global dance: let the countdown begin!

In a little less than a month, I get to do something I've literally been waiting years for. Global Dance Festival 2014 is happening at Red Rocks, and I'll be there with one of my best friends for the entire weekend. I've been dying to get to a concert Red Rocks - it looks gorgeous, and there's even Yoga on the Rocks (cool, right?!) Oh, and it's on my 101 in 1001 list!

Now that plane tickets are officially booked, it's finally time to let the excitement sink in and start mentally preparing: packing and trip planning!

Packing.

Apart from the obviously amazing sold-out weekend of awesome music and BFF quality time, this wouldn't be a true Emily-concert-experience without some major outfit planning. The key: super fun but also comfy.

Here are some highlights, and my three rules of festival packing:

Shop this scoop:
1. Coconut & Pear Lip Balm 2. Floral Print Sneakers 3. Flash Tattoos 4. Crystal & Leather Wrap Bracelet 5. JustLikeNeon Headbands 6. Off-the-Shoulder Dress 7. Pullover Hoodie 8. Eye Pencil 9. Sequin Mini Skirt 10. Nail Polish 11. Metal Aviators

Rule No. 1 - Sparkle.

The more sparkle the better, especially with a fun skirt, bright nail polish, or temporary, metallic tattoos. Major upgrade from the lick-and-stick ones from childhood. And I'm always looking for an excuse to buy another shade of my favorite eyeliner.

Speaking of sparkle... I may try my hand at one or all of these (you can find them on my Pinterest!):

Rule No. 2 - Cozy and cute.

Plane ride and post-concert cozy sweatshirt, because nothing beats getting back to the car after tons of dancing and having a change of clothes. Also, patterned sneaks and a casual dress are the best for concerts... as long as you're not planning to crowd surf!

Rule No. 3 - Accessorize.

But keep them minimal and functional. Bright lenses to keep the setting sun out of your eyes and a super pretty headband are essentials.

Also, Ryan... I'm getting you these bad boys.

And now for part two...


Planning.

One of my awesome fellow barre instructors-in-training sent me the best list of must-hit places. Super handy that she has lived in Denver and knows the inside scoop! Here's the list that she shared with me... thank you Hannah!

I decided to start my day (and possibly yours) with some Denver recommendations. It's seriously such a cool & fun place, that I love looking back over the places to check out! Best happy hour: Linger - http://lingerdenver.com/
Best tacos: Pinche - http://tacostequilawhiskey.com/
Best Mexican: Margs - http://www.margstacobistro.com/ or 
Mezcal - http://www.mezcalcolorado.com/ (depending on where you are)
Best veg fare: City O City - http://www.cityocitydenver.com/
Best recovery breakfast: Snooze - http://www.snoozeeatery.com/ Best recovery breakfast outside of Denver: The Buff in Boulder - http://www.buffrestaurant.com/ Best coffee: Stella's Coffee Haus - http://www.stellascoffee.com/ Best farmer's market: Sundays @ Old South Pearl Street are awesome - http://southpearlstreet.com/ Best food truck: Quiero Arepas - http://quieroarepas.com/ Best brew list: Freshcraft - http://www.yelp.com/biz/freshcraft-denver Best place to be ridiculous: Cowboy Lounge - http://www.tavernhg.com/cowboy-lounge Best place to chill: Ace - http://www.acedenver.com/ Best late night pizza: Fat Sully's Pizza - http://www.fatsullys.com/ Best workout: Tease - http://www.teasestudio.com/ This may have gotten out of control because I miss it a lot. You really can't go wrong with any places you wind up eating and enjoying yourself at! These places are all over the city, so they'll give you a good look at the various neighborhoods if you visit any of them. Enjoy!

Is she amazing or what?
I'm also definitely going to try to squeeze in a trip to the Denver Art Museum. One of my favorite pics from my last adventure there:

Aaaand I just realized that this is happening at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Absolutely adding to the list.

If you have any Denver or dance festival recommendations, send them my way!

xo Emily

P.S. I've been dancing to the official Global Dance 2014 Spotify Playlist all week (at my standing desk). It's pretty great.