Ryan Garvey

Denver, citywide

A year in Denver

The events, the seasons and the weather, month by month.

By Ryan Garvey, Broker Associate, Compass · Updated

Denver runs on a calendar of its own: a stock show every January, a beer festival in October and a summer of afternoon thunderstorms. Here's the year as it usually goes, month by month, with the weather that comes with it.

Dates move every year, so check each event's own site for this year's. A few venues have moved recently too, and they're noted below.

The weather, in short

First and last freeze
On average Denver's first freeze comes around October 7 and the last around May 5. Frost can come later, so many gardeners wait a bit past that date.
Snow
The first measurable snow usually falls in mid to late October and the last in late April. The long-term average is about 57 inches a season, and March is the snowiest month.
Hail
Hail picks up in late April and May and peaks in early to mid June. When you buy, ask how old the roof is and whether there's been a hail claim on it.
Summer storms
From July into August the monsoon brings afternoon thunderstorms, nearly every day by late summer.
Wind
Chinook winds, warm and dry off the mountains, come in the cold season and can gust very hard along the foothills.
Sun
Denver gets about 70 percent of its possible sunshine over a year.

January to December

Month by month

  1. January

    • National Western Stock Show

      About two weeks in mid-January · National Western Complex, Elyria-Swansea

      Rodeos, horse shows, livestock competitions, auctions and a big Western trade show.

  2. February

    One of the snowiest months, second only to March.

    • Lunar New Year at the Far East Center

      A weekend around Lunar New Year · Far East Center

      An annual celebration with food events built around dumplings, noodles and mooncakes.

  3. March

    The snowiest month of the year, on average.

    • Denver Restaurant Week

      About ten days in early to mid March · Restaurants all over the city

      Set menus at participating restaurants, in what's usually a slow stretch for them.

    • St. Patrick's Day Parade

      A Saturday morning in mid-March · From 19th and Wynkoop through LoDo and past Coors Field

      Floats, horses, bagpipes and drums, with about 10,000 people marching.

    • Denver March Powwow

      Three days in the second half of March · Denver Coliseum

      Dancing, singing, storytelling, food and Native American art and crafts, running for 50 years.

  4. April

    The last snow usually falls late in the month, and hail starts to show up.

    • Red Rocks season starts

      From early spring into the fall · Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison

      The city-owned outdoor amphitheater, open since 1941, fills its calendar with concerts from spring on.

  5. May

    Last freeze around May 5, on average.

    • Cinco de Mayo festival

      The first weekend of May · A parade from 13th and Welton, then Civic Center Park

      A free two-day festival with live music, dancing, food, lowriders and a chihuahua race.

    • BOLDERBoulder

      Memorial Day morning · Boulder, finishing at Folsom Field

      A 10K that has run every year since 1979, sent off in dozens of waves.

  6. June

    Peak hail season, early to mid month.

    • Juneteenth Music Festival

      Juneteenth weekend · A parade down 26th Avenue, then Welton Street in Five Points

      A parade billed as Denver's longest-running, followed by a street festival with music stages and more than 100 vendors.

    • Denver PrideFest

      The last weekend of June · Usually Civic Center Park; on 16th Street in 2026 during park construction

      A free festival run by The Center on Colfax, with a Pride 5K in Cheesman Park the same weekend.

  7. July

    Afternoon thunderstorms start most days as the monsoon arrives.

    • Cherry Creek Arts Festival

      Fourth of July weekend · 2nd Avenue in Cherry Creek North

      A free three-day outdoor art show with about 260 artists, food and music.

    • Underground Music Showcase

      A weekend in late July · RiNo, after more than two decades on South Broadway

      More than 200 local and national acts across venues all weekend.

  8. August

    Monsoon storms most afternoons; hail tapers off by mid-month.

    • Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

      A weekend in late summer · Sloan's Lake Park

      Two days of dragon boat racing across the lake, with performance stages, a marketplace and food.

  9. September

    Aspen color in the high country, often starting in the first half of the month and lasting about a week in any one spot.

    • Denver Oktoberfest

      Two weekends in the second half of September · Larimer Street between 20th and 22nd, Ballpark

      A downtown street festival with beer, food and live music, more than 50 years running.

  10. October

    First freeze around October 7 and first snow around October 19, on average. The first ski lifts usually turn in late October or early November.

    • Great American Beer Festival

      A weekend in early to mid October · Levitt Pavilion in 2026, its first year outdoors after decades at the Colorado Convention Center

      The Brewers Association's national craft beer festival.

    • Denver Film Festival

      Late October into early November · Theaters around Denver

      Independent and international films, held every fall since 1978.

  11. November

    • Blossoms of Light

      Thanksgiving week into January · Denver Botanic Gardens, York Street

      The gardens' holiday light display, ticketed.

    • Zoo Lights

      Thanksgiving week into early January, select nights · Denver Zoo, City Park

      The zoo's holiday lights, ticketed.

  12. December

    • 9NEWS Parade of Lights

      A Saturday evening in early December · Downtown, starting at the City and County Building

      A free parade of lit floats, giant balloons, marching bands and horses along about two miles of downtown streets.

FAQ

When is hail season in Denver?
Hail picks up in late April and May and peaks in early to mid June, then tapers off by mid-August.
When does it first snow in Denver?
The first measurable snow usually falls around October 19, and the last around April 28. March is the snowiest month on average.
When is the National Western Stock Show?
Every January, for about two weeks in the middle of the month, at the National Western Complex.
When can I plant a garden in Denver?
Denver's average last freeze is around May 5, though in some years a frost comes later.

Sources