We’ve got your plans for the next few weeks

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.

BEST BETS FOR THIS WEEK

Classic cars and more in Telluride Sept 25-27

The 10th Telluride Autumn Classic takes place all weekend at the Mountain Village. The family-friendly festival is a showcase of exotic and vintage cars, motorcycles, aircraft and more, with art and live music.

Celebrating fall in Fruita Sept 26 and 27

The 10th annual Fruita Fall Festival on Friday and Saturday includes a beef and wine dinner, sporting contests and a cupcake eating contest. The event also brings outhouse races, parades, pet shows, baking and canning contests, a history fair, beer garden and live music.

Harvest festival in Paonia Sept. 26 to 28

The Mountain Harvest Festival opens Friday with a book sale, bike parade, art walk, and theater and live music.

Saturday and Sunday events include yoga, farm tours, wine and cider tastings, art markets and demos, chili and pie contests, and live music on several stages. The legendary Motet will headline the festival, with more than a dozen other Colorado acts on the bill.

Big B’s Fruit Company also hosts live music, camping and more all weekend.

Billie Holiday tribute in Arvada Sept. 26 to Nov. 2

“Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” opens Friday at the Arvada Center. The show recreates one of Billie Holiday’s last shows. Essence Anisa Tyler will sing and perform Holiday’s classic hits, including “Strange Fruit” and “God Bless the Child,” in her Arvada Center debut.

Bluegrass and beer in Breckenridge Sept. 26 to 28

Breckenridge Bluegrass & Beer opens Sept. 26 with a beer pairing dinner at Sauce on the Maggie. Saturday brings the grand tasting at Main Street Station, including live music from Grass it Up. VIP access begins at 12:30 p.m., and GA access runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday brunch at Sauce on the Maggie rounds out the weekend.

Books in Aspen Sept. 26-28

Aspen Words hosts the first Aspen Literary Festival, starting Sept. 26. The three-day event brings 40 authors for lectures, panel discussions, parties and more. Presenters include prolific mystery writer Walter Mosley, “The Big Short” and “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis, “The Nix” author Nathan Hill and “The Perfect Storm” author Sebastian Junger.

Paid tickets are required for some events.

Green chile party in Pagosa Springs Sept. 27

The Mountain Chile Cha Cha centers around the Patty Aragon Chile Cook-Off, and also offers margarita contests, sangria tent, beer garden, live Latino music, family activities, and a variety of food and arts vendors.

Blues in Colorado Springs Sept. 27

Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster headlines the fifth annual Blues on the Mesa festival at Gold Hill Mesa in Colorado Springs. The lineup also includes Mike Zito, Eden Brent, Jack Hadley and Grant Sabin.

The festival will also bring local food and drink vendors, a health fair and more. General-admission and VIP tickets are available, and children 16 and under are free with a paying adult.

Brewery block party in Denver Sept. 27

Woods Boss Brewing in Denver hosts a daylong block party, with food trucks, splatter paint station, steinholding competition, live screen printing and live entertainment.

The entertainment lineup opens at 1 p.m. with Dollhouse Thieves, and also includes Mind Gardens, Juno Rossa, Trusetto, DJ sets and a drag show at 7:30 p.m.

Creek cleanup in Colorado Springs Sept. 27

Red Leg Brewing hosts a creek cleanup as part of the Fountain Creek Watershed’s Creek Week, the largest river cleanup event in Colorado.

Celebrating elk in Estes Park Sept. 27 and 28

Estes Park celebrates its most famous fall visitors at the Estes Park Elk Fest in Bond Park. Saturday opens with a 5K run. Both days also bring a bugling contest, educational presentations, live music, Native American dancing and other activities.

Elk will likely wander through and around town, but be warned that elk can be aggressive, especially during the rut, or mating season.

Harvest Festival | Photo provided by the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey

Wine Festival in Cañon City Sept. 27 and 28

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City hosts its 23rd annual Harvest Festival.

Admission is free and the fest includes wine, live music, food, chili roasting, a farmers market, and arts and crafts vendors. The two-day event opens at 10 a.m. Saturday with the blessing of the harvest by Father Jesse Perez of St. Michael’s Catholic Church.

Musicians include Hammerstadt Fusion of the Soul, Deja Bluz, Gentle Rain and Deep Blue Sea

PLAN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Whiskey fest in Breck Oct. 3-5

The Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival, also known as Still on the Hill, comes to Breckenridge, with live music, seminars, cocktail pairing dinners, mine and distillery tours, happy hours and more.

The highlight of the event, though, is the grand tasting from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, with opportunities to sample spirits, meet distillers, and vote for their favorite sips.

Local restaurants serve gourmet bites, and Local Folk will play bluegrass music.

Bluegrass festival near Manitou Oct. 3-5

The Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort is a unique lodging option between Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs that aims to foster community and excitement around cycling.

The hotel will host the Buffalo Grass festival, including live music, group bike rides, yoga, vendors, bluegrass circles and more.

The music headliners are Wirewood Station on Friday, Blue Canyon Boys on Saturday, and Magoo on Sunday.

Film festival in Rifle Oct. 4

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival comes to the Ute Theater, with 12 short environmental movies. Subjects include forest recovery after wildfires, hidden life in streams, and a rafting family.

Beer fest in Manitou Oct. 4

The 10th Heritage Brewfest in Manitou Springs moves to early fall and showcases regional Southern Colorado beer and music. The event is a fundraiser for the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum.

Creepy beer fest in Colorado Springs Oct 4

The Halloween season opens with a wide variety of beer, liquor and wine at the Dead Man’s Brew Fest at Weidner Field, home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks professional soccer team.

Belgian beers in Denver Oct. 4

Bruz Beers in northwest Denver will host a celebration of Belgian-stye beers from Colorado and Belgium from 1 to 4 p.m. Local breweries include Barquentine, Purpose, River North, Our Mutual Friend, Wanderment and Locavore.

In addition to unlimited samples, the festival offers live music, a food truck and a dog treat truck. Tickets sell out in advance every year for the festival.

Cars, music and ribs in Montrose Oct. 4

The Rides, Rhythms and Ribs Fest returns to the Montrose Rotary Amphitheater.The rides are cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATV's and more. The rhythms are live acts playing country, rock, hip hop, blues Christian rock and more. The ribs part refers to rib cooking and eating contests, with trophies. There also is a kids’ zone, vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, karaoke and more.

Cider celebration in Lakewood Oct. 4 and 5

The Cider Days festival comes to Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park. The historic event celebrates the area’s roots in apple farming and other agriculture. There will be apple pressing, live performances, tractor pulls, vintage displays and demonstrations, wagon and barrel train rides, and a variety of exhibitors and vendors.

Giant beer festival in Denver Oct. 9-11

The Great American Beer Festival, the largest beer tasting event in the nation, returns to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

The festival expands into liquor for the first time this year, and there will be Halloween and sports-themed areas. There also will be live music, lip sync battles, costume contests and more.

The epic pour list is available here.

Aurora Borealis Festival Oct. 10 and 11

The second annual Aurora Borealis Festival comes to High Prairie Park. Immersive light displays and interactive installations are designed to recreate the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis.

There also will be a global gift bazaar, international food court, live music, cultural performances, family activities, and hands-on art experiences.

Wine festival in Johnstown Oct. 11

The second annual Hallowine Festival is coming to Thompson River Ranch in Johnstown on Saturday, Oct. 11. Tickets include unlimited tastings, a Halloween costume contest, live music, vendors and food trucks.

Fundraising gala in Grand Junction Oct. 17

Mafia Princess Wines hosts the Velvet Vine Gala, a speakeasy-themed evening of wine, live jazz and community. The event is a fundraiser to help the winery rebuild its vineyard after a devastating hail storm. Money also will be donated to Father to the Fatherless, a nonprofit school and orphanage in Uganda.

PB&J Jazz will perform, and there also will be a raffle and a silent auction, as well as Mafia Princess Wines and Underdog Cheese small bites.

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.