EVENTS
Rainbow Park Palooza
DATE & TIME
Saturday, May 9th, 2026
12-4pm
LOCATION
Berkeley Lake Park
4601 W 46th Ave, Denver, CO 80221
Gazebo on east side of park, enter parking lot at Tennyson & W 48th Ave
SCHEDULE
12:30-2pm Field Day Competiton
2:30-3:30pm Drag Story Hour
DONATE
Vote for your favorite team by donating to Rainbow Dome! The team with the most donors and the most donations wins prizes.
Rainbow Park Palooza
Image of Field Day 2025 hosted by Friends and Lovers. Folks are standing in a circle holding hands trying to move a hoop from one person to the next with out breaking the link. They are in a park with bright green grass and a blue sky in the background.
Rainbow Park Palooza is a fundraiser for Rainbow Dome's future space. Hosted by Rainbow Dome, Friends & Lovers and Sapphic Social Club, join us for an afternoon of nostalgic field day games and friendly competition. Teams of four register to compete in a series of games that whittle down to a winning team. Staged as a spectator event, the public is invited to cheer on and watch the games unfold. Accompanying the games is a vendor & resource fair, live DJ and MC, drag time story hour for kids and families, pay-to-play interactive carnival games, and food trucks.
A Day in the PArk
12:30-2pm Watch the Team Competition
Cheer on the teams as they compete in silly, nostalgic field day games. Emcee Shanel Hughes (@shanelhughesofficial) will be commenting on the games, offering us laughter and audio descriptions of the activities.
Games Emcee'd by Shanel Hughes
2:30-3:30 Drag Story Hour with LaLa Queen
Join LaLa Queen (@lalathedragqueen) for an hour of story time under the picnic gazebo. Since 2011, LaLa Queen has been entertaining, emceeing and advocating for Queer and BIPOC communities in Colorado. LaLa has used her love of reading and education to promote literacy and acceptance with Brunches for All Ages and Drag Story Times throughout Denver.
Drag Story Time with LaLa Queen
Pay-to-play carnival games and free lawn games
It's like our own queer county fair with ticketed carnival games like Can Smash, Septum Ringer, Strike Zone, Piggy Race, Colorful Caterpillar, Monster Head, Rollie Pollie, and Ring Toss. Try out your prowess or multiple times to maintain your lead! Get an early bird discount for an All Access Pass $35 before arrival (day of goes up to $45) or purchase individual tickets at the park.
There will also be free lawn games like Yard Pong, Connect Four, Jenga, and Crogay!
Dance to the Music
Some of our favorite DJs will be filling the airwaves, IAMGRÜV (@iamgruv) & Desired Admired (@desiredadmired)!
IAMGRÜV
12-2pm
Desired Admired
2-4pm
Peruse the Vendor & Resource Fair with over 20 different local artisans and community organizations!
Eat delicious Gorditas (@maizdenver), plant-based food (@alpineeateryfoodtruck) and of course couldn’t be a Day-in-the-Park without coffee (from @quincecoffeehouse)!
Thank you to our Sponsors
& Community Partners
Access Guide
Access is important to us. Thank you for your feedback, questions, and patience as we strive to make our events more accessible.
About Game Accessibility: Many of the carnival games are physical activities, requiring hand-eye coordination, motions such as throwing or catching, and being stationary. Also attendees are encouraged to adapt the games to suite their needs. There will be a volunteer stationed at each game who can support.
ASL Interpreters: There will be ASL interpreters onsite from 12-2:30pm translating the emcee who is narrating the team game competition.
Masks/Covid-Safety: This event does not require masks. If you feel unwell, please do not attend.
Physical Location: The event takes place outside at Berkeley Lake Park. This event will happen rain or shine. In the event of extreme weather, organizers may make the decision to cancel. Prepare for a range of temperatures and sun exposure as well as the breeze off of the lake. Trees and a large covered picnic pavilion provide shade. Most of the event takes place on grassy fields that are relatively level. There is a paved path from the ADA parking spaces to the Gazebo. The Gazebo pad is also concrete. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, picnic blankets, and other items to enjoy an afternoon at the park.
Security: There will be safety marshals onsite, trained in deescalation training to observe both the event as well as the event perimeter and approaching individuals/ groups and identify potential problems before they arise. Volunteers have also attended a deescalation training.
Bathrooms: Portable toilets including an ADA accessible stall and a hand washing station will be available.
Food & Beverage:
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Food available to purchase from Maiz Denver & Alpine Eatery
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Beverages available to purchase from Quince Coffee
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Water stations for competitors & volunteers. Recommend folks bring their own water. No potable water on site
Sensory: There will be music playing throughout the event and a speaker and emcee narrating the games. The Welcome booth will have some sensory kit items available to borrow or use: earplugs (disposable), limited number of ear defenders (borrow), sanitizing wipe (disposable), sunglasses, and different manipulable objects.
Photo & Video: We will be documenting this event to capture the fun and joy on site for future promotional purposes. Please be aware that there will be a photographer and videographer on site.
Parking: Closest parking is in the lot on east side of park, enter parking lot at Tennyson & W 48th Ave. There are two ADA parking spots at the Gazebo. There are additional parking lots off 46th Ave as well as street parking along 46th Ave and Tennyson bordering the park. Image of parking locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please be mindful that we are a small team and may not be able to respond on the day of the event to last minute inquiries. We appreciate your understanding. We'll post questions here as they come in.
General Event Questions
Is this event kid-friendly?
Yes! We have a dedicated Kids Corner with a drag story time 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. hosted by LaLa Queen. There will be the Denver Public Library with free children's and teens books to take home, and a fun activity. More TBA!
Do I have to arrive at a certain time?
We recommend you arrive at the start of the event, 12:00 p.m., for the best parking spots, and to make sure to catch all the festivities with drag story hour, field day games, and DJ sets! We will also communicate the full event “run of show” when the event gets closer.
What should I bring?
We recommend bringing your own lawn chairs, a picnic blanket, or other items to enjoy a day outside in the park.
Is this event sober-friendly?
This event is sober-friendly with no alcohol served or available for purchase and we ask all attendees to respect this community agreement and do not bring or consume alcohol on site.
What is the suggested donation to entry?
$5-15 is the suggested donation for the event. Thank you for your contributions for helping us create a place for social connection that validates the queer experience and fosters joy and silliness. This being said, no one will be turned away for a lack of funds!
Can anyone watch the Field Day Competition?
Yes! We need you there to cheer on our teams and giggle at the MC announcing the whole thing. Field Day Games are hosted from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Teams are full.
Can I get water at the park?
No! Bring multiple water bottles to have with you during the event. There is no potable water onsite at Berkeley Lake Park. Water available for purchase from some food vendors.
Where do I park?
Direct your GPS to the Gazebo at 4601 W 46th Ave, Denver, CO 80221 to get to the North East side of the park. Parking attendants will be onsite for your convenience. There is also street parking available in the surrounding neighborhood.
How do I donate?
Visit Rainbow Park Palooza's Crowdfunding Page to support the event and Rainbow Dome’s community and world building efforts. Vote for your favorite team by selecting their name as a reward! The team with the most donors and the most donations wins prizes.
I'm not participating in Field Day, can I still play?
The Field Day Games are limited only for teams who registered in advance. However, there will be an assortment of pay-to-play carnival games and lawn games available for play. Purchase an All Access Early Bird Pass for $35 prior to the event. Tickets available day of for purchase via card or cash:
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$45 All Access Pass day of
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$5 = 5 tickets
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$10 = 12 tickets
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$20 = 25 tickets
Will there be security at the event?
Rainbow Park Palooza will have 4-5 private security personnel on site, identifiable by a bright colored security vest, to help ensure a safe environment for all attendees. All staff and volunteers have completed online safety and deescalation training prior to the event as well.
What happens in the case of bad weather?
We monitor weather conditions closely in the lead-up to and throughout the event using the National Weather Service. If severe weather occurs, including high winds, lightning, heavy rain, hail, or a tornado watch/warning, attendees will be directed to seek shelter in their personal vehicles or nearby buildings, including Scheitler Recreation Center and the Smiley Branch Library. Event staff will communicate any weather-related updates via announcements over the sound system and live posts on the event organizers’ instagrams (@thesapphicsocialclub @therainbowdome @friendsandlovers.denver)
How do I reach Rainbow Dome the day of an event?
Please be mindful that we are a small team and will not be able to respond on the day of the event to last minute inquiries. We appreciate your understanding.
Collaborators
Rainbow Dome is an artist-led, queer-centric effort to renovate a permanent space in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood as a vibrant hub for art, roller skating, and community. Rainbow Dome’s project is part of a broader need for social connection that validates the queer experience and fosters joy and silliness as coping mechanisms for mental health resiliency.
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Sapphic Social Club specializes in cultivating inclusive themed events for Denver’s sapphic, queer and trans community. Their sold-out pop-up events are held throughout the city, typically on a quarterly-basis. A portion of the proceeds from each event are donated to a different grassroots, values-aligned LGBTQIA+ serving organization.
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I want to Compete
Are you ready to test your prowess in a fun competition of field day games? Games will include relay races, water balloon toss, and more! The games are organized into 12 teams of 4 people in each team. Grab your friends to form a team or be a free agent and meet new people. Competitors will pay a fee to compete ($25/person or $100/team) and will fundraise, similar to giving circles, for Rainbow Dome. Prizes will be offered for both the team to fundraise the most and for the teams who come in first, second, and third in the competition.
About Game Accessibility: Many of the games are physical activities designed like relay races, requiring traversing the space over uneven grassy lawn, hand-eye coordination, motions such as throwing or catching, and being stationary. While competitors are grouped into teams of four, few games require all four players, so there is the option to select which games you participate in. Since the games are currently being devised by the event organizers, the games can be adapted to make accommodations for known needs. In the registration form, please fill out the accessibility question, so we can address any needs. If you have specific questions about game accessibility, please reach out.
Fill out this registration form by Monday, April 27th.
Questions? This is a new event and new collaboration, so send them our way and we will start a FAQ section. Contact us at skate@rainbowdome.com.
Contact
email: skate@rainbowdome.com