Events of the week around Colorado

Celebrate honey bees, green movies, bluegrass music and more this week

By the Thirst Team

Get Out of Town is our weekly roundup of recommended events across Colorado. For more happenings, check out our events calendar. 

Honeybees in Palisade

The Palisade International Honey Bee Festival starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Town Plaza in downtown Palisade, with honey and related products, artisan vendors, educational speakers, chef demonstrations and more. There also will be a pet costume contest and elementary spelling bee in the afternoon.

A Colorado honey wine crafter, Meadery of the Rockies, and its sister business Talon Wines will host a welcome reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, with complimentary food, wine and tours.

The meadery also celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, with a mead pairing dinner on Saturday, April 19.

Bluegrass in Durango

The Durango Bluegrass Meltdown runs from Friday through Sunday, with at least 20 bands performing at six downtown Durango venues. The festival opens with a free concert on Friday at Ernies, plus ticketed performances at the Durango Arts Center and Animas City Theatre. Music continues all day Saturday and Sunday, including two late-night Saturday shows. 

Daily tickets and weekend passes are available, and kids 12 and under get in for free. There also is a band contest starting Saturday at the Elks Lodge, with a first place prize of studio time, cash and a mainstage slot in 2026. 

Environmental films in Estes

The PBS documentary “Water: The Sacred Gift” will have its world premiere on Saturday night at the Park Theatre, during the Environmental Film Festival in Estes Park.

The festival begins Thursday with a kick-off party at Avant Garde Aleworks, with live music from Nick Mollé and friends. Mollé’s early films, including "Climb Longs Peak" will be screened on Friday. Saturday brings two matinees, a dinner reception and live music, as well as the film premiere.

Admission is $15 per day, or $25 for both days, and proceeds will be donated to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

“Bright Star” in Johnstown

The acclaimed “Bright Star” opens Thursday, and runs through June 8 at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown. The musical is   

Inspired by a true story and features a Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. It is set in the American South of the 1920s and 1940s, and tells the story of a literary editor and a young World War II soldier. 

Wine Walk in Denver

The Colorado Wine Walk on Sunday in downtown Denver’s Dairy Block is sold out, but tickets are available for the Sept. 13 edition (which is sure to sell out as well). 

If you are going to the Wine Walk this weekend, come say hi to Team Thirst. We will be there handing out magazines and swag, and giving away a pair of VIP tickets to the Chalk Lines and Vines wine and art festival. 

Collab Fest in Westminster

Thirst also will hand out swag and run a giveaway at Collaboration Fest in Westminster on Saturday, April 19. Tickets are still available, but will sell out by this time next week. 

Save the date: Lafayette Brew Fest

The Lafayette Brew Fest brings local breweries, food trucks and live music to South Public Road in Lafayette on Saturday, June 7. Admission is free, and pour tokens are available at the door.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. If they don’t fit in the Get Out of Town column, we will add them to our events calendar.