Coffin races, cocktail festivals, fall fairs, performing arts and more on tap

By the Thirst Team

Get Out of Town is our roundup of the best events across Colorado for the next few weeks. For more happenings, check out our events calendar.

“Spelling Bee” play opens in Parker Friday

Parker Arts presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” Thursdays through Sundays from Oct. 24 to Nov. 16 at the Schoolhouse. The witty modern classic is about six tweens competing for the spelling championship of their lifetime. The show is rated PG-13.

Fall festival in Poudre Canyon Friday to Sunday

Riverside Colorado is a collection of glamping sites, cabins and tiny homes in the Poudre Canyon near the Mishawaka Amphitheatre and about 30 minutes west of Fort Collins.

The retreat hosts a fall festival this weekend, including live music, all-day activities, local vendors and an outdoor screening of the movie “Hocus Pocus.”

Coffin races in Manitou Springs Saturday

The nation’s original coffin races commemorate Emma Crawford, who wished to be buried atop Red Mountain. Colorado weather had different plans, and a series of freeze-thaw cycles and some heavy spring rains sent her coffin racing down the mountainside in 1929. Now, every spooky season in Manitou comes with coffin races through downtown.

Spooky spirits fest in Denver Saturday

Four Mile Historic Park in southeast Denver hosts the Spirits and Spirits festival. In addition to craft cocktails and sampling, the event includes drag performances, a costume contest, haunted tractor rides, flash tattoos, tarot readings and a metaphysical marketplace with crystals, curios and such. The Four Mile House also hosts a séance, a Victorian mourning ceremony and ghost stories.

Shedfest in Salida Saturday

The Salida farmers market season closes this weekend with a festival that includes performances by the Salida High School marching band and the Salida Circus. There also will be a chili cook-off and a pie baking contest, plus a kids costume parade and community raffle.

Ballet in Boulder Saturday and Sunday

Boulder Ballet’s Dancer’s Choice showcase is coming to the Dairy Arts Center. Saturday’s performance has reserved seating sold in advance. Sunday’s performance is “pay what you can” and first come, first served.

Boulder Ballet says to “expect bold choices, fresh voices, and the unexpected” from this program, which is choreographed and shaped by Boulder Ballet’s dancers.

Bloody Mary festival in Denver Sunday

Reelworks Denver hosts the 9th annual Bloody Mary Festival on Sunday. Tickets include unlimited samples of the best Bloody Mary cocktails in the Denver area, as well as more food and beverage tastes, a Halloween costume party, temporary tattoos, photo ops and more.

PLAN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Denver Film Fest opens Oct. 31

The 48th Denver Film Fest runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 at Sie Film Center and various other venues around the city.

The festival includes 19 “Colorado Spotlight” films created in Colorado, from a documentary about immigrant workers at Churchill Downs to a feature film about the town of Creede’s renaissance. Some films also include a post-screening discussion with filmmakers.

Drinks festival in Estes Park Nov. 1

The Rocky Mountain Craft Spirits Festival comes to the Estes Park Events Complex. The speakeasy-themed festival includes sampling from more than 40 distilleries, as well as tin type vintage portraits, food trucks, vendors and more.

Comic theater in Denver opens Oct, 31

Buntport Theater in central Denver continues its 25th season of quirky theater with a revival of the 2017 show “Edgar Allan Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat.” The Buntport crew promises minimal scares, “unless you think podcasts and Boston Market are spooky.”

The Buntport team also is buying their building and expanding their space, which also provides performance and rehearsal space for many other regional creatives. Click here for more details about the Buntport capital campaign.

Stephen King classic opens in Boulder Nov. 1

The horror shows don’t end on Halloween. From Nov. 1 to 29, OpenStage Theatre in Fort Collins will stage its adaptation of the Stephen King classic “Misery.” Set in Colorado, it tells the story of a romance novelist trapped in a cabin with a fan who is obsessive, to say the least.

Marathon through Colorado National Monument Nov. 2

The 29th Rim Rock Marathon and Half Marathon course follows Rim Rock Drive through the Colorado National Monument, offering a heart-pounding climb and beautiful views of the Grand Valley.

Registration includes event apparel, a finisher's medal, access to the Colorado National Monument, post-race food, chip timing and more.

Organizers promise the event will occur as planned, as the permit was approved before the federal shutdown.

Night of the Dead in Manitou Springs Nov. 7

The 13th annual Noche de Los Muertos festival is coming to the Rockledge Inn on the final night of Mexico’s traditional Day of the Dead week. The event includes Latin dance performances, a symbolic skeleton burning ceremony to honor the dearly departed, face painting, fortune tellers and more. Attendees are invited to bring a memento of a departed loved one to add to the Ofrenda, and dress up in Day of the Dead costumes and make up.