Our top three event picks for this month in Denver include cowboys, diamonds, and sailors. Oh my.
You’re wiped from the nonstop party train that is November and December. We get it. Baby, it’s cold outside and we’re having a real winter for the first time in years. We get that, too. But let’s pretend for a moment that you’re feeling a little blue, or a little blah, or are going a bit stir crazy. Sounds about right for January, eh? Pull on your best boots, or your snazziest outfit, and let’s paint the town together!
Jan. 10-25: The National Western Stock Show and Rodeo
Did you know that every year Denver hosts the world’s largest rodeo? It’s true! The events that make up the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo include horse shows and livestock judging, performing pigs and chainsaw demonstrations, and yes, several rodeos. You can even mosey through an exhibit of western art, if you’re more into drawings of livestock than the actual animals. Check out the schedule and make plans to thank a farmer, watch a stick horse rodeo, eat a deep-fried Twinkie, or see the real deal during the Denver Professional Bull Riders Chute-Out. Yeehaw!
When: Various times, Saturday, January 10 through Sunday, January 25
Where: National Western Stock Show Complex, 4655 Humboldt Street
Tickets: Varies, depending on age and event
Jan. 24: Art of Brilliance
As they say, diamonds are forever. It’s too bad, then, that the Denver Art Museum’s current exhibit Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century will only be in town until mid-March. There’s no better way to ogle the baubles than when the DAM’s young philanthropist group, CultureHaus, throws a big ol’ party they’re calling “Art of Brilliance.” Clink your Veuve Clicquot-filled champagne glasses while viewing Cartier jewelry, timepieces, and other precious objects. Marvel at trinkets once owned by the queen of diamonds herself, Elizabeth Taylor. Did we mention decadent desserts, live jazz, a silent auction, and burlesque, as well? C’mon Denver, this one is worth putting pants on for! Want to win a sparkly of your very own? Jump onto Instagram, post a photo of you wearing your favorite jewels, and tag @culturehaus for a chance to win a dazzling piece of jewelry.
When: 7:30-10:30 p.m., Saturday, January 24
Where: Denver Art Museum Hamilton Building, 100 W. 14th Ave.
Tickets: $75 for CultureHaus members, $90 for nonmembers
Jan. 24-25: HMS Pinafore with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
January also provides two showtime options to take in one of the longest-running musical theater pieces, Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. When the captain’s daughter falls in love with a lower-class sailor, hilarity ensues as the two try to keep their romance under wraps. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony Chorus, and the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players join forces to bring this comic opera to life. Gilbert & Sullivan skewer the British class system, party politics, and even the British Navy, all aboard the good ship Pinafore.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 24 and 1 p.m., Sunday, January 25
Where: Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St.
Tickets: $25-$89
Did we miss something noteworthy and you want to give us grief about it? Tweet to us at @WideFocusCO and our office fish, Pluto, will splash some sass back your way!
—by Leah Charney
Leah Charney is sassy yet classy and is most excited by the things she can't stop writing about, like food, music, and people. She directs operations for the WideFoc.us team, which is just a fancy way of saying she is chief cat herder.
