Must-see entertainment in Colorado

  • A sculpture at the Denver Performing Arts Complex

    Denver Performing Arts Complex

    Denver

    This massive complex – one of the largest of its kind – occupies four city blocks and houses 10 major venues, including the historic Ellie Caulkins Opera…

  • Curious Theatre

    Denver

    'No guts, no story' is the tagline of this award-winning theater company, set in a converted church. Plays pack a punch with thought-provoking stories…

  • Belly Up

    Aspen

    Long the top nightspot in Aspen, Belly Up has built and maintained its street cred by bringing the best live acts to the Aspen people. That means…

  • El Chapultepec

    Denver

    This smoky, old-school jazz joint attracts a diverse mix of people. Since it opened in 1951, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald have played…

  • Ogden Theatre

    Denver

    One of Denver’s best live-music venues, the Ogden Theatre has a checkered past. Built in 1917, it was derelict for many years and might have been…

  • Denver Center for the Performing Arts

    Denver

    The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is the theater wing of the huge Denver Performing Arts Complex. It has eight theaters, making it the country's…

  • Grizzly Rose

    Denver

    This is one kick-ass honky-tonk – 40,000 sq ft of hot live music – attracting real cowboys from as far as Cheyenne. The Country Music Association called…

  • Nocturne

    Denver

    Art deco meets industrial chic at this jazz club in the heart of RiNo. Though featuring local and national musicians, the stars here are the artists in…

  • Colorado Symphony Orchestra

    Denver

    The Boettcher Concert Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex is home to this renowned symphony orchestra. The orchestra performs an annual 21-week…

  • Caribou Room

    Colorado

    This warehouse-turned-music-hall is one of the best unexpected places to go to a concert. The facility has a state-of-the-art sound system, a huge dance…

  • Ophelia's Electric Soapbox

    Denver

    Located in a converted brothel, this is Denver's sexiest live-music cool-vibes lounge. The food served in seats overlooking the stage and dance floor on…

  • Bluebird Theater

    Denver

    This medium-sized theater is general admission standing room and has terrific sound and clear sight lines from the balcony. The venue often offers the…

  • eTown Hall

    Boulder

    Beautiful, brand-new and solar-powered, this repurposed church is the home of the eTown radio show (heard on National Public Radio). The show features…

  • Ameristar Casino Hotel & Spa

    Colorado

    The mother of all casinos in Black Hawk, Ameristar rises 33 stories above town. It has more slots and tables than any other casino – 56,000 sq ft of…

  • Hi-Dive

    Denver

    Local rock heroes and touring indie bands light up the stage at the Hi-Dive, a venue at the heart of Denver’s local music scene. During big shows it gets…

  • Paramount Theatre

    Denver

    Lots of red velvet and gold trimming deck out the Paramount, one of the premier midsized theaters in the West. Listed on the National Register of Historic…

  • Landmark Mayan Theatre

    Denver

    Even without the fancy sound system and enormous screen, this is the best place in Denver to take in a film. The 1930s movie palace is a romantic,…

  • © 2006 David Madison

    Coors Field

    Denver

    The Colorado Rockies play baseball at the highly rated Coors Field from April to September. Tickets for the outfield – the Rockpile – cost $5. Not a bad…

  • Comedy Works

    Denver

    Denver’s best comedy club occupies a basement space in Larimer Sq (enter down a set of stairs near the corner of Larimer and 15th) and routinely brings in…

  • Theatre Aspen

    Aspen

    A nonprofit theater and drama school that hosts classes, workshops and periodic productions (mostly in the summer and early autumn) from its gorgeous,…

  • Colorado Ballet

    Denver

    The Colorado Ballet company has 30 professional dancers who come from all over the world. Most performances are staged at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House…

  • Ellie Caulkins Opera House

    Denver

    Affectionately known as 'the Ellie,' this wonderful performance space has luxurious acoustics, excellent sight lines and a very modern feel. It’s also…

  • Williams' Stables

    Colorado

    Part of the Central City Opera house, Williams' Stables is a 90-seat venue that showcases short works of opera. It is also used as a rehearsal space for…

  • Central City Opera

    Colorado

    Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is one of the oldest opera companies in the country. It performs in an ornate 19th-century opera house built by miners…

  • Opera Colorado

    Denver

    Founded in 1983, Opera Colorado is based in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The company performs classics like Puccini's La Bohème but also produces…

  • Wheeler Opera House

    Aspen

    Built in 1887, one of Aspen’s oldest and finest examples of Victorian architecture has been a working theater since it first opened, with the exception of…

  • Boulder Theater

    Boulder

    This opera-house-turned-movie-theater-turned-historic-venue brings in slightly under-the-radar acts like jazz great Charlie Hunter, the madmen rockers of…

  • Clocktower Cabaret

    Denver

    Bawdy, naughty and strangely romantic, the Clocktower Cabaret is a wild-child standout among LoDo’s rather straight-laced (or at least straight) night…

  • Fox Theatre

    Boulder

    You’ll be elbowing your way through students to get near the stage of this excellent midsized venue, so head upstairs for a perch near the sound board for…

  • Dazzle

    Denver

    For live jazz, Dazzle is the longtime go-to place in Denver. Featuring mostly Colorado-based musicians, the club has late-night shows, a great happy hour …

  • CU Wizards

    Boulder

    Science can be cool, and kids dig the free shows put on by CU’s Wizards program. The science-based shows such as ‘The Physics of the Game of Thrones’ or …

  • Macky Auditorium Concert Hall

    Boulder

    With over 2000 seats, Macky is CU's main theater, hosting a wide range of events year-round – from TEDx talks to performances by award-winning musicians,…

  • Bovine Metropolis Theater

    Denver

    This long-standing black-box theater hosts a clutch of fresh-faced improv comedy performers who take the stage most nights of the week. Tickets typically…

  • CU Football

    Boulder

    Boulder sports fans may have allegiances to Denver’s pro teams, but they have several teams of their own too, and they are all called the CU Buffaloes…

  • Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

    Aspen

    Founded in Aspen in 1996 and with a second home in Santa Fe, this company is known for its innovative contemporary dance performances by classically…

  • Fillmore Auditorium

    Denver

    One of the major music venues in town, this big open space has hosted classic acts such as Parliament Funkadelic, big indies such as Feist, and even…

  • Pepsi Center

    Denver

    The mammoth Pepsi Center hosts the Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League and the Colorado Avalanche hockey…

  • Isis Theatre

    Aspen

    The only movie house in Aspen proper plays first-run Hollywood fare, but thankfully spices up the blockbusters with an occasional pinch of art-house and…

  • Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater

    Colorado Springs

    Staffed by artsy movie geeks, this downtown indie cinema offers beer-drinking, wine-swilling, and first-run foreign and independent films.

  • Pikes Peak Center

    Colorado Springs

    This large concert hall hosts Broadway shows, performances from the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and more.