For a born-and-raised New Englander who spent the majority of his 20s in Louisiana and Southeast Asia, moving to Colorado and finally getting all four seasons back has been truly wonderful — and while they all have their virtues, autumn is clearly the best. You get changing leaves, sweaters and jackets coming out of storage, the return of the NBA (go Celtics), an excuse to bust out the slow cooker for comfort food — need I keep going? While you might understandably want to spend October under a blanket on the couch watching horror movies, if you do decide to venture out into the world here are some fun Colorado activities we recommend:
TACOS AND TEQUILA BEER FESTIVAL
What’s more October than *checks notes* tacos, tequila, and beer? While it may be a little non-traditional, the Tacos and Tequila Beer Festival — Saturday, October 12 at Club Vinyl in Capitol Hill — has us incredibly excited for Día de los Muertos. The event includes unlimited beer, five chefs slinging signature tacos, music from the Sugar Skull Band and DJ Paco Verde, and — of course — plenty of tequila, from shots to specialty margaritas.
ZOMBIE CRAWL
If you’re hungry for brains *and* entertainment, head down to Skyline Park at the 16th Street Mall for the 14th Annual Denver Zombie Crawl, an event that started as a small gathering of friends but has grown into a massive yearly bash. Groan and moan for human flesh at the costume contest, keep the creepy fun going at sponsored afterparties, and gather five of your friends to win prizes in the Organ Trail Ghoul’d Rush. Get your tickets here and shuffle on down (unless you happen to be a fast zombie).
APPLE FARMS
Although you might have a tough time finding apples to pick yourself in the Front Range this year, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a picturesque autumn experience on a farm. As we all know, what’s most important is the delicious pies, tarts, breads, crumbles, and preserves you can make with the fresh apples you bring home. But as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t count as a true orchard excursion without getting to chow down on mouth-watering apple cider donuts. Although u-pick at these farms is sold out for the season, you can still find farm stand apples and donuts at Ya Ya Farm & Orchard in Longmont or Happy Apple Farm in Penrose — plus tractor-drawn hay rides, tours of the historic farmhouse, BBQ, and even a peacock petting zoo!
GWAR
While seeing GWAR is always a disgustingly good time, October feels like the perfect season for one of their insane shows. If you don’t already know about them, GWAR is a heavy metal band that — while no longer comprised of any founding members — has become known for their intensely elaborate monster costumes, satirical political music, and raucous live performances, where audience members are sprayed with fake blood and other fluids. Catch them October 13 at the Summit Music Hall, and be sure to bring a poncho while paying tribute to the late Oderus Urungus.
BLOODY MARY FESTIVAL
We did it, we finally found an event where it’s probably a good idea to show up nursing a little bit of a hangover. The Bloody Mary Festival, held October 20 at EXDO Event Center in RiNo, is perfect for brunch enthusiasts and cocktail aficionados alike. Bartenders from local restaurants including Snooze, Steuben’s, and our neighbors at Highland Tavern will be in attendance to ensure you get the perfect amount of horseradish in your drink — and maybe an outlandish garnish or two. Get your tickets here.
Zach is a copy editor and community manager at WideFoc.us. He prefers sweet potatoes to pumpkins, likes watching horror movies with the lights on so he doesn’t have nightmares, and once dressed as Tina Belcher for Halloween.
