A pair of mini Mardi Gras parades
Saturday. Yes, Mardi Gras is Tuesday, but if you want to truly laissez les bons temps rouler, you might as well start on Saturday, March 1, at Call to Arms Brewing in Denver, which throws its annual Mardi Gras celebration, crawfish boil (1 p.m.) and Tiny Float Parade (4 p.m.), with the GUFA Brass Band.
To catch the parade, though, you need to get there on time because, as the brewery says, it will probably “last 20 whole minutes.” After all, the floats – made by customers, staffers, and others – are all less than 3 feet by 6 feet and are typically connected to a sled or wagon. Call to Arms is located at 4526 Tennyson St. It will have a full lineup of beers on tap. calltoarmsbrewing.com.
Sunday. If one mini-Mardi Gras parade isn’t enough for you, then swing by the Dairy Block in Lower Downtown from noon to 2 p.m. for the annual Petite Parade on Sunday, March 2. Attendees can “build a creative, tiny (but mighty!) float starting with a shoebox base,” planners explained. “It must be able to be pulled on wheels. Bonus points for coordinating team costumes and for creating miniature parade ‘throws,’ with no glitter bombs please.”
The free parade takes place in the Alley at 1800 Wazee, and The Maven’s Windsor Room. There will be live music, entertainment and prizes. Get more info or sign up at dairyblock.com/petite-parade. — Jonathan Shikes
Pour us a pint
Wednesday. At least 215 Colorado breweries will participate in the 10th annual Colorado Pint Day on Wednesday, March 5. They will all be selling this year’s Colorado Pint Day glass and donating $1 from each to the Colorado Brewers Guild, a nonprofit trade group whose mission is “to promote, protect and propel independent craft breweries” with “advocacy, community, education and public awareness.”
This year’s theme, Beer is for Everyone, was designed by local creative Leanne Bridie, who won the guild’s design contest. It features drawings of animals drinking beer. One note of warning from the guild: “Breweries are known to sell out of Colorado Pint Day glasses so make sure to check out our map and plan accordingly. We’ll also be sharing on social media which locations still have glassware.” Find the map and more information at coloradobeer.org/colorado-pint-day. — Jonathan Shikes
Bourbon Street-inspired burlesque
Fat Tuesday. Celebrate Mardi Gras with New Orleans-inspired music accompanied by shimmies, shakes and seduction at the Bare Brass, a holiday-themed burlesque show coming to Meow Wolf Denver on Fat Tuesday. The show, put on by MissFits Entertainment, features a live band backing the dancers, and guests don’t even need to bring beads to get the goods. (Just don’t forget to bring dollar bills.)
Bare Brass takes place in the immersive art venue’s cocktail lounge, Sips (with a Z), so if you want to visit the art exhibit, you can purchase entry for an extra fee.
Bare Brass comes to 1338 First St., Denver, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4. Tickets for the 18-and-up event cost $46.75 for the burlesque show, via tickets.meowwolf.com. Guests can add access to the larger venue for $25. — Tiney Ricciardi
Vintage gaming con moves to Foothills
Saturday-Sunday. For the first time, Foothills Mall in Fort Collins is hosting the vintage gaming convention Vincon, after inheriting it from Larimer County’s Ranch complex. The video game and tabletop-gaming event pulls gamers from across the region — with an expected 5,000 attendees this year — and features on-site gaming, merch and collectors of all-things nerd, as organizers put it.
Entry to the all-ages, family-friendly event also includes 7,000 square feet of free-to-play consoles, computers and arcade games; tournaments; swap meets; cosplay; live music and more. It takes place 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, at 215 E. Foothills Parkway in Fort Collins.
Tickets are $20 per day or $25 for the weekend, with plenty of upgrades and add-ons available. Visit vinconcolorado.com or shopfoothills.com/events/foothills-vincon for more. — John Wenzel