As a cultured and well-educated community (59% of adult residents have at least one college degree), Boulder is especially noted for its summer music, dance, and Shakespeare festivals. Major entertainment events take place year-round, both downtown and on the University of Colorado campus. There's also a wide choice of nightclubs and bars, but it hasn't always been so: Boulder was dry for 60 years, from 1907 (13 years before national Prohibition) to 1967. The first new bar in the city opened in 1969, in the Hotel Boulderado. The notoriously healthy city banned smoking in 1995; only a few establishments allow patrons to ignore the policy.
Entertainment schedules can be found in the Daily Camera's weekly Friday Magazine; in either of the Denver dailies, the Denver Post or the Rocky Mountain News; in Westword, the Denver weekly; or in the free Boulder Weekly.
The Performing Arts
Music, dance, and theater are important aspects of life for Boulder residents. Many of these activities take place at Macky Auditorium at the University of Colorado (tel. 303/492-8008; www.colorado.edu/music) and other campus venues, as well as the Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Rd. (tel. 303/442-3282; www.chautauqua.com), and the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St. (tel. 303/440-7826; www.thedairy.org).
