Things to do in Colorado this weekend

It’s fall in Colorado and there’s plenty to do. From a tarantula festival in Southern Colorado to an abundance of autumn celebrations on the Western Slope, it’s the perfect time of year to get outside, see the changing leaves and ring in the new season.

Here’s where to go and what to do across Colorado this weekend.

Friday, Sept. 26

• Unsent Show: Sex Edition in Denver — Unsent is a live storytelling event where brave souls get on the mic to share messages they wrote but never sent. On stage at Town Hall Collaborative at 7 p.m Tickets start at $17.85.
• Giordano Dance Chicago in Colorado Springs — A showcase of innovative jazz choreography at 7:30 p.m. at the Ent Center for the Arts. Tickets are $26-50.
• Afterglow: A Fashion-Forward Rooftop Gala in Denver — A bold celebration of LGBTQ+ creativity, self-expression and cultural influence featuring runway glamour, storytelling and community connection at the Catbird Hotel at 6 p.m. Registration, including food and a welcome drink, is $125.

Saturday, Sept. 27

• Music in the Monument near Grand Junction — In celebration of National Public Lands Day, Colorado National Monument Association is hosting a concert with Jeneve Rose Mitchell at the Saddlehorn Amphitheater. Tickets are $25, entrance to the monument is free. Music begins at 5:30 p.m.
• Dragon Boat Regatta and Night Market in Brighton — A free festival at Riverdale Regional Park. Dragon Boat races start at 10 a.m. and the Night Market starts at 4 p.m., followed by a drone show with music by Denver Taiko at 8:30 p.m.
• Taste of the Market in Denver — A showcase of Denver Milk Market’s unique mix of vendors, serving tastes of everything from pizza and pasta to fried chicken and Ethiopian food. Small bites, drinks and live music take place from 4 to 10 p.m.
• Rad Dirt Fest in Trinidad — A gravel bike festival featuring three courses beside the striking Spanish Peaks. Races start at 9:30 a.m. with registration beginning at $95.
• Sphere Ensemble in Lafayette — A 14-member string ensemble that is redefining string music, with classical, baroque, rock, hip hop and more. On stage at 7:30 p.m. at the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Tickets range from $10-40.
• “Nourished: Works by Jazz Holmes” in Denver — Opening day for an exhibition showcasing the work of Jazz Holmes, who creates large-scale paintings that depict ingredients and recipes beloved throughout the American south. On view at the Denver Botanic Gardens from Sept. 27 through March 22, 2026.
• Parker Fall Fest — A day of free, family-friendly events from 4 to 7 p.m. at O'Brien Park.
• Morrison Cider Fest — A free, fall festival featuring apples, live music, kids’ activities and more. Celebrations take place from 10 a.m. to dark at the corner of Highway 8 and Summer Street in downtown Morrison.

Sunday, Sept. 28

• Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk in Denver — A fundraiser for Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association. The event starts at 9 a.m. at City Park.
• Sphere Ensemble in Denver — A 14-member string ensemble that is redefining string music, with classical, baroque, rock, hip hop and more. On stage at 3 p.m. at the King Center Recital Hall on the Auraria Campus. Tickets range from $10-40.

All weekend

• La Junta Tarantula Festival — This two-day festival celebrates tarantula mating season with tarantula tours, a parade and more. Events take place Friday and Saturday in Downtown La Junta. 
• Aspen Literary Festival — Speakers, book signings, parties and family-friendly events. The festival takes place Sept. 25-28 at various locations in Aspen. Some events are free, others are ticketed. 
• Peruvian Film Festival in Aurora — The festival will showcase films representing the three main geographic regions of Peru: the Coast, the Highlands and the Amazon Jungle. Additionally, a family-friendly animated film will be screened for younger audiences. Events take place Sept. 25 through 27 at the People’s Building. All screenings are free.
• Estes Park Elk Fest — It’s elk season, and the town of Estes Park is celebrating on Sept. 27 and 28 with vendors, live music, food trucks, bugling contests, performances and more. 
• Street Wise Mural Festival in Boulder — The two-day festival will create eleven vibrant new murals throughout the city. Live painting, artist talks, workshops and more take place on Sept. 26 and 27.
• Fruita Fall Festival — A weekend featuring everything from quirky favorites like the Outhouse Race and Beard Rally to family traditions like the parade, pet show, and baking and canning contest. The free, all-ages event takes place Sept. 26 and 27. 
• Oktoberfest celebrations across the state — Cheers to the annual German festival in Alamosa, Broomfield, Colorado Springs, Denver, Greeley, Longmont and more.
• Mountain Harvest Festival in Paonia — A celebration complete with free, live music by A Tale of Two, Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms Band and The Motet, plus local arts and crafts vendors, and fun activities like the Great Chili Cookoff, farm tours and a pub crawl. Festivities take place Sept. 26 through 28.
• 14er Fest in Buena Vista — A multi-sport festival featuring hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, running and 4x4 events. Festivities take place Sept. 26 through 28.
• FallamaFest in Castle Rock — A weekend-long llama show, plus clinics, classes and more. Events take place at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Sept. 26 through 28. 
• Palisade Art Festival — A family-friendly showcase featuring a variety of art, including painting, wood, jewelry, glass and more. Admission is free.
• Telluride Autumn Classic — A 3-day festival for enthusiasts of all makes and models of automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. Events take place Sept. 25 through 27.Tickets start at $108.55.
• Doors Open Denver — A weekend of free and ticketed events celebrating all things architecture. Highlights include a tour of the Mayan Theatre, the Brown Palace Hotel and the Governor’s Mansion. Events take place Sept. 25 through 28.
• Handmade in Colorado Expo in Glenwood Springs — The juried event showcases Colorado-made arts and crafts, including metals, paper, glass, fibers, food, fabricated objects, clay, paint, wax, gems and more. The expo is open at Bethel Plaza and 7th Street from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
• Colorado Tattoo Convention in Denver — The weekend features tattoos, a custom car and motorcycle show, a beauty and hair expo, a fashion show and more at the National Western Complex, Sept. 26 through 28. Admission starts at $30.68.

Ongoing events

• “Jedidiah Blackstone: A Hip Hop Western Reclamation” in Denver — Jedidiah Blackstone is a cowboy poet with a spirit as vast as the western skies. His odyssey navigates myths of the frontier, charting a course toward personal redemption. On stage at Clayton Early Learning Center from Sept. 25 through Oct. 5. Tickets are $30.
• Bare: A Pop Opera in Denver — A heartbreaking, contemporary rock musical that follows a group of high school seniors at a Catholic boarding school in the 1990s as they navigate the complex terrain of self-discovery, love, and identity. On stage Sept. 25 through Oct. 5 at the Historic Elitch Theatre. Tickets range from $20-38.
• “You’ll Be Made of Ashes Too” in Lakewood — A horror comedy about a pair of estranged sisters, haunted by a mysterious spirit. On stage at Flamboyán Theater, Sept. 19-27. Tickets range from $7.42 to $23.02.
• “Tartuffe” in Grand Junction — A razor-sharp comedy that skewers hypocrisy with wit, charm, and a touch of chaos. On stage at the Asteria Theatre on the Colorado Mesa University campus Sept. 25 through Oct. 4. Tickets range from $15-30.
• “The Happiest Man on Earth” in Denver — Based on The New York Times best-selling memoir by Eddie Jaku, the play is a remarkable story of survival, revealing a paradox of joy built on a foundation of grief. On stage at the DCPA’s Singleton Theatre Sept. 19 through Nov. 2. Tickets range from $49-69.
• Ravishing Radiance Film Series in Denver — Radiance Films specializes in classic, cult and arthouse films. Explore select Radiance titles at Denver’s Sie FilmCenter throughout September. Tickets range from $12 - $15 for general admission, with discounts available to Denver Film members. 
• “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B” in Colorado Springs — An irreverent, darkly comic take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick that re-examines the world’s most famous detective story with a bold new lens. On stage at the Fine Arts Center Sept. 18 - Oct. 5. Tickets range from $30 to $70.
• “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” in Aurora — A high-energy musical based on the classic animated series. On stage at the Aurora Fox Mainstage Theater Sept. 19 through Oct. 18. Tickets range from $17 to $42.
• “Miss Manhattan” in Boulder — A new musical inspired by the true story of Audrey Munson, America’s “first supermodel,” whose meteoric rise to fame meant brushing elbows with Rockefellers, Whitneys, and Astors, but her abrupt fall was punctuated by scandal and murder. On stage at the Dairy Arts Center Sept. 19 - 28. Tickets start at $33.35.
• “The Thin Place" in Denver — Opening night of a ghostly new Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company production. The show is on stage at The Savoy in Denver from Sept. 12-28 and at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder from Oct. 3-26. Tickets start at $16.75.
• Sweet & Lucky: Echo in Denver — A new, immersive theater performance that takes participants through a warehouse of memories, where vignettes of a couple’s life materialize out of thin air. The performance is at the DCPA Off-Center through Oct. 5. Tickets start at $25.
• Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies and Music Festival in Denver — The festival features live music, author talks, theater performances, culinary events and more. Events take place at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center through Sept. 27. View the full schedule of events and ticket details.
• “Rite of Spring” in Boulder — A production by Wild Heart Dance, inviting audiences to feel deeply and connect with the rhythms of nature. On stage at The Nomad Playhouse Sept. 19, 21, 26, 27 and 28. Tickets start at $39.19.
• Bright Nights at the Historic Four Mile Park in Denver. An evening lantern festival featuring whimsical flora and fauna, a surreal Chinese Dreamland and an interactive zone full of surprises. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 to 11 p.m. until Oct. 5. Tickets start at $15.
• Haunted Manitou Ghost Tour & Historic Walk — Take a terrifying tour of Downtown Manitou Springs, Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. through the end of October. Tickets are $25.
• “Annie Get Your Gun” in Evergreen — In this Irving Berlin Tony Award-nominated musical, take a trip back to America’s Wild West as Buffalo Bill showcases his newest sharpshooter, Annie Oakley. On stage select nights, Sept. 5-28. Tickets start at $20.
• 13th Floor Haunted House in Denver — Three haunted attractions are back for the fall: Legend of the 13th Floor, Twilight of the Damned, and The Blood Shed. Other activities include escape games, axe-throwing and secret bars. Tickets start at $19.99. Open select nights through Nov. 9.
• Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns in Denver — Visit a glowing trail of thousands of magnificent, hand-carved pumpkins, with magic around every corner. On view at Hudson Gardens Sept. 19 through Nov. 2. Tickets start at $9.99.
• Shadows Gather photo exhibition in Boulder — “The Archives: 2019–Now” showcases over 2,000 original Fuji Instax photographs, taken by Shadows Gather, a photography project on Colorado’s queer, punk and underground culture. Many of the photos will be shown for the first time. The exhibition is on view at East Window Gallery in Boulder through Oct. 31.
• “Working with My Hands” in Lakewood — A solo exhibition of works by artist Moeh Haywood. Haywood's works are described as bold, distinctive, and dynamic, often including anthropomorphic animal characters and naturalistic elements reminiscent of Japanese artwork. Exhibition on view at Alto Gallery through Sept. 27.
• “Homeland” Nepali Modernism in Denver — The work of Lain Singh Bangdel, the father of modern Nepali art, is on display in this exhibition of over 40 paintings, the largest exhibition of Bangdel’s art ever presented in the United States. On view at CU Denver’s Emmanuel Art Gallery from Sept. 25 through Dec. 13.