On May 16th at the McNichols Civic Center Building
in Downtown Denver, people from all around came one, came all to the
greatest event on earth: Cirque Du Yelp. In the enthusiastic words of
Elite Yelper, Julio T:
"Ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages (well, those over 21 if you
want to get past the burly security guards), Denver Yelp has surpassed
all previous events for a Cirque du Yelp so fun and astounding it has to
be seen to be believed!" Not only were guests greeted by some pushy
goats but the event's Non-Profit parther, Denver Botanic Gardens, as well, who
managed to raise $2300 through suggessted donations! So, buckle down and
prepare to feast eyes, ears, and drooling mouths as we recount the
biggest party of the year, Cirque Du Yelp.
As
guests piled into the Civic Center like kooky clowns unloading from a
tiny car, their eyes were first fixed on the magnificence of the
McNichols Civic Center Building. The grand, Neo-Classical building
situated in Denver's epicenter housing local art exhibitions served as
the perfect backdrop for the event as its large expansive space made it
easy, even for an event of 900+ guests seem spacious. For Erin H
"the venue was perfect. I know there had to be a lot of Yelpers there,
but it never felt crowded." After marveling at the overarching building,
Yelpers had to swoon at the animals provided by Pony Express Pony Rides.
Not your average petting zoo, a party of this magnitude called for
animals of all shapes and sizes. A Llama, alpaca, baby goat, pony,
donkey, sheep, lamb, and yes – even a camel made an appearance. Kate G "tried hard to stay away
from the petting zoo because I had my eye on a baby goat and I didn't
trust myself not to grab it and run, especially towards the end of the
night when my voice got louder and my interest in snuggling with animals
got more intense (as usual)."
Another fabulous feature that was worthy of some foder were food trucks, MANNA from Heaven, Pink Tank, and Biker Jim's bike cart. Ryan D sampled and sums up the goodness: "Biker Jims brought wild boar
sausage which was tasty with green chilli on top, yum dumplings from Manna from Heaven, and fried chicken with hot sauce and bacon from
Pink Tank was quite tasty."
On the first floor of the house of fun, Lix Stix Artisan Pops was dolling out all sorts of fun flavors of ice pops. For Ryan D
"the night started and ended with Lix Stix, with a good assortment of
icy pops. The cheesecake was my favorite." And Jennifer V might have to
check into rehab as she confesses her new addiction: "Lix Stix
.. your chocolate salted pops are addiction level tasty." The second
floor was mapped out for even greater madness. Chipper Booth was on
board snapping some wacky shots that can be seen here. Other fun entertainment included sick beats courtesy of local DJ, Nofrendo and intricate face painting designs so patiently applied by Snappy Face Painting. To simulate the most magical of circus tents, LMD Productions
elegantly drapped the massive, industrial room with red and yellow
fabric embellished with whimsical paper lanterns under which the guests
danced all night long.
Now, for the food and drinks…Patxi's Pizza, Astonishing Cakes, Deep Eddy Vodka, Fort Collins Brewery, Twisted Pine Brewery, TUACA Cinnaster, and Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey got the guests going! From the "sweet and creamy Rocky Mountain cake from Astonishing cakes" to the "simply delicious Patxi's pizza" to which Kristol T
"had to go back for seconds" – it was time to guzzle down some
libations. Good thing local breweries, Twisted Pine, sampled some spicy
chili-infused beer and Fort Collins Brewery served up some tasty suds
along with a "nice Barley Wine." On the liquor side of things, Alissa R gives "mad props to Deep Eddy Vodka with those sweet tea drinks; dangerously delicious," while Jennifer V "did have some of the Cinnamon Vanilla Tuaca, which was sweet and burny in all the right ways." And Whitney W happily honed in on the Jack Daniels Honey, which "was great to try it with lemonade."
The third floor was a perfect big top(ing) to this Three-Ring circus. "The mesmerizing, gravity-defying acrobats," Illuminar Aerial, was twirling and twisting through the air as party-goers observed in disbelief, while DJ Savior Breath saved us all from a bland-time and instead created music suitable for a "phantasmagoric" time, all while dressed in a Catholic pope get-up. Local company, 34 Degrees kept our tastebuds tentalated with delectable treats paired with their airy cracker crips and KIND Snack Bars assisted in our party endurance with tasty, yet healthy treats. As local candy shop, Sugarlicious kept our sweet tooth happy, Tanteo Tequila spiced things up with their jalepeno infused Tequila cocktails. For Jen W, the "Woodchuck Cider summer brew with blueberry goodness" was a highlight of the evening. And Local brewery, Oskar Blues Brewery kept the fun vibrations alive by "pouring some mighty fine Mama's Little Yella Pils and that was much appreciated"… by Dale Z. "My goodness, it's no wonder I
was still a little woozy the next morning," foggy-minded, Kelly T states.
Want to hear more? The Yelpers are yakking it up on the business listing here. If you attended, please consider writing a review about your time – we love your feedback in order to build an even bigger and better event for the future! Peruse the pics on our flickr page, be sure to subscribe to the Weekly Yelp Newsletter, like Yelp Denver on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @YelpDenver for the skinny on all the upcoming Denver soirees, specials, openings, and more!
Another huge thank you to our transportation sponsor, Uber for the discounted rides! Sign up for the service today!
Thank you Social Media Sponsor, Denver Off The Wagon
And for the grand finale, a roaring round of applause for the McNichols Civic Center for making the greatest party on Earth come to life!
The fun doesn’t have to stop there though! These amazing
local businesses and more are open for your business, so don’t skip a beat on what Denver has to offer!
Until next time, Denver…See You On, Yelp!
