Denver Gearing Up for the Most Exciting Memorial Day Weekend in the City's History
DENVER, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Denver will offer the largest and most fun collection of Memorial Day events in memory with a wide assortment of happenings ranging from rock concerts to art festivals, from baseball to Batman. "The scheduling this year has created a 'perfect storm' of events, so in downtown we will have Denver Day of Rock with 25 bands, thousands of people in costumes for Denver Comic Con, a Rockies home stand and two art festivals, all at the same time," said Richard Scharf, president of VISIT DENVER, the Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Many of the events are free. "Downtown will be packed with food trucks, free music, art displays, and very colorful crowds, all blending with the normal offerings of museums, 70 outdoor cafes and rooftop bars, breweries, shops and professional sports," Scharf said. He noted that there are a myriad of other activities happening all over the city this weekend.
All of the activities are listed at visitdenver.com.
Downtown Denver events:
Denver Day of Rock
WHEN: May 23
WHERE: Downtown Denver with 5 stages along the 16th Street Mall
COST: Free
Denver's largest block party kicks off for its seventh year with 25 bands performing on five stages, all for free during Denver Day of Rock. Mat Kearney will headline the event, with additional performances by The Kin, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Lost Bayou Ramblers, The Noms, and many more. Food trucks and a beer garden will be set up along Arapahoe Street from 2:30 to 9:30 p.m. Denver Day of Rock is a fundraising event for Amp the Cause, a Denver-based, non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 50 children's charities.
Denver Comic Con
WHEN: May 23-25
WHERE: Colorado Convention Center
Denver Comic Con is Colorado's largest pop-culture fan experience with thousands of fans getting into the spirit of the event by donning costumes of their favorite heroes and villains. Expect to see Catwoman walking with Wookiees and Game of Thrones characters mixing with Klingons. The 3-day event fills the Colorado Convention Center with the best in popular television shows, movies, Japanese animation, cosplay, panel presentations, toys, gaming, sci-fi/fantasy, and of course... comic books. Even without tickets, the area in front of the convention center along 14th Street will be filled with colorful characters willing to pose for photos.
ArtStir Denver
WHEN: May 23-24
WHERE: Denver Pavilions on the 16th Street Mall
COST: Free
One of two downtown arts festivals, ArtStir Denver is a creative art outdoor marketplace exclusively showcasing Colorado Artists. The event features Colorado art, music and style in all mediums, including paint, sculpture, photography, drawings, textiles, furnishings and mixed media. Discover the artist in yourself at this artistic free event.
Downtown Denver Arts Festival
WHEN: May 22-24
WHERE: Denver Performing Arts Complex
COST: Free
Another free outdoor arts festival will be staged all Memorial Day Weekend at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where you can mix and mingle with thousands of fellow art lovers at the Downtown Denver Arts Festival. The event features more than 150 of Colorado's best artists. Recent festivals have attracted more than 150,000 people, who supported Colorado's creative community by purchasing more than $500,000 worth of art.
Colorado Rockies vs. San Francisco Giants
WHEN: May 22-24
WHERE: Coors Field
COST: Varies
Watch the Colorado Rockies battle the San Francisco Giants during a three-game home stand. There will be special promotions for each game at Coors Field during Memorial Day Weekend.
Diamonds in the Daytime
WHEN: Through Aug 30
WHERE: Molly Brown House Museum
Margaret "Molly" Brown was both a witness to, and agent, of the great changes during her life and became a fashion icon in her own right. Diamonds in the Daytime at the Molly Brown House Museum explores shifting fashion modes as a reflection of social change as America moved through the Gilded Age and into the Great Depression.
The Big Wonderful
WHEN: May 23
WHERE: 2500 Lawrence St.
This is a fun and lively outdoor sustainable market that blends food and a flea market with entertainment. The Big Wonderful features a large, outdoor craft beer and cocktail garden built out of storage containers, beach volleyball, an urban farm, full entertainment stage and much more. This is built for the whole family, and cool enough for everyone.
Events throughout Denver:
Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids
WHEN: Through September 7
WHERE: Denver Museum of Nature & Science
For thousands of years, humans have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, songs, and works of art. Explore the stories of these wondrous creatures and uncover the truths behind the myths. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science features eye-popping "life-size" models, paintings, preserved specimens and fossils that spotlight the fascinating relationship between real and imaginary creatures.
Deborah Butterfield: The Nature of Horses
WHEN: Opens May 23
WHERE: Denver Botanic Gardens
Be one of the first to see this renowned artist's life-sized cast sculptures of horses placed amid the stunning natural displays of Denver Botanic Gardens. The works are made of cast bronze wood collected from many locations including Montana, Hawaii, Washington, Israel and Iceland.
Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park
WHEN: All weekend long
WHERE: Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park
ONLINE COST: $34.99 for adults, $31.99 for kids under 48 inches tall and people over 62 years old, kids 3 and under are free
Head to Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park - the only downtown theme & water park in the USA - for roller coasters, water slides, family entertainment and much more. Be one of the first to experience their brand new, six-story waterslide, Slidezilla!
Water World Opening Weekend
WHEN: May 23
WHERE: Water World
COST: $39.99 (General Admission Ticket)
Celebrate opening weekend at Water World, Denver's 67-acre water park, home to more than 65 aquatic attractions. Whether you decide to soak up the rays in the lazy river, channel the ocean in the wave pool or brave the new "Warp Speed" waterslide, this is one cool way to spend your Memorial Day Weekend!
Colorado Rapids vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
WHEN: May 23
WHERE: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
COST: Tickets start at $22
See a high-energy game of Major League Soccer as the Colorado Rapids battle the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Red Dirt on the Rocks
WHEN: May 24
WHERE: Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison
COST: $37.50 (advance), $42.50 (day of show)
Head out to the one-of-a-kind Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre for Red Dirt on the Rocks, a concert featuring the rootsy country rock of the Randy Rogers Band and the Casey Donahew Band.
More Memorial Day Fun:
Take in the View from a Rooftop Restaurant
Spend some time dining in the sunshine. With 300 days of sunshine, Denver is a city that loves to live outdoors. There are 42 outdoor cafes on the 16th Street Mall alone. Huge rooftop cafes at Ale House at Amato's, ViewHouse, LoDo's Bar & Grill, Ignite, the Tavern Downtown, Linger and Lola offer views of the city and the nearby snowcapped Rocky Mountains. And don't miss the new Rooftop at Coors Field– the largest outdoor bar in any sports stadium in the nation that is exactly one mile high with a bar 52 feet 80 inches long.
Denver B-cycle
Denver has one of the largest bike trail networks in America -- some 850 miles of paved, off-street bike trails. A perfect way to explore the system is on Denver B-cycle, which was the first bike sharing program in America. More than 700 sturdy, red Trek bikes are available at 84 stations across the city. Swipe a credit card, and for just $9 a day, all rides of half hour or less are free. Hop on, pedal across town, and leave the bike at another station and explore the city.
About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 106 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. A record 14 million visitors stayed overnight in Denver in 2013, generating $4 billion in spending, while supporting more than 51,000 jobs, making Tourism the second largest industry in Denver. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER or by phone at 800 2 Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates at: Facebook.com/visitdenver; Twitter.com/visitdenver; Instagram.com/visitdenver; and YouTube.com/visitdenver.
With press or photo inquiries, please contact:
Jesse Davis: (303) 571-9450 or [email protected]
Sarah Welch (303) 571-9418 or [email protected]
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150415/198866
SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
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