52 W E S T W O R D S u m m e r G u i d e 2 0 2 6 westword.com August 20-25: Estes Valley Plein Air: Renowned national artists will paint on-site in Rocky Mountain National Park and throughout the valley, then auction their pieces to the public. Thursday, August 20 through Tuesday, August 25, free ($30 national park vehicle pass). Multiple locations, Estes Park, artcenterofestes.com. August 21-22: Palisade Peach Festival: This peachy event will involve a fruit-eating contest, elevated orchard dinners, music jams and more. Friday, August 21, 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., free and ticketed events. Multiple locations, Palisade, palisadecoc.com. August 22: Olathe Sweet Corn Festival: Nosh on free all-you-can- eat roasted sweet corn, join the corn-eating contest and wear a corny costume for the 5K. Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., free. Montrose Rotary Amphitheater, Shanes Way, Montrose, olathesweetcornfest.com. August 22-23: Summer Art Market: Hosted by the Art Students League of Denver, this annual event showcases diverse artists and demos for all ages. Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $7-$10. 200 North Grant Street, asld.org. August 22-23: Handmade in Colorado Expo: Support local artists and craftspeople at this special market featuring original handcrafted goods. Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23, noon to 6 p.m., free. Wynkoop Plaza at Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street, coloradoevents.org. August 29: Dashiki Festival: Now in its tenth year, this event honors Afrocentric culture through fashion, food, art and a range of cultural performances. Saturday, August 29, 3 to 10 p.m., free. Centennial Center Park, 13050 East Peakview Avenue, Centennial, dashikiday.com. August 29-30: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival: Enjoy dragon boat racing, live entertainment, cultural performances, food vendors, an Asian marketplace and interactive experiences. Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., free. Sloan’s Lake Park, 1700 North Sheridan Boulevard, cdbf.org. August 20-23: Breckenridge International Festival of Arts: A vibrant blend of music, dance, theatre and visual art that celebrates the connection between people and nature. Thursday, August 20 through Sunday, August 23, free ($495 two-person VIP pass). Multiple locations, Breckenridge Arts District Campus, breckcreate.org. August 27-28: DanceAspen: Crescendo: Watch riveting choreogra- phy set to composer Maurice Ravel’s iconic Boléro, brought to life with a live band on stage. Thursday, August 27 and Friday, August 28, 7:30 p.m., $45-$65. Wheeler Opera House, 320 East Hyman Avenue, Aspen, wheeleroperahouse.com. August 28-30: Breckenridge Hogfest: Indulge in pork samples, premium whiskeys, single malt scotches and barrel-aged spirits. Friday, August 28, 6:30 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, August 29, 12:30 to 6 p.m.; Sunday, August 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $87.35-$230.91 grand tasting ticket ($431.34 all-access pass). Multiple locations, Breckenridge, rockymountainevents. com. August 28-September 7: Colorado State Fair and Rodeo: Experience pro rodeo events, music performances, monster truck shows and carnival rides at this end-of-summer event. Friday, August 28 through Monday, September 7, $7-$15 gate admission ($34-$202 unlimited rides wristband). 1001 Beulah Avenue, Pueblo, coloradostatefair.com. August 29: Tour De Fat: The brewery behind Fat Tire amber ale will host this 25th annual event featuring a costumed bike parade, musical acts, a dance contest and more. Saturday, August 29, 9:30 a.m., free. New Belgium Brewing Company, 500 Linden Street, Fort Collins, newbelgium.com. August 29-30: Colorado Dragon Boat Festival: A weekend fi lled with dragon boat racing, cultural celebration and community connection. Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, free. Sloan’s Lake Park, 1700 North Sheridan Boulevard, cdbf.org. August 29-30: Highlands Art Festival: More than one hundred fi ne artists will participate in this varied outdoor showcase. Sat- urday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free. Highlands Masonic Lodge, 3550 Federal Boulevard, coloradoartshows.com. August 29-September 4: Colfax Canvas: An annual mural festival that elevates public art and amplifi es community voices in the Aurora Cultural Arts District. Saturday, August 29 through Friday, September 4, free. East Colfax Avenue between Dayton and Galena streets, Aurora, colfaxcanvas.com. SEPTEMBER September 5-7: Labor Day Arts and Crafts Festival: More than a hundred booths will display paintings, jewelry, metalwork, pottery, glass and other handmade goods. Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, September 7, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free. Bond Park, 170 MacGregor Avenue, Estes Park, estesartscrafts.com. September 5-7: Breckenridge Gathering at the Great Divide Art Festival: Top talent from across the country will gather for the longest-running art festival in Summit County. Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, September 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free. Colorado Mountain College, 107 Denison Placer Road, Breckenridge, mountainartfestivals.com. September 10-13: Winter Park Film Festival: View the Granby- centered documentary Tread and other high-end cinema at one of Colorado’s emerging fi lm festivals. Thursday, September 10 through Sunday, September 13, from $21.99. Foundry Cinema and Bowl, 22 Second Street, Fraser, winterparkfi lmfestival.com. September 11-20: Colorado Minerals, Fossils and Gems Show: Hundreds of dealers, collectors and enthusiasts will attend this event showcasing rare discoveries and stunning exhibits. Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., free. Denver Coliseum, 4600 North Humboldt Street, colorado.show. September 18-20: Telluride Blues and Brews Festival: This multi-stage celebration pairs world-class music with top-tier craft beer. Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20, $126.51-$131.64 day ticket ($329.90- $1150.41 full festival pass). Multiple locations, Telluride, tellurideblues.com. September 19: Walk With Autism: This inclusive event will feature a resource fair and fundraising walk, with proceeds benefi ting the Autism Society of Colorado. Saturday, Sep- tember 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., $43.40 ($27.50 for children ages 3 to 12). Berkeley Lake Park, 4601 West 46th Avenue, autismcolorado.org. September 19: Colorado Mountain Winefest: With its new reduced capacity, this event promises unlimited tastings of Colorado wines and expanded culinary offerings in an intimate atmo- sphere. Saturday, September 19, noon to 4 p.m. (11 a.m. VIP entry), $213.62-$345.40. Riverbend Park, 451 Pendleton Street, Palisade, coloradowinefest.com. September 19: Boulder Ballet: InHuman: This bold program explores the intersection of instinct and identity through three striking contemporary works. Saturday, September 19, 7:30 p.m., $45.80-$69.40. Chautauqua Auditorium, 100 Morning Glory Drive, Boulder, chautauqua.com. ONGOING EVENTS ART Art District on Santa Fe: First Friday Art Walk, fi rst Friday of each month, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. (through 10 p.m. on Friday, August 7 for the district’s annual block party); Third Friday Art Nights, third Friday of each month, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; Sundays on Santa Fe, last Sunday of each month, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., free. Santa Fe Drive between Sixth and 11th avenues, denversartdistrict.org. Aurora Fashion Week: This creative initiative brings fashion, art, fi lm and music together across multiple city venues, which will host themed nights featuring Western wear, elegant attire and more. Friday, July 3; Saturday, July 11; Thursday, July 16 through Sunday, July 19; Saturday, July 25, ticket pricing varies. Multiple locations, instagram.com/ aurorafashionweek_. Denver Art Museum: The museum’s extensive permanent collections are complemented by Southwest Impressions, on view through June 21; The Stars We Do Not See, through July 26; John E. Thompson and Colorado Modernism, opens July 19; Storytellers: The Blackfeet Nation & Charles M. Russell, opens September 6; and What We’ve Been Up To: People, through September 29, $22-$25 Colorado residents (free for youth 18 and under). 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, denverartmuseum.org. Gregory Allicar Museum of Art: This museum on the Colorado State University campus is hosting Meticulous, on view through August 9; Unexpected Connections: Warhol Prints and Collection Portraits, from June 17 to August 16; Of a Feather, from August 19 to December 13; Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing, from August 26 to December 13; and AfroBohemian Home: An Installation by Zsudayka Nzinga, from September 2 to December 13. 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, artmuseum.colostate.edu. Museum of Contemporary Art: Vibrant textile works and paintings appear in Ana María Hernando: Seguir cantando (Keep Singing), on view through July 5, $14 or $5 after 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday (free for youth 18 and under). 1485 Delgany Street, mcadenver.org. Museum of Outdoor Arts: Twenty artists depict aspects of the American West in Beyond the Western Horizon, on view through July 31, free. Madden Gallery, 6363 South Fiddlers Green Circle, Greenwood Village, moaonline.org. PACE Center: View landscapes, abstract expressions and moments of adventure in Call of the Wild, on view through August 8, free. Schoolhouse Gallery, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker, parkerarts.org. THEATER Central City Opera: Discover the perfect harmony of comedy, drama and musical brilliance at this year’s festival featuring The Marriage of Figaro, The Ballad of Baby Doe, Master Class and CCO in Concert. All shows in repertory from Saturday, June 27 through Sunday, August 2, $33.63-$155.78. 120 Main Street, Central City, centralcityopera.org. Colorado Shakespeare Festival: Joy, romance and drama will once again unfold in the shadow of the Flatirons, with this season’s productions including Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Shakespeare in Love and Friends/Romans/Countrymen. All shows in repertory through Sunday, August 2, $31-$109. Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, 277 UCB, Boulder; and Roe Green Theatre, 1515 Central Campus Mall, Boulder, cupresents.org. Creede Repertory Theatre: This season features Fully Com- mitted, a comic marathon in which one actor plays forty characters; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a musical about six students trying to spell their way through adolescence; a localized version of Working: A Musical; and Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure. All shows in repertory through Saturday, September 19, $30-$55 ($25-$30 for youth ages 2 to 16). 124 North Main Street, Creede, creederep.org. Denver Center for the Performing Arts: See Broadway tours and local theatre company productions at this sprawling downtown arts complex. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, through June 21; The Improvised Shakespeare Company, through July 26; The Sound of Music, July 29 to August 2; Beetlejuice, August 4 to 9; 504: The Musical, August 6 to 23; Spamalot, August 11 to 23; The Outsid- ers, September 8 to 27; Destiny of Desire, September 11 to October 4; Hold On To Your Butts, September 16 to October 4. Multiple locations, 1101 13th Street, denvercenter.org. Little Theatre of the Rockies: The region’s oldest professional summer stock theater will present The Spitfi re Grill, a folk-in- spired musical, from June 11 to 14; Eleanor, spotlighting one of American history’s most infl uential women, from July 9 to 12; and the country music comedy Honky Tonk Angels from July 23 to 26, $24-$32. University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Greeley, unco.edu. Miners Alley Performing Arts Center: To help keep live theatre affordable and accessible, this venue is offering up to 25 percent discounts on tickets to Pump Boys and Dinettes, showing through June 14; and Taco Town, from August 7 through September 13, $35-$50. 1100 Miner’s Alley, Golden, minersalley.com. Parker Arts: This season’s shows include All Shook Up, a musical inspired by Elvis Presley hits and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; and the frightfully funny musical Beetlejuice Jr. Friday, June 26 through Sunday, July 19, $40-$45. Pace Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker; and Friday, July 24 through Saturday, August 1, $18. The Schoolhouse, 19650 Mainstreet, Parker, parkerarts.org. Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre: Shrek The Musical starts the summer season, with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels opening June 19 and Urinetown: The Musical on July 3. All shows in repertory through Saturday, August 29, $48-$70 ($48-$60 for children). 800 Grand Avenue, Grand Lake, rockymoun- tainrep.com. Theatre Aspen: Three main stage productions make up this season: Sylvia, a comedy involving a street-smart dog, will run June 15 to 27; Broadway classic A Chorus Line will show from July 3 to 25; and Grease will appear from July 31 to August 29, $87.50-$155. Hurst Theatre, 470 Rio Grande Place, Aspen, theatreaspen.org. FILM Avanti Outdoor Movie Nights: Enjoy themed drinks, food specials and costume contests during these screenings. Thursdays, June 11: Holes; June 18: 10 Things I Hate About You; June 25: Clueless; July 2: The Sandlot; July 9: The Parent Trap; July 16: High School Musical; July 23: Anchorman; July 30: White Chicks; August 6: Shrek; August 13: The Hangover; August 20: Pitch Perfect; August 27: Mean Girls; September 3: The Princess Bride. Events start at 8:30 p.m., free. 3200 North Pecos Street, avantifandb.com. Backcountry Outdoor Movie Series: Park your car and set up in front of a 33-foot outdoor screen during these drive- in-style movie nights. Saturdays, June 13: The Goonies;
