W E S T W O R D F A L L A R T S G U I D E 2 0 2 3 WESTWORD.COM 6 Take Ten CAN’T-MISS EVENTS, FROM MEOW WOLF’S SECOND ANNIVERSARY TO THE COLORADO SYMPHONY’S HUNDREDTH. Three years ago, culture had moved online. Today, it’s exploding all over...in museums, in warehouses, even on the 16th Street Mall. While there are still challenges — some venues are threatened by neigh- borhood or financial challenges; some longtime events have morphed or disap- peared altogether — there’s also plenty to see and do around town. Here’s a starter set of can’t-miss events this fall: Meow Wolf Convergiversary Through September 1338 First Street meowwolf.com/visit/denver Yes, it’s been two years since Meow Wolf opened its installation in Denver — after many more years of hype. But Convergence Station was worth the wait, and now you can immerse yourself in the second-an- niversary extravaganza, which is already underway. Festivities include the Bizarrer Bazaar on September 17; Absolute Rubbish, Meow Wolf’s fi rst runway fashion show, on September 19; Danceportation: Monstercat Takeover on September 23; and a “choose your own adventure” on September 28. High Plains Comedy Festival Thursday, September 21, through Saturday, September 23 Various venues on South Broadway highplainscomedyfestival.com The yuk stops here! The High Plains Com- edy Festival returns for a tenth-anniversary fest, with 31 shows including fi ve live re- cordings of popular podcasts, among them My Momma Told Me, Chubby Behemoth (with ex-Denverites Sam Tallent and Na- than Lund), Grown Local and All Fantasy Everything. And then there’s mainstay trio the Grawlix — with High Plains founder Adam Cayton-Holland, Andrew Orvedahl and Ben Roy — bringing back the Grawlix Saves the World podcast-within-a-podcast Boi Crazy, where adult men lightheartedly discuss the hunks and heartthrobs of their youth. As has become tradition for the fes- tival, both the Grawlix and former Denver super troupe the Fine Gentleman’s Club will host shows as well. mydenver Block Party Wednesday, September 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 16th Street Mall at Glenarm Street downtowndenver.com Downtown is not in decay, much less dead... but if you only listen to radio talk-show hosts while sitting in suburbia, you’d never know that. You have to come downtown to see the place for yourself. While the Downtown Denver Partnership didn’t hold Taste of Col- orado over Labor Day weekend, it’s making up for lost time with the mydenver Block Party, celebrating everything that makes Denver a special place to live, work and visit...including Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, and DJ D’Vinyl. Cowboy Friday, September 29, through February 18 Museum of Contemporary Art Denver 1485 Delgany Street mcadenver.org Yeehaw! The Museum of Contemporary Art has already lassoed attention from the New York Times for its big fall show, Cowboy, which explore the origins of the American cowboy and how the fi gure and its mythol- ogy persist today. The opening party prom- ises to be a blast, but the contents of this sweeping new exhibit could be even more explosive. “Cowboys only live in a sense as myth,” Nora Burnett Abrams told the NYT. “But you also have this lived experience of contemporary cowboy life and a culture far more diverse not just in terms of identity but also labor and function.” Museum of Illusions Opening Friday, September 29 951 16th Street Mall moiddenver.com Can an international chain help re-ener- gize the mall with its trademark “edutain- ment” that plays off the immersive fad? The interactive Museum of Illusions will open September 29 in the former home of Chili’s. “We’re really glad to be a part of the 16th Street Mall, especially during this revitalization, and to help bring tourists and locals back downtown in that area,” says Karah Duanchan, the sales and mar- keting manager for the Denver location. “We really saw the 16th Street Mall as this iconic location and destination in Denver that attracts both locals and tourists alike, which really aligns well with our goal, since we really appeal to a broad range of audiences. It’s for date nights, it’s for families, group events and fi eld trips. It’s really a great location, where we can ap- peal to the masses.” Seeing is believing. Indie Author and Press Book Fair Sunday, September 30, 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Counterpath, 7935 East 14th Avenue counterpathpress.org Denver author Hillary Leftwich knows just how tough it can be to be a writer. She worked at BookBar EVAN SEMON At two, Meow Wolf is already part of the Denver skyline. continued on page 8
