Boulder Events Apr-May 2023

Looking to fill your social calendar? We've got the rundown on what to do this spring season

Art in the Park

Apr 4-16

Plan a day trip to Chautauqua Park and discover the beautifully decorated bears of Art in the Park. 15 artists were selected to transform fiberglass bear statues into extraordinary works of art. You can even bid to take one home in the online auction. Proceeds will support participating artists, local nonprofits, and Chautauqua Park. Free. chautauqua.com

Beer Here! Brewing the New West

Apr 4 – Sept 3

Join us at the Museum of Boulder for a series of happy hours with local breweries! Each event will be held in the new Beer Here!exhibit in the main gallery and will include:
– A beer flight tasting provided by the local brewery
– A food pairing consisting of light appetizers
– Information from the brewery on their products and history with on-site representatives
– Access to the Beer Here! exhibit at the Museum of Boulder.

Beer Here! will feature stories from the past, present and future, as well as more than 160 authentic artifacts from Colorado’s beer and brewing history, connecting time periods. $15, 5-7pm. museumofboulder.org/exhibit

Boulder Arts Week

Apr 7-15

The City of Boulder is home to thousands of artists and over 140 arts organizations. Join Boulder’s only large-scale, inclusive celebration of our community’s vibrant arts and cultural offerings and our city’s thriving creativity at the 10th Annual Boulder Arts Week! This year’s event will feature digital and in-person arts and culture offerings, including art walks, exhibitions, performances, dance, music, theater, public art, lectures, readings, and workshops at venues throughout the city. boulderartsweek.org

Boulder Comedy Show

Apr 9 – May 28

The live stand-up show happens every Sunday at the Rayback Collective. The comedians are some of the best working comics in the industry today and their headliners have been seen on Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO, Showtime, Fallon, Colbert, Letterman, Kimmel, MTV and pretty much everything in between. The Boulder Comedy Show is the longest running weekly comedy show in Boulder, CO. The show was established in 2013 by local comedian and CU alumnus, Brent Gill, a nationally touring comedian, Comedy Works headliner, and featured performer on Viceland and the BBC.  7pm. bouldercomedyshow.com

BAA Spring Member Show

Apr 11 – May 14

“Spring Showers, Art Flowers” will be showcased at R Gallery & Wine Bar with the latest BAA Spring Member Show. The change of seasons in Boulder ushers in the blossoming of nature as the plants around us wake up from the snow. Discover the spring collection and meet the artists during the Opening Night Reception on April 11. Both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks may be purchased at R Gallery’s bar. Free, 7:30-9pm. boulderartassociation.org

Flatirons Photo Club

Apr 13 & May 11

The Flatirons Photo Club welcomes anyone who enjoys and wants to learn more about the field of photography, and to participate in a caring environment where amateurs and practicing professionals share their interests, experience and knowledge. The Club meets on the second Thursday of each month, followed by viewing and discussion of member's photography. Subjects range from abstract and travel to people and nature. Free, 7-9pm. flatironsphotoclub.org

Upbeat Folk Rock at BOCO Cider

Apr 14

The Dawn Hunters of Denver blend upbeat folk rock with twinges of funk, reggae and alternative rock music. The band loves to play around with different rhythms, groovy bass lines, and tight vocal harmonies. Front-woman Ashley Hunter combines creative and catchy songwriting with powerful lead vocals and rhythm guitar. No cover, BOCO Cider, 6-8pm. bococider.com

How GPS Changed Everything

Apr 15

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has redefined what it means to navigate in the world. GPS receivers serve to guide airplanes, Uber drivers, tractors and satellites. GPS timing synchronizes power grids, telecommunications networks and bank transactions. GPS is also essential in scientific measurements of the motion of ice sheets, variations in Earth’s gravity field, and atmospheric conditions used in numerical weather prediction. How has this system created such broad-reaching benefits?  Professor Penina Axelrad’s CU on the Weekend presentation will describe the “How.” That is, how GPS works and how its key technical elements came together to have an unprecedented impact on our daily lives and scientific discovery.  She will also discuss threats to GPS utility and the evolving landscape of global navigation satellite system capabilities. Tours of the aerospace building will be offered before and after the lecture. Free, 1-2:30pm, Ann & H.J. Smead Dept of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, 3775 Discovery Dr. colorado.edu

Takacs Quartet

Apr 16-24

The Grammy-winning Takács Quartet has moved audiences and sold-out halls at CU Boulder for more than three decades and counting. The group’s powerfully compelling dynamic has proven time and again that Takács members are "matchless, their supreme artistry manifest at every level." —The Guardian. $20-$47, showtimes vary, Grusin Music Hall. cupresents.org/performance

Full Throttle Yoga

Apr 16

A revolutionary yoga community based on Four Foundations: Power - Work hard and be strong both on and off the mat; Presence - Cultivate mindfulness in your practice and in life; Boldness - Be bold in everything you do; Fun - Truly connect to yourself and the world around you to find joy. The physically challenging and thought-provoking practice is available to all levels and challenges students to live wide open both on and off their yoga mats. 10:3am, held at Sanitas Brewing Co. fullthrottleyoga.com

Stories of My Life

Apr 16

The Boulder Children’s Chorale will perform music inspired by texts that celebrate the role of literature in our lives. This will include children’s books, classic literature, and poetry. This pairing invites our students and our audiences to understand the value of each individual story, and to connect with those around them. These stories will come to life through interactive moments and visual imagery. The children’s ensembles will prepare specially designed outreach programs for younger audiences, in collaboration with local libraries. $5-$16, 4-5:30pm, Grace Commons Church. boulderchorale.org

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Apr 18

Joyous, heartfelt and wonderfully clever. Beloved Macky favorites who are as hilarious as they are fiercely talented, George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a group of all-singing, all-strumming ukulele players who have become world-famous for their unexpected interpretations of film scores and rock 'n' roll. Many of these performances sell out; order your tickets today to guarantee the best seats. Tickets start at $24. 7:30-9pm, Macky Auditorium Concert Hall. cupresents.org/performance

Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra – Ravel & Rachmaninoff

Apr 22

Angela Cheng dazzles with Ravel’s jazzy Piano Concerto in G and Rachmaninoff’s ever-popular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Young Boulder native and 2022 Resound Boulder competition winner, Leigha Amick, premieres a new commission. Our season comes to a passionate close with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. $22-$94, 7-9pm, Macky Auditorium Concert Hall. boulderphil.org

Tulip Fairy & Elf Festival

Apr 23

Spring officially arrives in downtown Boulder when the beautiful, colorful Tulip Fairy, along with pint-sized fairies and elves, parade around the Pearl Street Mall "waking up the tulips." This much beloved springtime tradition features live performances, special activities for children and more than 15,000 tulips that adorn the Pearl Street Mall. Join us at the performance stage located on the 1300 block of the Pearl Street Mall for live music and performances. Free, 1-5pm. boulderdowntown.com

Transfigured Night

Apr 29

Pro Musica Colorado Chamber Orchestra concludes their season with another world premiere, this time by the 2022 CU Composition Competition winner, Jessie Lausé. Two members of the celebrated Takàcs String Quartet, Harumi Rhodes and Richard O’Neill, are the soloists in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. Following this piece for duo plus orchestra, Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht is the story of two people being transformed by their love for each other. The concert opener, by Wyoming-based composer Anne M. Guzzo, is inspired by the bears of Grand Teton National Park. $25, 7:30-9:30pm, Mountain View United Methodist Church. promusicacolorado.org

Just Desserts: Hazel Miller Sings Her Favorite Things

Apr 30

Hazel Miller, jazz icon, joins the Cultural Caravan for the first time to sing the jazz standards that inspired her to become a singer in the first place. This is music that Hazel never gets to sing, so don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of Colorado’s favorite performing artists sing the story of her love affair with jazz. Free, 2-3:30pm, Canyon Theater-Boulder Public Library.

Sarah Lee Guthrie

Apr 30

Sarah Lee Guthrie’s lineage is undeniable. There is a gentle urgency to her interpretations of the songs she sings and the classic music of her heritage. It flows from the continuity of her family, her vital artistic life today and the river of songs that have guided her to where she now stands. Over the last two decades on the road and in the studio, she and her husband Johnny Irion have created a signature pop-fused folk-rock sound that is appealing and engaging. Sarah Lee Guthrie now ventures on a road that leads back to the rich culture of her family running through the warmth of her own bloodlines. This is rare opportunity to witness the growth of one of America’s finest young folk singers. $30, 8pm, Chautauqua Park Community House. chautauqua.com

John Spencer – Europa Clipper: Voyage to an Ocean Moon

May 1

In 2024, NASA plans to launch a new spacecraft, Europa Clipper, to the Jupiter system. Clipper is tasked with exploring Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is thought to harbor a vast ocean beneath its strange, fractured, icy surface. The spacecraft will reach Jupiter in 2030, and spend more than 4 years in Jupiter orbit, flying past Europa about 50 times. It will investigate the ocean, which is one of the most promising potential habitats for extraterrestrial life, using a battery of 10 different scientific instruments. The talk will describe the many remarkable things we already know about Europa, why it is such a compelling target for exploration, and what we hope to learn from this exciting new mission.
John Spencer is an Institute Scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder. He is deputy principal investigator for Europa Clipper’s temperature mapping instrument, and a science team member on its ultraviolet spectrometer.  He specializes in observations of the outer solar system, and Jupiter’s moons in particular, with telescopes on the Earth’s surface, the Hubble Space Telescope, and interplanetary spacecraft. $15, 7:30pm, Chautauqua Park Community House. chautauqua.com

Elemental: Reimagining our Relationship with Wildfire

May 5

With fire seasons growing more destructive and more deadly, we see that our approach to reducing wildfire risk is failing. The way we respond to this risk will have long-term effects on our communities and our forests. Join us for the Boulder premiere of Elemental, a film that invites you to reimagine your relationship with wildfire through the eyes of top scientists and indigenous fire managers who are leading the way toward living with this essential element. In the wake of recent fires across the West, filmmakers took to the air and the ground to help communities make sense of what is happening – and what we can do to prepare for more fire on the land. Their work led to a deep investigation of wildfire in a hotter, drier, more crowded world, and includes wildfires that burned across millions of acres and destroyed numerous communities. Five years in the making, Elemental is the product of their journey across the United States and into fire affected communities. $13, 7pm, Chautauqua Park Community House. chautauqua.com

DeVotchKa with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra

May 6

The Colorado-based quartet DeVotchKa joins the Boulder Phil for the first time with their global-infused modern-indie sound. A cross-pollination of numerous influences, including cabaret, spaghetti Westerns, norteño, punk, and the immigrant dance music of Eastern Europe. Formed in Denver by multi-instrumentalists Nick Urata, Tom Hagerman, Jeanie Schroder and percussionist Shawn King, emerged as unlikely indie heroes in the mid-2000s infusing modern indie music with a global flavor. $25-$104, 7:30pm, Macky Auditorium Concert Hall. boulderphil.org

Boulder Creek Festival

May 26-29

Kickoff summer with the Boulder Creek Festival to celebrate our community and continue this longstanding festival tradition with all kinds of fun in the sun. Music from a stellar lineup of 30+ local bands on three stages, all the eats from 15+ restaurants, with street food favorites to food trucks, exotic eats, and healthy options. Creekside for Kids offers summer camp previews, face painting, and activities. Discover the brilliant handmade wares at the Makers’ Market with 200+ artisans. Get to know and support the local and national Boulder businesses right in our backyard. Free. Boulder Creek Path, 1212 Canyon Blvd. bouldercreekfest.com

BolderBoulder 10k Road Race

May 29

The BB10k is for everybody – part race, run, walk, tribute and holiday celebration. The course, over a mile above sea level, winds through Boulder’s neighborhoods, downtown and then finishes at the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field. The International Team Challenge: watch some of the world’s best runners finish at Folsom Field as they compete for one of the largest prize purses in the world. Stay for one of the largest Memorial Day Tributes in the U.S. The ceremony honors all of those who have given their life in military service to our country. Start times vary at 30^th and Walnut. bolderboulder.com