The BIG Create @ CAE

It’s a beautiful day to make a mess, and a messy day to make something beautiful!

Saturday, June 13 | 10 AM - 4 PM

Introducing The BIG Create, a free art festival in Evergreen, Colorado, where creativity takes over the entire Center for the Arts Evergreen campus for a day. Designed for all ages, this hands-on community event invites you to explore, play, and connect through art in ways that feel joyful, welcoming, and just a little bit wild. If you’re looking for things to do in Evergreen this summer or a family-friendly event near Denver, this is your destination for a day filled with color, creativity, and big beautiful messes.

Go all-in with an epic 360-degree splatter paint session. Decode clues in our Sculpture Scavenger Hunt for fun prizes. Explore a wide range of all that CAE’s arts education program has to offer—from glass and ceramic projects to self-portraits and upcycled sculptures. Enjoy live music (or make your own!), art market shopping, food and drinks, and more in the fresh mountain air. Whether you come to make a masterpiece, try something totally new, or simply soak in the creativity around you indoors and out, this is a day to connect, create, and celebrate the heART of our community.

Create for Fun (and Fundraising)

Many activities are completely free, including the self-portrait station, community art collab, and our custom photo booth. Unique hands-on art projects, face painting, and the Splatter Tent Experience use tickets priced at $7 each (most activities require just 1 or 2 to participate), and proceeds support CAE’s many free community outreach programs. It’s a choose-your-own creative adventure!

Make Something New

      • Sculpture, ceramic tiles, mosaics, and fused glass projects

      • Food stamping and instrument making

      • Cookie decorating

      • Community art collaboration

      • Self-Portrait station

Play & Explore

      • Photo booth and gallery exhibition

      • Splatter experience and face painting

      • Property-wide scavenger hunt

      • Yard games

Hang Out

      • Live music in the courtyard

      • Artisanal market

      • Food trucks & drinks

      • Nonprofit and sponsor booths

Where to find us:

CAE is closer than you think. Just 3 minutes off of I-70 at Exit 252 (Evergreen Parkway / El Rancho), our campus sits right at the gateway to the mountains, making it a quick and scenic stop from Denver without the drive all the way into Evergreen proper — though there’s lot’s of reasons to do that too!

Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors: