Everything We Know About Denver

There are a couple Holiday events coming up this month to check out… Parade of Lights we skipped because BRRR! but the weather is looking up this weekend (up from 6 degrees anyways). So, consider checking out 303 Magazine’s I heart Denver window display walk (click image for more info).

Also starting this weekend and running through January: Zoo Lights! Here are a couple of the “special zoo light events”:

- Santa at Zoo Lights: Dec. 11 - 23, 5 to 9 pm.
- Wild Ice (ice carvings & fire dancing): Dec. 11 - 17
- Kwanzaa: Dec. 26 - 27
- Zoo Year’s Eve: Dec. 31

The Zoo lights are $6 for members/$8 for adults and a few less bucks for kids & seniors.

Downtown Pavilions has a couple of Christmas deals I wanted to share:

Free gift wrap, and free delivery: Take your packages purchased at Denver Pavilions with your receipts to PostNet, located on Level 1 in the South Plaza for free gift wrap and free delivery in Downtown.

Also get a dinner and a movie gift certificate after purchasing $250 at retailers in one day at Denver Pavilions. Dinner and a movie certificates are redeemable at PostNet on Level 1, South Plaza.

And a good cause: Weekends in December from 1-5pm, inside the Barkin’ Boutique and Bakery. Santa is coming to town and he’d love to meet you and your pet!  Why not say “Happy Holidays” while helping homeless pets?  With a $10 donation to the Denver Dumb Friends League you will receive a photo of Santa and your cherished companion animal.  Santa will visit our downtown location inside the Barkin’ Boutique and Bakery.

Also, if you’re looking to shop in Larimer Square, be sure to go here for free parking sign-up. It’s only good for one day but not a bad deal.

Also in Larimer Square, a Christmas Eve celebration from 10 am to 5 pm - inc. free parking and free carriage rides downtown.

Artists are busy putting the final touches on Embrace!, the Denver Art Museum’s newest exhibition of site-specific installations. It opens this Saturday, Nov. 14, and is full of 17 intriguing, fun creations. If you’ve been to the museum recently, you’ve probably witnessed artists taking over the Hamilton Building with everything from paint guns to cherry pickers. Most of the installations are completely finished, but several are still in progress. Projects range from an airbrush painting that spans the four-story atrium to a maze of more than 8,700 brightly colored bungee cords. One that I was especially intrigued by was a multimedia presentation that incorporates motion sensors to change the display in relation to the number of visitors and their movements.

Seeing how the architecture of the museum shaped the artists’ works is fascinating. A special feature on the second floor will allow visitors to track the progress of the installations during their creation through time-lapse photography.

Embrace! will run through April 4, after which many of the creations will be painted over or otherwise dismantled. For more information, visit www.denverartmuseum.org.

What:Denver Pavilions Grand Re-Introduction Event
There will be a celebrity escalator fashion show (including Mayor Hickenlooper), live music, giveaways, sales and more…
When: Tuesday, November 10th at Noon
Where: Denver Pavilions, 500 16th Street (at the entrance from the 16th Street Mall between Glenarm and Welton)
Check it out if you’re downtown… some pretty good deals.

A friend sent me this link today: Groupon for Denver. Essentially it’s “collective buying power” with a deal a day. If enough people sign up, you get the deal of the day. I’ve seen an art and framing deal, as well as a massage deal. Check it out if you like.

Event Mention:
Gino Velardi Fashion Show: 7pm  |  East Club Level|INVESCO Field at Mile High | November 13
• Benefits Dress for Success Denver
• Gino Velardi is a Denver native and self taught fashion designer, Featuring 100 designs – cocktail dresses, gowns, suits and coats
• Free parking, coat check, photo booth and GetFlipped!
• Cash bar
• AFTER After Party at Wicked Garden on Larimer Sq. – VIP entry, free cover, GV specials
• Ticket include Reception, Fashion Show AND After Party at INVESCO! $40 GA, $65 Second Row and $85 Front Row
• Purchase tickets online at www.ginovelardi.com
• Stay in the loop at www.facebook.com/ginovelardidesigns

Event Mention:

Colorado AIDS Project’s Red Ball – a Night of Frost & Fire to Ignite Awareness for World AIDS Day: On November 29th, 2009, 500 guests will congregate for an outrageous night of cocktails, live art, fashion and DJ grooves as Colorado AIDS Project launches Red Ball, A Night of Frost & Fire to ignite awareness for World AIDS Day. This fete is an opportunity for guests to have fun, raise money, keep the disease top of mind and bring local awareness and excitement to World AIDS Day, which occurs on December 1st each year.

Guests can visit www.facebook.com and become a fan of Colorado AIDS Project for opportunities to win tickets through
The “Where’s Red Ball?” contest running now through November 24th.

WHEN:      Sunday, November 29th 2009
6:00 p.m. VIP
7:00 p.m. General Admission

WHERE:   The Sugar Cube, Second Floor
1555 Blake, Denver

TICKETS: VIP $75, General Admission $50
Special Ticket Pricing: $30 for Under 30 (GA tickets, limited quantity)

Day of: VIP $125, General Admission $75

Tickets are available now at www.redballdenver.org.

Yelp is doing this fun little thing this week: Hawt on Yelp. It’s up to 50% off some spas in Denver.

Make sure you take a look at the spas and mention “hawt on yelp” when you make your appointment. Participating Salons include:

Accent Beauty (Denver),
Apollo Studio (Denver),
Babooksha (Denver),
Mop Factory Salon (Denver),
Salon Tres Ci (Denver),
Sensorielle Wellbeing Community Spa (Boulder),
Studio Urban Wax  (Denver),
Twig Salon and Spa (Boulder).

Let us know if you go, I’ve never been to the spas/salons participating and would like to know how they are!

Just wanted to clear something up for a moment. There are two Denver Cruiser rides for Halloween. One is on the 28th (Cruisaroo) and the other is on actual Halloween. Check em out via the links here. Last year was a blast. Don’t forget about the pillow fight in Larimar Square, either… unless I’m misinformed and it’s not happening this year, in which case you should leave a comment!

What are you doing for Halloween?

The Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau is offering a new program. It’s a 2 for 1 program to local arts and entertainment events that are cultural in nature. Examples this week are STARZ movies and some concerts in Denver. You can sign up for the email and be notified of the program here. I’m sure that if it becomes more popular, bigger and better events will be featured, so sign-up and check it out.

From the VISIT DENVER site:

DENVER 2 for 1 TIX is a free program that provides weekly 2 for 1 ticket and admission discounts for metro Denver arts and entertainment. DENVER 2 for 1 TIX is a joint program of DOCA (Denver Office of Cultural Affairs) and VISIT DENVER.