Fabulous Fourth of July Fun!
July 3, 2019
America’s having a birthday party, and you’re invited! All of your favorite family summer activities can be found in Aurora and Denver this weekend, with an emphasis on FOOD! Kick off the long weekend with a July 4th parade and pancake breakfast, and indulge in an all-day food truck rally! It wouldn’t be the Fourth without a fireworks display, and Aurora has a fabulous Fourth of July Spectacular or take the family to Elitch’s for the biggest fireworks display in Denver!
TODAY/TONIGHT, July 4
JULY 4TH PARADE AND PANCAKES
Start your Independence Day with a delicious outdoor pancake breakfast, benefitting the Stapleton Stingrays Swim Team! After you’ve chowed down on pancakes, sausage, and juice, hop on your decorated bicycle, tricycle, wagon, or scooter for the parade, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. Parade leaders at the start of the parade will guide participants through the course.
Especially welcome are veterans, who will be honored by leading the parade! Please contact Caroline at marcelekb@dvierow.com to take your honored place. Following the parade, all of the Stapleton pools will open at noon, with DJs spinning party music from 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Green at Stapleton, 29th & Roslyn, Aurora
Starting at 9:00 a.m.
Tickets: $3 – $5
PEACE AND GREASE STREET PARTY!
When the Stapleton Green parade festivities are over, you can hang out with truckers all afternoon—food truckers, that is! It will be a 4th of July street party, with dozens of local food trucks lining the streets, serving up everything from BBQ and tacos to noodles to shawarma, and they will help you wash it all down with some of their favorite craft beverages.
It wouldn’t be a party without live music, so there will also be bands rocking the block all afternoon! Local vendors, giveaways, games, and much more make this a party the whole family will love!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora
1:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
SOUTHLANDS DOES DIXIELAND JAZZ!
Celebrate Independence Day with members of the Colorado National Guard’s 101st Army Dixieland Band as they honor the most original American art form – jazz! This renowned band has performed for senators, governors, and heads of state from around the world—join these prestigious audiences in celebrating with this rousing band!
The instruments of the band (trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, banjo, piano and drums) have been synonymous with revelry for over a century. This fun-loving military band’s repertoire features music from the beginning of jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Jelly Roll Morton, and many others. The show starts early to make way for fireworks later in the evening!
Southlands, 6155 S. Main St., Aurora
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
AURORA’S 4TH OF JULY SPECTACULAR
Nothing says 4th of July better than a fabulous fireworks show! The city of Aurora’s got you covered, with a fantastic event planned with your family in mind. Fun for kids of all ages, as well as adults, all you need to do is show up with blankets or chairs to enjoy the night-sky spectacle.There will be mouthwatering food and amazing entertainment leading up to the main event. Don’t miss the party of the summer!
Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy., Aurora
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 303-739-7163
DENVER’S ELITCH GARDENS FIREWORKS
Denver’s quintessential Fourth of July fireworks is a family-friendly event that lasts all day! Spend the day at Denver’s biggest amusement park, Elitch Gardens, then stay for the fireworks extravaganza that lights up the skyline! The fireworks display starts at park closing time and is free with any park admission or season pass.
Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, 2000 Elitch Cir., Denver
9:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE with park admission (starting at $29.99)
Friday, July 5
SWING ALONG WITH THE MUSIC!
Constellation Swings is the fun, FREE music series of the moment! If you long for the less complicated times of yesteryear, you’ll love the big band sounds played by live bands like the popular Deja Swing! While you’re at it, take some free swing dance lessons to learn the basic steps. No partner or experience is required!
Eastbridge Town Center at Stapleton, 10155 E. 29th Dr., Denver
7:00-9:30 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Friday-Saturday, July 5-6
LATINA CINDERELLA
There’s nothing more delightful than hearing an old story told in a new way. Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans is the spicy musical that turns the classic fairy tale inside out! In this version, Cinderella is a Puerto Rican visitor to the U.S., meeting her stepsister Rosa for the first time. The only problem is Cinderella speaks only Spanish and Rosa speaks only English!
Instead of the ball, there’s a ballgame, where Cinderella and Rosa go to cheer on the school’s basketball team. This bilingual fairy tale even has a fairy godmother and other imaginative twists, weaving together a subtle lesson on empathy, sportsmanship, and respect.
Aurora Fox Art Theatre, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
Fri., 2:00 p.m.; Sat., 10:00 a.m.
Tickets: $7
Phone: 303-739-1970
Friday-Sunday, July 5-7
THE MEANING OF HATS
Hats are so much more than something you wear on your head in this powerful drama about black family heritage and honoring stories passed down through generations. Yolanda is a black teenager from Chicago who spends the summer with her Grandma Shaw down south. Grandma Shaw invites Yolanda into her circle of “Hat Queens”—who each own more than one hundred hats. Yolanda learns that the hats are symbolic of their various life struggles. With a colorful mix of hip-hop, jazz, gospel, blues, and spoken word, Crowns weaves a mesmerizing story.
Vintage Theatre Productions, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $38
Phone: 303-856-7830
Saturday, July 6
FREE DAY AT THE ART MUSEUM
Take advantage of the FREE first Saturday of every month to enjoy the innovative and thought-provoking art collections and non-ticketed exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum! Free general admission tickets are available on-site starting at 10 a.m. Some special exhibitions may require an additional ticket.
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave., Denver
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 720-865-5000
THAT EIGHTIES BAND CONCERT ON THE GREEN
Just one look and you’ll know—That Eighties Band has nailed it! With vocals that match the look, you’’ll know why they are the 80s tribute band that Google, Disney, Pepsi, the Denver Broncos, and many more have chosen to entertain at their events!
Stapleton’s free Concert on the Green series is your opportunity to rock out to your favorite 80s songs with the cover band that brings this fun decade to life again! And Stapleton’s Got Talent finalist, Mikayla Brown will be opening the concert at 5:40 p.m. with her winning performance!
Conservatory Green, 49th Pl. and Valentia St., Aurora
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
FREE COLORADO SYMPHONY PREVIEW CONCERT!
The Colorado Symphony gives the whole community an opportunity to hear a FREE preview of works from their 2019/20 Season lineup! Whether you are a classical music aficionado or just curious about what a symphony concert sounds like, this event is for you.
While the concert is free, a ticket is required and can be obtained online or in-person at the Colorado Symphony Box Office. All seating is general admission and a ticket does not guarantee a seat.
Boettcher Concert Hall/DPAC, 1000 14th St. #15, Denver
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 303-623-7876
Saturday-Sunday, July 6-7
LIVE-ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
This is the hands-on, interactive theatre event everyone is talking about! Experiencing The Last Defender is like becoming one of the characters inside a live-action video game—you (along with the other participants) are the actors, involved in a thrilling plot of saving the world!
When you arrive, you become a Defender, tasked with working together with your team to stave off an imminent nuclear war! You will be issued a standard jumpsuit to be worn over your civilian clothes, and from there, it’s all up to you! This 90-minute game is designed for adults and recommended for ages 15 and over. No one under 13 will be admitted.
Under the Patagonia Store, 1510 Blake St., Denver
Sat./Sun., 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $45
Phone: 303-893-4100
Sunday, July 7
JAZZ WITH AN INNOVATIVE TWIST!
End your week on a relaxing note with a FREE jazz concert in Denver’s City Park. This week’s concert is by an engaging trio of musicians from the Bay Area and Colorado, Invisible Bird!
Traditionalists in the sense that they are a guitar, trumpet, and drum trio, the band also branches out from standard acoustic to embrace electronic enhancements to their music. Their original music compositions are influenced by roots, indie rock, and acoustic modern jazz, and they also play inventive covers of classic repertoire from artists like Nick Drake an Joni Mitchell and toys with new hits from artists like Bruno Mars and Rihanna.
City Park Denver, 1600 City Park, Denver
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE
No shortage of activities near Southshore!
There’s no shortage of things to do near the master-planned community of Southshore! You get the tranquility of lakeside living with easy access to your favorite urban activities. Stop by and see for yourself how great Life at the Lake can be! With beautiful model homes from Toll Brothers, Century Communities, and Richmond American Homes, it’s easy to picture yourself in your own new home, priced from the upper $400s to the $700s.