Square State Colorado

Best Times of the Year to Visit Denver

One of the most important parts of planning a trip is trying to figure out the best time of year to visit. For many of us, the time of year we can visit is influenced by our jobs and when we’re allowed to take time off. For others of us, it may depend on when the other people in our lives are available to take a trip with us. I thought it would be helpful to share the best times of year to visit Denver, what to consider and what to expect.

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Cowtown Denver

Top Times of Year To Visit Denver

June

Hands down, June is the best month to visit Denver. There are so many reasons I’m not even sure where to start. But, I do want to start with the downside of visiting in June. It’s not that hot in June and we can still get a snow flurry or two during the month. I’m serious. It will melt within the hour, but it can be a little disconcerting to those of you who are expecting heat. With the exception of the unpredictable nature of Denver’s weather during June, it’s hands down my favorite month of the year for so many reasons. There are so many events to enjoy for visitors and residents representing all walks of life.

• So many festivals and other outdoor events! There are a ridiculous number of events happening during the month of June
  • Civic Center Eats
  • The Fringe Festival
  • The Chalk Art Festival
  • Juneteenth
  • Five Points Jazz Festival
  • Pride
  • The Denver Ska Festival
  • FanExpo Denver (Basically it’s Denver Comic Con)
  • MexTour-Mexico vs. Uruguay Soccer

• Live music happens all year long, but all of the outdoor concert venues and smaller spaces are open for business. There are so many spaces to enjoy free and paid for live music that it can be overwhelming.
  • Red Rocks
  • Fiddlers Green
  • Levitt Pavillion

• Patios are open everywhere-I enjoy sitting on a nice patio all year long. However, as we move into summer you’ll truly enjoy and appreciate all of the patios in town.

• All of the outdoor fun and cool communities making those activities happen
  • Yoga on the Rocks
  • Outdoor Afro
  • Vibes in the Park
  • The November Project
  • Denver Cruiser Ride
  • Denver Urban Skate Troop
  • Volleyball in Wash Park
  • Meetup (dot) coms endless choices of Denver based meetups
    • Trails and Ales and other hiking based meetups are wonderful to join in

The First Week of May

May the Fourth Be With You! There are so many activities this week and it feels like the unofficial kick off to summer. Or, “pre-summer” That first week of May is incredible. The weather has been really nice in recent years, but be prepared for a wide range of weather ranging from heat, rain or snow during that week. If it snows, it should melt pretty fast at that time of year.

• Cinco De Mayo Festivities
  • Downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park
  • Hecho en Westwood Collective

• May the Fourth Be With You! Events

• Derby Day Parties are Everywhere!

I also love May because Farmer’s Market season begins as well as other outdoor market experiences.

April

If you’re a baseball fan, love hip hop, soccer, Basketball or Hockey playoff matches or cannabis and end of season skiing-April is the month that you should plan to visit town. There’s so much to do and enjoy. It will snow in April and I’m endlessly amused by all of the concerts hosted outdoors at this time. Wearing and bringing layers is a smart move if you’re in town at this time of year. Snow does melt pretty fast at this time of year.

• Opening Day-Coors Field Colorado Rockies Season kicks off

• Denver Nuggets NBA Playoffs (fingers crossed)

• Colorado Avalanche NHL Playoffs (fingers crossed)

• Mile High Asian Food Week

• 420 Festival and other related events

• Hip Hop Concerts

• End of Ski Season Closing Events-These are a PARTY. I highly recommend attending one. Definitely book accommodation so that you don’t have to worry about driving back to Denver.

September

The summer is so busy and often feels like the city is bursting at the seems with tourists wanting to experience our state. What I love about September is that pressure of having so many people in town starts to ease up. The weather is amazing. It’s still really warm most of the day but you definitely begin to feel a crispness in the air during the mornings. The changes that come during fall such as the leaves turning, crisp fall hikes and observing the “Elk Rut” are things that you must add to your list of activities to enjoy while you’re in town.

• Denver Broncos Football Season has begun

• Catch a CU Buffaloes game because college football season is in full swing.

• Baseball is winding down

• Spend time in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
  • Observe the Elk rut and hike through the forest taking endless pictures of the aspen leaves
  • Scottish Irish Highland Festival

• Broadway show season begins at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts

October

If you’re looking for a beautiful time of year to be in Denver, October is a a great time to visit. The weather is still warm enough to hang out on your favorite patio, ski resorts will begin opening up around the middle of the month depending on the amount of snow that they’ve received and there still are a large number of events to enjoy in town.

• Denver Nuggets season begins (NBA Basketball)

• Colorado Avalanche season begins (NHL Hockey)

• Great American Beer Festival

March

It may surprise you to find out that March is Denver’s snowiest month. In fact, I’m working on this post in March while waiting for a massive snowstorm to begin this evening. What I love about March is all of the false Spring and false summer days. The flowers start blooming, it’s hot, it snows, it’s just a wild month to experience.

• Denver Restaurant Week

November

This is the time of year when things start to slow down, the City of Denver begins to be covered in lights and ski season truly begins.

• Kristkrindle Market

• Holiday Events

• Holiday Lights

January

One of my favorite events of the year takes place in January. The National Western Stock Show. I lining up at 12:00 pm on the second Thursday of the year. It’s so cool to participate in such a longstanding tradition and how often do you get to see longhorn cattle making their way down the downtown of a major metropolitan area?

• Concerts start up again

• National Western Stock Show

• Ski Season is in Full-Swing

• Winter Park Ski Train

December

I love December in Denver, but I find it to be the quietest month of the year as the year winds down. A lot of the concerts and other activities we enjoy tend to slow down until mid-January.

• Denver Nuggets Basketball

• Holiday Lights

• Enjoy a Holiday High Tea

• Decadence Colorado-If you’re an EDM lover, this is a great way to end the year.

• Enjoy a Holiday Ballet. The Colorado Ballet performs a lovely Nutcracker.

Best Times of The Year to Visit Denver

Ultimately, this is a subjective list. You may ask another Denverite when they think is the best time to visit and they may have a totally different perspective. If there’s one thing that you should leave with is that the weather is wild. Have fun planning your trip!