When Witches Go Riding, And Black Cats Are Seen, The Moon Laughs And Whispers, It’s Halloween In Denver
by Glen Richardson
Chilling Halloweentown: Kids, families decorate houses-yards in colorful characters, skeletons, and pumpkins, giving neighborhoods a unique holiday atmosphere.
Creaky attics, eerie stairwells, dark, and shadowed corners. Eek, it’s Halloween
Twilight Zone Party: Coloween is a 50,000-sq.-ft. jungle-themed Halloween party with massive stages in the National Western complex Oct. 26.
and Mommy’s Little Pumpkins are carving out a terror-ific ghostly month of treat streets and haunted houses for kids. Dad, mom, and the neighbors, meanwhile are venturing into spooky, suspenseful ghoulish grown-up parties and pub crawls.
You’re not going batty! Denver is known for its haunted days and nights of fright during Halloween month. It’s the boo-tiful time of year: There are many tales of ghosts and demons in Denver — especially in certain city parks — but it is the paranormal at local cemeteries that spook people most. On occasion locals claim to hear footsteps. And voices! “Is this hell?” the voice asks. Such reports are why the Mile High City merits a spot among America’s great Halloween towns.
From Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens to the Halloween Spooktacular at Boettcher Concert Hall, there are many amazing Halloween festivities for families to cherry-pick. Here’s the Chronicle’s monster month guide to bewitching places to go and things to
Monster Movies: See vintage monster movies from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter’s Monsters of Early Cinema Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
do for “fang-tastic” fun:
Fright Fest Weekend at Elitch Gardens, Sept. 30-Nov. 5; Kiddieland closes at 6 p.m. and fright by night begins. Guests can enjoy their favorite rides after dark, but be on alert as Fright Fest comes alive. Creatures lurk around every thrilling corner. Each area of the park has its specific haunted attractions. Information: 303-595-4386.
Ghosts In The Garden is an Open Air Scare Oct 4; Oct 12-13, & Oct. 17-20, Denver Botanic Gardens. The gardens dare you to join them after dark for spine-tingling stories of their haunted history, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Rocky Horror is showing in Denver’s original 1896 movie theater, Oct. 11. The historic Elitch Theatre is showing the cult classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Theater will have a spectacle of the live cast performing alongside the movie. Information: 720-593-9395.
Nightmare, Oct. 11-13. Denver Dance is back at the Clocktower Cabaret with a show full of tricks that’s sure to be a treat, 7 p.m.. Information: 303-293-0075.
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 12-13 — Pick out your perfect pumpkin, enjoy live music, and stage performances at Four Mile Historic Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 720-865-0800.
Haunted Hearts Ball at Grant-Humphreys Mansion, Oct. 13 — All vampires, witches, and dark fairies are invited to the allure of dark romance, 6 p.m. Enjoy savory bites and sweet delights, plus alcoholic beverages available. Information: 303-894-2505.
Gore & Lore, Oct. 18-20 — See the spookiest aerial versions of classic characters from history, folklore, and urban legend at the Clocktower Cabaret, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Broadway Halloween Parade, Oct. 19 — Back for the sixth time, the Broadway Merchants Association parade stretches from 5th to Alameda along
Spirits At Four Mile: Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Park Oct. 26, 6-11 p.m.
Broadway. Parade features spooky floats, bands, marchers, and magicians at 6 p.m. Information: 303-859-0491.
Twisted Techno Dancy Party, Oct. 19 — Join Denver’s underworld at DJ Ajax Studios, 2150 Curtis St., 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dance to the relentless beat of techno and other genres of music, where darkness and mystery converge. Information: 720-514-1400.
Haunted History Tour, Central City, Oct. 19 — Starts with cocktails in the haunted Teller House. Following tarot reading, take a haunted walking tour. Night ends with professional medium seance. Information: 303-292-6500.
Harvest Haunt Express, Oct. 19-20 — Colorado Railroad Museum’s Halloween-themed steam-up event. Haunted railcars, a
Broadway Howls: Creepy, spine-chilling Halloween floats, bands, and marchers parade down Broadway from 5th Ave. to Alameda Ave. Oct. 19, 6 p.m.
hay bale maze, plus a coal-burning steam locomotive pulls train of the harvest express. Information: 303-279-4591.
Glow Before Dark, Oct. 19-21 & Oct. 22-27 — Families can take the kids to Denver Botanic Gardens to see vignettes of Glow of the Garden during the day, 9 a.m.-1. p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Monsters of Early Cinema, Oct. 20 — Experience the thrills and chills of spooky vintage cinema from classic monsters (Dracula & Frankenstein) to dystopian versions of the future (Metropolis). Wild Beautiful Orchestra performs a live soundtrack to film clips from the 1890s-1920s at the Sie FilmCenter, 7 p.m. Information: 720-381-0813.
Glow at the Gardens, Oct. 22-27 — Enjoy the spooky, silly, and spirited like no other at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 6-9 p.m. Information: 720-865-3500.
Halloween Bar Crawl, Oct. 25, 26, & 31 — Receive a wristband for drinks at multiple locations at One Shot Back, 2134 Curtis St., Ste 101. One night or all-access. Information: 720-524-6353.
BOOlesque Halloween, Oct. 25-31 — The Clocktower Cabaret’s Halloween BOO-lesque is back and hotter than “hellfire.” Expect the unexpected as the Cabaret’s Halloween burlesque and variety show transforms your wildest nightmares and dreams, 7 p.m. Information: 303-293-0075.
Spirits & Spirits, Oct. 26 — Engage in spine-tingling rituals that echo the spiritual practices of the 19th century at Four Mile Historic Park, 6-11 p.m. Learn
about a Victorian Mourning Ceremony and have your own tin-type photo taken. Information: 720-865-0800.
Denver’s Black Cat Ball, Oct. 26 — New location in the old Gart Sports’ building — now known as the Sports Castle — at 1000 Broadway, 7-10 p.m. Live music, dancing, food trucks, and a vampire specialty bar. A benefit for the cats and kittens of The Feline Fix. Information: 303-202-3516.
Halloween Songs & Stories, Oct. 26 — Niki Tredinnick & Barry Osborne do original songs and stories about ghosts, goblins, and devils in Tufts Theatre at Swallow Hill, 8 p.m. They also do old ballads, traditional tunes, plus tell creepy stories from their own lives. Information: 303-777-1003.
Coloween, Halloween Dance Party, Oct. 26 — Dance party in the 50,000-sq.-ft. National Western complex, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Party again features Fantasy Stage with Amazon Jungle theme, plus costume contest. Information:720-663-1414.
Halloween Spooktacular, Oct. 27 — A music concert for boys and ghouls, featuring songs and compositions from films and television at Boettcher Concert Hall, 2:30 p.m. Information: 303-623-7876.
Harvest Hoot, Oct. 27-29 — A three-day festival and trick-or-treating adventure at the Children’s Museum of Denver at the Marsico Campus, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Inform
ation: 303-433-7444.
Is Mrs. Brown Still Here? Oct 29 — Meet a ghost in the Historic Molly Brown House Museum. A rare chance to learn about various ghost-hunting methods in the historic home of Margaret Tobin Brown, 6 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092.
Candlelight: A Haunting Halloween Classic, Oct. 30-31 — Hear spooky classics performed by a string quartet as candles flicker at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 6:30 p.m. Information: 303-360-5360.
The Creepy Crawly Garden, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — Explore plants named after the Denver Botanic Gardens’ friends and plants. Includes stories, nature walk, art projects, and a plant to take home. Information: 720-865-3500.