preferred parking is on the 2nd and 3rd levels of the Dryden Garage at 1140 Bannock St. Use the discount code "CHALK" to save $3.
More fun festivals this weekend
🇬🇷 The Denver Greek Festival will be held at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral Friday through Sunday. Enjoy authentic Greek food and wine, music and art, as well as live dancing and performances. Tickets are $5.
🥬 VegFest Colorado takes over the Auraria Campus on Sunday, featuring more than a dozen vendors serving plant-based meals. Vendors include Southern Fried Vegan, the Savage Beet and Boujee Biscuit. Tickets start at $10.
🎭 Denver Fringe Festival, which supports independent performing artists, will highlight over 70 avant-garde performances including queer burlesque, solo clown acts and interactive theater. The fest is held across numerous venues in RiNo and Five Points. Tickets start at $20.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

7 reasons to check out Denver's CinemaQ
7 reasons to check out Denver's CinemaQ

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

7 reasons to check out Denver's CinemaQ

Denver Film started CinemaQ in 2009 as a way to celebrate queer voices, queer visions and queer visibility as seen in the film industry. The three-day festival showcases new and classic LGBTQ+ movies from around the world. This year's festival includes 12 feature films as well as a shorts showcase, included are documentaries, dramas and animated movies. CinemaQ runs August 8 - 10, 2025 at the Sie Film Center on East Colfax Avenue in Denver. "We operate 365-days-a-year to just showcase the best in film, build a film community, and we do it all for the viewers," said Keith Garcia, Artistic Director at the Sie Film Center. Here are 7 reasons why you might consider checking it out: 1. BLQ showcase gets bigger & better Denver Film's partnership with Black Pride Colorado is in its second year. The BLQ (Black Lives Queerly) showcase includes screenings of four films, panel discussions, and a dance party. Dr. Tara Jae, Executive Director of Black Pride Colorado, said in a news release that "these screenings are more than events, they are acts of resistance, visibility, and healing for our community at large." "At Black Pride Colorado, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling to reclaim our narratives, celebrate Black queer joy, and build collective liberation," Jae said. 2. You can go inside the fight for trans rights "Heightened Scrutiny," screening on day two, follows civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio as he battles at the Supreme Court for transgender adolescents' right to healthcare. Strangio faces challenges not only in the legal system, but also in the media as he wages this personal fight. 3. Poignant storytelling is timeless CinemaQ kicks off with the presentation of "Twinless." Fresh off its premiere at Sundance Film Festival and before its wider release, "Twinless" explores the themes of loss and connection. The movie follows Roman (Dylan O'Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship. 4. Who doesn't love a movie starring Olivia Colman & John Lithgow? The Festival closes with a screening of "Jimpa" starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. The intergenerational family drama explores the complexities of parenthood, queer identity and the evolving meaning of family. 5. House music has roots in queer Black clubs "Move Ya Body: The Birth of House" shows how house music emerged from the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago. The movie features dramatic recreations, archival materials and interviews with the genre's pioneers. Denver Film will keep the celebration going with a House Party at the Sie Film Center on Saturday, August 9, 2025 after the film screening. 6. Lesbians rule in space Denver Film is hosting SaturGAY Morning Cartoons + Cereal Party at the Sie Film Center. "Where we have some cartoons of yore that I think were very queer coded as a child watching them, but that's before our brand new animated queer film from Australia called "Lesbian Space Princess," Garcia said. 7. Drag queens & club kids may be the best way to survive the apocalypse When zombies attack a warehouse party in Brooklyn, drag queens, club kids & frenemies have to put aside their drama to fight back. "Queens of the Dead" is screening as part of BLQ and is sponsored by Black Pride Colorado. "Queens of the Dead" director, Tina Romero, is the daughter of the Godfather of Zombie movies, George Romero, who directed "Night of the Living Dead." LINK: For Tickets & Information about CinemaQ "The Cinema Q Film Festival was born and we've been amplifying queer voices, queer visions, and queer visibility ever since," Garcia explained. "This year and right now, it's especially an important time to amplify queer voices, and I think, this batch of films is going to be just the right remedy for the kind of ill feeling we have in the world right now."

Banned Steam game VILE: Exhumed is back as a free shareware title
Banned Steam game VILE: Exhumed is back as a free shareware title

Engadget

time2 hours ago

  • Engadget

Banned Steam game VILE: Exhumed is back as a free shareware title

After her game was banned from sale on Steam in a baffling decision with no appeal option , solo developer Cara Cadaver has made VILE: Exhumed available as shareware under a Creative Commons license. The project can be downloaded for free, but players can opt to donate in support of the solo developer's work. Both Cara and publisher DreadXP will pay forward those donations, with 50 percent of the game's profits being given to the Toronto-based charity Red Door Family Shelter . The group aids families, refugees and women who are escaping violence. Both Steam and have recently adopted sweeping and vague policies regarding their approach to projects with adult content due to pressure from payment processors . has begun re-indexing some projects, but only free ones . These changes have disproportionately impacted projects by underrepresented and queer creators, according to a statement from the International Game Developers Association that condemned the broad delisting of adult games. In her post announcing the new distribution plan for VILE: Exhumed , Cara summed up the situation pretty aptly: "What this actually results in is taking power and storytelling away from women, other marginalized artists, and ultimately, from everyone."

Go behind the scenes of "Sweet & Lucky: Echo," Denver Center for Performing Arts' latest immersive experience
Go behind the scenes of "Sweet & Lucky: Echo," Denver Center for Performing Arts' latest immersive experience

CBS News

time5 hours ago

  • CBS News

Go behind the scenes of "Sweet & Lucky: Echo," Denver Center for Performing Arts' latest immersive experience

Months after wrapping a very successful run of "Monopoly Lifesized," the Denver Center for the Performing Arts is preparing to open its latest immersive theatrical experience. "Sweet & Lucky: Echo" is set to open Aug. 13 in Denver. This experience takes audiences through an immersive journey, following the story of a couple and the memories they created. Set in a warehouse, audiences find themselves surrounded by shelves filled with cardboard boxes. "Immersive theatre places audiences at the center of the story," said Charlie Miller, executive director and curator of the DCPA's off-center program. Off-center was created 15 years ago, founded in part by Miller. "Immersive theatre engages all of your senses," Miller said. CBS News Colorado was taken behind the scenes of the production as the cast, crew, and creative team completed some of their final run-throughs of the production. Zach Morris with Third Rail Projects helped create the production. He said the idea behind the warehouse full of boxes is supposed to help audiences feel they are unpacking stories. "We are playing with the idea of memories coming out of boxes," Morris said. For those who have never been to an immersive theatrical experience, the DCPA is one of the leaders in the country when it comes to such experiences. Sweet & Lucky: Echo will involve audiences sitting and walking through the stage, with the cast interacting with them. "You are not just watching it from a distance, but you are a part of it," Miller said. Miller said it has been fun to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Off-Center, especially with the upcoming production. "Ever since (we started), we have been experimenting with new ways of engaging audiences and centering them in the storytelling," Miller said. "The way audiences get to interact with and experience art has greatly expanded. It is so exciting to bring this experience to our community." Morris said audience members are essential to the concept of immersive theatre. "They're entering a world that is all around them. The action is happening only feet or inches away, and they become a part of the story," Morris said. Morris said, while the show is intended to walk audiences through a story of a couple's love, many will walk away from the experience reflecting on their own life experiences. "We are looking at these ideas of memory, love, and relationships through time," Morris said. "We're thinking about what does love mean? What does loss mean? What does memory mean? While that is manifested here on stage, it also, I think, has echoes for the audience that relate to their own lives." Sweet & Lucky: Echo plays at the DCPA Aug. 13 through Oct. 5. CBS Colorado is a proud partner of the DCPA.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store