It may be midterm season, but Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day wait for no one. Take a study break and check out some of the fun stuff Boulder has to offer.
TUESDAY, FEB. 12
Check out what’s going on this week from the CU Independent. (Josh Shettler/CU Independent Illustration)
Boulder is a long way from New Orleans, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to celebrate Fat Tuesday – and nobody knows that better than Liquor Mart. Head to Liquor Mart for the annual crawfish boil, complete with king cake and free samples any time between 4 and 6 p.m. Tuesday.
If Liquor Mart isn’t exactly your scene, check out Centro’s ¡Carnival! The restaurant puts a Latin spin on Mardi Gras with food and drink specials running from Saturday through Tuesday. Hit up the masquerade party and live music on Fat Tuesday.
Fat Tuesday at West End Tavern
Looking for a more traditional Mardi Gras experience? Get to West End Tavern for food and drink specials including shrimp, chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo and crawfish etouffee. Make sure to grab a king cake cupcake – if you find the baby, you have a chance to win a VIP bourbon tasting for two. The event starts at 4 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 14
Boulder International Film Festival
Mingle with up-and-coming filmmakers and even a few celebrities at the Boulder International Film Festival. The four-day festival, held at Boulder Theater, features about 50 films, documentaries, and shorts as well as Q&As, panels and workshops. Each film costs $10/$12. The festival runs through Sunday.
The Ice Rink at One Boulder Plaza
Hopefully you’ve already made your dinner reservation for Valentine’s Day, but if not, skip the fancy dinner and hit up the ice rink at One Boulder Plaza. Open skate lasts until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is $3, and skate rentals are $2 each, but you can get discounted admission – and support a good cause – by bringing a can of food to donate to Boulder Community Food Share.
Anti-Valentine’s Day Dance Party
Single? Just not into the sappy, Hallmark-card holiday? Check out The Kitchen [Next Door]’s Second Annual Anti-Valentine’s Day 80’s Dance Party for an evening with likeminded Boulderites – and without the PDA you’ll find in every other restaurant. Spend the night with DJ Jahsonic and your favorite 80’s tunes instead. The party starts at 9 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 16
It has been a busy week, and it’s not slowing down. Program Council sponsors the Life in Color tour, formerly Dayglow, in the Balch Fieldhouse this Saturday. Rally to catch Borgore, Seven Lions, Basscrooks, TYR and Jimmy Burns as part of the “world’s largest paint party.” The 18-and-over show starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are sold out, but we suggest that people seeking tickets check the Facebook event for possible availabilities.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Ainslee MacNaughton at Ainslee.macnaughton@colorado.edu.
