Gluten Free Foodie Festival
Saturday. If you have a gluten allergy or intolerance, you might think you have to skip many of the myriad local beer festivals or risk paying full price to indulge in just a few drink options. Not so at the Gluten Free Foodie Festival, coming to Holidaily Brewing Co. on Saturday, May 6.
Holidaily exclusively brews gluten-free beers using grains such as millet and buckwheat instead of barley in its award-winning recipes. On Saturday, stop by the brewery in Golden (801 Brickyard Circle) to pair the drinks with bites from nine food trucks and pop-up vendors that also specialize in gluten-free food. Vendors include Dedicated Bistro & Bakery, Farmhouse 5280 and Wave the Grain, among others.
The festival is free to attend; patrons simply pay for what they want to eat and drink. More information at bit.ly/44tFmxR. — Tiney Ricciardi
Free Cinco de Mayo music in Five Points
Friday-Sunday. In addition to the Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, blowout at Civic Center park — which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands to the city’s annual Celebrate Culture festival (see cincodemayodenver.com for more) — Denver’s Cinco de Mayo events this year will include a new music celebration in Five Points.
Organized by the folks behind the Five Points Jazz Festival, the cultural district and neighborhood will see Welton Street transformed into a Latin jazz-themed haven with bands, DJs, food trucks and other outdoor offerings. Locations for the Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, programming include Sonny Lawson Park, Five Points Plaza, Goed Zuur, Spangalang Brewery and the 715 Club.
I’ve you’ve been waiting for an excuse to take salsa dance lessons, taste new tequilas or listen to some shiny horns and rich guitar, it’s here. It’s all free and open to the public, but check individual venues for reservation and door-cover requirements. bit.ly/42hwAl7 — John Wenzel
Herb’s Bar turns 90, pours another drink
Sunday. Denver’s Buckhorn Exchange and My Brother’s Bar get a lot of credit for having the oldest liquor licenses in the city, and truly, there aren’t many who can get close to them. But Herb’s Bar, the humble hangout and live-music spot in the Ballpark neighborhood, gets closer than most.
Herb’s on Sunday, May 7, will celebrate its 90th anniversary starting at 4 p.m. (and running until last call) with 1930s-themed cocktails like the Gin Rickey, Manhattan, Salty Dog and Tom Collins for $4 each, live music, and free food from Max’s Delicatessen. “1930s attire is optional,” the owners wrote.
The event runs 4 p.m.-1:30 a.m. at 2057 Larimer St. in Denver. Free, but entry is 21-and-up. herbsbar.com — John Wenzel
Chief Comedy Fest chugs into town
Friday and Saturday. There’s nothing else like The Chief Comedy Fest, Trinidad’s stand-up event that brings in local and national names for a weekend of laughs, via the historic Southwest Chief rail line. It runs between Chicago and Los Angeles — with Trinidad, on the New Mexico border, right in the middle — and even hosts some of the shows in the run-up to the event.
Live recordings, themed showcases, open mics, afterparties and more await. This year’s Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, headliners include TV and voiceover regulars such as Ron Lynch (“Bob’s Burgers,” “Adventure Time”) and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald (“Emergency Vets”) but also nationally headlining comics and podcasters such as Emma Arnold, Denver’s Andrew Orvedahl (truTV’s “Those Who Can’t” and The Grawlix), and a who’s-who of current and expat Coloradans (Christie Buchele, Kate Strobel, Joshua Emerson, Kate McLachlan).
Tickets are $60 for a full-festival pass; $35 for individual days, and $20 per headlining show; some events are free. Show times and locations vary; see the full schedule and list of performers at thechieffestival.com. — John Wenzel
