Denver Arts Week 2016, hosted by VISIT DENVER, is a nine-day celebration of the city of Denver’s art and culture scene.
Denver Arts Week will take place from Friday, November 4th through Saturday, November 12th, 2016, and there are so many things to do during this week, that we’ve decided to round-up and highlight nine events you shouldn’t miss!
1. Free Nutcracker First Friday Event
Photo Credit: ©Mike Watson. Dancer: Morgan Buchanan Photograph courtesy of ©Colorado Ballet
Colorado Ballet is offering a sneak peek of its upcoming The Nutcracker production for free to kick-off Denver Arts Week 2016.
The Free Nutcracker First Friday Event will feature dazzling costumes on display and short live demonstrations of some of The Nutcracker’s iconic dances by Company dancers before the production opens at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on November 26th, 2016. Students from the Colorado Ballet Academy will also perform winter-themed dances during the demonstrations.
This event will take place on Friday, November 4th, 2016 from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Colorado Ballet, located at 1075 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204.
2. 39th Annual Denver Film Festival
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Film Society
The 39th annual Denver Film Festival will present more than 200 titles representing local, national and international independent films, as well as industry panels, workshops, achievement awards and tributes; featuring more than 130 filmmaker guests in-person.
Denver Film Festival, produced by the Denver Film Society, is the city’s premier cultural event of the fall, selling more than 55,000 tickets to more than 250 films: Blockbusters, docs, shorts and indies.
The festival will take place over 12 days from Wednesday November 2nd, through Sunday, November 13th, 2016.
For the complete line-up and schedule visit: bit.ly/DFFSchedule.
Psst… Check out our featured article for this event!
3. Free Chance to Dance
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Arts & Venues
Denver Arts & Venues is hosting its special annual event, Chance to Dance 2016, at the McNichols Civic Center Building. The day offers professional dance workshops that are open to anyone regardless of age or ability, that the public can register for and attend for free!
Chance to Dance 2016 will also feature a free performance during lunch by the Hannah Kahn Dance Company. This performance includes a wide range of movement and music styles, with Kahn leading the program, and providing insights into the choreography, all while involving the audience in discussion and even some participation for those who are interested.
View the complete program and sign up for classes at: bit.ly/ChancetoDanceProgram. If you are interested in attending the lunchtime performance by the Hannah Kahn Dance Company, include that in your submission.
This event will take place from 9am to 4pm on Saturday, November 5th, 2016.
The McNichols Civic Center Building is located at 144 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202.
4. Free Night at the Museums
Photograph courtesy of ©Clyfford Still Museum
Denver and Golden museums will all be offering free admission after hours for the Free Night at the Museums event, in honor of Denver Arts Week 2016.
This special event will also include free shuttles throughout the night, making it easy and comfortable for you to explore as many museums as you can!
Denver museums participating: Black American West Museum, Byers-Evans House Museum, The Cell, Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Firefighters Museum, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Forney Museum of Transportation, History Colorado Center, Molly Brown House Museum, and Four Mile Historic Park.
Golden museums participating: Colorado School of Mines, Foothills Art Center, Dinosaur Ridge, and Golden History Center.
Free Night at the Museums will take place from 5pm to 10pm on Saturday, November 5th, 2016.
For information and interactive & printable maps of the shuttle routes visit: bit.ly/FreeNightattheMuseums.
5. Rock-A-Belly Festival
Photograph courtesy of ©Food for Thought Denver
The Rock-A-Belly Festival is a local hunger awareness event and fundraiser for Food For Thought Denver featuring food tastings, craft beer, live music, dancing, a photo booth, gifts and giveaways, and more.
Food tastings from Denver’s finest restaurants and craft breweries, including Adelita’s, Annie’s Cafe, City Pub, Frijoles Cuban Cafe, Gaetano’s, Lena, Work and Class, Blank & Booth, El Rancho Brewing, Tivoli Brewing, and others, with live music from Chris Daniels and the Kings and Hazel Miller.
Tickets to the Rock-A-Belly Festival are $50 per person and can be purchased at: bit.ly/RockABellyFestival.
Rock-A-Belly Festival will take place from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 at Tivoli, located at 900 Auraria Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204.
Psst… Check out our featured article for this event!
6. Free Magic of Theatre
The cast in the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of Romeo & Juliet. Photo Credit: ©Jennifer M Koskinen. Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Center
Adults and children (ages four and up) get to explore the magic of theatre from the Denver Center of Performing Arts‘ Tony-winning Theatre Company to celebrate Denver Arts Week!
If you or your children ever wondered how it rains on stage, snows inside, or how many recipes there are for fake blood, you can find out for free at Magic of Theatre.
Activities range from a light show and multimedia display to painting through a bamboo shoot and stage combat. Plus, guests may enjoy scenes from “An Act of God,” “Cult Following” and “Shakespeare” in the Parking Lot.
Magic of Theatre will take place from 6:30pm on Monday, November 7th, 2016 at The Ricketson Theatre, located at the Denver Center for Performing Arts Complex, 1400 Curtis Street, Denver, Colorado 80202.
7. Jersey Boys
Photograph courtesy of ©DCPA Press
Jersey Boys, the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning Best Musical, will be on stage for four nights at The Buell Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, during Denver Arts Week 2016.
The musical tells the story of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, also known as The Four Seasons.
This is the true story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they were 30 years old. Jersey Boys features their hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Oh What a Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
Jersey Boys will be on stage from Wednesday, November 9th through Sunday, November 13th, 2016. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at: bit.ly/JerseyBoysDCPA.
The Buell Theatre is located at 1350 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80202.
8. Ben Folds: Master Work with the Colorado Symphony
Photograph courtesy of ©Colorado Symphony
Fresh off a wildly popular evening with the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks in the summer of 2015, Ben Folds and the Colorado Symphony are joining forces yet again to perform his concerto for piano and orchestra.
Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation. Folds was the frontman and pianist of the popular band Ben Folds Five, has released multiple solo rock albums, and has collaborated with many artists.
Ben Folds: Master Work with the Colorado Symphony will feature two-night concerts at the Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex, on Friday, November 11th and Saturday, November 12th, 2016.
Tickets range from $34 – $94 and can be purchased at: bit.ly/BenFoldsMasterWorkColoradoSymphony.
Boettcher Concert Hall is located at 1000 14th St, Denver, CO 80202.
9. Winter Gift Market at Denver Botanic Gardens
Photograph courtesy of ©Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens is hosting its annual Winter Gift Market during Denver Arts Week 2016! Winter Gift Market will allow you to begin your holiday shopping early by featuring one-of-a-kind handcrafted holiday items for sale.
Items include bath and body products, pottery, jewelry, specialty foods, clothing, antiques and more. The Gardens’ Guild will also offer its popular herbal vinegars and seasonings for sale.
Winter Gift Market will take place on Friday, November 11th from 9am to 7pm, and Saturday, November 12th, from 9am to 5pm. Additionally the Gardens is offering a special “Sneak Peek” event from 5:30pm to 8:30pm on Thursday, November 10th, where you get to shop early and enjoy complimentary hot cocoa and cookies.
Entrance to the Winter Gift Market is free during Nov. 11th & 12th and costs $8 – $10 for the “Sneak Peek”. Purchase tickets to the Sneak Peek at: bit.ly/WinterGiftMarket2016SneakPeek.
Denver Botanic Gardens is located at 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206.
For more information about Denver Arts Week 2016, and for complete schedule visit: www.denver.org/denver-arts-week.