COLORADO, USA — here is so much to do in Colorado this weekend we couldn't pick just nine things to do.
On this final weekend of April, annual events return in Karval and Denver, plus Monster Jam invades Denver. Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders will hold his second Black and Gold spring game in Boulder.
Check out one of these fun events across Colorado this weekend and don't forget to share your photos with the Near Me feature on the 9NEWS app.
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Monster Jam
DENVER — Monster Jam is back! The 2024 Monster Jam Stadium Tour will stop at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Saturday. Monster Jam competitors will compete in a championship battle with gravity-defying feats in 12,000-pound Monster Jam trucks going head-to-head for points in Freestyle, the Skills Challenge and Racing competitions. A 7 p.m. main event will be preceded by a Monster Jam Pit Party on the stadium's south lawn where guests can see the trucks up close, take pictures, meet the drivers and get autographs.
Elitch Gardens
DENVER — Prepare yourself for funnel cakes and teacup rides: Colorado's largest theme park opens on Saturday. Elitch Gardens Theme Park, which has been going strong in Denver since 1890, has prepared for summer by ordering more than 100,000 souvenir cups, 200,000 stuffed animals and planting 7,200 pansies. Season passes are $77.99 at ElitchGardens.com.
CU Back and Gold spring game
BOULDER — The Colorado Buffaloes will hold their second annual spring football game under Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders. CU Athletics said its Black and Gold weekend will feature festivities over multiple days including the spring game, a CU football alumni reunion, a talent show and a concert by rapper Lil Wayne. The spring game will take place on Saturday at Folsom Field. A "Prime Time Weekend Party" dubbed "The Show" will take place at CU Events Center after the spring game with concert from Lil Wayne. Tickets are sold at CUBuffs.com.
UNC Blue and Gold spring game
GREELEY — The University of Northern Colorado Bears football team will hold its annual spring showcase on Saturday. Head coach Ed Lamb will lead the Bears in the Blue and Gold spring game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Nottingham Field in Greeley.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche bring their first-round playoff series back to Ball Arena this weekend. With the series against the Winnipeg Jets tied 1-1, the Avs host Game 3 at 8 p.m. Friday at Ball Arena. The puck drops for Game 4 at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Mountain Plover Festival
KARVAL — The Mountain Plover Festival is back from Friday through Sunday in Karval. The eastern Colorado town invites adventurous and bird-loving individuals to the unique festival in one of North America’s largest breeding grounds of the elusive mountain plover. The mountain plover is a rare bird that makes its nesting grounds on the dryland farming ranches in this area of Colorado.
Unlike a typical festival, the Mountain Plover Festival gets attendees involved in an intense way. The entire festival boards buses at 6 a.m. and heads out to public and private land to see Native American ruins, one-room school houses, historic ranches, lots of wildlife and to search for the elusive little bird. Reservations are required because there are no gas stations, hotels or restaurants in Karval.
Garden of the Gods Motorless Morning
COLORADO SPRINGS — Saturday is a Motorless Morning at Garden of the Gods. All of the park will be closed to motor vehicles from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a unique opportunity to connect with the sounds and feelings of nature. As always, the park is free and open to the public.
Fight For Air Climb
DENVER — The 2024 Fight For Air Climb is Saturday at Coors Field in Denver. By climbing almost 1,200 stairs, participants aim to make a positive impact on those affected by lung disease. The Fight For Air Climb is open to families, corporate teams and individuals of all climb levels. Many firefighters will participate for their health, their training and in memory of fallen firefighters. Funds from the climb support the American Lung Association. Fight For Air Climb registration information can be completed at FightForAirClimb.org.
Día del Niño at Denver Museum of Nature & Science
DENVER — Admission to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is free on Sunday. The museum’s 11th annual Día del Niño celebration will include multicultural performances, music and crafts. Día del Niño guests can also enjoy 50% off admission to the exhibition "Orcas" and 50% off admission to Infinity Theater and Gates Planetarium showings throughout Sunday.
Día del Niño at Denver Art Museum
DENVER — The Denver Art Museum will celebrate Día del Niño on Sunday with free admission for children as well as adults. The museum will also have live music, dances and kids’ activities. Festivities, which begin at 10 a.m., will take place inside and outside of the museum. Learn more at DenverArtMuseum.org.
Día del Niño at WOW! Children’s Museum
LAFAYETTE — WOW! Children’s Museum’s annual Día del Niño is set for Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature bilingual storytimes and a performance by the Colorado Youth Mariachi Program. Admission is free all day, though capacity may be limited.
Plant and succulent sale
GOLDEN — The Colorado Cactus & Succulent Society and Rocky Mountain Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society are having a weekend cactus, succulent and plant sale that promotes ethical and sustainable gardening. The sale will be held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ballet Ariel
LAKEWOOD — Ballet Ariel rounds out its Silver Anniversary celebration season with a performance featuring “An American in Paris,” “Appalachian Spring,” and “Dances from Le Corsaire.” Ballet Ariel will complete its 25th season with ballets in Lakewood on Saturday and Sunday at the Lakewood Cultural Center.
Shakespeare Festival
DENVER — The Denver Public Schools’ 40th annual Shakespeare Festival returns to the Denver Arts Complex on Friday. This year’s festival theme is quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet: "We know what we are, but know not what we may be." The festival will feature student performances on stages throughout the Arts Complex. Students will perform scenes, monologues and other performances inspired by some of Shakespeare’s greatest works at the Denver Arts Complex. Multiple venues will be created to support the costumed actors and performers with decorated sets, stands and professional support.
Stegosaurus Day
MORRISON — Morrison Natural History Museum will host Stegosaurus Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free admission. Morrison is where the world's first Stegosaurus fossils were excavated back in 1877 by School of Mines professor Arthur Lakes on what is now known as Dinosaur Ridge. Some of those bones are on display at Morrison Natural History Museum. Hand-on activities will include touchable fossils and fossil casts and the opportunity to help remove rock from dinosaur bone. Combine your Morrison Museum visit with a tour of Dinosaur Ridge with the “Morrison Dino Pass.”
MJ
DENVER — Michael Jackson's unparalleled artistry is showcased in the musical "MJ" at Denver's Buell Theatre. The Tony Award-winning musical is centered around the making of the 1992 "Dangerous World Tour." Created by Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, "MJ" offers a look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. "MJ" is startin’ somethin' in Colorado through Sunday.
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
DENVER — The Improvised Shakespeare Company is back at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Garner Galleria Theatre. Each night, the company will create a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before the audience's eyes. The evening of hilarious off-the-cuff comedy uses the language and themes of William Shakespeare, but with no planning, rehearsal or script. Will the play turn out to be a tragedy, comedy or history? Even the actors aren't sure. Tickets for the company's engagement, which runs through Sunday, are sold at DenverCenter.org.
Fireflies
EVERGREEN — Evergreen Players' new production of "Fireflies" plays the Evergreen Players Black Box Theatre through Sunday. "Fireflies" is a romantic comedy that tells the story of retired schoolteacher, Eleanor. Eleanor lives a quiet life in a tiny Texas town, set in her routines and secure in her position as the town’s most respected woman — until a hole in her roof draws the attention of a smooth-talking drifter intent on renovating Eleanor’s house and possibly her life.
Noises Off
ARVADA — The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities' final production of the season is the comedy "Noises Off." Get ready for barely-controlled chaos and flying sardines in this play that takes a trip behind-the-scenes of a flop of a play and shows what happens when everything that can go wrong does. "Noises Off" plays the Main Stage Theatre through Sunday, May 5.
Emma
DENVER — The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has opened its new Theatre Company production "Emma" at the Wolf Theatre. The production is a new and unconventional adaption of Jane Austen's classic comedy. A bit zany and refreshingly contemporary, playwright Kate Hamill infuses the language and perspectives of today into Austen’s beloved characters. "Emma" will be performed at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Sunday, May 5.
Where Did We Sit On The Bus?
DENVER — Nine-year-old Bee Quijada sits in a suburban classroom. During a history lesson on Rosa Parks, she asks, "Where did Latinos sit on the bus?" What follows in the one-person show "Where Did We Sit On The Bus?" is a theatrical mixtape of Bee’s life. The drama plays the Singleton Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Sunday, June 2. For tickets and showtimes, visit DenverCenter.org.
Red Rocks
DENVER — There is no better venue for live music in the country than Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The Red Rocks 2024 concert schedule (announced so far) is still growing and this spring and summer looks to be one for the record books.
- Wednesday, April 24 - Lizzy McAlpine
- Thursday, April 25 - Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle
- Friday, April 26 - Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle
- Saturday, April 27 - Sublime with Rome, Cypress Hill
- Sunday, April 28 - Sullivan King
Georgetown Loop Railroad
GEORGETOWN — A Colorado staple has opened for the season. The Georgetown Loop Railroad offers spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains. The railroad's website says the train transports riders back to a "time where the railroad ruled, mining was a way of life and outlaws littered the land." You can purchase tickets online at GeorgetownLoopRR.com.
Orcas: Our Shared Future
DENVER — The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has opened its newest temporary exhibition: "Orcas: Our Share Future." The exhibition traces the evolution of our beliefs about orcas, from fear to admiration and awe, as we discover their intelligence and complex social structures. At the exhibition, visitors will see a life-sized replica of an orca family, inviting guests to witness their harmonies in an immersive underwater environment. Guests will also learn about the Indigenous peoples of North America’s Northwest Coast, whose respect for orcas is reflected in their art and traditions.
Movies this weekend
Alex Garland’s American dystopia "Civil War" was the top movie at the box office last weekend for a second week. The $50 million film, set in a future in which Texas and California have joined in rebellion against a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks.
The mightiest film globally, continues to be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The Warner Bros. monster movie has grossed $485.2 million in four weeks.
Zendaya's newest film, “Challengers,” opens this weekend.
Opening this weekend
- Challengers
- Unsung Hero
- Spirited Away
Last weekend's box office
- “Civil War,” $11.1 million.
- “Abigail,” $10.2 million.
- “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $9.5 million.
- “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $9 million.
- “Spy x Family Code: White,” $4.9 million.
- “Kung Fu Panda 4," $4.6 million.
- “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $4.4 million.
- “Dune: Part Two,” $2.9 million.
- “Monkey Man,” $2.2 million.
- “The First Omen,” $1.7 million.
> Would you like to see your favorite Colorado festival, fair, expo, concert, drama, musical, ballet, run or event listed in 9Things? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com.
Have an dandy weekend!
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