Make a wish
Friday: The first Friday of every month is celebrated as First Friday in art districts and other neighborhoods around Colorado. But the Summit County town of Silverthorne‘s celebration on Friday, Feb. 3, is especially bright. It will “honor the diverse cultural influences of our community” with a Wish Lantern Festival that draws inspiration from Mexico’s Noche de Candela and the Lunar New Year celebrated in many Asian countries.
To participate, head to the Silverthorne Pavilion, 400 Blue River Parkway, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to decorate a wish lantern, enjoy live music, salsa dancing lessons, and watch as the lanterns are floated down the Blue River in all of their bright colors. There will also be lantern crafting for kids and adults. La Perla, Enza’s Delicatessen and Red Buffalo Cafe will be selling food and drinks.
Last Dance
Saturday: Join the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver for a closing party for the acclaimed exhibition “The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse.” The event features two DJs from 104.7 The DROP, along with dancing and light refreshments. “Grab your favorite people, come dressed in all black, and show off your favorite sneakers,” MCA said.
Originally organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, “The Dirty South” explored “the aesthetic legacies and traditions of Black culture in the African American South as seen through the lens of contemporary Black musical expression.” Tickets to the closing party on Saturday, Feb. 4, are $20. MCA is located at 1485 Delgany St. in Denver.
Dog days of winter
Saturday: There’s gold in them thar hills! Actually, make that goldens. As they have for the past three years, nearly 1,000 golden retrievers, and their humans, will gather in Golden on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to celebrate what is one of the most popular, most loved dog breeds in the nation. “The fun and fur-filled event is held on the Saturday closest to National Golden Retriever Day (Feb. 3) and promises all kinds of Golden goodness,” organizers said.
Participants in Goldens in Golden will meet near the Golden Visitors Center and Parfet Park at 10th Street and Washington Avenue at 11 a.m., where there will be a doggy Meet and Mingle, free Pup Cups (whipped cream), giveaways and vendor and nonprofit booths. A group photo will be taken under the “Welcome to Golden” arch. Go to visitgolden.com for more information.
February is short and stout
Feb. 1-28: Malty, rich and roasty stouts match the winter weather in Colorado, not just because they can warm you up on a cold day but also because their dark color captures the mood of the short daylight hours. That’s why Boulder’s Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery first named February as Stout Month in 1994 and why it has revived its annual tradition at all four of its open locations in 2023 after having gone on hiatus for most of the pandemic years.
For the entire month, at least ten taps at Mountain Sun, Southern Sun, Under the Sun – all in Boulder – and Longs Peak Pub in Longmont will be devoted to stouts; the restaurants will serve 29 different house-made stouts over 28 days. (Vine Street Pub in Denver, which was Mountain Sun’s fifth location, remains closed for the foreseeable future.)
But Mountain Sun isn’t the only Colorado brewery highlighting stouts during February. Dozens of others have adopted the month for their own stout tappings and festivals. Some examples of breweries where you can find special beers, events and mini-festivals on Saturday, Feb. 4, include: River North Brewery, Cerebral Brewing, Diebolt Brewing, Great Divide Brewing, Bull & Bush Brewery and Wynkoop Brewing, all in Denver, plus Living the Dream Brewing in Littleton, Uhl’s Brewing in Boulder, Verboten Brewing in Loveland and MainStage Brewing in Lyons.
