To do this weekend in Denver: Black Fantasy Ball, Oddities and Curiosities Expo, John Legend

DIY music, ballroom culture’s weekend dance

Friday-Sunday. Denver’s Titwrench, the 13-year-old DIY arts collective, is holding its final music showcase — one in a long line of free events supporting all-ages women, the LGBTQIA+ community and artists of color.

The lineup for the Sunday, Oct. 3, mini-fest at City Park Pavilion includes an artisan market by Witch Collective, Ethiopian and Mexican food trucks, on-site printing (“bring a shirt”), and live music from 4 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; a dance party will follow. 2001 Steele St. Admission is free but donations are accepted. Chairs and blankets are encouraged. Register and see the artist lineup at eventbritecom or titwrenchcollective.org.

Also this weekend: Black Pride Colorado’s first celebration of ballroom culture arrives with Black Fantasy, an ideal primer for the communal, competitive art form that reinvented gay culture in late ’70s Harlem.

The Saturday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 3, lineup features free Saturday workshops on ballroom culture’s history at Rocky Mountain PBS, the Black Fantasy Ball at the Studio Loft, inside Ellie Caulkins Opera House, on Saturday ($25 per person, or $150 per table), and a Sunday brunch at Triangle Denver. Visit blackpridedenver.com for tickets, locations and more.

How odd is too odd for Denver?

Saturday. Most attractions marketed as freaky these days tend to have a general-audience vibe. This weekend offers a break with the Oddities and Curiosities Expo, where you can hang out with adults (and probably a few kids) amid a fine selection of skulls, taxidermy, quack medical devices, bejeweled amulets, “funeral collectibles” and more household items.

The Saturday, Oct. 2, event invades Hall B at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St. Entry is $12, but for another $5 you get the Real Freak Show add-on, and for $210 there’s a Jackalope Taxidermy Class. Best of luck. odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com or axs.com

A Legend, already made

Sunday. The impossibly smooth, ageless John Legend regularly backs up his dozen Grammy awards with widespread touring. His latest brings him to south Denver’s nonprofit Levitt Pavilion, best known for hosting dozens of free, family-friendly, and high-quality concerts each summer.

RELATED: Haven’t been to a concert in awhile? Denver’s Levitt Pavilion is the perfect re-entry.

Legend is a paid show, which helps fund the organizations’ bottom line, and is more than worth the ticket price of $39.50 for lawn spots, or $69.50-$200 for closer seats. 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1380 W. Florida Ave. in Ruby Hill Park. Chairs and blankets are encouraged. levittdenver.org or ticketmaster.com

The legends of La Llorona

Saturday. Starting Sept. 15 and running through Oct. 15, Latino Heritage Month events in the metro area are as sprawling as History Colorado’s speaker series (see historycolorado.org/latino-history-heritage) and as compact as this weekend’s La Llorona Festival at Corky Gonzales Library.

The contemporary architectural gem at 1498 Irving St. is hosting the event as part of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council’s (CHAC’s) Dia de Los Muertos 2021. “Recuerdos 2021,” as this season is called, runs 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, with some of Colorado’s most celebrated cuenteros (storytellers), as they recount tales and legends of the Weeping Woman, La Llorona.

In addition to Kristopher Garcia-Simms, Geraldina Lawson, Sherry Coca Candelaria and others, there will be an open mic for community members to share their own La Llorona stories. Free and family-friendly, with refreshments. Call 720-865-2370 or visit denverlibrary.org for more.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.

Source: Read Full Article