Fall festivals and Broncos football arrive at the same time here, and the whole region shows it.
By Nookhaven Staff | September 23, 2026
Fall in Denver comes in many shades of orange, from the turning leaves to Broncos orange. This season, both are giving us plenty to be excited about. Festival weekends fold right into game weekends, steins flow a few blocks from a stadium that’s rocking, and with the way this Broncos team has been playing, there’s real reason to believe this could be a year for another deep postseason run.
This coming weekend, the Broncos host the Rams under the lights on Sunday Night Football at Empower Field, just after the Ballpark District’s Oktoberfest wraps up. You can take in the steins, live music, and a Long Dog Derby filling Larimer Street before you head to the stadium or your favorite sports bar.
Game days and festival weekends land on top of each other throughout the season, and that’s part of the fun. A drive out to the foothills fits neatly around a Sunday afternoon downtown, and nobody has to pick between them. Here’s what’s on the table this fall.
For the Football Crowd
Two real Denver Broncos experiences worth knowing about, stadium ticket or not.
The DNVR Bar, East Colfax, has earned its reputation. It is Westword’s pick for best bar in the city for Broncos games, and the closest thing Denver has to an unofficial team headquarters outside Empower Field itself. They run a party bus to the stadium on game days, so nobody has to think twice about parking on their way to watch this team chase another playoff run.
The Tavern on Blake Street, tucked into LoDo near Union Station and a block from Coors Field, reopened this year under new ownership after its predecessor, Blake Street Tavern, closed in 2023 following two decades in business. As a nod to the original, the new owners kept the name close on purpose and even brought back much of the old staff. A few blocks from both the stadium and the Oktoberfest crowd on Larimer, it’s a natural pregame stop this weekend (or any weekend this fall) with plenty to celebrate either way.
For the Festival Crowd
Three very different types of weekend fun, all within city limits.
Ballpark District’s Oktoberfest brings steins, polka, and a downtown crowd that’s part football, part beer garden, all weekend long.
Denver PorchFest makes its debut in Baker on October 3: 193 local artists playing live music across 84 front porches throughout the neighborhood, free and entirely walkable from noon to 7pm. A new event built on an old idea that a porch is really just a small stage, and a neighborhood full of them is a music festival waiting to happen.
The same day, Sloan’s Lake Fall Bazaar brings something different to West Colfax. It is an artisan shop-and-sip market, local vendors and makers spread along the neighborhood’s streets, built more around browsing than performing.
Worth the Drive
Two spots just outside the city do fall exceptionally well every year.
Golden’s Autumn Fest (October 4, free, Golden History Park) is small-town Colorado at its best. There are crafts, big trucks, a petting zoo, Native American dancers and drummers, all set against a foothills backdrop.
Boulder’s Firefly Handmade Fall Market (October 10–11) brings more than 80 artists, makers, and designers to the Pearl Street Mall, with live music from Colorado artists running both days. A different kind of walkable, and an easy half-day trip either way.
For the Ones Who Like It Spooky
If the rest of this list feels a little too wholesome, Denver has you covered there too. The 13th Floor Haunted House, open now through November 9, has spent nearly two decades earning a reputation as one of the best haunted attractions in the country. There are three main houses, a rotating cast of characters, and enough genuine dread to make the rest of your fall feel downright cozy by comparison.
Football, festivals, small towns, and a proper scare. This city has all of it going at once right now, and if the Broncos keep this up, it will be a season worth celebrating all through the fall. Multiple shades of orange, one great season. Enjoy it while it all lasts.
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