Harvest Festivals and Scary Movies This Weekend!
October 1, 2020
There are plenty of opportunities to get in the spirit of the season this weekend! From harvest festivals, where you can pick a pumpkin and the kids can play some outdoor games, to the final weekend of Harvest Week, where you can enjoy a delicious meal for a good cause! On the big outdoor screens, choose from a heartwarming family film about Day of the Dead to a variety of 80s horror flicks to everyone’s favorite—the original Ghostbusters!
TODAY/TONIGHT, October 1
DOORS OPEN DENVER – ONLINE
Design and architecture fans look forward to one of Denver’s most exciting fall events every year, and the pandemic is not going to interfere with it! This year, Doors Open Denver will be virtual, highlighting twelve of Denver’s most unique places through online insider tours. There will be one tour a day, four days a week, for the next three weeks. You can check out all the spaces—cultural, commercial, private, civic and more—and register for tours online!
Today’s tour is the Lumina building, a five-story mixed-use apartment building in the lower Highland neighborhood. Unique features include over 500 operable aluminum screens which give the building its iconic appearance. The tour will allow time for a question and answer session at the end.
Doors Open Denver Online
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Registration: $7 – $9
FIRST THURSDAY TWILIGHT SALE
Spend the first Thursday in October mixing and mingling in the midst of the Stanley Marketplace—all at a safe social distance, of course! Shops will be offering exclusive sales to those who are wearing an event wristband, and you can enjoy special snacks and drinks at local eateries. Keep your eyes on their Facebook event page for updates on deals!
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Aurora
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Information: FREE
Phone: 720-432-9162
OUTDOOR MOVIE – COCO
With the onset of chillier nights, this is the last outdoor movie this fall! So bring your blankets and spread out on the grass as you enjoy watching Coco, a treat for the eyes and ears!
This Disney/Pixar Academy Award-winning Best Animated Picture centers around the Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead in a heartwarming coming-of-age story, filled with music and family. Food trucks will be on-site or you can bring your own snacks and picnic blankets!
Bicentennial Park, 13600 E. Bayaud Ave., Aurora
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Registration: $10
MOVING THROUGH DANCE
Sometimes limitations can bring about the most creative solutions—in the case of this inventive dance troupe, they found a way to overcome the limitations of a crowded audience by having the audience walk through their performance!
Evolving Doors Dance presents a live performance and livestream, Moving Through, that ushers guests in 15-minute increments through the show. Guests must be masked and practice social-distancing during their walk-through of the performance.
The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20; Live-Stream Access: $10
THE THING AT THE DRIVE-IN
An ode to classic monster movies from earlier decades, The Thing (1982) is a science fiction horror film by John Carpenter about a group of scientists in Antarctica who discover a shape-shifting beast who begins to pick off the crew, one by one.
Get in the spirit of the season at the Film on the Rocks Drive-in, where they will be screening spooky films throughout October!
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $59 per car
YOUR NOSE KNOWS
Plan a brainy date night with this online presentation from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science! This virtual event about all things olfactory is designed for adults and is sure to give you and your date plenty to talk about!
Scent artists and scientists will walk you through facts and fictions about your sense of smell. You’ll find every application of scent that there is: from politics to outer space! This fascinating event is FREE but registration is required.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Online
8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Register: FREE
Phone: 303-370-6000
Thursday-Sunday, October 1-4
FOX TROT VIRTUAL 5K
This fundraiser for the Community College of Aurora will be virtual this year—that means you can register now and then compete at any location and any day during the month of October. You’ll upload your results at your own convenience and receive the same swag you would at a regular 5K race—a Finisher’s Medal and (new this year) a Community College of Aurora Mask! Prizes will be awarded for the top three men’s and women’s times.
Register: $15-$50
FINAL WEEKEND FOR HARVEST WEEK
The Mile High City is full of culinary delights and warm hearts this weekend as Harvest Week continues to dazzle your palate with a celebration of farm-to-table creations by more than 50 Front Range restaurants, inspired by Colorado farmers and producers. When you order from or dine at one of them this week, you’ll also be helping the community by donating to EatDenver and The GrowHaus.
Show your support by visiting one of these independent Denver restaurants who care about food justice. It’s a win-win situation: you get a great culinary experience and the community gets much needed support in these challenging times!
Information: Harvest Week Facebook Page
Friday, October 2
VIRTUAL BEER TASTING
With October comes Oktoberfest, and while social distancing makes that celebration rather difficult, you can still sample beers virtually! Check out the list and make sure you’ve got your own supply in stock before the Zoom session starts!
Beers to be tasted include: Chicha Inti, Pulque Metztli, Pineapple Tepache, and Muluc Agua Fresca Dura.
Online, MCA Stapleton
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Registration: FREE plus cost of beer
CANDYMAN AT THE DRIVE-IN
Another scary movie screens at the Films on the Rocks Drive-In series! Candyman is the subject of an urban legend, a knife-wielding fiend who is supposedly responsible for unsolved murders in a housing project in Chicago. A researcher (Virginia Madsen) who is trying to disprove superstitions in the neighborhood teams up with a local (Vanessa Williams), but when a man matching the Candyman’s description begins to stalk them, they realize the legend may be all too real.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $59 per car
Friday-Saturday, October 2-3
PUMPKIN HARVEST FESTIVAL
This family-friendly way to celebrate the first weekend of October is full of activities the kids will love! There will be pioneer games, a pumpkin walk, craft kits, a photo booth, and live music, all included with your admission ticket! Additional activities available for purchase include pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, tasty treats from food trucks, fall-inspired beverages, including a full bar.
To keep capacities within limits, tickets must be purchased in advance, with a timed entry that guarantees a 90-minute experience in the park.
Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S. Forest St., Denver
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Registration: $15-$20
Saturday, October 3
COLORADO DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL
This colorful Asian cultural festival is the LARGEST Dragon Boat Festival in the country! This year, due to COVID-19, the Festival will be a virtual experience, but one that will still delight your family with beautiful and colorful imagery and stories. You’ll have the opportunity to build a bridge of awareness and come to better understand the diverse Asian Pacific American communities.
Information: FREE
9:00 a.m. – Livestream begins
HARVEST FEST
This all-day event is family-friendly and FREE! Enjoy live music between 2:00 and 8:00 p.m., and book a family photo session in the Backyard. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and decorate it with stencils and stickers! There will be food and drink specials available all day.
If you RSVP, you’ll receive a FREE taster of Pumpkin Spice Liqueur! Please note that an RSVP does not guarantee a table at a specific time. Strict social distancing will be enforced and you must wear a mask any time you are not in your seat.
Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse, 3636 Chestnut Place, Denver
12:00 – 10:00 p.m.
RSVP: FREE
GHOSTBUSTERS ON THE BIG SCREEN
“Who you gonna call?” If you don’t know the answer to this question, you MUST catch this one-of-a-kind ghost story that’s in a class of its own! Film on the Rocks presents Ghostbusters, the unlikely heroes who take on supernatural enemies in New York City in the 80s. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver star in this other-worldly comedy about ghosts.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $59 per car
Sunday, October 5
LABYRINTH ON THE ROCKS
This lesser-known 1980s fantasy film was directed by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, and he brings a whole cast of muppet-like goblins to life in Labyrinth. David Bowie plays the Goblin King who has kidnapped 16-year-old Sarah’s baby brother while she’s supposed to be babysitting him. It’s up to her to solve a labyrinth if she’s to rescue her brother before her parents get home.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $59 per car
Family-friendly activities in the Southshore area!
There’s always something to do near the family-friendly community of Southshore! Enjoy Life at the Lake with plenty of cultural and entertainment activities in the surrounding area! Check out the beautiful model homes from Richmond American Homes, Toll Brothers, and Taylor Morrison, and picture yourself in your very own dream house! With ranch and two-story models available, new homes are priced from the upper $400s to the $700s.