Celebrated worldwide on April 22, Earth Day is a day all about protecting our environment by thinking globally while acting locally. Check out the Denver Earth Day events below!
Plus find 12 ideas for how your family can celebrate Earth Day April 22nd ... and every day.
Community Events in the Denver Metro |
Wherever you are (virtual event)
Anytime in 2025 or on April 22
Celebrate Earth Day with our 9th annual Earth Day 1M 5K 10K 13.1 26.2. Participants will get a beautiful Earth Day medal. At least 15% of every registration to Wild Earth Allies to protect vital areas of our natural world for the benefit of wildlife, habitats, and people by inspiring collaborative action.
(Register online.)
Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
April 18 and 19 | 9am to 4pm
Celebrate our big, beautiful planet at the Children’s Museum! Meet fascinating critters, unleash your creativity with sustainable art and dive into the world of conservation. Plus, we have some amazing local organizations joining the party!
(Admission is first come, first served. Advanced reservations are not available on these days.)
Pacifico Preserves Spring South Platte Stewardship Day
Johnson Habitat Park | 610 S Jason St, Denver, CO 80223
April 19 | 8am to 11am
Spring South Platte Stewardship Day needs your help restoring local parks along the South Platte River! Volunteer groups will assist with trash removal, crusher-fine based trail repair, painting, graffiti removal, tree protection and more. Help us care for these local green spaces and get them ready for a busy summer season!
- This event is intended for volunteers 12 years of age and older. Younger children are definitely welcome, but please note there will not be any child specific stewardship projects.
- Families with younger children may enjoy the experience offered at Spring Family Stewardship Day.
- Teens can sign up for Greenway Leadership Corps stewardship day without a parent or guardian attending.
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required. This event is for volunteers 12 years old and up.)
High School Spring Stewardship Day
Johnson Habitat Park | 610 S Jason St, Denver, CO 80223
April 19 | 10am to 12pm
Ready to make a difference and have some fun? Join GLC for a day of giving back and helping nature. You’ll team up with other teens from across Denver to clean up our city, parks, and river by tackling trash and leaving the park better than we found it. This will directly help our local environment, including the plants and animals that are critical to our local ecosystem.
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required. This event is for high schoolers aged 13-19.)
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge | 6550 Gateway Rd, Commerce City
April 19 | 11am to 2pm
Join the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and Commerce City Recreation for a FREE family-friendly day celebrating Earth Day! Our Earth Day event will have animal meet and greets, nature crafts, opportunities to help plant the pollinator garden, and more!
Denver Botanic Gardens
April 22 | 9am to 6:30pm
Celebrate Earth Day! The April SCFD Free Day includes a host of special activities.
(Admission is free but advanced registration is required.)
Denver Botanic Gardens - Chatfield Farms
April 22 | 9am to 3:30pm
Celebrate Earth Day! The April SCFD Free Day includes a host of special activities.
(Admission is free but advanced registration is required.)
Strolling Stories at Chatfield Farms: Celebrate the Earth
Chatfield Farms | 8500 West Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton, CO 80128
April 22 | 9:30am and 10:45am
Join us to celebrate Earth Day as we search the farm for changes that Spring brings. Learn how we can help our environment.
(Registration required.)
Queen Bee Coronation and Earth Day Celebration
Grand Hyatt Denver | 1750 Welton St.Denver, CO 80202
April 22 | 5pm to 7pm
This free, family-friendly event will feature a Vendor Market showcasing eco-conscious businesses and services, a Queen Bee Coronation Ceremony with a ribbon-cutting to honor the inaugural queen bee, and the exciting reveal of her name - chosen by YOU! Enjoy live music by local artist Dave Preston, themed cocktails and bite available for purchase. There will also be a Beekeeper QandA session, plus giveaways including pollinator packs, hotel stays and more.
Stanley Marketplace
April 22 | 4pm to 7pm
Back by popular demand! Last year’s swap was one of our biggest yet — over 200 people participated, and together, we kept around 5,000 pieces of clothing out of landfills! This year, we’re teaming up with Stanley Marketplace to make it even better. Clothing swaps are a fun, free, and sustainable way to refresh your wardrobe while reducing waste. The fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters, and most donated clothing (80-85%) ends up in the trash. By swapping, we keep fashion circulating in our community—and looking fabulous while doing it.
Denver Botanic Gardens
April 23, 24, 25 | Various times (SOLD OUT)
Celebrate Earth Day while exploring the garden and enjoy the beauty of nature. Plant seeds in an ecofriendly planting container.
(Admission is free but advanced registration is required.)
Lakewood Earth Day Celebration
Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park
April 26 | 11am to 4pm
Are you ready for music? Entertainment? Local beers? Food trucks? Vendors? Family fun? Attend Lakewood’s Earth Day Celebration to enjoy all of these things and more!
- Costume Contest | Prizes awarded in the categories of Favorite Animal Costume, Favorite Plant Costume and Favorite Group Costume.
- 2:30pm | Gather at the gazebo for animal yoga and the costume contest and photo ops with Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl and mascots from local high schools, middle schools and colleges.
- 3pm | Parade of Species! Kids, adults and pets are invited to bring or wear your favorite plant or animal costume or make an animal mask at the event, decorate your wagons and strollers, bring an instrument and march through our event in celebration of all of the animal and plant species with whom we share the earth.
Family Spring South Platte Stewardship Day
SPREE HQ at Johnson Habitat Park | 610 S Jason St, Denver, CO 80223
May 3 | 9am to 11am
Give back to our parks and our planet with SPREE at our FREE, family volunteer event! Join us for a family-friendly trash pick-up led by South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) staff. Afterwards, we’ll come together for some crafts and activities.
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required. No solo adult registrations will be accepted. Please look at our upcoming stewardship events (we have teen and adult events on April 19!) to find one that is for adults and children over 12. All children must be accompanied by an adult.)
18th Annual South Platte Clean Up: On Water
Put in and Take-out TBD based on flows
May 3 | 9:00am
Bring a small craft and help us pick up trash in and along the river at this year's On-water River Cleanup followed by an after party with free beer, and giveaways from our amazing partners! The event is free to attend. It's $20 to secure this year's South Platte River Cleanup tee designed by our friends at LavaBox!
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required.)
18th Annual South Platte Clean Up
Overland Pond Park | 955 W Florida Ave, Denver, CO 80223
May 3 | 1:30pm
Join us at Overland Park to cleanup one of the most heavily polluted stretches. Anglers All is providing waders for volunteers! After the cleanup, we'll head over to Odell Brewing Sloan's Lake for a free beer and giveaways. The event is free to attend. It's $20 to secure this year's South Platte River Cleanup tee designed by our friends at LavaBox!
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required.)
Frog Hollow Park - South Platte Clean Up
Frog Hollow Park | 2350 W 8th Ave, Denver, CO 80204
May 3 | 1:30pm
Join us at Frog Hollow Park to cleanup the Denver South Platte! We set the record with a haul over 2,000 pounds at this location last year. Think we can beat our record?! After the cleanup, we'll head over to Odell Brewing Sloan's Lake for a free beer and giveaways. The event is free to attend. It's $20 to secure this year's South Platte River Cleanup tee designed by our friends at LavaBox!
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required.)
Fishback Landing - South Platte Clean Up
Fishback Landing | 818 Water Street, Denver, CO
May 3 | 1:30pm
Join us at Fishback Park to cleanup one of the most heavily trafficked stretches and also help our on-water participants unload their trash. After the cleanup, we'll head over to Odell Brewing Sloan's Lake for a free beer and giveaways. The event is free to attend. It's $20 to secure this year's South Platte River Cleanup tee designed by our friends at LavaBox!
(Free to attend but advanced registration is required.)
Celebrate Earth Day Every Day |
Celebrate Earth Day EVERY day by doing just a few things that are easy for you and your family, but will have a big impact when we all follow these good Earth-friendly practices:
At home:
- Buy dry goods in bulk, since they typically use less packaging.
- Start seeds and map out a family garden, or sign up for a CSA to cut down on the carbon footprint of your grocery bill.
 Viktoriia Oleinichenko via Canva |
- Work on ways to reduce food waste, including meal planning, storing items properly, finding new ways to use leftovers, and preserving food you can’t use fast enough by freezing, canning, or dehydrating.
- Turn off lights when you leave a room and shut off the water when you’re not using it.
 RgStudio via Canva |
 Stocknroll via Canva |
Outside:
- Take a hike and enjoy being in nature. Bring a pair of gloves and a bag so you can pick up any trash you find along the way.
- Start a compost bin to use in your garden and flowerbeds.
- Make or buy a rain barrel and use the water you collect to water your plants.
- Learn about invasive species in your area and what you can do to help.
 FatCamera via Canva |
At school:
- Find out what your school currently recycles and if there is anything else you can add.
- Talk with your school about alternative recycling programs that accept snack bar wrappers, juice pouches, and even offer fundraising options.
 SergeyNivens via Canva |
