This weekend offers an assortment of cultural events around Colorado ranging from theater and music to art exhibits, movie screenings, and Lunar New Year celebrations.
Arts and culture news
Trump administration wants more information on NEA grants
Colorado arts groups that receive support through the National Endowment for the Arts were among the nonprofits left in confusion this week by the Trump Administration’s effort to freeze federal payments for certain grants and other programs. In an email sent before a federal judge paused the funding hold, an NEA spokesperson wrote, “The National Endowment for the Arts is currently reviewing the recent Executive Orders and accompanying guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget to ensure compliance and provide the required reporting.”
The White House has released a spreadsheet of specific programs whose funding the Trump Administration is taking a closer look at. For the NEA that includes its Promotion of the Arts grants and partnership agreements and its Art and Artifacts Indemnity program. The spreadsheet asks administrators to state whether the programs promote ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility,’ ‘gender ideology’ or other concepts singled out by Trump in his Executive Orders.
The most recent round of NEA grants awarded $435,000 to 22 organizations in Colorado, including:
- Tank Center for Sonic Arts, Inc. in Rangely: $15,000
- Motus Theater in Boulder: $35,000
- Creede Repertory Theatre, Inc. in Creede: $20,000
- Su Teatro (aka El Centro Su Teatro) in Denver: $15,000
Lunar New Year celebrations
For the second year, Colorado is marking the Lunar New Year as an official state holiday. With the Year of the Snake beginning on Wednesday, there will be numerous chances over the next few weeks to celebrate.
Far East Center Lunar New Year
When: Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1-2
Where: Far East Center, Denver
This free event includes Lion & Dragon dances, cultural performances, ice carving and food from local restaurants and vendors. Denverite is a sponsor and will have a booth at the event on Saturday.
Heart and Sol at Loveland Aleworks
When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 2 - 6 p.m.
Where: Loveland Aleworks, Loveland
Welcome the Year of the Wood Snake with local non-profit Heart and Sol. This celebration features food, games, and activities while teaching traditional Lunar New Year customs. Learn why 2025's zodiac animal represents wisdom, transformation, calmness, and creativity.
Global Village Academy's Cultural Celebration
When: Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 - 4 p.m., with performances beginning at 2 p.m.
Where: Global Village Academy North in Thornton
Experience a rich cultural program featuring live music, dance performances and Guzheng demonstrations. Interactive activities include Chinese jump rope, fan and lantern painting, a chopstick race and snake craft. Admission is free, but an online RSVP is required.
When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: The Pioneer Museum, Colorado Springs
A winter storm forced the museum to delay its celebration, hosted by Refugee + Immigrants United and the Filipino-American Community of Southern Colorado, to the second weekend in January. The family-friendly event includes performances, crafts and information booths.
The PACE Center's All-Ages Lunar New Year Celebration
When: Feb. 15, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Where: PACE Center, Parker
Experience traditional performances, martial arts demonstrations and hands-on activities at this family-friendly event. The event is free, with timed entries. RSVPs are required for each time slot.
Arts and culture events around the state
Front Range
Theater: "Gee's Bend" (Jan. 31 - Feb. 23, Aurora Fox Theater, Aurora)
The Aurora Fox presents the story of multiple generations in a family of quilters in Gee’s Bend, Alabama. This mainstage production explores themes of segregation, family conflict and civil rights, highlighting how the women's quilts offer them comfort and creative expression and can be a source of empowerment when their work is recognized as art.
Art: "Voices of Hope: An Art Showcase for Freedom" (Ongoing, The Village Work, Wellness, & Event Center, Centennial)
This exhibit, curated by Freedom 58, showcases work by artists from around the world and tells stories of hope and resilience from human trafficking survivors. The exhibition includes insights from local law enforcement on the local impact of human trafficking.
Music: "Behind the Baton Live: Where the Wild Things Are and the Music of Mozart" (Feb. 4, Denver Art Museum, Denver)
CPR Classical presents a live version of its radio show "Behind the Baton" with Scott O'Neil, former resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony, in partnership with the Denver Art Museum’s “Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak” exhibit. O'Neil, recently named the next music director of the Denver Philharmonic, will lead the program. Onsite tickets are sold out but people can watch virtually.
Music: "A Symphonic Tribute to Mel Brooks" (Feb. 1, Boettcher Hall, Denver)
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra presents a symphonic tribute to filmmaker and comedian Mel Brooks, featuring music from Blazing Saddles and other movies, as well as scores from the Broadway adaptations of The Producers and Young Frankenstein.
Art: "A Graphic Journey: Prints by Pablo Picasso" (Jan. 31 - May 4, Longmont Museum, Longmont)
More than 60 of Picasso’s prints from 1923 to 1972 are the core of this show, which explores his printmaking techniques and recurring themes of love, war, power and humanity. The exhibit also includes original ceramics created by Picasso. The opening reception is Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. with live piano music.
Dance: Chloé Arnold's Syncopated Ladies (Feb. 2, Lone Tree Arts Center, Lone Tree)
A tap dance performance celebrating sisterhood, empowerment, and Black Girl Magic through intricate footwork and inspiring stories.
Northern Colorado
Other Fun: Longmont Live! (Jan. 31, Longmont Public Media, Longmont)
This interactive comedy show, presented by Longmont Out Loud (LOL), features spontaneous scenes and characters based on audience suggestions, paired with live music. The January show features Front deRanged Comedy Improv Troupe and Sandlot Improv and is hosted by musical guest Steph Luján.
Theater: "The 39 Steps" (Jan. 31 - Feb. 8, The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins)
OpenStage Theatre & Company presents this comedic take on the Hitchcock masterpiece, combining elements of a spy novel and Monty Python. The play, in the Center’s Magnolia Theatre, follows Richard Hannay as he becomes a fugitive in 1930s London, caught in a maze of espionage and near-death escapes, with a cast of 4 actors playing over 150 characters.
Southern Colorado
Film: “There Ain’t No Back to A Merry-Go-Round" (Feb. 2, Temple Shalom, Colorado Springs)
A film screening and discussion focused on a 1960s civil rights protest where Howard University students staged a sit-in on a segregated carousel and members of the local Jewish community joined the picket lines. One of the original protesters, Loren Weinberg, joins the Q&A after the film. A wine and cheese reception will follow.
Film: "The Thinking Game" (Feb. 2, Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Colorado Springs)
This documentary explores the work of DeepMind, an AI lab in London — its breakthroughs, setbacks and scientific innovations — as it strives to achieve artificial general intelligence. The screening is followed by a short discussion.
Music: Special Jazz Jam Session with the CMEA All-stars (Jan. 30, Armadillo Ranch, Manitou Springs)
For the second year, top jazz musicians from Colorado will perform at the Armadillo Ranch in conjunction with the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) convention at the Broadmoor.
Theater: "The Heart Sellers" (Jan. 31 - Feb. 16, Ent Center for The Arts, Colorado Springs)
Set in the 1970s, this play tells the story of two immigrant women from the Philippines and Korea who bond over shared experiences and a longing to make a home in a new country. The production explores themes of isolation and connection across barriers.
Theater: “Ringo's Sing Along Road Trip" (Feb. 1-2, Millibo Art Theatre, Colorado Springs)
This interactive family show follows Ringo the Dog and Mister Mike on a quest to find the greatest sing-along song ever. The all-ages show includes audience participation, puppets and musical favorites.
Western Slope
Other Fun: Austen Fair 2025 (Feb. 1, Historic Margery Ballroom, Grand Junction)
The sixth annual Austen Fair, hosted by Geek Parties of the Grand Valley, invites attendees to step into the Regency Era. Guests can try their hands at crafts, such as calligraphy, letter writing with quill pens, embroidery, and silhouette-taking. Local actors will perform scenes from Jane Austen's works, and the fair concludes with an informal potluck tea. Period attire is encouraged but not required.
Following the Austen Fair, the Grand Junction Community Contra Dance group hosts an English Country Dance with live music from 7:30 - 10 p.m.
High Country
Theater: “Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic" (Jan. 30 - Feb. 2, Theatre Aspen, Aspen)
This parody follows three potential heroes trying to navigate a strangely familiar magic school, where the Puffs, a group of loyal outsiders with an affinity for badgers, are central to the story. The play includes improvisation, audience interaction, and opportunities for actors to influence the script.
Theater: "Finding Nemo, Jr." (Jan. 30 - Feb. 8, Breckenridge Theater, Breckenridge)
Local youth perform in this musical adaptation of the Pixar classic. The production from Breckenridge Backstage Theatre’s Student Theatrical Enrichment Program (STEP) features new music by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, with a focus on themes of friendship, bravery and love.
Theater: "The Cottage" (Jan. 31 - Feb. 23, StageDoor Theatre, Conifer)
This farce, set in the English countryside in 1923, explores themes of fate, identity, and marriage When a woman exposes her love affair to her husband and her lover's wife, the revelation leads to a web of secrets.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
- Denverite Things to do in Denver this weekend
- KRCC community calendar for Southern Colorado
- CPR Classical directory of Colorado classical performance groups
- Indie 102.3 calendar
Some groups mentioned in the CO Arts Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
How we pick our events: CO Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated.
