Looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend? There are a handful of FAIRS and FESTIVALS, along with Laura Ingalls Wilder Day, $5 Day at the Butterfly Pavilion and so much more! Happening this weekend in and around Boulder.
Downtown Boulder Fall Fest
Photo Courtesy Downtown Boulder
When: September 15 – 17, 2017
Where: Pearl Street Mall, Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302
Time: Friday: 5 – 10 pm; Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm; Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm
Cost: Admission is FREE
Now in its 30th year, Downtown Boulder’s Fall Fest has been one of Boulder’s most beloved community celebrations. This 3-day autumn festival features food, brews and music as well as children’s activities. Kids activities include face painting as well as an obstacle course, climbing wall, bounce houses, hamster balls and bungee tramp! Tickets for the main attractions start at $1 each.
Firefly Handmade Markets will be there, featuring carefully and creatively curated to feature returning favorite and emerging artisans with home goods & décor; jewelry & accessories; adult & children’s fashion; skin care; ceramics; art; artisanal food; paper goods; and more. Free parking Saturday and Sunday in the City of Boulder Parking Garages.
$5 Day at Butterfly Pavilion
When: Saturday, September 16, 2017
Where: Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W 104th Ave, Westminster, CO 80020
Time: 9AM – 5PM
Cost: $5/person over 2, Kids under 2 and members FREE.
Ages: All Ages
The Butterfly Pavilion is offering admission for just $5 on Saturday, September 16. Home to over 5,000 animals, kids will be immersed in a tropical rainforest where 1,600 butterflies live and Rosie, the tarantula is ready to be held by brave children. Step to Water’s Edge to be immersed in an underwater world full of sea creatures. The pavilion also features lovely gardens and a nature trail, as well as a fun gift shop.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Day
Photo Courtesy St. Vrain Historical Society, Inc.
When: Saturday, September 16, 2017
Where: Old Mill Park, 237 Pratt St, Longmont, Colorado 80501
Time: 1PM – 4PM
Cost: Suggested donation of $5.00 per adult, Children are FREE
Ages: All Ages
Come celebrate the 150th birthday of America’s favorite Pioneer Girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder, with the St. Vrain Historical Society. Docents in period costume will be giving historic tours of the Affolter Cabin (1860), the Billings Cabin (1890), the Hauck Milk House (1860) and offer activities for children. Come discover what life was like in the St. Vrain Valley in the 1800s. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy Old Mill Park! Special events also include: The Silver Creek Fiddlers (music at the top of the hour), Laura’s “Little House” pioneer stories (on the half-hour), “On the Trail of Laura Ingalls Wilder” by Connie Ryle Nuemann, Historian and Teacher at 2:30pm. Suggested donation of $5.00 per adult, children are free. All proceeds support The St. Vrain Historical Society’s mission of historic preservation and education in Longmont.
Broomfield Days Fair
Photo Courtesy City of Broomfield
When: Saturday, September 16, 2017
Where: North Midway Park, 1279 W Midway Blvd, Broomfield, CO 80020
Time: 7AM – 5PM
Cost: Admission is FREE
Ages: All Ages
Broomfield Days is filled with family-friendly activities and entertainment. The day begins with a pancake breakfast at the Girl Scout Shelter, then a 5K race, clown contest, parade, trade fair, craft festival, food booths, three stages of entertainment, demonstrations, and great community spirit. For the full schedule, click here.
Puppet Theater at ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival
Photo Courtesy Public Works Theatre Company
When: Sunday, September 17, 2017
Where: Boulder Public Library BROOK, 1001 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 11:45AM – 12:45PM
Cost: FREE, Register here.
Ages: All Ages
A festival of literature from all over the world, ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival at Boulder is free and accessible to everyone, examining the human experience through the reflections and imaginations of distinguished contemporary authors from across the globe. On Sunday, the Sondra Blanchard of Public Works Puppet Theater is offering a workshop, using masks and puppets to create a magical, cartoon-like world inside of a biodome. This workshop spins a tale of wonder when a puffin and a girl become unlikely friends and break loose into a night of adventure. Suitable for all ages.
2nd Annual Chili Bowl Street Party
Photo Courtesy Boulder Pottery Lab
When: Sunday, September 17, 2017
Where: Studio Arts Boulder, 1010 Aurora Avenue, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 12PM – 5PM
Cost: FREE
Ages: All Ages
Chili Bowl II, Studio Arts Boulder‘s 2nd annual street party, is a chance to come together in celebration of the studio arts, music, community, and delicious chili! There will be live music on the Chili Bowl Stage featuring The Felonius Smith Trio, Vana’diel, The Goonies, & Hugh Manatee. Artist demonstration and art-making activities (for kids AND adults!) by Open Studios, Flatiron Press, Ambrosia Glass Art, & the Dairy Arts Center. Studio Arts Boulder will be hosting its largest annual pottery sale. The Chili Cook-Off — chefs from local restaurants will throw down as they compete against one another for the title of Best Chili including chefs from: Mateo: Restaurant Provençal, Dagabi Cucina, The West End Tavern, Sancho’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant, Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, & Foolish Craig’s Cafe. Boulder Ice Cream, Left Hand Brewing Company, and Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Cafe will be on hand with delicious food and beverages.
2017 Mapleton Hill Porchfest
Photo Courtesy Mapleton Hill Porchfest
When: Sunday, September 17, 2017
Where: Mapleton Hill Historic District, 7th St, Boulder, Colorado 80302
Time: 12:30PM – 4:15PM
Cost: FREE
Mapleton Hill PorchFest is a neighborhood walkabout where local musicians play and sing unplugged music on the beautiful porches of Mapleton Hill in Boulder. This family-friendly festival is FREE, featuring 20 musicians and bands playing on 20 porches on Mapleton Hill in Boulder. Join the Parade at 12:30 at 5th and Maxwell. Music starts at 1pm. Food trucks will be on-site.
CU Museum of Natural History’s Curious Connections in Nature
When: Daily, Beginning August 26, 2017
Where: University of Colorado Henderson Building, 15th and Broadway, Boulder, CO 80309
Time: Saturday: 9 am – 4 pm, Sunday: 10 am – 4 pm
Cost: Always FREE
Ages: All Ages
In the wild world around us, everything is connected. Curious Connections in Nature is a new exhibition at the CU Museum of Natural History that delves into these connections through hands-on activities, multi-media displays, and specimens from the Museum’s collection. The exhibition highlights symbiosis in our bodies, our backyards and beyond. Discover the role of the prairie dog in Colorado’s grasslands, learn about the microbes we host in our bodies, and explore the amazing world of lichens, diatoms, and much more.
