Head out across the state for music and libation festivals, action sports and other events

By the Thirst Team

Welcome to our roundup of the best events across Colorado for the next couple of weeks. Check out our June performing arts preview here, and read on for other happenings all over the state. For more, check out our events calendar.

Summer concerts at Four Mile Historic Park start tonight

Swallow Hill hosts tribute bands all summer at Four Mile Historic Park in southeast Denver. Tonight’s opening show is The Other Brothers, a tribute to the Allman Brothers. Other Wednesday night shows through the summer include tributes to the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead and the Traveling Wilburys.

Swallow Hill also presents the Indiewood Street Festival in downtown Englewood on Saturday, and the Denver Botanic Gardens summer concert series, beginning with John Craigie and Blind Pilot June 23.

Taste of the West Thursday

The Taste of the West culinary festival is coming back to the Foothills Fieldhouse in southwest Denver Thursday. Top restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries, specialty foodmakers and more will offer unlimited samples. Attendees can then vote for their favorites in eight award categories. Thirst Colorado is a proud media partner of the event. Come say hello and pick up our new print issue.

GoPro Mountain Games and concerts in Vail Thursday to Sunday

The GoPro Mountain Games this weekend have everything from bike and kayak races to disc golf and dog agility contests. There are also free daytime live music and ticketed evening concerts.

Mountain Grass Unit will headline Thursday. Wilderado & Michael Marcagi headline Friday, and Allman Betts Family Revival in the Rockies closes out Saturday.

Taste of Louisville Friday and Saturday (((PHOT

The Taste of Louisville is a two-day celebration that kicks off summer. The headline event is Friday’s Dinner on Main, a feast for 300 on one long table on Main Street. That is followed by a free silent disco dance party on Friday night. Revelers can burn off all the calories during Saturday’s 5K and dog jog. The rest of Saturday brings Louisville’s first Pride festival and the free Summerfest, with live music, a farmers market, craft market, car show and spaghetti eating contest.

Manitou Springs Colorado Wine Festival Saturday

A celebration of Colorado wine and mead runs from 12:30 p.m. (or 11 a.m. for VIPs) to 4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Park in Manitou Springs. There also will be vendors, food trucks and live music by River Spell, The Cat’s Glasses and Gray Mineer.

Lafayette Brew Fest Sunday

Sometimes you just want to catch live music, get food truck grub and only taste 2 or 3 drinks. The Lafayette Brew Fest is for that kind of day. There is no entrance fee, just individual pour tokens for as few or as many beers, spirits or wine as you want.

Lander Brewfest in Wyoming June 12-13

There is always plenty to do in Colorado, but our neighboring states can be pretty cool, too. For example, Lander is a beautiful town just east of the Wind River Range in Wyoming, and not far from the Colorado border. The town hosts the Lander Brewfest June 12 and 13.

In addition to unlimited samples from regional breweries and distilleries, the festival also includes food trucks and live music. John Roberts y Pan Blanco play on Friday, and Tris Munsick and the Innocents is on tap for Saturday.

Feast of Saint Arnold beer festival in Colorado Springs June 13

The Feast of Saint Arnold returns to the Chapel of Our Savior in Colorado Springs. The event includes live music, craft drinks and more, all in honor of the patron saint of beer, who said “from man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” Amen to that.

It's also a fundraiser for Westside CARES.

Vail Craft Beer Classic June 12 and 13

Breweries from across Colorado will pour samples at the 10th Vail Craft Beer Classic in Vail Village. An all-inclusive tasting of beer, seltzers, and spirits will be accompanied by food trucks and live music. And attendees can vote and crown the ‘Best Beer of Summer’ winners.

Edgewater Music Festival June 20

The Edgewater Music Festival (formerly known as Blues & BBQ for Better Housing) brings live music, BBQ food trucks, a kids zone, 20-plus art and craft vendors and more to Citizen’s Park in Edgewater.

This year, the festival has two stages and more music than ever. Performers include Wild Love Tigress, Velvet Daydream, The Duke Street Kings, Los Mocochetes and Native Space.

Save the Date: Crested Butte Arts Festival July 31 to Aug. 2

The first Crested Butte Arts Fair in 1971 was a small platform for local artists to share their work, earn money and knit together a small, rural town. The show has since evolved into one of the most respected and competitive juried fine art shows in the Western United States, exhibiting 150 fine artists in a major tourist mecca.

The festival also includes live local music, a craft tent and the Flags of Intention collaborative art project. Participants can add ink block print images and positive words of intention onto a string of prayer flags.

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.