Weekend Picks: DIVA Opens, Cider Days & Elk Fest (October 2 – 4)

The first weekend of October is one of the most reliably beautiful weekends of the year along the Front Range. The aspens in the foothills are at or near peak, the mornings are crisp, the afternoons are still warm, and fall programming across the metro is in full swing. This weekend, Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, has a major museum opening, two genuinely charming small-town festivals, and plenty of good reasons to leave the city. Here is where we would spend it.

The Big One: DIVA at the Denver Art Museum

DIVA, the celebrated Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition, opens to the public on Sunday, October 4, and the Denver Art Museum is its only stop in the United States. The show brings together more than 250 objects, including over 60 costumes worn by performers from Marilyn Monroe to Rihanna, and explores what it has meant to be a diva across opera, film, theater, and pop music.

It is a timed-ticket exhibition. Adult nonmember tickets start at $29 and youth tickets for ages 18 and under are $5, with entry slots every 10 minutes. Final entry is 4 p.m. most days and 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. Opening weekend of a blockbuster sells out, so book ahead, and if you can only go on a weekend, the first slot of the morning is the least crowded.

The museum is in the Golden Triangle at 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway. The Cultural Center garage on 12th Avenue is the easiest parking, and the neighborhood is very walkable if you want lunch nearby before or after. DIVA runs through January 31, 2027, so if opening weekend is sold out, you have a long runway.

Lakewood Cider Days

Lakewood Cider Days runs Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, at Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. This is an old-fashioned fall festival in the best sense: apple pressing and cider demonstrations, live entertainment, historic exhibits in the park's collection of preserved buildings, and activities for kids. It is easy to get to, family-friendly, and a nice alternative to the bigger ticketed pumpkin events.

Heritage Lakewood sits off Wadsworth Boulevard just south of Belmar's shopping district, so you can pair the festival with lunch at Belmar afterward. Arrive early on Saturday for easier parking and the best selection of cider.

Estes Park Elk Fest

October is the height of the elk rut, and Estes Park leans into it with Elk Fest on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4. Expect educational programs, bugling demonstrations, music, and vendors in town, with the real attraction being the herds that wander through town and the meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park.

A few practical notes. Estes is roughly 90 minutes from Denver, and Highway 36 through Lyons is heavily traveled on fall weekends, so leave early. Rocky Mountain National Park's timed-entry reservation system typically runs through mid-October, so check the park's website before assuming you can drive in. And give the elk room: bulls in the rut are big, unpredictable, and aggressive. The park recommends staying at least 75 feet away, and rangers enforce it.

If you go, the drive up via the Peak to Peak Highway from Nederland is one of the best fall color drives in the state and turns the trip into a loop.

Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes

The metro's farm-based fall festivals are all open this weekend. Anderson Farms in Erie runs its fall festival through the end of October with a large corn maze, pumpkin patch, and farm activities. Cottonwood Farms in Lafayette and the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Ranch in Longmont both offer patches and hayrides with a more relaxed, less crowded feel. Weekend tickets at the bigger farms often need to be booked in advance, so check the website before loading everyone in the car.

If you are waiting for the Denver Botanic Gardens Pumpkin Festival at Chatfield Farms, it is the following weekend, October 9 through 11, and advance tickets are required.

Weird and Wonderful: Oddities and Curiosities Expo

The Oddities and Curiosities Expo takes over the Colorado Convention Center on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, opening at 10 a.m. both days. Taxidermy, vintage medical instruments, strange art, and a crowd that is fully committed to the theme. If the weather turns early and a mountain trip is off the table, this is a memorable indoor alternative.

Shows and Big Nights

Red Rocks is winding down its season but still active: Levity plays Friday, October 2, and for KING + COUNTRY plays Sunday, October 4. Early October nights at Red Rocks get genuinely cold once the sun goes down, often in the 40s, so bring real layers and a blanket. WWE SmackDown is at Ball Arena on Friday, and country newcomer Cameron Whitcomb plays the Fillmore Auditorium the same night. Light rail is your friend for anything downtown.

Broncos fans: the team is on the road this week, at San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, which makes it a good weekend to catch the game at a neighborhood bar after a morning outside.

Leaf Peeping Close to Town

This is the weekend to see color without a long drive. Golden Gate Canyon State Park, about 45 minutes from downtown, has big aspen stands and good trails. Guanella Pass out of Georgetown and Kenosha Pass on US 285 are reliable but crowded on October weekends — before 9 a.m. is a different experience. Squaw Pass Road above Evergreen is a quieter option with good views.

At lower elevations, cottonwoods along Clear Creek and the South Platte are starting to turn gold. A walk along the Clear Creek Trail in Golden or at Chatfield State Park is a low-effort way to enjoy it.

Weather and Logistics

Early October in the metro typically means highs in the upper 60s to mid-70s and mornings in the 40s. At elevation, it can be much colder, and early-season snow on the passes is always possible this time of year. Check pass conditions on COtrip before heading west, and bring a warm layer even if Denver looks sunny.

The Bottom Line

An international blockbuster exhibition, an apple festival in Lakewood, elk bugling in Estes Park, a corn maze in Erie, and golden aspens within an hour of downtown. Weekends like this are a big part of why people who move to the Front Range stay. If you are thinking about which part of the metro puts you closest to the things you love doing, we would enjoy helping you figure that out.