Take a bite out of Colorado
Saturday-Monday. A Taste of Colorado returns to its former location in Denver’s Civic Center park Sept. 3-5, and organizers say it is going to be twice as big as it was last year. And that’s big. There will be five stages with music from 60 artists and bands over the course of the three-day weekend, including tribute bands, country musicians, jazz and indie groups. There also will be an arts and crafts marketplace featuring 50 artisans and vendors.
And, of course, there will be food: More than 30 restaurants and food trucks will be on-site, along with dozens of local craft distilleries that will transform the park’s Greek Theater “into one big speakeasy,” the Downtown Denver Partnership said. Get details at atasteofcolorado.com.
Drawing it down
Saturday-Monday. The Denver Chalk Art Festival moves to a new neighborhood Sept. 3-5 with new sidewalks and streets to beautify. The popular festival, which features more than 200 artists “using the streets as a unique canvas and then using chalk to create fantastic and colorful paintings at the viewer’s feet,” according to organizers, is now in the Golden Triangle.
Founded in 2003, the festival previously took place in June in Larimer Square, but was forced to move during the pandemic in 2020 to locations throughout Denver. In 2021, it took place during the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. This year’s version will showcase the work of Dawn Wagner, Chris Carlson, Julie Kirk Purcell, Steve DeOrio and Mark Hollenbeck.
The festival runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendance is free and the art is temporary. Get more info at denverchalk.art.
Fiddling around
Friday-Sunday. If you like your Americana music — and in Colorado, we know you do — then the Caveman Music Festival, taking place in the very southernmost part of Colorado, is the place to be. The three-day jam “boasts an impressive array of established and emerging artists,” including Zach Bryan, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Grace Potter, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Jamestown Revival, North Mississippi Allstars and Margo Price, organizers said.
The festival will be held at the Monument Lake Resort in Las Animas County Sept. 2-4. The 368-acre resort allows people to kayak, hike, fish and camp. One-day passes start at $119.99 and climb from there. Get information and tickets at cavemanmusicfestival.com.
More music
Saturday. Courtney Barnett, an Australian singer-songwriter known for her folksy stories and lyrics, will play the Mission Ballroom along with several other artists as part of Barnett’s Here & There Festival. The tour features a rotating cast of songwriters at its stops. In Denver, that includes Japanese Breakfast, Arooj Aftab and Bedouine, in addition to Barnett. Tickets start at $52 at axs.com and doors open at 5 p.m. on Sept. 3. Mission Ballroom is located at 4242 Wynkoop St.
Tap into Oktoberfest early
Friday-Sunday. Beaver Creek kicks off Oktoberfest season with three days of food, drinks and fun in a relaxed atmosphere over Labor Day weekend. It kicks off Friday with a traditional keg tapping ceremony at 4 p.m. followed by live music from Rick Borger & The Average German Band. Saturday’s activities begin at 11 a.m. with the biergarten and food vendors, as well as live music by The Polka Mates and The Helmut Fricker Band throughout the day. There also will be a stein hoisting competition, a best-dressed competition and a kids zone on all three days.
Oddly, the festival doesn’t include any traditional Oktoberfest beers from Munich, usually Marzens and lighter festbiers, but it does have numerous German specialties including a similar festbier from Nuremberg, a Kölsch, a dunkel and a Helles from Longmont’s Wibby Brewing. Get all the details on the competitions, times, music, food and more at beavercreek.com.
