Denver's 5 Best Festivals

Stock Show, Cherry Creek Arts, Parade of Lights and More

Mar 14, 2007

The Mile-High city of Colorado celebrates its western heritage, art, food, beer and the winter holidays with special events that draw visitors from all over the world.

With so many annual festivals and celebrations that take place in the Mile-High City (Dragon boats! St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Cinco de Mayo!), it’s hard to select just five favorites. But these particular crowd pleasers continue to delight locals and visitors alike, year after year.

Dating back to 1906, this annual winter event at the National Western Complex features a rodeo, livestock show, and exhibits from more than 375 vendors showcasing and selling everything cowboy hats and boots, Western art, silver jewelry and saddles. Less a festival than a giant trade show (Colorado’s largest at that), the event drew more than 725,000 visitors over a 16-day period in 2007.

More than 200 artists from all over the world display and sell their work in the upscale North Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver. The outdoor atmosphere is fun and festive—with food and drink booths, activities for kids, live music and street performers. The event has consistently been named among the country’s top arts festivals by industry publications.

Attention all foodies! Schedule your Colorado vacation plans over Labor Day weekend and plan at least one overnight in the Mile-High City so you can sample cuisine from the city’s top restaurants in one convenient location in Civic Center Park in downtown Denver. Whatever you’re hankering for, you’ll likely find it at the “Taste”: Chinese, burgers, burritos, desserts, gourmet salads and a lot more. Live music, kids’ activities, arts-and-crafts vendors round out the good fun.

Tens of thousands of beer aficionados gather at the Colorado Convention Center every autumn to sample beers, meet brewers and otherwise talk shop at the Great American Beer Festival. Judges award gold, silver and bronze medals in nearly 70 different categories; it’s quite an industry honor to walk away from the fest with a medal. Read more about GABF here.

Start the holiday season off right by checking out the 9News Parade of Lights, which typically takes place the first weekend (two parades, Friday and Saturday evenings) after Thanksgiving. Thousands of families line the streets along the two-mile parade route in downtown Denver. Premier grandstand seating, in front of the amazingly lit City & County Building is also available. Festive floats, local marching bands, humongous inflatables and horse-drawn carriages make their way through the city. Bundle up!

For more information about Denver’s special events, log onto the official site of the Denver Convention & Visitors’ Bureau here.

Want more festivals? Here are the five best in…

The copyright of the article Denver's 5 Best Festivals in Colorado Travel is owned by Kara Williams. Permission to republish Denver's 5 Best Festivals in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.