Five More Things to Do in Denver (and Beyond) Today

The summer is racing by…but there’s still plenty of free fun to be had. The 150th annual Colorado State Fair is now open, so it could be time to head to Pueblo. Or you can stick around Denver for music, markets and more.

For additional options, see our list of eight free events in town today as well as the latest Art Attack. Now keep reading for five events worth the price of admission:

150th Colorado State Fair
Through Monday, September 5
Colorado State Fairgrounds, Pueblo
Happy 150th! The Colorado State Fair is back, and the sesquicentennial celebration is filled with special events and attractions, including a 150-ton Colorado State Fair sand sculpture by Sandscapes, the creation of the World’s Largest Slopper, the USA Mullet Championship, History Colorado’s Power of Horses exhibit, and a commemorative firework display to end celebrations on Labor Day. All the usual exhibits and activities will be on hand, along with an endless string of entertainers, including Walker Hayes, Randy Rogers Band presented by Big R/DeWalt, Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, Stone Temple Pilots and Firefall. There are plenty of free attractions included with the price of admission; find out about deals and discounts here.

Summer Art Market 2022
Sunday, August 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant Street
Nothing says summer more artfully than the Arts Students League of Denver’s Summer Art Market, an urban outdoor market with works by 95 Colorado vendors at affordable prices. In addition to the art, shoppers can grab food, beer and Sweet Action ice cream, and sit in on faculty art demonstrations in a variety of disciplines. Get your art on for only five bucks; ASLD recommends grabbing your tickets online in advance, or if you forget, bring cash to buy one at the gate. Find out more here.

Affordable Arts Festival
Sunday, August 28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Arapahoe Community College, 5900 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton
Head into fall with some new art. Works by 165 renowned artists from across the country will be priced at $100 or less at this benefit for the Arapahoe Community College Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. Admission is $12 (kids under thirteen get in free); get all the details here.

A New Moon Gathering and Sunset Sound Bath
Sunday, August 28, 6 to 8 p.m.
Eldorado Springs Art Center, 8 Chesebro Way, Eldorado Springs
Are midterm elections, a divided nation, COVID and climate change driving you crazy and bringing you down? Don’t expect it to all go away anytime soon, but a New Moon Gathering and Sunset Sound Bath at the Eldorado Springs Art Center might at least soothe your worried brow for one evening. Percussionist Scott Pridgen and healing practitioner Meg Krug will administer some sonic TLC via an hour-long meditative sound bath performed in the sculpture garden using singing bowls and other resonant musical instruments. All you do is lie back and catch the vibrations. Order tickets, $25, and learn more at Eventbrite.

Plan ahead:

Three Minutes: A Lengthening, screening/discussion
Monday, August 29, 7 p.m.
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue
When Glenn Kurtz discovered a snippet of 16mm film shot by his grandfather on a 1938 visit to Poland, he found a world of hidden stories collected in the smiling faces of Jewish community members in Nasielsk, Poland. A year later, these same townspeople were deported, eventually landing at the Treblinka concentration camp. Kurtz transformed the documentary footage into a book, in turn inspiring filmmaker Bianca Stigter to continue in his footsteps, fleshing out the lives of people pictured in each frame. Three Minutes is on view at the Sie at least through September 1; a special community discussion will follow the 7 p.m. screening on August 29. Reserve tickets, $14.95, here.

Kerrie Joy’s Poetic Fashion Show
Tuesday, August 30, 5 to 8 p.m
Sturm Grand Pavilion, Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
Denver Art Museum Creative-in-Residence Kerrie Joy juggles creative disciplines with ease, dipping into poetry, musicianship, storytelling, teaching and activism, sometimes all at once. Joy’s Poetic Fashion Show will be a curated, interactive evening of performances, dancers, fun and fashion, all created by Black artists and creatives, including local designers Chance Coward of UniqUJean, Ryan Landell of Bhuetful, and Lawrence and Larimer. The show is included in the museum admission fees (free to $18); buy tickets in advance here.

DCPA Off-Center: Theater of the Mind
Wednesday, August 31, through December 22, daily except Monday
York Street Yards, 3887 Steele Street
It’s been a long wait for Theater of the Mind to land in Denver, but David Byrne’s immersive think piece, imagined with fellow creative Mala Gaonkar on the bedrock of personal stories, will finally debut at York Street Yards, a massive, 15,000 square-foot venue. Don’t expect to see or be led by Byrne; he’s done his job. There is no stage. Instead, one of Off-Center’s handpicked guides will be leading guests through one long thought process, enhanced by mind-blowing visuals and hands-on, touchy-feely tasks involving all the senses. Admission is $55 to $90, varying by date and availability, reserve your spot here.

Do you know of a great event around town? We’ll be updating this list through the weekend; send information to editorial@westword.com.