Mike the Headless Chicken Festival: It’s not folklore; Mike the chicken survived 18 months in 1945 after a family thought they’d killed him for market. He went on to become a star before he finally succumbed to the Grim Reaper. Celebrate the hardy fowl with music, a car show, beer garden, food and more, Friday and Saturday, downtown Fruita, free; miketheheadlesschicken.org. 

Blues & Cruise: Classic cars and blues music pair together like champagne and roadsters. Head to downtown Loveland for music by bands including the Dale Cicek Trio, 50 Shades of Blue and Bare Bones Band, while ogling shiny hunks of metal, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, free; downtownloveland.org/blues-cruise.

Denver Fringe Arts Festival: You’ve got more than 80 chances to see a diverse lineup of performing arts, including burlesque, cabaret, comedy, clown, puppetry and improv, at almost 20 venues around the city, including the Bug Theatre, RedLine Contemporary Art Center and MCA Holiday Theater. It runs Wednesday through June 7, $20 per show; denverfringe.org. 

Yampa River Festival: If you don’t want to ride the river, you can at least spectate. The Steamboat Springs event features kayak races, SUP downriver race, raft rodeo and more. The event runs Thursday through Sunday, but the main events are Saturday. Event participation is $15 for one event and $25 for unlimited events; friendsoftheyampa.com/yampa-river-festival.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival: The romantic comedy “Twelfth Night” kicks off this Boulder festival that opens Saturday and runs through Aug. 2. “Julius Caesar” is June 13-Aug. 2; “Shakespeare in Love” is June 27-Aug. 1; and “Friends/Romans/Countrymen” is July 11-Aug. 1 at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, 277 University Ave. $31-$109; cupresents.org/shakespeare-festival.