DENVER — From festivals and fairs to expos and polar plunges, there's lots to do, see and explore in Denver and Colorado this April weekend.
Downtown Denver will come alive this weekend as Coors Field bustles with the sights, sounds and smells of summer. The Colorado Mammoth, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche also host games in the state this weekend.
The Rocky Mountain Train Show and Denver Auto Show are back in Denver and two farmers markets are also ready to open for the season.
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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Tampa Bay Rays vs. Colorado Rockies
DENVER — Colorado Rockies baseball is back at Coors Field. The 2024 Home Opener is Friday at 2:10 p.m. against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rockies have a six-game homestand through Wednesday, April 10.
Denver Auto Show
DENVER — The 2024 Denver Auto Show runs Thursday through Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center. The show features an indoor EV test track, three ride-and-drives around the convention center, plus exhibits, new vendors, and other activities to delight car enthusiasts. The event will feature more than 20 exhibits from Chevrolet, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Ford, Chrysler and more. A highlight of the show is the electric vehicle track, where visitors can sign up to drive electric vehicles.
Randy Gradishar, former Denver Broncos player and 2024 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will be at the Denver Auto Show on Thursday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. He will be on the show floor available for meet and greets and autographs. Bud Wells, long-time automotive historian, will also be at the Denver Auto Show on Thursday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Rocky Mountain Train Show
DENVER — The Rocky Mountain Train Show is the largest model train show west of the Mississippi. The event covers more than three acres showcasing huge operating layouts, LEGOs, fun kids’ activities and more. The family friendly show has over thirty operating train layouts of different scales and sizes, more than 100 vendors, manufacturers, museums and historical societies along with face painting for the kids and over 750 tables of vendors selling trains, books, paints and scenery materials. The Rocky Mountain Train Show runs Saturday and Sunday at the National Western Complex. Kids 12 and under, and BSA Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform, get in free.
Boulder Farmers Market
BOULDER — Summer farmers market season is nearly here and the Boulder Farmers Market is ready to jump the gun. The Saturday Boulder Farmers Market opens this Saturday at 8 a.m. on 13th Street between Canyon and Arapahoe. The Saturday market will be open through November.
Longmont Farmers Market
LONGMONT — Come see what’s fresh at the historic Boulder County Fairgrounds. The Longmont Farmers Market also opens Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be weekly live music, kids crafts and play spaces through November.
Burning Snowman community bonfire
SILVERTHORNE — Silverthorne’s April First Friday Celebration will say “so long” to winter with the town’s Burning Snowman community bonfire. Taking place Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Trent Park Overflow Parking Lot, Silverthorne will build a giant wooden snowman that will be the centerpiece of the bonfire and that, when lit, will be a symbol of the return of spring, the blossoming of nature, regrowth and new beginnings. Attendees can also enjoy music from DJ DC, free arts and crafts from Frosted Flamingo and fire dancing.
Mile High Hunt And Fish Expo
AURORA — The Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo will take place Friday through Sunday at Gaylord Rockies Resort. The show features dozens of outdoor, hunting, fishing and camping experts and vendors.
Aurora Polar Plunge and 5K
AURORA — The Aurora Plunge and 5K is Saturday at Aurora Reservoir. This is the largest plunge in the series where participants can jump into the pristine waters of the Aurora Reservoir and/or run on the trail surrounded by beautiful scenery in the Polar Plunge 5K. Plungers receive a polar plunge shirt, access to vendors, giveaways, bites and drinks.
Donut Dash 5K
DENVER — The annual Donut Dash 5K is Denver’s race that ends with donuts. The event will be held Sunday at Denver's Washington Park. All finishers get a medal, race logo shirt and can indulge in post-race food and donuts. Register online at ColoradoRunnerEvents.com.
Three Creeks Half Marathon
AURORA — The first half marathon of April is the Three Creeks Half Marathon on Saturday. The 13.1-mile course travels through Cherry Creek State Park and follows the banks of Cherry Creek, Windmill Creek and Cottonwood Creek on a mix of road, paved trails and dirt trails. The event beings at 7:15 a.m. Registration can be completed online.
Red Rocks
DENVER — There is no better venue for live music in the country than Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Owned and operated by the City of Denver, the concert venue at Red Rocks Park has been home to some of the most iconic concerts in history, from artists such as The Beatles, U2, and Sting.
Marshmello & SVDDEN DEATH play Red Rocks on Thursday. Australian house music producer Dom Dolla booked the venue for a Friday concert.
Saturday's performance from Dom Dolla was canceled due to high winds and fire danger.
Sunday's performance by Daybreaker has been rescheduled to April 14. Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled event.
Disney on Ice
LOVELAND — Disney magic travels to Loveland this weekend with "Disney on Ice: Mickey's Search Party." The family-friendly show brings Disney stories to life through world-class ice skating. "Mickey's Search Party" features characters from "Toy Story," "Coco," "Moana," "Frozen," "Aladdin" and more. Disney on Ice plays Blue Arena for seven performances Thursday to Sunday. Tickets are at AXS.com.
Taste of Vail
VAIL — The 32nd annual Taste of Vail runs Tuesday to Saturday. The event combines local Vail flavor with top chefs, artisans, experts, and food enthusiasts from around the globe. Dinners, wine tastings, beer samplings and food experiences are scheduled through Saturday.
Tim McGraw
DENVER — Three-time Grammy Award-winning country music legend Tim McGraw brings his "Standing Room Only Tour" to Colorado this weekend. McGraw will perform with Carly Pearce at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday. Last year, the title track to McGraw's album "Standing Room Only" was his 92nd career country chart entry. McGraw has sold more than 90 million records worldwide.
Buffalo Bandits vs. Colorado Mammoth
DENVER — Ball Arena continues to be a very busy place this weekend. After Tim McGraw on Thursday, the downtown Denver area will host the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team on Friday. The Mammoth host the Buffalo Bandits at 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are sold at Ticketmaster.com.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Denver Nuggets
DENVER — Having clinched a playoff berth, the Denver Nuggets are looking to get the No. 1 seed. The Nuggets face the Atlanta Hawks at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ball Arena. Tickets begin around $50 at Ticketmaster.com.
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche conclude a busy Ball Arena weekend, hosting the Dallas Stars at 8 p.m. Sunday. The Avalanche have also clinched a berth in the NHL playoffs.
Paranormal Cirque
THORNTON — Paranormal Cirque is coming to the Denver Premium Outlets from Thursday through Sunday. Paranormal Cirque will be under the Big Top and will expose audiences to a unique creation of combined theatre, circus, and cabaret with a new European style flare. Tickets can be purchased starting at $15 depending on availability. Restricted – under 18 requires accompanying parent or guardian. This show has adult language and material.
The Wizard of Oz
EVERGREEN — Ovation West Performing Arts has opened its new production of "The Wizard of Oz." A retelling of everyone's favorite classic movie, the new production is directed by Tim Kennedy and will be performed through Sunday at Center Stage in Evergreen. Tickets are on sale at OvationWest.org.
The Music Man
LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood Cultural Center and Performance Now Theatre Company present Meredith Willson’s six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy “The Music Man.” The musical comedy follows a fast-talking traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band that he vows to organize, even though he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. “The Music Man” plays the Lakewood Cultural Center through Sunday.
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 May 5.
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, April 28, are sold at DenverCenter.org.
Seven Falls
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Broadmoor Seven Falls, the “The Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado,” has opened for its 141st season. The Colorado Springs waterfall will initially be open Fridays to Mondays with expanded operations coming later in the spring. With a series of seven cascading waterfalls and a total height of 181 feet, visitors can view Seven Falls from the top of a 224-step staircase or from the Eagle’s Nest viewing platform accessible by elevator.
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
The Godzilla-King Kong combo stomped on expectations as "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" roared to an $80 million opening last weekend. Projections had been closer to $50 million.
Dev Patel's action film "Monkey Man," produced by Jordan Peele, opens this weekend.
Opening this weekend
- Monkey Man
- On the Adamant
Last weekend's box office
- “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $80 million.
- “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $15.7 million.
- “Dune: Part Two," $11.1 million.
- “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $10.2. million.
- “Immaculate,” $3.3 million.
- “Arthur the King,” $2.4 million.
- “Late Night With the Devil,” $2.2 million.
- “Tillu Square,” $1.8 million.
- “Crew,” $1.5 million.
- “Imaginary,” $1.4 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 terrific weekend!
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