This weekend is all about savoring the late days of summer before Labor Day comes in. If you’re not taking a weekend getaway on our favorite mountain passes, don’t miss our five best things to do in Colorado Springs this weekend. And don’t forget to enter to win four tickets here to the Pikes Peak Parade of Homes — the deadline is this week.
If you’re still looking for more, check out our Featured Events by PeakRadar.com.
5 Best Things to Do in Colorado Springs Through Aug. 31
Tails, Tunes & Tastes
Aug. 27
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
It’s grown-ups night at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and there’s a magical evening in store on the mountain. Live music throughout the zoo will set the mood. Tickets include unlimited small plates from a chef-crafted menu and two drink tickets. There’s a cash bars too, plus a drone show after dark. You just have to be at least 21 to join the fun.
Colorado State Fair
Aug. 28 – Sept. 7
Colorado State Fairgrounds, Pueblo
The Colorado State Fair starts its two-week run this weekend, and it’s packed with all sorts of events and activities. A wide range of concerts includes Ian Munsick, Dylan Scott, Neal McCoy, The Fray, Celebracion de los Charros, Vanilla Ice and the I Love the ’90s Tour and more. Monster Trucks will be there. There are livestock exhibits and competitions, including petting zoos and rodeos. The carnival is huge. And you can catch free drone shows, the All-American High Dive Show, a corn maze, beer and wine competitions, tons of food and more.
Villain Arts Tattoo Festival
Aug. 28-30
Norris Penrose Event Center
Celebrate tattoo culture and self-expression at the Villain Arts Tattoo Festival all weekend at Norris Penrose Event Center. You’ll find world-class tattoo artists, contortionists, sword swallowers, more entertainers, vendors and tattoo enthusiasts. Yes, you absolutely can get inked at the show. There’s also an additional after party at Benny’s on Saturday night.
Radiant Blue Marble: Moving Pictures for a Living Planet
Aug. 29
GOCA at Ent Center for the Arts
Six of Colorado’s most vital arts, film and academic organizations have joined forces to create a rare single-day, statewide cinematic event that places emerging student filmmakers, independent documentary voices and a Kubrick masterwork on the same stage at the Ent Center. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., enjoy film blocks by GOCA, the Youth Documentary Academy, Rocky Mountain Women’s Film, the Independent Film Society of Colorado and CU Boulder’s NEST Studio for the Arts. It’s all followed by a 7 p.m. evening screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).
“When five organizations — spanning two university campuses, youth education, independent film, and women’s cinema — agree to share a single screen for a single day, that is itself a statement about what art can do,” says Joy Armstrong, Ph.D., director and curator of the Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA). “We are asking our community to sit with the most urgent and beautiful questions of our time: What is the reciprocal relationship between our planetary home and ourselves? And who gets to tell that story?” The event is part of the CO150 Film Festival.
John Denver Day
Aug. 30
Goat Patch Brewing Company, Monument
Take us home, country roads — to Goat Patch’s John Denver Day. The annual celebration is always a big deal, going back this brewery’s Pikes Peak Brewing days, and the festivities run from noon till 9 p.m. Food trucks, market vendors and face painting open at noon. David Chapa starts the live music at 2 p.m. Cowboy Brad and the Tropicowboys will play John Denver favorites 6-9 p.m. And Sip with Schnip will be happening through the day too, featuring a peach kettle sour firkin release.
Bonus Picks
Weenies and ’Tinis
Aug. 14-30
10 Downtown Restaurants
Experience the downtown food scene with a sizzling fun pairing of gourmet hot dogs and creative martinis. Download the free passport then eat, sip and stroll through unique pairings like The Brit Pub’s Duck & Foie Dog with pickled cherries and apple ketchup, paired with the Rouge Royal, a gin-based cherry martini.
“Part of the fun of Weenies & ‘Tinis is seeing what happens when you give downtown chefs and bartenders permission to play,” says Kelsee Swenn, marketing manager for the Downtown Partnership. “They get to experiment with ingredients, flavors and combinations that might not normally have a place on their menus, and customers get a great excuse to try something completely unexpected. It brings new people through the doors and gives regulars a reason to come back and experience a restaurant in a totally different way.”
Try all 10 restaurants, earn points for each item you order and win prizes.
