Denver's World-Class Music, Arts and Culture Take Center Stage Over Memorial Day Weekend

News provided by

VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau

Apr 28, 2023, 12:28 ET

- The Mile High City celebrates the season with new exhibits, live music and events for the whole family to enjoy. –

DENVER, April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Denver will kick off the unofficial start to summer with a long weekend of events and exhibitions highlighting Denver's lively culture. From the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater to outdoor food festivals and sports, endless opportunities exist to explore and gear up for summer in Denver. Below are a few Mile High Memorial Day Weekend highlights. Additional events can be found on the VISIT DENVER website.

New and Signature Events

Denver BBQ Festival
May 27-28, Empower Field at Mile High
The Denver BBQ Festival returns to Empower Field at Mile High! Top pitmasters from Denver and around the country will be smoking more than 30,000 pounds of meat, so be sure to grab your 3- or 4-hour Pit Pass tickets, which includes all-you-can-eat food and drink! There will also be live music, cold drinks, BBQ demos, a Rib Rumble where BBQ lovers can compete to see who can eat the most rib meat in a 5-minute heat and a Run for the Ribs 5k race.

Red Rocks Concerts
May 27-30, Red Rocks Amphitheater
To kick off the weekend, see Chromeo & Hot Chip for Funk On The Rocks with Coco & Breezy and Cimafunk on May 26. Then, Old Dominion takes the stage for two nights May 27 and 28, for the No Bad Vibes Tour with Frank Ray, Greylan James and Kassi Ashton. Finally, LCD Soundsystem takes the stage on Monday, May 29 and Tuesday, May 30.

Colorado Rockies
May 26-28
The Rockies will take on the New York Mets at Coors Field.

Colorado Rapids Soccer vs. FC Cincinnati
May 27
The Colorado Rapids soccer team challenges FC Cincinnati on Saturday, May 27.

Arts & Culture

Denver Art Festival
May 27-28, Central Park's Conservatory Green
The Denver Arts Festival is a free festival featuring fine art and fine crafts from primarily Colorado artists, while also showcasing a select group of national artists. Make a day of it with plenty of art to see, wine tasting from La Crema Winery, food trucks, adult beverages and free live music both days. There will also be a Kids Art Zone where kids can create their own paintings to take home with them. Come see why this festival is one of the top-ranked art shows in the country!

Near East to Far West: Fictions of French and American
Through May 28, 2023, Denver Art Museum
French Orientalism refers to artworks produced by French artists during the 1800s inspired by North Africa and the greater Islamic world. Their creation paralleled French colonial expansion into Algeria beginning in the 1830s and, as the United States expanded westward, presented a template for how American artists depicted landscapes and people of the American West. This exhibition presents more than 80 artworks exploring the many ways that the style and substance of French Orientalism directly influenced American artists and their representations of the American West in art and popular culture during this period.

Melanie Yazzie: Peace Walkin
Through May 29, 2023, Denver Botanic Gardens
Contemporary artist Melanie Yazzie was born in northeastern Arizona to a family from the Salt Water and Bitter Water Diné (Navajo) clans. In this exhibit, she weaves together nature and narrative in multi-layered prints, paintings and sculptures to explore the experiences that shaped her.

Rainbows & Revolutions
Through June 30, 2023, History Colorado Center
LGBTQ+ people have always been part of Colorado communities. They have pushed against stereotypes, transforming the way mainstream society views them. Rainbows & Revolutions is about more than just Pride — the exhibit explores how LGBTQ+ people's very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow, from quiet assertions of identity to loud and proud demonstrations for civil rights and equality.

Denver Attraction Discount Passes
The Mile High City offers visitors two different discount passes to take advantage of the great attractions throughout Denver. The Mile High Culture Pass gives visitors three days to explore many of Denver's top art and cultural museums, while the Denver CityPASS gives visitors access to three, four or five of Denver's most popular attractions for seven days.

Outdoor Activities

Amusement and Water Parks
Denver water parks at Water World and Elitch Gardens open Memorial Day weekend, helping families beat the heat.

Denver Zoo
With over 3,500 animals on 84 gorgeous acres, Denver Zoo is an amazing experience year-round. Your donation helps to provide world-class care for the lions, giraffes and elephants, as well as other wild animals and wild places, from the Rockies to Mongolia.

Denver's Best Urban Hikes
Denver is a city with endless outdoor fun and has an ideal location next to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. While The Mile High City is conveniently close to major peaks for hiking, there's actually no need to head into the mountains when Denver's regional trail system encompasses hundreds of miles for all ages and abilities to explore.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 114 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 31.7 million visitors in 2021, generating $6.6 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city's largest industries. Learn more about Denver on the VISIT DENVER website or at Tourism Pays Denver. Denver International Airport (DEN) is the No. 3 busiest airport in the world connecting The Mile High City to more than 200 destinations globally. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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