Mountain comedy, a Valentine’s pop-up, a big brewery anniversary and more around the state

By the Thirst Team

Enjoy our roundup of the best events across Colorado for the next couple of weeks. Click here for a February performing arts preview, and read on for festivals, sporting contests and other happenings. For more, check out our events calendar.

Five days of free brewery anniversary events in Denver

To quote the great Nigel Tufnel, Ratio Beerworks “goes to 11” this week to celebrate its 11th anniversary. The party starts in RiNo with a comedy show tonight, a drag show tomorrow night and 93.3 FM’s Punk Rock Tacos DJing on Sunday. There also will be live music at both Ratio taprooms on Friday and Saturday, as well as beer releases.

The Wonder(yard) of Valentine’s season in Denver

Wonderyard Garden and Table in Denver goes all out for its Christmas pop-up, so we expect nothing less at the “Love Begins in Wonder” Valentine popup. In addition to becoming very pretty in pink, the popup includes specialty cocktails and food, photo opps and events. Valentine’s trivia runs from 7 to 9 p.m. today, followed by Galentine’s music bingo and permanent jewelry sale from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.

Comedy festival in Telluride Thursday to Sunday

The 26th annual Telluride Comedy Festival opens Thursday with a locals night and improv showcase. Friday brings Aristotle Athari, Ian Edwards and Andrew Michaan, plus a free after-show set. One Saturday, a Valentine’s show will be hosted by Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. The festival closes Sunday with a variety night and more improv.

Blindfolded wine tasting in Denver Friday and Saturday

Blanchard Family Wines in downtown Denver hosts a blindfolded wine tasting on Friday and Saturday. Each couples’ ticket includes a blindfolded tasting of two guided flights, as well as one bottle and two blindfolds to take home.

Jazz at Stranahan’s Friday

On Friday night, Stranahan’s Distillery will host a Valentine’s themed concert by LAPOMPE, a Denver group that blends jazz with gypsy swing and blues. A $50 ticket also includes one complimentary welcome cocktail, bottle discounts and a voucher for a free distillery tour and tasting at a later date.

Ouray Winter Wine Festival Saturday

On Valentine’s Day, the Ouray Winter Wine Festival returns to the Wright Opera House. This fireside event is one of the more intimate craft drink festivals in Colorado. At least eight Colorado wineries and two Colorado distilleries will participate, and the event also includes local food and artisan vendors.

Free cocktail in Denver Saturday

The Block Distilling in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood is showing its Valentine love with a free first cocktail from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Lunar New Year celebration in Aurora Saturday

The Town Center at Aurora welcomes the year of the fire horse from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, with a taekwondo showcase, dragon and lion dances, and kids’ crafts.

Fashion show in Colorado Springs Feb. 20

The House of GOCA fashion show returns to the Ent Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs on Friday, Feb. 20. The annual event celebrates avant-garde fashion and wearable art. This year’s theme is Stardust, inspired by the cosmic and contemplative work of artist Nina Elder. “Stardust celebrates the elemental and the ephemeral, engendering hope and reminding us that we are all made of the same stuff,” organizers say.

Ice climbing world cup in Longmont Feb. 21-22

The Ice Climbing World Cup returns to Longmont’s Climbing Collective on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22. With little ice in sight along the Front Range, the climbing will mostly be dry-tooling, which is performed on bare, ice-free and snow-free routes with ice axes and crampons. There also will be local food and beer, a vendor village and kids’ zone. GA and VIP tickets are available, starting at $10.

Mardi Gras goes to the dogs in Frisco Feb. 21

Frisco hosts a Mardi Gras pooch parade and street party to benefit Hope For Animals on Saturday, Feb. 21. The event is inspired by the Krewe of Barkus Parade in New Orleans, and also includes live music and a canine costume contest.

Ski bike festival in Purgatory Feb. 21 and 22

The 23rd annual Ski Bike Festival is in Purgatory on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 and 22, with races and other events. It is the longest running ski bike event in the nation.

Snow League returns to Aspen Feb. 27 and 28

After the Olympics, the world’s top snowboarders will return to Aspen Snowmass for the Snow League competition. It is the professional snowboarding league created by legendary snowboarder Shaun White, which launched last winter in Aspen.

WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Feb. 27 to March 1

The 13th WinterWonderGrass music festival comes to Steamboat Springs from Feb. 27 to March 1. At least 30 artists will play on four stages, including a mountaintop stage at Thunderhead Lodge.

The top-billed artists this year include The Devil Makes Three, Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters. Click here for more details.

Stouts are still flowing

In 1994, Mountain Sun Pub in Boulder started celebrating the darkest and most winter-worthy beers each February. It has since become a national event, and breweries (and even distilleries) around Colorado toast stout month. Here is a taster tray of upcoming events:

The OG celebration: All month, each Mountain Sun location (in Boulder, Longmont and Denver) will devote at least 10 taps to a rotation of 29 house-made stouts.
Branch & Barrel Distilling in Centennial will release three stout-finished bourbon expressions this month. They are crafted in collaboration with Two22 Brew, Denver Beer Company, Los Dos Potrillos and the Elizabeth Brewing Company. The distillers will host a “meet the maker” whiskey release from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20.
Renegade Brewing in Denver has a long list of guest stouts on tap, and will release its own black brews each week, starting with the Fluffernutter imperial pastry stout on Saturday.
Today, Cerebral Brewing in Denver and Aurora released its 2026 Here Be Monsters, a barrel-aged imperial stout. There also are two variants: vanilla and fuego (conditioned on cacao nibs, chiles and vanilla).
The Post is pairing warming stouts with warm soup all month at all its locations.
Other Colorado breweries with weekly stout releases include: Two22 Brew, Downhill Brewing, Storybook Brewing, Lone Tree Brewing, Dostal Alley and Red Leg Brewing.

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.