🎹 Parlando brings $5 music lessons to Boulder housing communities + 43 things to do

This week’s Culture Club is sponsored by Motus Theater. Don’t miss “No Contract,” a tragicomedy about love and dementia, running Sept. 17–Oct. 4 at the Dairy Arts Center. Use code BRL for 2-for-1 opening-weekend tickets.

Hi there, Boulder, and welcome back to Culture Club! It’s Thursday, Sept. 17. I’m McKenzie, here with your weekly guide to arts, culture and things to do across Boulder County.

In this week’s Spotlight, we look at how Parlando School for Musical Arts is bringing sliding-scale lessons directly to Boulder Housing Partners communities after discovering that transportation remained a barrier even when classes at the Dairy Arts Center were discounted. Plus: our three top weekend picks and 40 more things to do across Boulder County.

As always, you can submit your own event and check out more offerings on our community calendar.

See you out there,

McKenzie

No Contract, Motus Theater’s new tragicomedy, explores love, caregiving, and the difficult choices families face following a dementia diagnosis. Starring Kirsten Wilson with violinist Anthony Salvo, the world premiere runs Sept. 17-Oct. 4, 2026 at Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center. Use code BRL for 2-for-1 opening-weekend tickets.

1. KissFist Mural Festival

Friday, Sept. 18-Sunday, Sept. 20 • 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily • NoBo Arts District (4895 Broadway)

KissFist is an annual celebration of Deaf culture through art. Nine professional artists from the Deaf community will be on-site painting murals based on the theme “Many Worlds.” The festival will also feature ASL interpreters, an ASL spray-painting workshop, a makers market, coffee cart and more.

2. Festival del Sol

Sunday, Sept. 20 • noon-5 p.m. • Outside the Chautauqua Auditorium (900 Baseline Rd.)

The Colorado Chautauqua presents the sixth annual free bilingual Festival del Sol, featuring live music, food and beverages, Latin dance lessons, family activities and more.

3. Mapleton Hill PorchFest

Sunday, Sept. 20 • noon-4 p.m. • Mapleton Hill Historic District (541 Highland St. and surroundings)

PorchFest is a free annual neighborhood festival where local musicians perform on porches throughout the Mapleton Hill Historic District. Walking, biking and tipping the musicians are strongly encouraged.

Music lessons were out of reach for some Boulder families. Then Parlando brought them closer to home.

A new partnership offers sliding-scale piano, violin and cello lessons at Boulder Housing Partners communities, removing a key transportation barrier. Continue reading…

Boulder B-Sides seeks artists to transform vacant storefronts during Sundance

Boulder County Arts Alliance, in partnership with Community Foundation Boulder County and the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture, is inviting local artists and arts organizations to apply for funding to participate in Boulder B-Sides, a new pop-up art program that will activate vacant commercial storefronts and unexpected spaces throughout Boulder during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. Applications are open through Friday, Oct. 9. Find details and apply here.

KGNU seeks artwork exploring ‘home’ for its new permanent space

Community members gather May 22, 2026, for the grand opening of KGNU’s new Community Media & Cultural Center. Credit: Jeffrey Packard

“HOME – Art about a Forever Place” invites artists to envision the challenges and aspirations of finding, having, appreciating and keeping a home. Artists may submit one to three works through Sept. 25, 2026. Find details and submit here.

Looking for more to do? Explore our community calendar for dozens more events happening around Boulder. It’s free to browse and free to post. Many of the events featured in Culture Club come from the calendar, so be sure to add yours.

Visual Arts & Literature

Thursday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m.: Victoria Maizes speaks about her new book, “Heal Faster,” at Boulder Bookstore. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Sept. 18, 6-10:30 p.m.: Scream Fest at Trident Booksellers & Cafe features the artists from “Screaming at America: an Anthology of Revolution.” [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 4-5:30 p.m.: Artist Kevin Oehler takes part in a Q&A with guest curator Christina Rudosky about the exhibition, “Uncanny Ecologies,” on view at Frasier Retirement Community. [free] [all ages]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 1-4 p.m.: Anyone can learn to mend their favorite clothing at the Lafayette community mending circle, hosted in the Festival Plaza. [free] [all ages]
Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.: The World Literature Lecture Series hosts a lecture on Marguerite Duras, author of “The Lover,” at Boulder Bookstore. [free, but registration required] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 5 p.m.: JLF Colorado, the international edition of the Jaipur Literary Festival, takes place at Boulder Public Library. [free] [all ages]
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.: Samira K. Mehta speaks about her new book, “God Bless the Pill,” at Boulder Bookstore. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]

Theater, Dance & Film

Thursday, Sept. 17, 7-9 p.m.: The Longmont Museum presents “Come See Me in the Good Light,” the documentary film about late former Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson, followed by a talk-back with Gibson’s partner Megan Falley. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Sept. 18, 5-8 p.m.: A film screening of “An Artist Responds to War” is followed by hands-on art and activism training at Naropa University Performing Arts Center. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.: The Boulder Ballet kicks off its 2026-2027 season with a one-night-only event at Chautauqua Auditorium, “[In]Human,” featuring three contemporary ballet works. [ticketed] [all ages]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 5-8 p.m.: The Arts Hub hosts a Broadway Dance Party fundraiser at Nissi’s. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.: “Mountainfilm on Tour” features a selection of films handpicked from Mountainfilm, the annual Memorial Day film festival in Telluride, at Chautauqua Auditorium. [ticketed] [all ages]
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7-9 p.m.: “Thrifts & Riffs” is a weekly stand-up comedy show at Drifters in Longmont. [free] [adult-oriented]

Music & Nightlife

Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m.: Nat Lefkoff and Silver & Stone play an intimate concert at the Oakley Art House. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Sept. 18, 6:30-9 p.m.: Stone Cottage Studios presents Asheville-based worldgrass trio Tanasi in the garden venue. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 6-10 p.m.: The Earlybirds Club is an inclusive dance party for women who want the late-night vibe without the late-night lack of sleep, at Boulder Theatre. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 6 p.m.: Undertow Shows presents Maria Taylor in a limited-capacity, listening-style concert. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6:30-8 p.m.: Shane Hines leads the first in a four-week course on Songwriting 101 at Roots Music Project. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6-8:30 p.m.: Blankslate, a queer-femme indie-punk duo, plays at Trident Booksellers & Cafe. [free] [adult-oriented]

Food & Drink

Thursday, Sept. 17, 6-11 p.m.: Corrida closes out the season with a September Sunset Party. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Sept. 18, 6-9 p.m.: Left Hand Brewing celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Milk Stout Nitro with a jazzy, dress-up cocktail party. [free] [adult-oriented]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 4-9 p.m.: Dry Land Distillers in Longmont celebrates its eighth anniversary with limited-edition releases, live music and birthday cake. [free] [family-friendly]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 1-3 p.m.: Branch & Barrel’s master distiller leads a cocktail class at Nora’s Speakeasy in Louisville. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Monday, Sept. 21, 4-8 p.m.: Rush Bowls in Lafayette makes Monday family night with Buy One Get One deals. [family-friendly]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 3 p.m.: /pôr/ offers a special lineup of unique negronis for Negroni Week. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6-7 p.m.: Yoshua Greenfield teaches a beginner-friendly fermentation workshop at Yellow Barn Farm. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]

Outdoors & Recreation

Thursday, Sept. 17, 5:30-7 p.m.: The Boulder Watershed Collective hosts a public meeting to share information about the Sugarloaf Community Wildfire Mitigation Project. [free] [all ages]
Friday, Sept. 18, 9-10 a.m.: Certified yoga instructor Andrea Van Sambeek leads a gentle yoga class on the farm at the Agricultural Heritage Center. [free] [ages 12 and up]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-noon: Historic Boulder leads an outdoor walking tour to celebrate Boulder’s literary history, featuring bookstores, libraries and select Little Free Libraries. [free, but registration required] [all ages]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 9-11 a.m.: Participants in this guided hike at Heil Valley Ranch learn about mountain lion identification and what to do in case of an encounter. [free, but registration required] [family-friendly]
Monday, Sept. 21, 5-7 p.m.: Boulder Mountainbike Alliance hosts an Intro to Jumping Skills Clinic at Valmont Bike Park. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.: Volunteer naturalists with Boulder County Parks & Open Space lead “The Mystery of Bird Migration” at the Lafayette Public Library. [free] [adult- and teen-oriented]

Family & Community

Thursday, Sept. 17, 4:30-8 p.m.: The Boulder Chamber hosts the 2026 “Women Who Light the Community” awards celebration. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Friday, Sept. 18, 7-9 p.m.: The Butterfly Pavilion hosts family movie night featuring “The Bee Movie” with live commentary about pollinators. [ticketed] [family-friendly]
Saturday, Sept. 19, 6-10 p.m.: Meals on Wheels hosts a Casino Night fundraiser at the Boulder Elks Lodge. [ticketed] [adult-oriented]
Sunday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.: The Boulder International Day of Peace celebration includes a peace walk down Boulder Creek. [free] [all ages]
Monday, Sept. 21, 4-5:30 p.m.: Children in grades one to three are matched with an adult volunteer or CU student through Reading Buddies at the Meadows Branch Library. [free, but registration required] [all ages]
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 4-5:45 p.m.: A themed craft is offered alongside a showing of Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” at the NoBo Library. [free] [family-friendly]
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 5-7:30 p.m.: The clerks and recorders of Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties host a free information session to explain the election process at the Longmont Museum. [free] [all ages]

Know about an exhibit, concert, festival or creative person we should feature? Reply to this email or submit it here. Culture Club exists to help people discover what’s happening across Boulder County, and we’d love your ideas. Thanks for reading, and if you make it out to something fun this weekend, let us know.