THIS WEEK

Gunnison Restaurant Week through Sunday

Enthusiasts can win custom Romp skis, Monarch lift tickets and other prizes just by going out to dinner in Gunnison. Diners can get a free digital passport, then check in at a restaurant for one contest entry.

So much Rocky Horror through Oct. 31

It’s the season for campy comedy and participatory cinema fun. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is coming to venues across Colorado. Many of them have live local shadow casts, singing, dancing and audience props on the following dates:

Ridgway Oct. 22 to 25
Crested Butte Oct. 23
Durango Oct. 23 to 31
Gunnison Oct. 23
Pagosa Springs Oct. 29
Gunnison Oct. 30
Estes Park Oct. 31

Salida Improv Festival Friday to Sunday

The Salida Improv Movement will host improv teams and trainers from Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Illinois for two nights of comedy and two days of workshops for all skill levels. The improv showcases are ticketed separately, and cost $10 each. Workshops cost $35 each.

Spirits & Spirits in Denver Saturday

The Four Mile Historic Park in Denver will host a pre-Halloween event for adults from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. The Spirits & Spirits tour includes craft cocktails and alcoholic spirit tastings while learning about ghostly spirits, haunted history and macabre tales. The ticketed event also includes Bright Nights light show entry, live drag performances, demonstrations of Victorian mourning practices and a film screening. Add-ons and on-site purchases include tarot readings, face painting and food.

The Emma Crawford Coffin Races return on Saturday. | Photo provided

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. Nearly a century later, teams gather shortly before Halloween to build a coffin and race it through Manitou Springs.

Ski season starting Saturday?

There are rumors that Arapahoe Basin might open Saturday, starting ski and snowboard season in Colorado. Loveland, Keystone and Winter Park are expected to follow, possibly on Oct. 31. Other projected opening dates in the next few weeks include:

Aspen, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Eldora, Granby Ranch, Purgatory, Snowmass, Telluride and Wolf Creek are expected to open around Thanksgiving, with the rest of the ski areas slated for December.

Boulder Jewish Film Festival opens Sunday

The 14th Annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival comes to the Dairy Arts Center from Sunday, Oct. 25, to Sunday, Nov. 1. The festival includes a conversation following every screening. This year’s films focus on the influential role Jews have played in shaping popular culture, the enduring strength of parental devotion, moral and physical courage, and female empowerment.

PLAN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Glenwood Springs Oct. 29

The Middle Colorado Watershed Council takes a collaborative and educational approach to protecting the Colorado River. The group’s signature annual fundraiser is the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, which has a curated lineup of short films, as well as a live auction and door prizes.

Rim Rock Marathon at Colorado National Monument Nov. 1

The Rim Rock Marathon and Half Marathon run along one of Colorado’s most scenic roads: Rim Rock Drive through Colorado National Monument. Both races start in the park, and runners must take shuttles from the Fruita Community Center, where each race ends.

Rocky Mountain Craft Spirits Festival in Estes Nov. 7

The Rocky Mountain Craft Spirits Festival comes to the Estes Park Events Complex. The speakeasy-themed festival includes sampling from more than 40 distilleries, 10 craft breweries and several non-alcoholic drink makers. The festival also offers tintype vintage portraits and live music from Deborah Stafford.

Bloody Mary Festival in Denver Nov. 8

The 10th annual Denver Bloody Mary Festival is on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Reelworks. Some of Denver's top bars, restaurants and artisanal bottled cocktails will compete for a people’s choice award and the official prize voted on by expert judges. A VIP session starts at 11:30, with general admission from 12:15 to 2:30 p.m.

Indy film fest in Ridgway Nov. 13 to 15

The Ridgway Independent Film Festival brings six blocks of independent short films on Saturday and Sunday, after an opening party on Friday night. This year’s theme is campfire stories. A volunteer-led grassroots effort created the festival shortly after Ridgway became one of Colorado’s first Certified Creative Districts. All screenings are at the historic Sherbino Theater.

Banjo festival in Denver Nov. 14

The Swallow Hill Banjofest is a day of performances, jams and workshops with Kaia Kater, Allison de Groot, Nic Gareiss and Natalie Spears, as well as Swallow Hill instructors and community members. Workshops and jam sessions run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a concert at 7 p.m.

As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. If they don’t fit in this events roundup, we will add them to our events calendar.

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