BEST BETS >> THINGS TO DO AROUND DENVER THIS WEEKEND

Attendees appear in their Derby best at the Denver Mini-Derby, which returns this year on Saturday, May 3. PROVIDED BY VISIT DENVER

Dancer Eli Perez, 9, performs with other Mexican dancers with Fiesta Colorado Dance Company perform at the Cinco de Mayo Festival at Civic Center Park in Denver on May 5, 2024. HELEN H. RICHARDSON — THE DENVER POST

Bridget Millikan, 7, hangs on to the rope swing as it traverses rope netting in the Adventure Forest at the Children’s Museum’s on May 26, 2019. DENVER POST FILE

Jiggly Spehn, an English bulldog, takes part in the 2-mile walk in Washington Park during Dumb Friends League’s Furry Scurry in 2002. DENVER POST FILE

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By John Wenzel

jwenzel@denverpost.com

Kentucky Derby parties

Saturday: Denver’s most visible Kentucky Derby parties tend to be pricey, bougie, 21-and-up affairs. But then, isn’t that the point? To get dressed up and sip mint juleps while marking the season? This year’s biggest, as usual, double as fundraisers, so you can feel good about those fancy drinks and elaborate hats.

The Denver Derby Party returns to McGregor Square from 1 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 ($125-$300 with an all-inclusive ticket, denverderby.com).

Denver Derby Day at the Ritz-Carlton runs 1-5 p.m., with an afterparty 5-8 p.m. ($35.73-$83.21, denverderby.org)

And the 2025 Denver Mini Derby runs 1-6 p.m. at RiNo Art Park ($107.19, eventbrite.com). See more at denverpost.com/event-calendar.

Cinco de Mayo Festival

Saturday-Sunday: Along with Denver PrideFest and a raft of upstart music fests, the Cinco de Mayo Festival is one of the biggest events taking over Civic Center park each year, drawing 250,000-plus people to its two-day run of Mexican cultural delights.

This year’s event returns 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, at 101 W. 14th Ave. in downtown Denver. Expect live music and dance, cultural contests and shows (hello, lowriders and chihuahuas), some of the city’s finest food vendors (for real), and vendor booths from local artisans. Free and all-ages. cincodemayodenver.com

A joyful park for kids

Friday: This week marks the spring reopening of Adventure Forest at the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marisco Campus, the jaw-droppingly cool, smartly designed aerial course and play structure that can be seen from Interstate 25 and parts of downtown. (Note: Climbers must be 5 years old or 44 inches and dressed for outdoor activities.)

In addition to that Friday, May 1, reopening, the Children’s Museum of Denver is opening its Joy Park Water Features, as well as its Joy Park Free Nights (4:30-8 p.m.) on the third Friday of each month through September (May 16, June 20, July 18, Aug. 15 and Sept. 19). General admission prices: kids under 1 are free, 1-year-olds cost $16.75 (as well as 60-and-over), 2-59 cost $18.75. Located at 2121 Children’s Museum Drive in Denver. Free parking. Visit mychildsmuseum.org for more details.

2025 Furry Scurry

Saturday: The nonprofit Humane Colorado (formerly the Denver Dumb Friends League) this weekend is holding its 32nd Furry Scurry, a 2-mile dog walk and festival at South Denver’s Washington Park. The 9 a.m.-noon event on Saturday, May 3 — which typically draws about 3,000 pooches, cats and other pets — is a fundraiser for the shelter, which provides care and adoption services for roughly 47,000 animals each year, organizers said.

Expect contests, food trucks and more all-ages, family-friendly fun. Registration fees and donations go directly to the nonprofit’s animal-support services. Individual registration runs $35 for ages 6-12 and $60 for adults, with options to register a new team or join an existing one. Prices go up by $5 on May 3. The Furry Scurry starts near 701 S. Franklin St. in Denver. Visit humanecolorado.org/event/furry-scurry for more.