Fall festivals and other things to do in Colorado this weekend

Get out and enjoy the weekend with First Friday art receptions, autumnal festivities, apple-flavored treats, live music, theater productions, Halloween haunts and plenty more.

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

Friday, Oct. 1

• First Friday — Explore exhibitions, parties and other events in various locations across Colorado. First Friday art walks take place in Alamosa, Boulder, Carbondale, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Denver, Englewood, Estes Park, Grand Junction, Lakewood, Louisville, Old Colorado City, Niwot, Salida, Silverthorne and more.
• The Comedy Studio in Northglenn — An evening of comedy featuring an all-local lineup headlined by Rick Bryan, with ShaNae Ross, Zac Maas and Donelle Prado. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Parsons Theatre. Tickets range from $15-20.
• “Creepshow” in Denver — Opening night for a horror and Halloween-themed exhibition featuring over 50 local and national artists. The reception is 6 to 10 p.m. at Alto Gallery, featuring live music, food and drink, flash tattoos, and a family-friendly costume and candy party.

Saturday, Oct. 4

• Lafayette Music Fest — A day-long celebration of local music, featuring The Burroughs, Los Mocochetes, Barbara, Los Cheesies, Shady Oaks, Virgo Dart and over 20 other acts. Festivities take place from 11 a.m. to midnight at stages around town. Tickets start at $40.
• Fall Gallery Fest in Westcliffe — Artist demos, live music and more from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free and open to the public.
• “Archive 192” in Denver — An opening celebration for an exhibition of experimental abstraction by women photographers. The reception is 5–8 p.m. at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center. The exhibition is on view through Nov. 15.
• Denver Bake Fest — Rebel Bread’s annual competition features a six-category bake-off of over 100 competitors from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tasting tickets are available, starting at $7.
• Daywalker Fest in Denver — A free daytime music festival featuring an all-local DJ lineup at McGregor Square from 2 to 8 p.m.
• 16th Street Grand Opening in Denver — The official launch of Denver’s updated mall features a ribbon-cutting ceremony and parade led by the Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band, plus remarks from community leaders, followed by live performances, a scavenger hunt and many more events and deals. Festivities start at 11 a.m.  
• Tour de Corgi in Fort Collins — A crazy costume contest and carnival parade like ‘Tour de Fat,’ but with corgis. Held at Civic Center Park, starting at 9 a.m.
• "Passages Through Music and Migration" in Fort Collins — The program invites audiences to reflect on different kinds of journeys through music. On stage at 7:30 p.m. at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, with a streaming option also available.
• Belgian Brew Fest in Denver — 15 world-class breweries join together at Bruz Beers, alongside food trucks and even a dog treat truck. Celebrations take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $55.

Sunday, Oct. 5

• Motorless Morning at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs — This special event eliminates motor vehicle access within the park from 5 a.m. to noon, offering guests a unique experience without cars. Admission to the park is free (as always).
• Pumpkin Fest in Silverthorne — Families and community members of all ages can enjoy a giant pumpkin patch, face painting and fall crafts while kids ride the mini train or play in the inflatable bouncy houses. Celebrations take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rainbow Park.
• Mid-Autumn Festival in Lakewood — Often referred to as the Thanksgiving of the East, this event is family-friendly and includes delicious family-style dining and mooncakes. Celebrations take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rockley’s Event Center in Lakewood. Tickets start at $35 for youth and $65 for adults, with group packages also available.

All weekend

• Downtown Art Festival in Grand Junction — The annual celebration includes a First Friday art walk and pop-up exhibition at the GJ Union Depot on Oct. 3, followed by new installations, an artist expo, performances and Porchella on Oct. 4.
• Pikes Peak docuFEST in Colorado Springs — Two full days of films, featuring a diverse lineup of documentaries from across the globe, alongside standout projects from Colorado filmmakers, including short and feature-length documentaries, experimental documentaries, music videos, plus student and young filmmaker films. Festivities take place Friday and Saturday at the Millibo Art Theatre.
• Cedaredge Applefest — A festival showcasing local businesses, apple orchards, artists, and musicians, with 200+ vendors, a golf tournament, antique car and motorcycle show, pinup competition, 5K run and more. Oct.3-5 at Town Park.
• Cider Days in Lakewood — Celebrate Lakewood's rich agricultural roots with apple-themed foods and drinks, local vendors, live music, face-painting, a hay bale maze, historic craft demonstrations, a beer garden and more. Festivities take place Oct. 4-5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park.
• Flocktober Fest in Littleton — Denver Audubon’s 3-day fall celebration, featuring a family-friendly open house at the Kingery Nature Center, owl demonstrations, a Flocks & Frocks bird fashion party, adult workshops and other guided activities.  
• Potato Days in Carbondale — Three days of potato-themed festivities, including a “Pre-tato Promenade,” “Tater Trot,” and “The Grate Spudsby” tractor pull competition. View a full schedule of events here.
• Downtown Boulder Fall Fest — This 3-day celebration features local food and drink, live music, family entertainment and activities along the historic Pearl Street Mall. The festival takes place Oct. 3-5.
• Rocky Mountain Record Show in Denver — 150,000+ records, vendors from across the country, a poster show, vinyl DJs, food trucks and more at the Denver Sports Castle on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission ranges from $7 to $31.
• Oddities & Curiosities Expo in Denver — A traveling showcase that brings together hundreds of oddity vendors and artists from across the country, where the weird, wonderful and downright bizarre unite. The expo takes place at the Colorado Convention Center on Oct. 3-4, starting at 10 a.m. Tickets are $12.85, with add-ons for the raccoon taxidermy class and the entomology class.

Ongoing events, exhibitions and attractions

• “Dracula” in Denver — Colorado Ballet presents Michael Pink’s version of “Dracula” from Oct. 3-12 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Tickets start at $55.
• “Misery” in Westcliffe — Stephen King’s classic novel is on stage Oct. 3-4 and Oct. 10-11 at 7:30 pm, plus Sunday matinees on Oct. 5 and 12 at 2 p.m. 
• “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.
• “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.
• “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.
• “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.
• “Sister Seance” in Denver — When three sisters take a camping trip to honor the passing of their late mother, they stumble across a lost camp counselor who can speak with the spirits. On stage at the Bug Theatre, Oct. 3-19. Tickets are $20.
• 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.
• 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.
• “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.
• Dia de los Muertos exhibit in Lafayette — A showcase of works by local artists and students, representing and celebrating this Mexican tradition. Special Dia events include storytime on Oct. 17, frame decorating on Oct. 26 and a closing celebration on Nov. 7. Free and open to the public.