This is a quintessential cultural event must-do for anyone in Denver. Started over 20 years ago,…read morethis annual gathering has become a fan favorite for people who love art and Denver festival celebrations. What started in downtown at Larimer Square with dozens of artists has now become over two hundred talents chalking it up over several blocks around the Denver Art Museum. The way this festival works is sponsor-driven. Local businesses and organizations buy "squares" to which carefully curated artists are assigned with full autonomy in theme and execution to create, as long as the sponsors' names are chalked first. The artists are then given two days to create their design in real time, rain or shine. It's an opportunity to witness visual art in all shapes and colors. With the youth group and school opportunities as well, you've got kids of all ages being represented on the pavement. In addition to the visual arts, the festival includes live music and vendors. I strongly recommend planning your weekend around it. This is an event to build a tradition around, for sure!

I had never been to the Denver Chalk Art Festival and was really glad my friends convinced me to…read moreattend. We went early on day one to try to avoid crowds and the 90+ degree heat. Armed with a charged phone, a hat, water, and plenty of sunscreen, we were ready. Crowds weren't too bad at 10am, and several artists were lucky to be either shaded by the tall buildings or by the tents they brought. Being this early, we got to see works in progress, and I appreciated seeing all the detailed labor that goes into these beautiful, colorful, sadly temporary pieces. A free event, it is worth making the trip downtown. There are food and drink vendors throughout, as well as popular restaurants and bars nearby to pop into if you need a break. (The 2026 Event was near the Denver Art Museum.)

Ciao Cara! If you find yourself craving a little Italian food, music or wares, bring your…read more"appetito per la pizza e pizelle". Plenty of vendors for that as festval goers have options to enjoy a slice of Italian Pie. Shop local businesses here as they share their creativity and artistry, be it with clothing or empty wine bottles. Best part is the time of year so take a stroll on Alaska and enjoy all the festival offers. Colorado is "in its season", so grab a bite and park yourself in front of the music stage (the event showcases local talent with two band stages), then watch the local troop "throw flags" at closing ceremonies. Bella!

Our family attends every year! One of the highlights of the summer for us! The kids crushing grapes…read moreis fun for the whole family to watch...face painting and delicious food! Gigantic rice crispy treats, authentic Italian desserts, the olive oils are a must buy as well is the farmers market! Sausage and peppers are my favorite foods to sample and the strawberries and cheesecake on a stick is to die for! Make sure you bring tons of cash for the food samples, games for kids, drinks and gifts! For a family of four we bring $200 but that buys us each food, drinks, face painting, a bottle of wine, olive oil and veggies from the farmers market! Make sure to list this as a must for September! Bel-Mar is also such a beautiful area and the shops are fantastic as well

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is an annual show happening during the July 4 weekend. This show…read morewas voted number one of the nation. It is an excellent juried art show with all types of artwork to view. I suggest getting there early as the crowds continue to grow the later it gets. We arrived shortly after 9 AM. Even though the show begins at 10 AM, many of the artist booths were open and ready for viewing. This was nice because there were no crowds at all. However, by 10:30 AM, it was pretty packed. The other option is to arrive closer to the noon hour. You do, however, run the risk of getting caught in a afternoon thunderstorm. We did notice as we were leaving around the noon hour that the crowds had dispersed somewhat. It also gets quite warm in that area. The thunder heads were looming above as we were leaving. This is a top notch show. So many excellent artists to talk to and see their works. Admission is free. There are approximately 7 blocks of art! There is lot parking for a fee or limited street parking, which can be difficult to find.

BEAUTIFUL ARTS FESTIVAL…read more During a recent visit to Denver, we went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. It was a large street festival located along 1st Avenue across the street from the Cherry Creek Shopping Center mall (large parking garage $3 festival parking). This was a very well curated arts festival that included over 250 artists. While the art was clearly out of our budget, we appreciated the quality and variety of art. The collage and textile art and the kinetic sculpture were incredible. Even the food trucks were well chosen. We enjoyed our delicious and well prepared chicken gyros that were as good as what you would get at a table service Mediterranean restaurant. The Cherry Creek North business community will be hosting other weekend events throughout July and will close out the summer with the Smash Fine Arts Festival.

I haven't been to the Taste in quite a while but decided to give it a go on rock and roll music…read moreday. I spent about 5 hours touring the area. The layout makes sense and flows well with the exception of the food area. The music and vendors are placed for optimal traffic and viewing. The porta-potties were off to the side, music in front of courthouse, and the food along Broadway. The music and vendors were great I ended up spending $40 on socks and beef jerky. I listened to a few songs by the Police cover band, a Zeppelin cover band, and REO. I cannot offer a way to improve these aspects of the festival and award them 4-5 stars. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music even though organizers turned it into musical clique days. Parish the thought of different genres on the same day. The lineups are reminiscent of seating in a middle school cafeteria. The porta-potties get 3 stars mainly due to the lines. While you're waiting in a 15 deep line it's interesting to see who can muster the most appalling grimace as they step out into the fresh air. Academy Awards for sure. The technology has improved over the years with a side urinal to keep the seat somewhat usable. The odor control has improved immensely. Hand sanitizer is available too. They should have a few retro potties from the 90s for comparison giving performers a real reason to grimace. Now, the food, 1 maybe 2 stars at best. This is what crashes the overall rating. This festival is the Taste of Colorado-- it's about food, right? 30 tickets or $20, for a gyro sandwich? Is the meat marinated in Macallan? All the prices are out of wack. How much do these restaurants have to pay to be here? 50% of sales?? Everything is double what it should be. This festival is supposed to be about food! Let's represent. I spent $30 for 45 tickets. The pictures below show the ticket amounts and what I got. You be the judge. The best was the Top Sirloin from Rodizio. (Expert tip: skip the 4 ticket rice enjoy the meat.) Worst: Jaegerschnitzel for 15 tickets. The mushroom sauce was ok but way too salty; bring a sharp knife for the patti. 2 little ramekins of alligator giblets will set you back. $5.33. Jell-O shots have more substance. Street tacos were good. The lines and pedestrian flow in the food area-- ridiculous, the food--meh, the music/vendors and people watching-- much better. Recommendations: double or triple the food vendors by creating an atmosphere where they can make money and showcase and prepare their offerings. Raise the stage 10' and add a couple of big screens by the half-way-satellite-speaker extensions.

My dad and I had some free time to kill before I needed to head to the airport on Labor Day. We…read moredecided to check out Taste of Colorado because, to be frank, there wasn't too much else going on. While the whole weekend I heard "Taste of Colorado sucks" come out of his mouth a handful of times, I think we were both mildly impressed deciding it doesn't "suck" but is simply A-OK. In terms of getting bang for your buck, this certainly isn't the place to do that. I paid nearly $7 (in tickets) for a shot of nitro cold brew coffee. For my main dish of the day, I got a lamb sandwich from Bistro Colorado which was actually pretty darn delicious and worth it in my opinion. You really had to do a few laps to scout out to find the hidden gems amid the typical fair food. For that reason, maybe Taste of Colorado isn't quite the best name for it. Besides that, we had fun scanning all the stalls with cool arts and crafts, as well as random knick knacks. There is also the carnival area with rides and games which we stayed far away from, as well as three stages with different music happening. On the main stage during the time we were there, Granger Smith was performing who is an up and coming country singer. Pretty cool to see him for free. Would I recommend this to everyone I know? Probably not; however, if you have some time to kill, you can't really beat hanging out in the beautiful Colorado sunshine with free music, funny people watching and some good eats (if you can find them).

This is the ultimate craft beer festival in the United States. I'm glad I finally got to complete…read morethis three-day pilgrimage. There were some 500 breweries pouring at this year's event. Initially, this volume was discouraging, because it didn't seem like I would be able to make a dent in it. However, this feeling soon gave way to the joy of adventure. No matter where I happened to land, I could find plenty of styles that interested me. Strong ales, in particular. The size of the convention floor is immense, so you can only go back and forth, from one end to the other, so many times. It helps to follow some sort of strategy. Early on, I completed a series of small missions. I tasted everything that interested me from the section featuring collaboration beers, followed by the section with medal-winning brews from previous years. Next, the section with international beers. From there, I treated my favorites from the most well-known regional brewers like an aircraft carrier. These included the likes of AleSmith, Dogfish Head, Firestone Walker, Pizza Port, Russian River, and Sierra Nevada. I sampled at random from the rest of the lot. I made sure not to overexert myself during the day, and to get adequate sleep each night. Also, to be well-fed and hydrated before, during, and after each of the three, four-day sessions. The entire convention floor is concrete, so my feet progressively tired from walking on it over the course of three days. This makes it important to wear shoes with optimal cushioning. The Thursday evening session is great, because it's not too crowded. The Friday and Saturday sessions, on the other hand, are dense with people. However, this is easily absorbed by the vast array of tasting stations. For certain breweries, the lines are ridiculous, so I never bothered with those. There is no re-entry after you leave the event. However, the four hours go by fast, and there are plenty of areas with seating to rest from walking. The food selection was nearly devoid of vegan options. I was able to get a vegan noodle and rice bowl from Cupbop, but they didn't have tofu or other plant-based protein to put in it.

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this event. I've been going every year (except for when it closed…read morefor Covid obv) since 2015, I think. It's been a great event each time. The organizers have done a good job organizing the event into unique sections with different ambiance. That seems hard to do with no walls, but they have managed it with surprising results. The beer has been great of course. The variety and also the option to try new stuff that I normally wouldn't have an opportunity to try. Fun crowd. Whenever someone drops a glass, it has gotten a fun reaction. They have had silent disco at some of the events and I've had fun with complete strangers doing that. The staff was efficient getting us in each time. But try to leave before close. It was easier to get an Uber or Lyft that way.

Denver Flea is taking on the holidays four weekends strong this year, with a Union Station setup…read moreuntil mid-December. $5 per person gets you admission Friday-Sunday, which is a very easy price point. Even if it's not the most expansive showing of vendors, you can't really argue with the low cost. Also, I appreciate the warming tents serving adult beverages like bourbon spiked cider. Even on a "warm" December day downtown, it gets chilly. If you arrive before noon, there's plenty of room to relax and enjoy mid-shopping moment. Yesterday I purchased some buffalo leather gloves for myself as well as an incense burning kit + 2019 lunar calendar for a holiday present. And I'm going back for the final weekend while my parents are visiting. A festive (and brisk) way to get into the holiday spirit!

The Denver Flea was fabulous (and free admission!) when I first attended a couple of years ago…read more There were loads of interesting vendors with items I'd never seen anywhere else, live music, good food, busy but not overwhelming and loads of fun! Now the secret's out and the Flea busts at the seams. There's an admission fee, long lines, and impossible parking. Vendors and food trucks become redundant in that the same ones come to every Flea, and many carry similar goods- candles and soaps: CHECK. Colorado/Outdoorsy t-shirts: CHECK. Salsa and similar food items: CHECK. Jewelry made from rocks: CHECK. Succulent plants: CHECK. A Denver hipster's delight for sure! All of the his is super cool if you haven't seen all the very same makers before, but I have, so... I'm over it. The new space, Denver Rock and Drill, is pretty rad. It's an old warehouse that feels haunted by ghosts of the past. Old machinery and even metal and materials still lurk in some places, a liability issue waiting to happen I'm sure, but interesting none the less. My fave part about this Flea was the photo booth, Whoa Pony! Be sure to hunt them down as they wee wedged far in the corner, but they're free! Ultimately, I think I'll skip the next few fleas in hopes that fresh vendors and some new ideas and surprises may work their way in in the future.

Cute little market with lots of handmade and interesting vendors. A tent for drinking it you want…read more Little vintage vignettes to snap photos. The vendors have "pods" a great idea to be able to lock up at night. You do have to be careful and step up into them if you want to see items closer. Items are hand made/ specially crafted and priced accordingly. We enjoyed chatting with the craftspeople and seeing all the interesting items.

We visited this Holiday market a few months ago, while we were visiting the Denver, CO area. This…read moreis a nice little Christmas market that offers popular local vendors. Most of the vendors offer homemade products, and their this Holiday market is affordable. They also had an indoor festival tent which was nice to enjoy a beverage and food, while listening to music.

Such a fun, well planned event! Even with a large amount of attendees it didn't feel crowded. Each…read morerestaurant's tent was well spaced so lines were never unmanageable. No one ran out of food and every tent was manned by friendly, welcoming, staff. There were plenty of tables and trash/recycling receptacles. The crowds were so well managed that it didn't feel like there were so many people - until we waited for the shave ice truck. After a half hour we gave up but we saw people with great looking shave ice. The live band was great and kept the vibe upbeat. We met lots of people who attend this event every year and I can see why. People were friendly and staff was amazing! Special thanks to Stem Cider for indulging me multiple times and to #eatdrinketc for the tickets to this event.

DBB is better than TGABF because it has all you can drink beer, whiskey, cider, and Waterloo plus…read moreAYCE quarter size burgers for 20 contenders. Tivoli is a great venue with lots of student parking lots available. Only thing missing is a burger eating contest that I want to see. Tidbit: In Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, the word tivoli has become synonymous with any amusement park. Disneyland was heavily inspired by Tivoli Gardens in Denmark . 2022 winners: Stanley Beer Hall (peaches & cream) Cherry Cricket (983 big cheesy)

We went to the 40th anniversary of the blossom of light exhibits at the botanical gardens…read more The gardens are set up beautifully and the path and signage is wonderful and clear. The ambience is awesome and artistic. This is worth the trouble to get in and out of the parking lot. Tickets are hard to come by, but if we had planned a bit in advance I think we could have gone when we wanted to. However we did enjoy our time in the gardens and viewing all the light displays.

We love the Blossoms of Light at the Botanical Garden! We've probably gone there the last 4 years…read more This last time we went on the last day of 2025 and it was definitely a nice evening. One of the years we went it was -3F.... Hit or miss on the weather. Definitely worth going at least once if you've never been.... The last few years there was always something new to see. This last one was their 40th anniversary. Very nice and the tickets revenue goes back to the botanical garden, helping local!

This festival has so much success that it is too crowded and your stuck in a mass. I had to pick up…read moremy dog and work my way out as it was too packed and you couldn't move. Lots of fun vendors and performances.

It's sad to see this Denver tradition go so downhill. The festival used to be one of my favorites…read morebut now has become a hot mess. Crowd control is non-existent and the food is sadly commercially produced (not at all good) and ridiculously over-priced with very few options.