Weekend Picks: Denver Arts Week, Free Night at the Museums & the Denver Christmas Show (November 6 – 8)

With Halloween behind us and the clocks turned back, the first full weekend of November shifts to arts, culture, and the start of the holiday season. Denver Arts Week begins Friday and runs through November 15, with hundreds of events across the city. Here is what we would do. As always, confirm hours and tickets with each organizer before you head out.

Friday, November 6: First Friday Kicks Off Denver Arts Week

Denver Arts Week, organized by Visit Denver, opens with expanded First Friday celebrations in the city's creative districts. The Art District on Santa Fe is the classic choice: galleries along Santa Fe Drive between about 5th and 10th Avenues stay open late, and the street fills with people. Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive, holds its free Día de Muertos celebration from 5 to 9 p.m., with a procession and a Catrina contest.

In RiNo, the First Friday Festival at RiNo ArtPark, 1900 35th St., runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Tennyson Street in Berkeley and the 40 West Arts District along West Colfax in Lakewood also host gallery nights. Take RTD or rideshare if you plan to hop between districts; parking on Santa Fe fills up fast.

If you want music, Red Rocks has Dabin on Friday night, one of the last shows of the season. Dress for temperatures in the 30s after dark. For something different, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, 2875 Blake St., hosts the Bierhalle Brawl, a live pro wrestling show, at 7 p.m. for ages 21 and over.

Friday Through Sunday: The Denver Christmas Show

The Denver Christmas Show returns November 6 through 8 at the Livestock Center at the National Western Center, just off I-70 and Brighton Boulevard. It is a large craft, food, and gift show with local artisans and makers, and it is one of the first chances of the season to get ahead on holiday shopping while supporting Colorado businesses. Tickets are sold online; check the show's website for hours and prices before you go.

Saturday, November 7: Free Night at the Museums

Saturday is the big day of the weekend. It is an SCFD Free Day at the Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, and the museum stays open late, until 10 p.m., for Night at the Museums, one of Denver Arts Week's signature programs. From 5 to 10 p.m., participating museums across the city open their doors for free. The Clyfford Still Museum, right next door to the Denver Art Museum, is free all day, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Other museums have participated in past years, including History Colorado Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art, the Black American West Museum, the Forney Museum of Transportation, and Wings Over the Rockies. Check the Denver Arts Week website for the confirmed 2026 list and the free shuttle routes between museums. Our advice: pick two or three that are close together, eat dinner in the Golden Triangle or on South Broadway, and expect crowds at the Denver Art Museum early in the evening.

Opera Colorado also opens its 2026-27 season Saturday with Verdi's Macbeth at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Performances run through November 15. And Denver Fashion Week begins Saturday at Astra Point Event Center in Lakewood, with runway shows through November 14.

Sunday, November 8: Brunch, Markets, and the Broncos

Sunday is a good day for brunch. The 10th annual Bloody Mary Festival takes over the EXDO Event Center, 1399 35th St. in RiNo, with bars and restaurants competing for the best Bloody Mary. It is 21 and over and usually sells out, so buy tickets in advance.

If you would rather shop, the South Pearl Street Farmers Market at Pearl Street and East Arkansas Avenue holds its final market of the season on Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is a great way to spend a morning in Platt Park, one of our favorite neighborhoods in the city.

The Broncos play at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, with an 11 a.m. Mountain kickoff on CBS. The early start makes it easy to catch the game and still have most of the afternoon free. Highland, Tennyson Street, and South Broadway all have good spots to watch.

Sunday is also the last night of Bright Nights, the lantern festival at Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S. Forest St., from 7 to 11 p.m. Four Mile is the oldest standing structure in Denver, and the lantern displays among the historic buildings are worth seeing before the event closes for the season.

For Music Fans

On Sunday afternoon, Face Vocal Band, the Boulder-based a cappella group, celebrates its 25th anniversary at Red Rocks with a 3:30 p.m. show. Sunday evening, Slothrust plays the Gothic Theatre in Englewood, a 16 and over show.

Ski Watch

Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, and Loveland have been making snow since mid-October, and at least one of them is usually open by the first week of November. If you are planning your first day of the season, check the resorts' snow reports and COtrip for I-70 conditions before you leave. Weekend traffic through the tunnel builds quickly after 7 a.m.

A Homeowner's Note

With the time change, it gets dark before 5 p.m. now. It is a good weekend to check your exterior lights, clean your gutters after the leaves are down, disconnect garden hoses, and blow out your sprinkler system before the first hard freeze if you have not done it already. A frozen backflow preventer is an expensive repair that a few minutes of prep can prevent.

The Bottom Line

First Friday on Santa Fe, free museums on Saturday night, a Bloody Mary or a farmers market on Sunday, and the start of holiday shopping at the National Western Center. It is one of the best weekends of the year to enjoy Denver's arts scene for very little money. Have a great weekend.