Eat up all the details on these must-do events, then keep reading for future dates to put on the calendar, including the first-ever Colorado Pizza Pop Up fest in late September…and Westword‘s annual Feast, set for November 3 at the McNichols Building.
September 7-10
The Denver Food + Wine Festival is back after a two-year hiatus. In addition to Saturday’s popular Grand Tasting, Dinner Under the Stars will shine at the Slate on Wednesday. And there’s a new addition on Thursday: the Shake + Brake Showdown, a cocktail competition with bites from local food trucks. Tickets are now on sale; visit denverfoodandwine.com for more details.
Thursday, September 8
Whistling Boar is hosting a farm dinner at Community Table Farm in Longmont in honor of Elisé Beaupre, who died by suicide last year at age nineteen. The Hold On dinner benefits Colie’s Closet, which works to spread understanding of depression and prevent youth suicide. Tickets are $150 and include appetizers and a three-course meal; there will also be a silent auction at the event.
We Don’t Waste’s Fill a Plate for Hunger fundraiser returns. The event takes place at ReelWorks (1399 35th Street) and kicks off with cocktails at 5 p.m. before the 6:30 p.m. program begins. Tickets start at $200 and include live entertainment and dinner designed by executive chef Troy Guard of the TAG Restaurant Group and crafted by local top chefs from Ace Eat Serve, the Bindery, Urban Farmer, Fifth String, A5 and others. There will also be both a live and a silent auction.
Friday, September 9
Street Food Social returns to downtown Lakewood from 5 to 9 p.m. Stop by to enjoy live music and eats from over twenty street-food vendors and food trucks; there will also be artisan packaged-food vendors, craft beer and cocktails. The event is free, but you can pre-purchase a Street Food Sampler Package for $20 and then vote on the Weekly FanFav vendor. The Lakewood edition of Street Food Social will take place every Friday through September 30 in Belmar.
Saturday, September 10
Start the weekend off with a bang at Ash’Kara’s Babes and Baklava Drag Queen Brunch. Reserve your table between 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and enjoy brunch fare and bottomless drinks before the show starts at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, with proceeds donated to the Center on Colfax to support LGBTQ+ youth (food, drinks and, of course, tips for your queens are not included). Reserve a table on Tock.
The Lakewood Food & Wine Festival takes over Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets, $50, entitle holders to unlimited food and wine samples, though the event is open to all. If you don’t want to spring for a ticket, there’s no entry fee; just bring funds for the cash bar and food trucks.
Street Food Social’s Sloan’s Lake edition will run every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through September 24. As at the Lakewood edition, there will be plenty of food vendors and trucks on hand for the free-to-attend event.
Seltzerland is returning to Denver. Sample over 100 hard seltzers at the event, which takes place at Overland Golf Course. Timed general admission entry tickets are available from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. starting at $35. VIP tickets, which start at $59, include earlier time slots, a full-sized can of hard seltzer, a specialty cocktail and a commemorative tasting cup. All tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Infinite Monkey Theorem celebrates the release of its 2021 rosé at a rosé soirée from 2 to 10 p.m. Entry is free, just be prepared to drink pink.
Starting at 2 p.m., bands will start taking to the stage at Lakewood’s Old 121 Brewhouse to honor late punk guitarist Tony Sly. The tribute concert benefits Denver nonprofit Youth on Record, and the lineup includes bands the Daily Grind and Flight Kamikaze. All tips from the afternoon as well as a portion of beer sales will be donated to Youth on Record, which supports kids with music education. Admission is free; find more on the brewery’s website.
Local online cooking school Lanyap Cookery is partnering with Tom’s Seafood in Lakewood for its chirashizushi cooking class. Call or stop by Tom’s by Wednesday, September 7, to reserve an ingredient kit for $30, then fire up Zoom for the online class at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 10. Top Chef alum Sam Kang will teach students how to make a sushi bowl. If you miss the deadline to reserve your ingredients at Tom’s, you can source them yourself elsewhere. Visit Lanyap’s website for more details and to sign up for the class ($30).
Sunday, September 11
Denver-based burlesque and drag group Broken Babes returns to Western Sky Bar & Taproom at 4361 South Broadway in Englewood for a ’90s-themed burlesque brunch. The $45 ticket includes the show, brunch and your first drink; get yours here.
Scenic Sumac Hill Farm in Centennial hosts a four-course farm-to-table dinner from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The vegetarian feast includes dishes inspired by Thai, French and Mexican cuisine and both boozy and non-alcoholic beverage pairings. Tickets are $150 per person and benefit nonprofit organization Women in Sustainability.
Plenty of Broncos Country Pale Ale will be on hand for Breckenridge Brewery’s Broncos watch party.
Breckenridge Brewery
Monday, September 12
Watch the Broncos and brand-new QB Russell Wilson face off against the Seattle Seahawks (Wilson’s former team) at Breckenridge Brewery’s Littleton outpost. Doors open at 5 p.m. and admission is free; Broncos player and cheerleader alumni will be on hand as the game rolls out on two big screens in the beer garden.
Keep reading for future events…
Wednesday, September 14
Food Fight returns, this year at Littleton’s Hudson Gardens. Chefs and bartenders compete in three categories — savory, sweet and sip — to see who can turn out the favorite bite of both expert judges and the crowd. VIP tickets, $110, include early access to food, drinks and the silent auction; GA tickets, $85, include entry from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The event benefits the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Scleroderma Foundation.
Learn how to mix whiskey cocktails that go beyond Manhattans at Seven Grand. From 7 to 9 p.m., a whiskey pro will be on hand to demo four cocktails using three different versions of George Dickel whisky. Tickets are just $25 on Eventbrite.
Blanchard Family Wines’ charcuterie boards are also sourced from local producers.
Blanchard Family Wines
Thursday, September 15
Aurora’s Southlands shopping center is busting open wine bottles for its Southlands Wine Walk. From 5 to 8 p.m., stroll through sidewalk sales and listen to live music while sipping on wines from across the globe. Tickets are $25 at the door, but buy them in advance on Eventbrite for just $15.
To mark Colorado Wine Week (which runs September 11 through 18), Blanchard Family Wines is hosting A Taste of Colorado Winemakers Tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. For $40, guests will get a flight of four wines from different Centennial State wineries and a charcuterie board. Half of the ticket sales will be donated to the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), which supports grape-growing and winemaking in the Centennial State.
Friday, September 16
The WhiskyX Festival left the “e” out of “whiskey,” but with sixty varieties of whiskies (and whiskeys) to sample at the 7 p.m. fest, you’ll probably forgive its spelling choices. Tickets range from $75 to $125; VIPs get early entrance and a free cigar in addition to bottomless drams, live music, and food for purchase. The event takes place at Wings Over the Rockies museum; snag tickets on the festival website.
Saturday, September 17
Thirsty Fest benefits Water for People, which is dedicated to providing clean water to those without. All net profits will be donated to the nonprofit. Help by drinking beer or spirits (not water) from 3 to 9 p.m. while listening to live music at Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased on the event website, where you’ll also find a list of participating breweries, distilleries and wineries.
The Downtown Lakewood Beer Fest is taking it back forty(!) years, with a 1980s-themed shindig in Belmar. Don your (parents’?) best retro threads for a chance to win the costume contest in between sampling close to fifty brews from 4 to 7 p.m. Buy GA tickets for $40 on Eventbrite; VIP tickets, $55, include one-hour-early entry and a swag bag.
Sprout City Farms has built four organic vegetable farms along the Front Range as part of its nonprofit mission, and hosts a series of farm dinners at them. On September 17, Jack’s Solar Farm in Longmont will host dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Find out more and purchase tickets, $100, on the Sprout City website.
At New Image Brewing’s Arvada taproom, the laughs flow as freely as the brews during the Last Sip of Summer comedy shows. From 4 to 10 p.m., Denver comedians will take the stage back to back. There’s no cover charge, but be careful not to choke on your foam when your funny bone is tickled.
Slow Food Denver and Corrida chef Samuel McCandless are teaming up for a farm dinner at Lafayette’s Hope Hill Farm from 5 to 9 p.m. GA tickets are $165; VIP tickets are $200 and include a farm tour starting at 4 p.m., a welcome cocktail and reserved seating. See the menu and buy tickets on Slow Food Denver’s website.
Sunday, September 25
Organized by Audrey Jane’s owner Audrey Kelly and Melinda Carbajal, who co-owns the Simply Pizza food truck, the first-ever Colorado Pizza Pop Up will be at the Run Westy Run food truck park in Westminster from noon to 5 p.m. The event is free to attend, but coins good for slices, drinks and more are available for pre-purchase so you can skip the line. Proceeds benefit Slice Out Hunger and a local domestic-violence shelter.
Fifteen AAPI-owned businesses are gathering at Improper City from 1 to 6 p.m. to celebrate the Full Moon Festival (also known as the Mooncake or Mid-Autumn Festival throughout Asia). Entry is free, though VIP ticket holders ($40) receive two free drinks, a commemorative T-shirt and entry in a VIP giveaway valued at $1,500. Find tickets and a list of vendors on Eventbrite.
Thursday, November 3
Westword‘s Feast, our annual event that lets you celebrate Denver’s dining scene one bite at a time, will be back at the McNichols Building in Civic Center Park from 7 to 10 p.m. Enjoy unlimited food and beverage samples from dozens of vendors; watch for updated information at westwordfeast.com.
Know of an event that belongs on this calendar? Send information to [email protected].