Things to Do in Denver This Weekend, November 18 to 21, 2021

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — especially in Lakewood, where Camp Christmas opens tonight. Although most of the big seasonal light shows start after Thanksgiving, other parts of town will be getting lit this weekend, too. Several of those are on our list of free things to do.

Now keep reading for events and activities around town this weekend that are well worth the price of admission:

Camp Christmas
Thursday, November 18, through January 2
Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, 801 South Yarrow Street, Lakewood
Immersive master Lonnie Hanzon has outdone himself to bring Camp Christmas, formerly an indoor affair, to life in a six-acre outdoor environment. But he’s had plenty of experience with al fresco holiday displays in the past, at Hudson Gardens, the Houston Zoo and even Denver’s Parade of Lights. Camp Christmas, a collaboration with the Denver Center for Performing Arts Off-Center, is a different sort of holiday display: It has a campy personality that dictates such displays as pun trees, a glamping Santa, an emotional baggage check and drag queen tours. There’s also a bar fit for a fairy queen! See for yourself; see the schedule (hours vary) and get tickets, $8 to $25 (with optional add-ons available) here.

BrewSkis & Boards
Thursday, November 18, 5 to 7 p.m.
Rock Cut Brewing Company, 390 West Riverside Drive, Estes Park
The Rock Cut Brewing Company and the Estes Park Mountain Shop buddied up to bring sports fans a better ski-waxing experience with BrewSkis & Boards. The idea is that you can belly up for beer while the Mountain Shop’s experts have at it with your skis or board — for $15. Or you can grab a crowler, head out and come back later to pick up your like-new skis — for $20. Or simply drop off the equipment for a base grind, wax and crowler for $40. All options include a donation to Protect Our Winters; RSVP in advance at Eventbrite.

Denver Fashion Week: Readywear
Thursday, November 17, 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 19, 7 p.m.; Sunday, November 20, 7 p.m.
McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue
Is the city looking a little better dressed this week? That’s because Denver Fashion Week has begun; it’s the state’s largest fashion showcase highlighting emerging designers, local boutiques, national brands, hairstylists, makeup artists and models. The action culminates with three runway shows; the first, on November 17, features Readywear; that will be followed by Local Designers and Sustainable Fashion. Get the complete schedule and tickets, $20 to $120, here.

Winter Starts Now
Thursday, November 18, 8 p.m.; Friday, November 19, 6 and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 20, 3 and 6 p.m.
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Street
Warren Miller Entertainment is back on its home turf to show its 72nd feature film, Winter Starts Now. The action chases winter from coast to coast: from Alaska’s Prince William Sound, where the only fresh tracks encountered belong to bears, to Maine’s community of craftsmen and women devoted to sliding on snow. It’s an homage homage to every skier who lives for the thrill and finds solace on the chairlift. Although legendary filmmaker Warren Miller is gone, his legacy lives on with these annual movies. Get tickets, $26 to $28, here.

Affordable Arts Festival
Friday, November 19, 8 a.m.., through Saturday, November 20, 7 p.m. online
The Affordable Arts Festival returns, virtually, with over sixty artists offering works for under $100, and all proceeds going to Arapahoe Community College scholarships. It’s $21 to register and get all your shopping done on one site! Find out more here.

Blossoms of Light
Friday, November 19. through January 8, 4:30 to 9 p.m. nightly, except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street
Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens is a real thing of beauty: a fairyland blinking with millions of LED lights in colors that rival the beauty of the botanical attraction’s summer flowers. Perfect for holiday-lights nerds of all ages, it’s one of the best reasons in town to let the little ones stay up late and gulp hot chocolate on a frosty winter night. And don’t miss the new 200-foot-long, 17-foot-tall tunnel of animated lights lining the O’Fallon Perennial Walk. Find information and get timed-entry tickets, $16 to $21, here.

War of the Flowers
Friday, November 19, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, November 20, 2 p.m.
Northglenn Arts, 1 East Memorial Parkway, Northglenn
Su Teatro’s moving drama War of the Flowers is based on the true story of five Mexican-American women who chained themselves to the gate of the Brighton floral plant where they worked to protest dangerous working conditions back in 1969. In a move against the striking workers reminiscent of a scene from The Grapes of Wrath, they were cruelly tear-gassed by Weld County deputies and forced to give up their stand. The show, written by Su Teatro’s Tony Garcia, is traveling from its home on Santa Fe Drive to Northglenn for a two-day run; read our story about the original production here. Tickets are $13 to $20 here.

Scream Screen: There’s Something About Larry: A Tribute to the B-Movies of Larry Cohen
Friday, November 19, and continuing Fridays through December 17
Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue
Now that the Sie FilmCenter is again hosting in-person screenings, it’s no surprise that Scream Screen —local horror queen Theresa Mercado’s long-running quarterly horror film series has returned. The tribute to late B-movie king Larry Cohen’s reign in the ’70s and ’80s is spread out over five consecutive Friday nights. Catch the first installment, a double-feature of the documentary King Cohen and The Stuff, a creepy laugher about a dangerous goo marketed as a dessert, this weekend; Bone, It’s Alive, Special Effects and God Told Me To will follow. Learn more and get tickets here.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze
Friday, November 19, through January 2
Gaylord Rockies Resort, 6700 North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora
Have a merry, acrobatic holiday with Cirque Dreams Holidaze, just one of the many holiday attractions Gaylord Rockies has to offer — and one of the few that will satisfy a multigenerational audience with its classic-Christmas themes, performed cirque-style. Tickets start at $29 and are going fast; get yours here.

Know of a great event in Denver? We’ll be updating this list through the weekend; send information to [email protected]