Fall in Denver: A Local Guide to the Best of the Season
The Denver Film Festival returns October 22 through November 1, bringing 129 features, documentaries, and shorts to screens across Denver, along with filmmaker conversations, parties, awards, and special events.
For guests of The Crawford Hotel, there’s another layer to the weekend. You’re staying inside Denver Union Station, a restored Beaux-Arts landmark with some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, galleries, and cultural venues close at hand. Film may be the reason for the trip, but it certainly doesn’t have to be the only thing playing.
What You'll Find in This Guide
- The dates, venues, and major films to know for the 2026 Denver Film Festival
- How to build a festival schedule without spending half your day crossing Denver
- Where to have dinner or a drink before and after a screening
- Arts and culture worth adding when you have a longer break between films
- Why Denver Union Station makes a particularly fitting base for a film weekend
Denver Film Festival 2026 at a Glance
The Denver Film Festival runs October 22 through November 1, 2026. Now in its 49th year, the festival has grown into one of Denver’s signature cultural events, with screenings spread across venues including the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
One day might take you from an afternoon screening at the Sie to dinner downtown and an evening premiere at the Ellie. Another could revolve around a filmmaker Q&A or a title you picked simply because the synopsis sounded irresistible. The full schedule is now live, so start with the films and special events you’d hate to miss, then leave yourself some room for the discoveries you didn’t plan on.
Start With the Festival's Big Nights
Opening Night on October 22 belongs to I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly’s film about the young Sylvester Stallone fighting to write Rocky and play the title role himself. Anthony Ippolito stars as Stallone, and screenwriter Peter Gamble is scheduled to present the film at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House before taking part in a Creative Conversation the following day. The Opening Night Party follows at Market Station.
October 24 brings two Centerpiece presentations to the Ellie. Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Pedro Pascal as a concert cellist, is particularly interesting for anyone drawn to the intersection of film and music; the production used nine composers, and sound designer David Acord is being honored by the festival. Later comes Danny Boyle’s Ink, with Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy in a story about the rise of The Sun newspaper and upheaval of the modern British media landscape.
Closing Night on October 31 moves to MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater for Paper Tiger, James Gray’s crime drama starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller.
The red-carpet screenings are only part of this year’s lineup.
Colorado Films and Festival Discoveries
There’s a case for seeing a show at Red Rocks at any time of year, but fall concerts have a special place in our hearts. The evenings are cooler, and by September the sunset comes early enough that you might have a chance to see the amphitheatre change color as the light shifts in the evening sky.
The 2026 calendar runs well into fall. September dates include Bleachers on September 23, Coheed and Cambria on September 29, Beck on October 1, Ella Langley on October 7, and Zac Brown Band on October 19 and 20, with additional concerts scheduled into November.
If you’re driving to Red Rocks, give yourself more transportation time than the mileage suggests. The amphitheatre is close to the city on a map, but concert traffic can make the trip considerably longer.
Crawford tip: Don’t assume “Denver weather” describes what you’ll get at Red Rocks. Morrison sits higher and feels exposed once the sun goes down. Bring a layer even if downtown felt warm at dinner.
Crawford tip: Don’t assume “Denver weather” describes what you’ll get at Red Rocks. Morrison sits higher and feels exposed once the sun goes down. Bring a layer even if downtown felt warm at dinner.
Plan Your Festival Days Around the Venues
Before you start stacking screenings, take a look at the venue listed under each film. DFF stretches across Denver, so a screening at the Ellie can make for a very different day than one at the Sie or the Museum of Nature & Science. From The Crawford, some festival nights are an easy walk through downtown. Others are a bit more of an outing, with enough time built in for dinner, a drink, or a look around the neighborhood before the lights go down.
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Address: 1385 Curtis Street
From The Crawford: About 0.8 miles, or roughly a 15-minute walk
On the DFF49 calendar: I Play Rocky, Behemoth!, and Ink
If one of the festival’s big nights is on your list, there’s a good chance you’ll be headed to the Ellie. Opening Night and both Centerpiece presentations take place here, inside the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
This is the easiest venue to fold into an evening at Union Station. Start with dinner at Mercantile Dining & Provision, walk over for I Play Rocky, Behemoth!, or Ink, then come back to The Cooper Lounge for a cocktail and whatever debate the film inspires. If you’d rather skip the walk, the Ellie also falls within The Crawford’s two-mile courtesy transportation radius.
Sie FilmCenter
Address: 2510 East Colfax Avenue
From The Crawford: Roughly 3 miles east
Good to know: Three screens, concessions, a lounge, and a full bar
The Sie is Denver Film’s year-round home, and during the festival it’s where you’re likely to spend some serious movie time. The schedule here runs deep, from shorts programs and international features to Q&As and competition titles.
If you have two Sie screenings on the same day, stay around East Colfax between them. Atomic Cowboy, home to Fat Sully’s NY Pizza and Denver Biscuit Co, is a good nearby stop for pizza, a burger, or a drink before heading back to the theater for your next film.
MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater
Address: 2644 West 32nd Avenue
From The Crawford: About 1.2 miles
On the DFF49 calendar: Art Not as Usual and Closing Night film Paper Tiger
First, an important bit of Denver geography: this is not MCA Denver’s main museum near The Crawford. The Holiday Theater is across the river on West 32nd Avenue, in a historic 400-seat theater that has spent more than a century changing along with its neighborhood.
If you’re seeing Art Not as Usual, keep the time after the screening open for the conversation with members of the filmmaking team and Artnauts founder Dr. George Rivera. And if Paper Tiger is your Closing Night pick, consider dinner at Kawa Ni or Ash’Kara nearby before heading to the Holiday Theater, then return to Union Station for a nightcap at The Cooper Lounge.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Address: 2001 Colorado Boulevard
From The Crawford: About 4 miles; plan on roughly 15 to 20 minutes by car depending on traffic
A screening at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science takes you farther from The Crawford, so it’s worth building a little more of the day around that part of town. Arrive early to explore the museum or take a walk through City Park before your film, then head back to LoDo afterward for dinner or drinks at Union Station.
Dinner Before the Credits Roll
One advantage of staying at The Crawford is that festival dinner can be as ambitious or as quick as your schedule allows.
If you have time for a full dinner before your screening, start at Mercantile Dining & Provision. Chef Alex Seidel’s restaurant works with Colorado farmers and producers, making it a fitting introduction to Denver before an evening spent celebrating another part of the city’s creative community.
For something more casual before a screening, try Ultreia. Its Iberian menu leans into tapas and shareable plates, making it easy to have dinner at Union Station without committing to a long meal before the film.
Where to Have a Post-Film Drink
Movies are better when there’s somewhere to argue about them afterward.
The Cooper Lounge, overlooking the Great Hall, is the more dressed-up choice for cocktails, wine, and small plates when you’re ready to settle in after your last screening of the night. Terminal Bar is the more casual option downstairs, with cocktails, beer, wine, and a food menu if you want something straightforward after a screening.
There’s some history behind the setting, too. Denver Union Station dates to 1881, with the current Beaux-Arts building opening in 1914. After decades of changing fortunes, the station was restored and reopened in 2014, with The Crawford Hotel taking its name from preservationist Dana Crawford.
That mix of old Denver and new Denver fits naturally into a weekend built around the city’s arts scene. You can spend the day moving between films, galleries, and cultural venues, then come back to a landmark that has become one of the city’s most active gathering places again.
Have a Two-Hour Gap? Stay Close
If you only have an hour or so, stay close. Grab a coffee, find a seat in the Great Hall, or take a walk through LoDo before your next screening.
With a longer break, MCA Denver’s Fries Building is an easy addition. Its Colorado Currents exhibition brings together work by 28 artists with ties to the state, exploring subjects including landscape, labor, identity, and changing neighborhoods.
You could also spend a little more time in LoDo itself, where galleries, historic architecture, shops, and restaurants give you plenty to do between showtimes.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
- Use the festival guide filters to narrow the lineup by Colorado films, documentaries, international cinema, shorts, and other interests.
- The Crawford’s courtesy transportation covers destinations within two miles of the hotel, including the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater.
- Union Station gives you direct access to local transit, while the A Line connects the station with Denver International Airport.
A Comfortable Place to Come Back To
After a full day of screenings, The Crawford gives you a comfortable place to switch gears. Guest rooms pair the historic building’s character with modern comforts like Nespresso makers, bottled water, luxury bath products, and high-speed Wi-Fi. You can also book a room with extras like a soaking tub or a separate lounge space.
If you’d rather get moving between movies, guests also receive complimentary access to The Oxford Club across the street, with cardio equipment, free weights, Peloton bikes, and fitness classes. Spa treatments are also available there if your festival weekend could use a little time away from a screen.
l venues, then come back to a landmark that has become one of the city’s most active gathering places again.
Make a Weekend of Denver's Creative Side
The Denver Film Festival is a good excuse to spend a few days moving between some of the city’s best films, restaurants, bars, and cultural spaces.
With Union Station as your base, The Crawford puts plenty of that within easy reach — and gives you a good place to come back to when the last credits roll. Explore the 2026 festival lineup, make your picks, and plan your stay with us.
The 49th Denver Film Festival runs from October 22 through November 1, 2026.
DFF49 uses venues across Denver, including the Sie FilmCenter, Ellie Caulkins Opera House, MCA Denver at the Holiday Theater, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
I Play Rocky is the Opening Night film. Behemoth! and Ink are the two Centerpiece presentations, while Paper Tiger is the Closing Night selection.
The Crawford is located inside Denver Union Station in LoDo, with downtown arts venues, dining, local transit, and the A Line to Denver International Airport within easy reach. The hotel also offers courtesy transportation to destinations within two miles.