The 11th annual Denver Arts Week — the largest and most diverse celebration of the arts in the Rocky Mountain region — returns from November 3-11, 2017 with more than 300 scheduled events, many of which are free or at greatly reduced rates. The nine-day festival is filled with special activities devoted to visual arts, theater, music, film, museums, dance, opera, history, and heritage.
Night at the Museums
As part of the Denver Arts Week celebration, some of Denver's best museums are open late and are free on Saturday, November 4 from 5:00-10:00 PM. To make it even easier to explore, free shuttle buses will stop at or near 12 different museums in Downtown Denver:
- Black American West Museum
- Byers-Evans House Museum
- The CELL
- Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
- Clyfford Still Museum
- Denver Art Museum
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Denver Firefighters Museum
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Forney Museum of Transportation
- History Colorado Center
- Molly Brown House Museum
You don't have to drive to downtown Denver to spend the night at the museum. Four Mile Historic Park, Golden History Center, and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum have all joined in the fun too!
Family-Friendly Arts Week Events
Denver Arts Week is filled with imaginative activities and events that will stimulate young minds and create a lifelong love of the arts. Find more than 100 family-friendly activities to keep your children busy throughout the week, including:
- Nature Creations in Joy Park every day at noon from November 3-11 proves you don't need a bunch of fancy supplies to make art — the natural world can supply all the tools you need! Make rubbings, paintings, and more.
- Día de los Muertos at Museo de las Americas on Friday, November 3, will celebrate and honor our loved ones who have passed. Visitors will have the opportunity to decorated their very own sugar skull ($1-$3). A performance of the Aztec Dance of the Dead will conclude the evening.
- $5 Day at the Butterfly Pavilion on Sunday, November 5 gives visitors the chance to see bees hard at work in their hive, touch live starfish and crabs, and experience being surrounded by 1,600 free-flying butterflies at a discounted price.
- The Snowy Day at The Conservatory Theatre is a play inspired by Ezra Jack Keats' acclaimed children's books, tailored to Pre-K through 3rd grade audiences. Performances take place through November 18; tickets are $10-$15.
Other Denver Arts Week events include:
- Denver Film Festival from November 1-12. This cinephile's paradise features film premieres, seminars with nationally-acclaimed actors and directors, and hundreds of independent film screenings and red carpet events. There will be more than 250 films featured; screenings will take place at the Sie FilmCenter and the UA Denver Pavilions multiplex on the 16th Street Mall.
- Know Your Arts First Friday kicks off Denver Arts Week with a citywide street party. Scores of art galleries in six neighborhoods will stay open late. Meet local artists and find original artwork on sale starting at $52.80. Neighborhoods include the Art District on Santa Fe, Arts on Belmar, Golden Triangle Museum District, RiNo (River North Art District), Tennyson Street Cultural District, and 40 West Art District.
- Denver's On Stage - Denver's performing arts world struts its stuff during Denver's On Stage, featuring special deals and discounts for theater, dance, music and more. Enjoy dozens of performing arts specials throughout the week.
See the complete list of Denver Arts Week Events.
