Top Taco: A Culinary Extravaganza Like No Other
Top Taco has quickly earned a spot as the "can't miss" tasting party of the summer. This culinary throwdown takes place on the evening of Thursday, June 27th, when more than 50 restaurants -- including Comida, Dos Santos, Margs, Los Chingones Tamayo, and Los Dos Potrillos -- compete head to head for the Top Taco title in the Creative Taco, Traditional, Vegetarian Taco and Signature Tequila Cocktail categories.
As a guest, you'll enjoy unlimited samples of all the tacos and margaritas, along with unique tequila samples, beer, wine and more. Be sure to dance away the evening to the live rhythm and beat of La Candela, Denver's hottest salsa band!
Ticket Types:
VIP: Early entry at 6pm plus a separate tasting area inside the festival with additional taco and tequila tastings, lounge and separate bathrooms.
First Taste: Early Entry at 6pm, plus tastings from our 50 restaurants
General Admission: 7pm entry and tastings from our 50 restaurants
SPECIAL DISCOUNT TICKETS
Restaurant list: Coming Soon
FAQ's:
• When: Thursday, June 27th • Entrance Times: 6:00pm VIP/First Taste, 7:00pm GA
• Where: Stanley Market Place Lawn
• Bring your ID. This event is 21+ only and you will not be able to enter without it.
• We highly suggest you take cab, Uber or Lyft. Paid parking info and directions at TopTacoDenver.com
• You will have an e-ticket furnished by EventBrite sent to your email. If you have multiple tickets, screenshot them and save them on your phone for faster entry. If you have purchased a Double Down ticket, you will receive your Chicken Fight ticket after separately.
• The festival is rain or shine. It is never a bad idea to bring a rain jacket or layers depending on the weather report. Colorado springs mean varied weather.
• We will have water stations in various locations, clearly marked, around the festival.
• No kids allowed. This is an over 21-year-old event. Please leave your children at home. We aren’t afraid they will drink, we just don’t want them in the vicinity of adults who are drinking.
• NO PETS! Pets are not permitted. Service and working animals are not considered pets and are exempt from this policy.
• No smoking. Smoking is not allowed.
DO NOT BRING:
• Weapons of any kind
• Illegal substances
• Squirt guns, misters, spray bottles, etc.
• Laser pens and similar focused-light devices
• Chairs
• Pets (service and working animals are not considered pets and are exempt from this policy)
• Bicycles, scooters, personal motorized vehicles need to be parked outside of festival grounds (bike parking will be available).
• Musical instruments
• Fake IDs (these will be confiscated and your wristband will be cut without refund)
• Outside food or drink
Discount Tickets Click Here
Denver Holiday Markets
Denver Christkindl Market | Nov. 16 - Dec. 23
This annual event brings authentic German and European holiday traditions to Denver’s downtown (1515 Arapahoe St.)! Guests can find delicious cuisine, festive German drinks, handmade jewelry, toys, clothing, gifts and much more. Live entertainment is featured inside the festival tent every evening, and dancing is encouraged! This market is planned and executed by the German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter (GACC-CO).
Denver Christkindl Market
Union Station Holiday Market by Denver Flea | Friday's-Sunday's Nov. 23-25, 30-Dec. 2, Dec. 7-9 & Dec. 14-16th, 2018
The Union Station Holiday Market by Denver Flea will include four weekends of shopping, festivities and winter fun - kicking off on Black Friday, Nov. 23 at the historic Denver Union Station! 100s of Colorado’s best makers and artisan brands will pack the Plaza of Union Station each weekend throughout the season along with music, eats, drinks, activities and more. We’ll be there opening day (Friday 23rd) so check our Instagram @ultra5280 to see this year’s market in action! Tickets are $5.
Denver Flea
Stapleton Holiday BAZAAR | November 29, 2018
Shop, Sip, and Mingle with Colorado’s finest craft, fashion, and art makers for one night only at Stapleton Holiday BAZAAR inside The Shops at Northfield. This BAZAAR will feature over 40 craft vendors including Beer, Cider, Wine & Spirit tastings throughout the evening, along with festive music and more! 4-10 PM, GA Admission is free.
RiNo Holiday BAZAAR
RiNo Holiday BAZAAR | December 7-9, 2018
Taking over Walnut Street at 28th St. from December 7 – December 9, the RiNo Holiday BAZAAR hosts over 100 hand-picked local craft, fashion, and food vendors, with local breweries, cideries and mead booths onsite pouring holiday-themed drinks and participating in the BAAZAR’s Shop & Sip program.
A combination of outdoor pop-up shops sprinkled with fashion trucks and cozy, heated tents, the RiNo Holiday BAZAAR will spark the festive spirit for all with warm drinks and fire pits, funky music, and a selection of Denver Metro’s best food trucks on hand and a full bar! RiNo BOOZ hall, located in the heart of the BAZAAR, will be open all weekend long serving an array of Colorado crafted spirits and has bottles available to purchase.
Admission to RiNo Holiday BAZAAR is free until 7 PM on Friday, and before 12 PM on Saturday and Sunday, with GA tickets available for $5 at the door. Or RSVP at denverbazaar.com for free admission all weekend! Drink sampling packages are also available, with a range of options to fit your Shop & Sip experience. Please click here for details and more information on all Shop & Sip packages.
Yes Please Makers Market | December 8 & 9, 2018
Keeping it real this holiday season with a free, maker-hosted, vendor-friendly market starring 100(ish) of our favorite makers. After being part of the local Denver market circuit, Yes Please founders Kiwi Schloffel (of Craft Boner) and Taylor Barkin (of Moore Collection) wanted to create something with the vendor experience in mind: accessible, affordable booth pricing, attention to locals-only goods, and a friendly, supportive community. Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required. The first 50 people to show up each day get awesome totes from Craft Boner.
Yes Please Makers Market
By Tiffany Candelaria
Denver Food + Wine Festival Review
Denver’s most ample annual food and wine event took place this past weekend for the thirteenth time across downtown with events like “Dinner Under the Stars”, cocktail competitions, culinary seminars and a “Grand Tasting”. This six-day event is the Denver Food + Wine Festival which invites the public to join the region’s culinary leaders – award winning chefs, mixologists and wine professionals in exploring and celebrating Colorado’s food and beverage scene.
To kick off the weekend, mixologists filled the McNichols Civic Center from top to bottom for the Shakedown Event. Which ever your preference of cocktail, you could find something right up your alley. Each and every cocktail had it’s own unique spin and was bursting with flavors - some with more traditional flavors and some more eclectic. The favorite cocktail of the night from the Ultra team was by Alex Duniluk from Ste. Ellie called, Three Corners. It started with a smooth peach flavor and ended with a smoky cheddar, a very intriguing combination that blew all of our minds. To make the night even better, there were plenty of tasty bites, cute pop up shops, and a band that had everyone on the dance floor!
The main event of DF+WF weekend is Saturday’s Grand Tasting where over 40 top restaurants provide the food and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits provide over 700 wines and spirits to sample! Every type of wine is available to taste at the Grand Tasting; from high end reserves, rare wine regions, French Champagnes, to affordable favorites. DF+WFis the most comprehensive “wine tasting” in the state (aside from the prestigious annual Aspen Food + Wine Classic). If that weren’t enough to keep you entertained and buzzed all day, the event also features over 200 different spirits to try ranging from straight samples, to liqueurs, cocktails, and a full Stella Artois Café.
For the true oenophiles, Denver Food and Wine created a Tasting App to help one navigate and take notes on all the fine wines. There are also QR Codes placed next to each wine and spirit for guests to learn more and take screenshots for later, and of course the educated reps are there ready to tell you all about their products too.
The restaurants the other big component of the festival and provide guests a taste of Denver’s best local and regional flavors. This year’s favorite bites included The Fort’s chimichurri steak and mashed potatoes, the Art Hotel’s pork belly with quinoa, Departure’s Ahi tuna, and the Noshery’s sweet treats. DF+WF’s eventsalso include bites from local, emerging talent in the form of culinary high school students who are part of the Colorado ProStart Program. It is a two-year foodservice and hospitality management, culinary arts, and business entrepreneurship curriculum offered to high school juniors and seniors in Colorado.
Aside from all the food and wine consumption, be sure to take a break at the Culinary Stage where celebrity chefs host informative seminars and demonstrations every hour. This year’s presenters are Chef Mike Garaghty, Executive Chef of Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. presiding and appearing in WÜSTHOF- sponsored television segments, retail events, cooking videos, social media initiatives, trade shows, consumer food festivals, etc. Chef Brother Luck best known as last year’s Top Chef participant and from winning his episode on "Beat Bobby Flay”. Third is Executive Chef Craig Dixon of Main Shack and locally at Bar Dough.
Proceeds from the event always benefit various charities and this year’s recipients are Kroenke Sports Charities, Denver Post Community Foundation and Colorado Restaurant Foundation as chosen by Southern Glazer’s because, “… they are an integral part of our community and reflect our core values while supporting the people that live, work and enjoy our Colorado lifestyle.”
DF+WF events are truly bubbling over with booze and you will find yourself in bed early after the Grand Tasting. If you’re up for it, the final event is Sunday’s Rise + Dine the next morning which will surely finish your booze-infused weekend off right!
https://denverfoodandwine.com/
Words by Tiffany Candelaria Photos directly below of Shakedown by Samantha Bliss
Grand Tasting photos at bottom by Josh Stephens
Korean BarbieQ Pop Up Experience
Last weekend, the vacant restaurant space beneath Larimer Square transformed into a special pop-up experience themed around Korean BarbieQ. Odd concept, but cool creation that blended Barbie-themed decor and drinks with Korean barbecue. The pop up experience returns again this Thursday through Saturday August 25th, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at 1414 Larimer, Denver. Tickets include dinner and drinks - get tickets here: https://www.thricepopup.com/#tickets
After this weekend, the BarbieQ will then be deconstructed to make way for another pop-up concept by OZ Architecture Associate Principal and Director of Brand Experience Design Abigale Plonkey. “I’ve always wanted to create a pop-up event, and I’ve seen them successful in New York and LA and thought this was an opportunity to bring it to Denver,” Plonkey said. "So we came up with the concept of Thrice — food, drink, design. It always has to have those three elements to make it unique. It can’t just drink, it can’t just be food and it can’t just be about design.” Chef Bill Espiricueta of Smok is preparing the food for this pop-up, and Shawn Campbell, lead bartender at El Five, curated the cocktails.
After the Korean BarbieQ wraps up this weekend, be on the lookout for the next concept — Cosmotropical, a David Bowie-inspired event where outer space meets tiki bar. The decor will focus on astronomy and have lots of neon. The third event will be Chroma, during which the room will change colors as different courses are served!
Photos by Josh Stephens
Moscow Mules+Mini Golf = The Mule Majors
Spend an afternoon putting your way through the Broadway Sports Castle as it's transformed into an indoor put put course, complete with a unique boozy mule and a tasty bite at every hole! Saturday, April 7th play the Font 9 Holes from 1-4pm or the Back 9 from 6-9pm. Throughout the day, some of the best food trucks around town will be providing the bites: Adobo Food Truck, Banomanom, Funnels, Ohana Grille, Passport Food Truck, Roll It Up Sushi, Sokare, and Wheels on Fire. Need an added pick me up? Try the Hydrate IV Bar!
Guests are encouraged to dress the part, meaning high fashion golf attire, vibrant Polo's, visors, slacks, and fancy hats! A prize will be awarded to the best dressed for each session. The event will bring the rest of the Major's vibes with great music, fantastic decor, extra activities, and live screenings of the Masters and Happy Gilmore!
A portion of the ticket sales will go towards helping Sports Buddies. Sports Buddies is one of four core youth mentoring programs offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters. Their activities are designed to deepen mentoring relationships while supporting self-confidence, goal setting, collaboration, skill development, and healthy lifestyles. For more information and to purchase tickets for Saturday April 7th, visit https://www.themulemajors.com/
Denver's Independent Comics & Art Expo
The artist-centric event, Denver's Independent Comics & Art Expo (DiNK), is a celebration of independent artists, writers, creators, zine makers and publishers, and will be taking over all three floors of the McNichols Civic Center Building April 14 & 15, 2018. The event is comprised of entertainment, panel discussions, craft sessions, adult coloring, art auctions, comedy shows and the Mountain-West's first Comic and Art Awards ceremony 'The DINKy's.' This year, Dink Denver welcomes screen actor, creator and writer John Leguizamo of HBO series Ghetto Klown. Fans will get to meet Leguizamo through a series of meet & greet opportunities, panel discussions and even selfie sessions!
"Sophisticated yet never dull, DiNK sources talent that has both wit and grit, with topics ranging from social justice to the antisocial and everything in between." More than art, displayed works include published books, manuscripts, zines, paintings and graphic novels. DINK provides an outlet for a talented cast of independent artists, creators, urban and tattoo artists, zine creators and graphic novelists to showcase their work for two days in the Mile High City each representing the counter-culture and the independent spirit of art in its many languages and styles.
Loaded with late night and adult programming, cocktails, and two complete days of activities, DINK prides itself in providing a vessel for fans to converse and imbibe with the art creators in a unique, intimate environment. Free admission for ages 17 ans under. For adult 2-day passes, VIP upgrades and additional experiential ticketing opportunities check out DinkDenver.com
2017 Denver People’s Fair Sat 6/3 & Sun 6/4 Civic Center Park
Since its inception in 1972, the People’s Fair has been a staple of Denver arts and culture as the largest community-based festival in Colorado! People’s Fair features an eclectic mix of national and local entertainment, live music, nearly 100 artists and hundreds of local food and craft vendors. A long-running Denver tradition, the 46-year-old event will open its doors in celebration of the local community and the creative instincts that have inspired the city for nearly a half a century.
With musical performances by Guster, Night Riots, and Jeremy Garrett’s Fiddle Science - a supergroup featuring members of Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters, and other great bands Gipsy Moon, P O P F I L T E R, Kayla Marque Band, Gasoline Lollipops, and SkyLaw. There will also be over 30 other performances including bands, artists, drag shows and creative community entertainers. Visit https://peoplesfair.com/schedule/ for the full scheduled lineup!
Aside from music, there is a strong focus on community engagement and interactive programming, so the People’s Fair will offer events like free morning yoga hosted by Kindness Yoga and Art In The Park where attendees can enjoy an Infinite Monkey Theorem beverage and art instruction as they create their own painting. There will be countless lawn games, local community dance and theater groups, local food trucks, and a chance to get to know some of the most innovative upcoming local businesses.
This year’s People’s Fair sets the stage for a massive cultural showcase event that is uniquely Denver. The Denver People’s Fair is free to the public, however VIP tickets are on sale now for $20 that includes premium stage viewing, a shaded VIP lounge, two free drinks, a VIP bar, and separate VIP entrance all weekend. Proceeds go to benefit the Capital Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN). More info on the event can be found at www.peoplesfair.com
Winter Wine Festival | Celebrating Colorado's Other Craft
You may not think rolling fields of vineyards when you think of the Colorado landscape, but unbeknownst to most CO residents the precious grapes have been thriving here since before prohibition era. And this past Friday we paid tribute to our boozy grape enthusiast ancestors in true Two Parts fashion. From sweet rose to full and inviting red blends, the Winter Wine Festival covered all of our favorite grapes and was an eye opening introduction to Colorado's second favorite craft to harvest.
This sold-out event took place in the newly remodeled McNichol’s Building and was spread over two levels. The first hour saw a line of young and old alike waiting out to the street, but once you made it inside the festivities began as you were greeted with a glass of Molly’s Spirits Cider. From there you went upstairs and began wine tasting!
With an open mind and an empty glass, we began to make the rounds to each station. There were of course a few favorites, a few we had to skip because of their long lines, and a couple of go-to tables. #UltraTip: Grab a cup of cider before taking on the long wine lines, they were quite tasty and came with a larger pour - definitely made the wine lines less begrudging to wait in. The ciders and wines were all Colorado-based as promised and showcased the variety of flavors our state can create, from deep reds, to Rose’s, to whites of all types. In fact, one of our favorite white wines wasn’t even made with grapes, but with our famous Palisade Peaches. A sweet treat!
With all that wine you do need/want food no matter how much you already ate for dinner. Luckily there were savory snacks and sweet treats to quell our cravings and without much of a wait, if any! We noshed on breads, cheeses, meats, chocolates, doughnuts and pie while we sipped wine and listened to Fresh Noise play live.
Wine tasting is an intimate outing, normally accompanied with harrowing tales of the grapes and the winemaker's jigsawed vision of the libation. The long lines and beer festival setting made it a bit difficult to get a clear understanding of the wine or a taste of all their different grapes. But what the festival did accomplish is a broad and captivating view into the expansive wine of Colorado. We had no idea what was being grown on the outskirts of our four-cornered state. We cannot wait to school our dates this Valentine's Day with our newly garnered wine knowledge.
Cheers to Colorado! A state dedicated to transforming their inhabitant's drinking habits into bonafide hobbies!
Lifestyle | GABF Events | Your Guide to Denver's Drunkest Week
Drunks of Denver.... ASSEMBLE!!! Forget the majestic Rocky Mountains and our 300 days of sunshine, we have beer. Pure North American, craft beer. So great that men and women from around the globe gather here once a year to rejoice in it's sweet, golden triumph. And we could not be more honored to be a part of this year's GABF celebration of all things beer.
(Image: www.breckbrew.com)
This week there will be: tap takeovers, beer releases, album + beer releases, weird ingredients Bud Light would not approve of, amazing food for our inevitable "drunchies" and more drunks under one roof than you can count. Alongside the programmed set of events there will be an extensive list of after-parties, private off-site brewery tours and special tastings open to the public. So even if you forgot (read: did not buy your GABF tickets the second they went on sale), do not fret! You will still be able to ride the coat tails of this monumental event.
Many Denver breweries are throwing their own GABF events. Take a look at what some of our local favorites are getting into this week:
New Belgium: http://www.newbelgium.com/Events/CO/GABF.aspx
Oskar Blues: http://obordeal.tumblr.com
O’Dells: https://odellbrewing.com/events/
Breck Brew: http://www.breckbrew.com/events
Left Hand Brewing: http://lefthandbrewing.com/blog/2015/08/left-hand-gabf-2015/
Ratio Beer Works: https://www.facebook.com/ratiobeerworks
Denver Beer Co: http://denverbeerco.com/events/
Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery: http://www.jaggedmountainbrewery.com/gabf-week-at-jagged-mountain/
Our Mutual Friend Brewing Company: http://www.omfbeer.com/events/2015/9/23/beers-made-by-walking-fest-2015
Former Future Brewing Company: http://www.omfbeer.com/events/2015/9/23/beers-made-by-walking-fest-2015
Epic Brewing: http://www.epicbrewing.com/news-and-events/item/6907-3rd-annual-50-firkin-fiasco-and-gabf-events
Crooked Stave: http://www.crookedstave.com
Declaration Brewing: http://www.declarationbrewing.com/events/mancan-128-launch-event/
Great Divide Brewery: http://greatdivide.com/event/great-american-beer-festival/
Check out Brewtally Insane for a day by day comprehensive list of daily events as well.
There's a reason everyone calls Denver the Napa Valley of craft beer and it's because we have more innovative breweries per capita than any other state. Our hearts go out to all of our hardworking hometown heroes. We know you'll bring home the gold.
See you by the taps, Denver! Don't forget to chant on your fellow GABF goers. Everyone can use some words of encouragement every now and then.