Upstairs Circus is a great time, and ideal for a small group of friends looking to do something a little different. Located next to The Squeaky Bean in LoDo (excellent plan pairing possibilities here!) Upstairs Circus offers guests more than 25 craft project options, friendly floating helpers, and a fully stocked bar.
I must point out that these aren’t lame crafts either. Most take between 1-3 hours, and include hands-on artwork projects, jewelry, leather goods, and more. I didn’t expect to have multiple projects that I would actually want to make, but it was a tough call for me. I wanted to choose at least 7 projects that night. In the end, I selected what was the most practical project for me, a wooden six-pack carrier with built-in bottle opener, which will come in very handy as I have to carry beers up 3 flights of stairs to a roof deck when guests visit. I consumed the bar’s “Circus Donkey” while crafting my project; this drink was essentially a Moscow Mule with the twist of grapefruit flavored vodka. I limited myself to one drink as my project required quite a lot of hammering.
The environment feels more conducive to groups of friends, or at least a couple. I saw some birthdays being celebrated, but I would recommend keeping your group size down to 6-8 max. We had a group of 15 split between two tables, and it was very hard to socialize across the tables while also focusing on semi-difficult craft projects.
Whatever your group size, its helpful to know that outside food is welcome. Our group brought appetizers to compliment the drinks at the bar. When planning potential food to bring, do keep in mind that your projects will consume most of the table space, and that many projects involve painting or sanding.
You can see the list of currently available projects on their website.
Upstairs Circus – 1500 Wynkoop St., Denver, CO 80202