Cool Things to Do in Denver This Weekend

Featuring the Halloween-y and the non-Halloween-y.

Are you sick of pumpkins yet? No? Perfect, because there are 7,000 of them all carved and lit up at Hudson Gardens’ Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns this weekend. If you need even more gourds in your life, they’re sure to be setting the mood at Colfax’s Halloween pop-up bar, and there’s pro carving going down at Dairy Block’s Fall Flannel Festival. If you’d rather sing, run, or shop than do fall y’all, I’ve got you covered, too. Here, the Halloween-y (and non-Halloween-y) things happening this weekend.

Frolic with 7,000 Jack O’Lanterns

Friday - Sunday, 6:45 pm - close
Littleton
Oh my gourd! Hudson Gardens is alive with pumpkins! Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns is exactly as advertised: a magical, pumpkin-filled adventure that features stunning carvings, gourd sculptures, and a carnival. The 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins fit into towering displays, including a pumpkin-rific T-Rex and pirate ship. Your selfies will be lit.
Cost: From $14.99

Run like the wind at the Colfax Marathon

Saturday - Sunday
City Park
Do you see that flash running down Colfax? That could be you this weekend at the Colfax marathon! Aren’t a superhuman 26-miler? There’s also a half-marathon, 10 miler, relay, and 5K, so almost everyone can get in on the Colfax running action.
Cost: From $48

Drink spooky spirits at a Halloween bar

Friday - Sunday, 6 pm - 1 am
Park Hill
You may have waited in line for Miracle, the super-popular Christmas bar, in years past, but do you know its undead spookeasy cousin, Apparition? The Kansas-based Halloween pop-up bar is now haunting—of all places—the Denver Game Lounge in the form of Apparition: Colfax. Grab one of 13 BOOzy drinks, like the smoke-spewing Monster Squad (it’s a cauldron of dry ice) or the deathly dark Noseratu.
Cost: Free entry

Do the season at the Fall Flannel Festival

Sunday, 11 am - 2 pm
Dairy Block
Knock off your entire fall bucket list in one afternoon at Dairy Block’s Fall Flannel Festival. Make your own caramel apples? Check. Steal some major pumpkin carving skills? Done. Get up close and personal with creepy crawlies? You can do that too, thanks to the Denver Aquarium’s roving snake station. Wear your costume in a non-Halloween, non-party setting? How’s Sunday morning at 11 am for you? If you need even more fall, stick around for Fall Flannel After Hours, for autumnal cocktails and music by hip-hop group, Vokab Kompany.
Cost: Free entry

Belt out a tune at this sing-a-long

Saturday, 1 - 2:30 pm
Boulder
Welcome to your favorite holiday that you didn’t even know existed: World Singing Day. Created right here in Boulder, this fun sing-a-long is for everyone, whether you can carry a tune or not. Head to the Boulder Bandshell to join in on the city-wide serenade.
Cost: Free entry

Tour amazing buildings during Doors Open Denver

Friday - Sunday
Around Denver
Architecture and history buffs live for Doors Open Denver, the few weeks each year when normally closed off buildings are opened up for tours. This year’s in-person tours include the Historic Elitch Theater, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Historic 11th Avenue Hostel. Sunday is your last chance to step inside without the inconvenience of getting arrested, so get going.
Cost: Free - $30

Get your fill of fresh before farmers markets wind down

Friday - Sunday
Denver area
Time is ticking on fresh tomatoes, greens, and more here in Colorado, so hit up a farmers’ market before they close for the season. Stock up at the Cherry Creek Fresh Market Saturday 9 am - 2 pm, or visit your own neighborhood market while farmers are still bringing you their bounty.
Cost: Free entry

Scare the Dickens out of yourself at this horror film fest

Saturday, 11 am - 11 pm
Longmont
What better setting for a horror film festival than Longmont’s haunted Dickens Opera House? Catch all sorts of thrillers, speakers, and workshops at the Dickens Horror Film Festival, where the gory and gruesome finally get their due.
Cost: From $12