Summer begins with Pride, Greek, hot rod and unicorn festivals, plus the 99th annual Greeley Stampede begins and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb is back.
COLORADO, USA — From festivals and fairs to expos and runs, there’s lots to do, see and explore in Colorado this first weekend of summer!
The Greeley Stampede kicks off this weekend and the Denver PrideFest takes place with in-person and virtual events planned. The tasty Denver Greek Festival returns with a modified, three-day food event and families will enjoy the comeback of the annual Unicorn Festival in Littleton.
Legendary Colorado events including Country Jam, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and Rocky Mountain Street Rod Nationals also are happening through Sunday.
> Would you like to see your favorite Colorado event in 9Things? Send it to alexander.kirk@9news.com!
Greeley Stampede
GREELEY — The Greeley Stampede opens its 99th annual event on Thursday, June 24 at the Island Grove Regional Park. The 13-day festival has been a Colorado tradition since 1922 focused on celebrating and preserving our state’s Western heritage through rodeo, concerts, a carnival, vendor fair, food and more.
The Greeley Stampede, which runs through Sunday, July 4, also features a large Independence Day celebration. The concert lineup will feature performers Dwight Yoakam, Dylan Scott, TobyMac, 3 Doors Down, Hardy and Lauren Alaina.
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Denver Pride
DENVER — Denver’s 2021 PrideFest arrives this weekend with in-person and virtual events planned. In-person celebrations include a 5K, brunch, dinner, pool party and more.
The Denver Pride 5K begins and ends in front of the Cheesman Park Pavilion fountains on Saturday, June 26. The Coors Light Virtual Denver Pride Parade will be streamed on Sunday, June 27. Check out the complete weekend schedule at DenverPride.org.
Taste of Greece Drive-Thru
GLENDALE — Opa! Each year the Denver community comes together to celebrate Greek culture with the annual Denver Greek Festival. The main festival with dancers and live Greek music will return in 2022, but this weekend the delicious food will still be made.
The Taste of Greece Drive-Thru will be held Friday, June 25 to Sunday, June 27. Simply pre-order your entrees and designate a pick-up time at the Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 4610 East Alameda Avenue.
This weekend’s menu includes gyros, souvlaki, kalamari, Greek fries, Greek salad, loukoumades, spanakopita, pastitsio, chicken fingers and more! Check out the menu and place your order at TheGreekFestival.com.
Unicorn Festival
LITTLETON — The annual Unicorn Festival in Littleton returns for two magical days at Littleton’s Clement Park. The event for families and cosplayers alike will take place Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 with unicorn corrals and photo ops, princesses, sing-a-longs, stories, castle obstacle course, dragon slide obstacle course, fairy activities, face painters, selfie stations, bounce castles, bungee trampolines, Little Mermaid meet-and-greet, food trucks and more. Tickets are available online at UnicornFestivalColorado.com.
Country Jam
MACK — Colorado’s biggest country music festival returns this weekend after a one-year hiatus. Luke Combs, Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood are among the headliners of the Country Jam music festival. The 2021 festival runs from Thursday, June 24 to Saturday, June 26 at Jam Ranch in Mack on Colorado’s Western Slope near Grand Junction.
Other performers include Ingrid Andress, Ashland Craft, Travis Denning, Hardy, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum, Kip Moore, Craig Morgan, Drew Parker, Stephanie Quayle, Tanya Tucker and Lainey Wilson. For tickets and festival information, visit CountryJam.com.
RELATED: Colorado’s largest country music festival announces 2021 headliners
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
CASCADE — The 99th running of the The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb officially kicks off Friday, June 25 with a Fan Zone at the new Switchbacks stadium, Weidner Field. Before the soccer match, fans can stop by and pick up race tickets, programs and official Pikes Peak International Hill Climb merchandise. The Fan Zone will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Hill Climb race, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an invitational automobile and motorcycle race to the summit of Pikes Peak. The race is 12.42 miles, with 156 turns and climbs 4,720 feet.
The first 3,500 fans through the gateway on race day will also receive goodie bags to welcome fans back to the “Race to the Clouds.” Tickets and camping permits are available online at PPIHC.org.
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Rocky Mountain Street Rod Nationals
PUEBLO — Over 2,000 street rods, customs, muscle cars and street machines will travel to the Colorado State Fairgrounds this weekend for the 36th annual Rocky Mountain Street Rod Nationals. The car show is one of the largest in Colorado — taking up almost all the space at the fairgrounds — and is a unique mix of vintage and new automobiles of every description.
Almost all of the Colorado State Fairgrounds will be utilized for the event as well as many of the buildings, which will house a large number of manufacturer and dealer displays and other attractions. Pueblo’s largest vintage car show, which also features automobile venders, tasty food and beer, runs from Friday, June 25 to Sunday, June 27.
Whittle the Wood Rendezvous
CRAIG — The 21st annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous chainsaw and carving competition and festival is this weekend in Craig. Plan for four days of carving, arts and crafts and music at Loudy-Simpson Park beginning Wednesday, June 23. Competitive wood carving continues through Saturday, June 26 with talented wood workers transforming wooden stumps into stunning works of art.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band performs Friday at 8:30 p.m. and Everclear takes the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday. Concert tickets are available at WhittleTheWood.com.
Frederick in Flight
FREDERICK — The Town of Frederick will celebrate the many forms of flight this weekend with a hot air balloon lift, glow party and plenty of fun for the whole family. Frederick in Flight will have balloon lifts at 6 a.m. on Friday, June 25, Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 at Centennial Park.
There will be free tethered balloon rides for kids of all ages at 7 a.m. Saturday. The 5 p.m. Glow Party on Saturday will have hot air balloon glowing, free kids’ activities, food vendors, beer garden, live music and more.
Dragon Boat Regatta
BRIGHTON — The first Dragon Boat Regatta on Mann-Nyholt Lake at Riverdale Regional Park is set for Saturday, June 26 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The regatta will have a festival feel, with performances and food trucks, along with races, throughout the day. This event is free and open to the public to cheer on the dragons as they race across the Mann-Nyholt Lake.
Keystone Bacon & Bourbon Festival
KEYSTONE — The weekend-long celebration of bacon is back in Keystone for an 10th year. Bacon enthusiasts can take in the fresh mountain air, enjoy live local music acts and savor the scent of bacon dishes wafting through the village. There will be four different micro-stages, designed to disperse crowds and add to the jams. This delicious festival runs Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 at River Run Village at Keystone Resort and tickets are available online.
Arvada on Tap
ARVADA — Arvada on Tap – a craft beer and BBQ festival – returns on Saturday, June 26. Admission to the festival includes entry, unlimited beer tastings from more than 20 breweries, live music, access to community vendors, access to food vendors, BBQ demonstrations, homebrew demonstrations, token for Best in Show BBQ Competition and more. For tickets, head to ArvadaFestivals.com.
Vail Craft Beer Classic
VAIL — Colorado’s highest-altitude beer tasting pairs beer with adventure for two days of events. Paired beer dinners, mountain biking with a brewer and hundreds of craft beers to sample in Vail Village are just a few parts of the Vail Craft Beer Classic on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26. Tickets are available online. To see a complete schedule, visit VailCraftBeerClassic.com.
National Food Truck Day
DENVER — The 6th annual National Food Truck Day will be held Friday, June 25. More than 30,000 food trucks across the country are participating by providing endless deals and discounts including dozens in Denver.
The first step is to go out and eat at a food truck and share on social media with #NationalFoodTruckDay. Many trucks are providing discounts, promotions, and BOGO deals. Find the location of a food truck near you online here.
RELATED: Recent Colorado heat impacts food truck businesses
Dumb Friends League Adoptathon
DENVER & CASTLE ROCK — Meet your new best pal at the Dumb Friends League Adoptathon at the Leslie A. Malone Center in Denver and the Buddy Center in Castle Rock. The event is Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27.
Denver Dumb Friends League (DDFL) will be offering a name-your-own-price adoption fee special with a goal of connecting 125 pets with their new families.
All cat and dog adoptions include spay or neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip ID and a free wellness visit with a participating veterinarian. View pets currently available for adoption here.
Widespread Panic
MORRISON — Georgia rock band Widespread Panic will play Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday, June 25, Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27. Widespread Panic did not get to play Red Rocks in 2020, the first year since 2012 the band hasn’t performed at the famous venue.
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 are being sold at full capacity, which is 9,545 people.
RELATED: Widespread Panic book 3 nights at Red Rocks
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Movies this weekend
The perfect escape from the hot temperatures this weekend is an air- conditioned movie theater. There is something for everyone at the movies this weekend, from family-friendly pictures and musicals to action and horror.
Opening this week
Last weekend’s box office
- The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard — $11.4M
- A Quiet Place Part II — $9.1M
- Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway — $6.1M
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It — $5.0M
- Cruella — $4.8M
- In the Heights — $4.2M
- Spirit: Untamed — $1.5M
RELATED: Vin Diesel details plans to wrap ‘Fast and Furious’ movie franchise
> 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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