Denver · Denver at night
Things to Do in Denver at Night for Grown-Ups
Denver is at its best after dark when you treat it like a grown-up city: a show at the Performing Arts Complex with jazz and dinner next door, an Art Deco martini bar that opened the day after Prohibition ended, some of the country's best cocktail bars and, in season, a concert in a red-rock amphitheatre. Here is how to spend an evening.
- Early evening
- Union Station and Larimer Square
- With dinner
- Dazzle jazz club or the Ship Tavern
- Late
- Williams & Graham, Death & Co, the Cruise Room
- Good to know
- Denver is a mile high: go easy on the first drink
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Start in LoDo
Begin at Union Station, where the Terminal Bar pours cocktails in the old ticket office; take your drink out to the Great Hall's sofas. Then stroll Larimer Square, Denver's historic block of restaurants and bars. Two blocks away, The Cruise Room is an Art Deco martini bar modelled on the Queen Mary that opened in 1933, the day after Prohibition ended.
Terminal Bar at Union Station
Denver Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St
Craft cocktails and Colorado beers in the restored former ticket office off the Great Hall of Union Station (opened 1881, rebuilt 1914, reimagined in 2014). Open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; no reservations.
Tip: Take your drink out to the Great Hall's sofas and watch the station go by.
Larimer Square
1400 block of Larimer St
Denver's historic showpiece block, lined with restaurants, bars and independent shops. An easy stroll before or after dinner in LoDo.
The Cruise Room
The Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th St
An Art Deco martini bar modelled on the Queen Mary, opened in 1933 the day after Prohibition ended and billed as Denver's longest continuously operating bar. Open from 4 p.m. daily (until 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. Sunday); walk-ins only.
A show and jazz
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has eight theatres under one roof, from touring Broadway at the Buell to its own theatre company. Dazzle, Denver's flagship jazz club, is right there in the complex with shows seven nights a week and a full dinner menu; book a table for the early set and eat during the show. The Colorado Symphony plays at Boettcher Concert Hall, but check the venue for your dates while its renovation is planned.
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th St
Eight theatres under one roof, from the Buell (touring Broadway shows) to the DCPA Theatre Company's own productions. Check what's on for your dates and pair it with dinner at Dazzle next door.
Dazzle
Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1080 14th St
Denver's flagship jazz club, now in the city's Performing Arts Complex, with shows seven nights a week (around 70 a month), a full dinner menu and a Sunday jazz brunch.
Tip: Book a table for the early set and dine during the show.
Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver Performing Arts Complex
The symphony plays in the round at Boettcher Concert Hall, with a 2026-27 season of classics, film scores in concert and guest artists. The hall has a major renovation funded, so check the venue for your dates.
Dinner downtown
For a classic night, the Ship Tavern inside the Brown Palace has been a Denver favourite since 1934, with strong pours and live piano at weekends. Guard and Grace is the modern downtown steakhouse (dress: casual elegance), and the Buckhorn Exchange, serving since 1893, is an Old West steakhouse and National Historic Landmark five minutes away.
Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace
The Brown Palace, 321 17th St
A Denver favourite since 1934 inside the Brown Palace, with hearty food, whiskey-forward cocktails and strong pours, plus live piano at weekends.
Guard and Grace
1801 California St
Chef Troy Guard's modern downtown steakhouse. Dinner daily from 4 to 10:30 p.m.; the dress code is casual elegance (no athletic wear, hats or printed T-shirts).
Buckhorn Exchange
1000 Osage St, Lincoln Park
An Old West steakhouse, Western museum and National Historic Landmark, serving since 1893. Steaks, buffalo, elk and Colorado lamb; dinner nightly.
Tip: It's five minutes from downtown by rideshare or light rail.
Cocktails and something different
Denver's cocktail bars are why many people stay out. Williams & Graham in LoHi has more than 60 drinks and 500-plus spirits; it's 21+ and reservations are recommended. Death & Co in the Ramble Hotel welcomes walk-ins and is open until 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For something stranger, look for a 21+ Adulti-Verse night at Meow Wolf. And if a concert is on, Red Rocks is the great night out in Colorado; tickets are sold through AXS.
Williams & Graham
3160 Tejon St, LoHi
One of Denver's most celebrated cocktail bars: more than 60 classics and originals and 500-plus spirits in a warm, low-lit room. 21+, open daily 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; reservations recommended, with a two-hour window.
Death & Co Denver
The Ramble Hotel, 1280 25th St, RiNo
The New York cocktail bar's Denver outpost, inside the Ramble Hotel. Open from 3 p.m. daily (until 11 p.m., 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday); walk-ins welcome, with limited reservations.
Meow Wolf Convergence Station
1338 1st St, near Empower Field
Four surreal, walk-through worlds with more than 70 interactive installations. On select evenings the 21+ "Adulti-Verse" nights add drinks and entertainment with no children allowed.
Tip: Look for an Adulti-Verse night on your dates; parking prices jump on Broncos game days.
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
Morrison (about 30 minutes west)
Heads-up: I-70 bridge repairs near Kipling St are causing delays; allow extra time.
An amphitheatre set into giant red sandstone rocks, opened in 1941. The park is open from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset and is free to walk, with a visitor center and trails; concert tickets are sold through AXS.
Tip: On concert days the amphitheatre closes to visitors from about 2 p.m.; go in the morning.
Our advice
- Keep each night in one area: LoDo for Union Station, Larimer Square and the Cruise Room; the Performing Arts Complex for the DCPA and Dazzle; RiNo and LoHi for the cocktail bars.
- Denver is a mile high. Drink water and go easy on the first round.
- Red Rocks is in Morrison, about 30 minutes west; book a shuttle so nobody has to drive back.
- Check current hours, show times and reservation rules before you go.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Hours change with the seasons and concert calendars, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
What is there to do in Denver at night for adults?
Drinks at Union Station's Terminal Bar and the Cruise Room, a show at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, jazz and dinner at Dazzle, cocktails at Williams & Graham or Death & Co, a 21+ Adulti-Verse night at Meow Wolf, and a concert at Red Rocks in season.
Where can you hear jazz in Denver?
Dazzle in the Performing Arts Complex has shows seven nights a week with a full dinner menu; the Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace has live piano at weekends.
What is the best cocktail bar in Denver?
Williams & Graham in LoHi, with more than 60 drinks and 500-plus spirits (reservations recommended), and Death & Co in the Ramble Hotel, which welcomes walk-ins.
What is a good night out in Denver for couples?
A martini at the Cruise Room, dinner during the early set at Dazzle or a show at the DCPA, then a nightcap at Williams & Graham.