The second weekend of June features beer, music and family-friendly festivals across Colorado.
COLORADO, USA — It’s going to be a scorcher of a weekend in Colorado! What are your plans?
Food trucks will set up for festivals in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Creede, Parker and Brighton. The Denver Nuggets return in the Mile High City this weekend looking to even their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns. The most Colorado thing you’ll see this weekend: donkey races (abiding by the basic rules of burro racing).
Whether you’re looking to brave the heat or are planning to stay inside, an adventure awaits you this weekend!
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Creede Donkey Dash
CREEDE — The 5th annual Creede Donkey Dash takes place Saturday, June 12 in Creede. The weigh-in for the Donkey Dash begins at 11 a.m. on Main Street in front of Basham Park with the race set for 1 p.m. The Creede Donkey Dash will abide by the basic rules of burro racing as established by the Western Pack Burro Association. There will also be a street festival, live music and fun for the whole family. To see Donkey Dash registration details, visit Creede.com.
Down to Earth Days
BRIGHTON — The 4th annual Down To Earth Days will be held this Sunday, June 13 at the Adams County Fairgrounds. The huge car show will have food trucks, food trucks, live DJ, giveaways, hands-on vendor booths and more.
Trophies will be awarded in 15 categories including best Subaru, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Euro, most unique, static, bagged, wagon, best in show, KDM, domestic and best VIP. Kids 12 and under are free and the whole family is invited to attend the show. You can register your vehicle or snag tickets online.
Parker Car Fest
PARKER — Around 200 cars from Jeeps to Lamborghini’s are expected to fill Mainstreet in downtown Parker on Saturday, June 12 during Parker Car Fest 2021. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can check out the lineup of vehicles on display along Mainstreet, as well as at the Lazlo Hotel on West Mainstreet. Some 30 vendors are also expected to be on hand selling a variety of wares. This event was first published by MileHighontheCheap.com. For more local deals and discounts go to MileHighontheCheap.com.
Town Center at Aurora Midday Market
AURORA — Town Center at Aurora will host local vendors and artisans for a “Midday Market” on Saturday, June 12 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event will serve as an opportunity to bring the community together to support farmers and small businesses with fresh produce, high-quality home goods and handmade products.
The market will have crafts for kids, food trucks, yard games, live music, shaded seating, complimentary water and phone charging stations. The Midday Market will be located in the Food Court parking lot.
Beards, Bonnets & Brews Plus Festival
COLORADO SPRINGS — Seven local bands will perform at the Beards, Bonnets & Brews Plus Festival on Saturday, June 12 at Rock Ledge Ranch. The event is a celebration of Colorado Springs’ 150th birthday. The one-time event will also feature a robust offering of children’s activities, two old-time baseball games, 30 local breweries and distilleries and 15 food trucks.
Entrance to the festival is free and open to all ages. However, any adult who wishes to participate in the beer and whiskey tasting must purchase a pass in advance at coloradosprings.gov/beardsbonnetsbrews. Tasting passes also include a commemorative mason jar mug.
Ducky Derby
CASTLE ROCK — The 25th annual Ducky Derby returns to Castle Rock on Sunday, June 13. The Ducky Derby and Street Fair coincides with the opening of the Festival Park Farmer’s Market by Local Colorado at 9 a.m. The market will have handcrafted foods, art and crafts, live music, food trucks and beer on tap.
The Ducky Derby features the well-known Ducky Derby race at 1 p.m. where thousands of little rubber duckies race a half-mile along Plum Creek. The top six ducks earn cash prize money. The festival, hosted by the Rotary Club of Castle Rock, raises funds for local charities. If you’d like to enter the duck race, one ticket equals one duck and tickets are available online at RotaryClubofCastleRock.org.
Denver Nuggets Playoffs
DENVER — Led by NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets are battling the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven playoff series. The Nuggets and Suns tip off in Game 3 at 8 p.m. Friday, June 11 at Ball Arena. Game 4 is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday in Denver. Ball Arena is at full capacity for Nuggets games. Check out Nuggets.com for tickets.
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American Masters: Old and New
ENGLEWOOD — Arapahoe Philharmonic in collaboration with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents “American Masters: Old and New” on Friday, June 11. The evening of music pairs Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite with works by modern American composers Jessie Montgomery and Barbara Harbach.
The event features a special performance by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Cleo II Ensemble. “American Masters: Old and New” will be held live and in-person as well as livestreamed at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Denver First Church of the Nazarene.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
The Revivalists
MORRISON — Concert season is in full swing with The Revivalists playing a two-night set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The Revivalists are playing the iconic venue on Thursday, June 10 and Friday, June 11.
Red Rocks reopened in April with a capacity of 2,500 people and increased capacity to 6,300 on Saturday, May 22. Concerts and events happening after June 21 will be sold at full capacity, which is 9,545 people.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
MORRISON — Colorado’s own Big Head Todd and the Monsters are scheduled to play Red Rocks on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13, 2021 with special guests Hazel Miller and The Collective.
The pair of concerts have new tickets on sale at AXS.com. Also, the Big Head Todd and the Monsters headline performance with Violent Femmes that was previously scheduled for June 12, 2021 has been rescheduled to Saturday, June 11, 2022.
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> Would you like to see your favorite Colorado festival, fair, expo, concert, drama, musical, ballet, run or event listed in 9Things? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com.
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