This is a great weekend to get into the western spirit with the National Western Stock Show, Colorado Indian Market and Estes Park Winter Festival. If you're looking for affordable family fun, check out the Denver Zoo on Friday and Saturday - admission is free! So get out of the house and brave the snow because there's certainly more to do this weekend than football-watching. Check out one of these fun events across Colorado:
DENVER — The 113th National Western Stock Show is a nationally-recognized celebration of western heritage and culture. The rodeo is one of the world's richest regular season professional rodeos and there are plenty of other entertainment options as well. The horse show is one of the largest in the county and the western trade show is Colorado's largest. Exploring the exhibit hall, featuring 900 spaces of fine art, jewelry, clothing, household items and agricultural products and equipment, is truly a Colorado tradition. Tickets and a full schedule of events can be found at NationalWestern.com If you're a true Coloradan, you can't miss this annual event, which continues through January 27.
READ MORE | 9Things to do at the National Western Stock Show
ESTES PARK — Celebrate the winter season in Estes Park with a two-day festival featuring live entertainment, retail and craft vendors, craft brewers, ice skating, inflatables, free food from local food trucks and more. The Estes Park Winter Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Estes Park Events Center.
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs Home & Landscaping Show offers hundreds of new ideas and products to help you renovate and update your home. Vendors will be at the Colorado Springs Event Center from Friday to Sunday with the latest advice and trends in kitchen and bathroom remodeling, organization ideas, fireplace updates, sun room additions and more. Joanie Sprague from TLC's Trading Spaces will hold a Q&A session Saturday at noon. This weekend's show also features a Pet Expo and all pets are welcome.
DENVER — The 34th Annual Denver Boat Show arrives this weekend at the Colorado Convention Center. The show is Colorado's largest boat show with 250,000 square feet of personal watercraft, fishing boats, cruisers, runabouts, pontoon boats, wakeboard and surf boats and all the newest boating accessories. Attendees can bring a non-perishable food item to the Colorado Convention Center box office for $2 off show admission. Tickets and coupons are also available at DenverBoatShow.com.
DENVER — The 38th Annual Colorado Indian Market & Southwest Art Fest will bring 200 of the country's top juried artists and craftsmen to the Denver Mart this Friday to Sunday. In addition to Southwestern, Native American and Western art, the show will have festive foods and live entertainment from Michael Martin Murphey, Kelly Derrickson, Bill Miller and pow-wow style dances. There will also be free kids craft activities and live hawks. Tickets are available at the door and good for all three days and kids under 12 are free.
FORT COLLINS — Runners, walkers, kids and dare devils can head to Horsetooth Reservoir this Saturday for a 5K, one mile and polar plunge. Proceeds from the event benefit Larimer County Dive Rescue Team. If you're not feeling that hardcore, you can still enjoy warm drinks at the post-race spectators area. Race and plunge registration can be completed at FrontRangeFreeze.com.
LOUISVILLE — If you're looking to keep your New Year's resolutions at least through January, head to Louisville for one of these fun races this Sunday. With a half marathon, 5K and 10K, there's a length for all skill levels. The races will be held at Coal Creek Golf Course on Dillon Road. All participants will receive a souvenir pint glass and long-sleeved t-shirt. You can register online here.
DENVER — The Polar Bear 5K is set for a 10 a.m. start this Sunday at Denver's Wash Park. All participants receive a Polar Bear long-sleeve shirt and can enjoy post-race refreshments and treats plus get photos with Polie, the Polar Bear mascot. A free Kids Fun Run for children 8 and younger will take place just before the 5K, at 9:50 a.m. Polar Bear 5K registration can be completed online.
DENVER — The newest production at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts will hold its world premiere Friday night at the Ricketson Theatre. Last Night and the Night Before, the 2017 Colorado New Play Summit featured play, "explores the struggle between the responsibilities that are expected of us and the choices we actually end up making." Written by Donnetta Lavinia Grays and directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, Last Night and the Night Before runs through Sunday, Feb. 24. For tickets, visit DenverCenter.org.
FORT COLLINS — Journey to Oz, a new production based on the works of L. Frank Baum, will be performed Saturday at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center for the Performing and Visual Arts. Journey to Oz features singing, dancing and exciting music from "Odyssey Experience" composer, Josh Totora. Tickets can be purchased at LCTix.com.
GREELEY — Frankie Avalon, one of the defining sounds of Pre-Beatles rock ‘n’ roll, will perform at Greeley's Union Colony Civic Center this Saturday. Avalon's long career includes the hits “Why," “Venus” and “Beauty School Dropout" from the musical Grease. Tickets are sold at the UCCC ticket office at 970-356-5000 or online at UCStars.com.
DENVER — The legendary Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are hotter than ever thanks to the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys. The group, who will perform Friday at Denver's Paramount Theatre, are known for the hits "Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Visit AltitudeTickets.com for tickets.
DENVER — The Colorado Mammoth will play their final game of a season-opening homestand on Sunday at Pepsi Center. The Mammoth host the Calgary Roughnecks for the second time in January at 1 p.m. The game is a "Kids' Day Out" game where any fan in attendance can stay for a family-friendly movie that will play following the game. Tickets are available at AltitudeTickets.com.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche continue their push for a playoff spot when they welcome the L.A. Kings to Pepsi Center this weekend. The puck will drop at 1 p.m. Saturday between the Avs and Kings. Colorado Avalanche tickets can be found at AltitudeTickets.com.
DENVER — The Denver Nuggets continue their battle for the top spot in the NBA's Western Conference when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers this Saturday. Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, Nikola Jokić, Will Barton, Paul Millsap and the Nuggets tip off with the Cavs at 8 p.m. at Pepsi Center. Nugget legend Kenyon Martin will be a special guest at the game. Grab your tickets at AltitudeTickets.com.
DENVER AND COLORADO SPRINGS — It's a rivalry weekend for the University of Denver and Colorado College. The Tigers and Pioneers men's hockey teams will face off Friday at Colorado Springs' Broadmoor World Arena at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at Denver's Magness Arena at 7:07 p.m. Saturday.
LOVELAND — The Colorado Eagles continue their January homestand with two games against the dreaded Tuscon Roadrunners. The Eagles and Roadrunners will tussle at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Budweiser Events Center. Saturday's game is the Eagles' annual “Hockey Fights Cancer Night” where special lavender jerseys will be worn and auctioned off during the game to benefit Fort Collins' UCHealth Cancer Center. You can get your tickets at ColoradoEagles.com.
DENVER — Wedding season is right around the corner! If you're planning a special event in 2019, the Rocky Mountain Bridal Show could be right up your alley. The show, which takes place Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center, offers the latest in wedding planning from florists and dresses to DJs and wedding destinations. Tickets can be found at AXS.com.
DENVER — The Denver Zoo is home to nearly 4,000 animals representing 650 species on 75 acres in Denver's City Park. Some are native to our Rocky Mountain backyard, while others come from far away. These include such species as Asian elephants, African lions, Komodo dragons, Asian tigers and Western lowland gorillas. Toyota Elephant Passage, which has been called "the crown jewel of Denver Zoo," features two miles of interconnected trails on 10 acres of varied terrain. The zoo hosts "free days" throughout the year and two of them are this weekend. Admission to the Denver Zoo is free on Friday and Saturday. This event was first published by MileHighontheCheap.com. For more deals & discounts, visit MileHighontheCheap.com.
DENVER — Your Colorado Symphony will present Dvořák's renowned Symphony No. 9 this weekend at Boettcher Concert Hall. The symphony, which features influences of Native American musical rhythms and African-American spirituals, is often called the "New World Symphony." This weekend's performances will also feature selections from Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" and Schwantner's "New Morning for the World (Daybreak of Freedom)." For showtimes and tickets, visit ColoradoSymphony.org.
FORT COLLINS — OpenStage Theatre's newest production opens this weekend at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center for the Performing and Visual Arts. Featuring "six southern spitfires" who gather each week to gossip and support each other, Steel Magnolias is a story of love, loss and friendship. Steel Magnolias opens Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Saturday, Feb. 16. For tickets, head to LCTix.com.
GOLDEN — The 30th Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering has been a Colorado tradition since 1989. The event, which celebrates the poetry that began from workers on cattle drives and ranches, continues Thursday to Sunday at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. This weekend's lineup includes Jerry Brooks, Jon Chandler, Connie Dover, Carol Heuchan, New West, Bary Ward and many more. Tickets are available online.
DENVER — The University of Denver women's gymnastics team, currently at No. 8 in this week's national rankings, will host its home opener on Saturday against No. 22 Central Michigan, Texas Woman's and Sacramento State. The opener is set for 6 p.m. at Hamilton Gymnasium. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 303-871-4625.
GREELEY — The annual American Girl Doll Skate takes place Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Greeley Ice Haus. Girls and their families can skate with their American Girl dolls and enjoy an afternoon of free ice skating lessons, face painting and God’s Eye crafts. Girls that attend can also enter a drawing for the chance to win the 2019 American Girl Doll of the year.
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DENVER —Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy is commemorated in Denver with what has grown to be one of the largest MLK Day celebrations in the U.S. — even larger than that of Washington D.C. The annual Marade on Monday starts at E. Colfax Ave. south of City Park. Participants strut their stuff straight west along Colfax, ending three miles later at Civic Center Park’s Greek Theater. Festivities run from 9:30 a.m. Monday until about 1 p.m. This event was first published by MileHighontheCheap.com. For more deals & discounts, visit MileHighontheCheap.com.
Do you know of a cool, fun Colorado festival, fair, expo, concert or event you think we ought to mention in this week's 9Things or in the future? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com!
Have a fantastic weekend!
