Good morning Colorado Springs! This weekend is packed with everything from endurance challenges and immersive storytelling in Manitou Springs to live musical theater, poetry, and interactive comedy. You can kick things off with a scenic race at Goose Gossage Park, sip and stroll through Legends & Libations downtown, catch Shrek The Musical on stage, or spend a full day diving into creativity at the Pikes Peak Poetry Summit. If you’re looking for something lighter, The Match Game Live brings laughs and audience fun to Tejon Street. Get out there, explore something new, and enjoy everything the Springs has to offer this weekend!
Do you know of any artists, eateries, or local happenings that deserve a spotlight in The 719 Direct? Send them my way at [email protected].
In today’s 719 Direct:
🏃♂️ Donot Stop Half Marathon 5K/10K
🌿 Legends & Libations
🎭 Shrek The Musical
✍️ 5th Annual Pikes Peak Poetry Summit
🎤 The Match Game Live!
🎶 Live Music
🏈 Local Sports
⛰️ Trail of the Week
🗓️ Your Weekend in Colorado Springs
1. Donot Stop Half Marathon 5K/10K
Saturday, April 18, 2026 — 8:00 AM
Goose Gossage Park 3320 Mark Dabling Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Price: $25.98+
Every Registration Includes: Great Swag - designer shirt. Custom medal. Chip-timing with live results and awards. Free photos. FREE Donuts at the finish line! Plenty of fun! Grab your friends and family, you are not going to want to miss this one!
2. Legends & Libations
Thursday, April 16, 2026 — 5:00 PM
Downtown Manitou Springs, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Price: $65
Visit Manitou Springs for an evening of signature cocktails or mocktails, light bites, and stories told by actors from Theatre D’Art.
You will experience downtown Manitou Springs in a way that’s never been offered before. Four different participating businesses will offer mocktails/cocktails and light bites while you enjoy a story and/or behind the scenes tours given to you by a reenactor from Theatre D’ Art. Locations: Manitou Winery, The Loop, Armadillo Ranch, and The Historic Cliff House.
3. Shrek The Musical
Thursday, April 16, 2026 — Saturday, April 18, 2026 (multiple showtimes)
CSCS Auditorium 4855 Mallow Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Price: $15–$20
Third House Arts presents "Shrek The Musical"!
Join Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and a whole cast of fairytale misfits as they prove that everyone belongs. With catchy tunes, laugh-out-loud moments, and a whole lot of swampy fun, this show is sure to go ogre-the-top with incredible performances, all while celebrating the power of being exactly who you are. A great outing for all ages!
4. 5th Annual Pikes Peak Poetry Summit
Saturday, April 18, 2026 — 8:30 AM–4:00 PM
Manitou Art Center, 513 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Price: Free
The 5th Annual Pikes Peak Poetry Summit is a day of exploring poetry and celebrating creativity with our community. Join Poetry 719 and Poetry Heals for workshops, performances, and opportunities to share your work. Breakfast and lunch are provided. All ages are welcome. The summit offers a unique opportunity to celebrate writing and self-expression whether you are a seasoned poet, embarking on your exploration of this diverse art form, or just a lover of poetry. Engage with workshops, learn something new, and experience poetry and art performances. We look forward to celebrating poetry with our community. Let poetry guide you across the bridge to new perspectives.
5. The Match Game Live!
Friday, April 17, 2026 — 7:30 PM
Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80905
Price: $16
“The MAT!ch Game Live” is a fast-paced, interactive comedy show inspired by the classic television game show. Audience members and performers team up to match answers and compete for laughs in an evening filled with improv, humor, and unpredictable fun.
🏔️ What’s New in the 719
🍵 White Lotus Café & Bakery (Colorado Springs opening)
White Lotus Café and Bakery opened in Colorado Springs in early 2026, introducing a Thai-inspired breakfast and bakery concept to the local food scene. The café focuses on combining traditional bakery offerings with Thai breakfast dishes, adding a distinctive international option to the city’s expanding culinary landscape. Its opening is part of a broader pattern of new independent and culturally diverse restaurants entering Colorado Springs as the dining scene continues to evolve away from chain dominance.
🍺 Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (Colorado Springs closure)
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery permanently closed its Colorado Springs location at First & Main Town Center on April 9, 2026. The closure ended the restaurant’s long tenure in the city as part of a broader nationwide contraction of the Rock Bottom brand. Local coverage noted that the shutdown reflects ongoing challenges for casual dining and brewery-chain concepts, which have been steadily losing ground to independent restaurants and fast-casual competitors in the Colorado Springs market.
🍝 Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano (Colorado Springs closure)
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano has permanently closed its Colorado Springs location, marking the exit of another established chain restaurant from the local dining scene. The closure is part of a continuing trend of mid-tier national restaurant brands reducing their footprint in the area. While no single cause was highlighted beyond the broader business environment, the shutdown reflects shifting consumer preferences and increasing operational pressures facing full-service chain restaurants in the region.
🎶 Live Music
Thursday 4/16/2026
From Indian Lakes — The Black Sheep — ~7:00 PM
Tyler Braden — Phil Long Music Hall at Bourbon Brothers — ~8:00 PM
Disco, Always (Harry Styles Dance Night) — The Black Sheep — ~8:30 PM
La Energía Norteña / regional touring Latin show — Diamante Live — ~8:00 PM
Friday 4/17/2026
The Emo Night Tour — The Black Sheep — ~8:00 PM
AJ Fullerton + Heavy Diamond Ring — Lulu’s Downtown — ~7:00 PM
La Cultura Norteña / La Furia Del Bravo — Diamante Live — ~8:00 PM
Run for Shelter / local rock bill — Thrasher’s Bar — ~8:00 PM
Saturday 4/18/2026
Itzhak Perlman with Colorado Springs Philharmonic — Pikes Peak Center — ~7:30 PM
The Unlikely Candidates — Vultures — ~7:00 PM
Ryan Charles — The Black Sheep — ~8:00 PM
Bullheaded Maulskull — Sunshine Studios Live — ~8:00 PM
GOLDEN: K-Pop Dance Party — Black Sheep — ~11:00 AM
Michelle Shocked — Lulu’s Downtown — ~7:00 PM
Sunday 4/19/2026
Buckethead — The Black Sheep — ~8:00 PM
Natalie Prauser — Thrasher’s Bar — ~7:00 PM
🏈 Sports
⚽ Soccer (Pro / USL)
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC — Saturday, April 18, 2026 — vs Monterey Bay FC — Weidner Field, Colorado Springs, CO — ~3:00 PM (USL Championship)
🏔️ Trail of the Week
🌲 Palmer Trail Loop (Section 16)
📍 Location: North Cheyenne Cañon Park (near Helen Hunt Falls / Colorado Springs, CO)
🛤 Length: ~6.4 miles round-trip (loop)
⛰ Elevation Gain: ~1,400 ft
⭐ Difficulty: Moderate
⏱ Estimated Time: ~3 hr 30 min – 4 hr
🔄 Trail Type: Loop
🏞 Best For: Hiking, trail running, fall colors, forest scenery, canyon views, connecting to Mt. Muscoco / High Drive area access
A popular moderate loop in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, the Palmer Trail traverses a mix of shaded forest, rocky canyon terrain, and open viewpoints overlooking South Cheyenne Cañon. Starting near the Helen Hunt Falls area, the trail gradually climbs through pine and scrub oak with several junctions that connect to other local routes, including access toward Mt. Muscoco and the High Drive trail system. Hikers get steady elevation gain without overly technical sections, making it a favorite for training hikes and long trail runs.
🙏Thank you!
Thanks for tuning in everyone, hope you have a great time checking out some of these events. I’ll see you back here next week with more of Colorado Springs’ best happenings. Contact me at [email protected] if you have an event that you think would be perfect for this publication.