There are hundreds of these governor-declared ceremonious holidays in Colorado every year, recognizing industries, diseases, individuals and more with a designated day, week or month. The holidays are non-binding and don't get you a day off work or school. They're just meant to spread awareness of a topic or to honor a recipient.
Governor Jared Polis has issued proclamations for 1,181 of these ceremonious holidays since he took office in 2019, according to state records — from Perianesthesia Nurses Awareness Week on February 4, 2019, to Surveyors Week on March 17, 2024.
But not all of the holidays are so mundane. Westword went through every single one to create a list of the strangest Colorado holidays you've never heard of.
Patrick Stewart Day
October 7, 2023When British actor Sir Patrick Stewart came to Colorado last year, Polis, a proud sci-fi fan, immortalized his visit by giving Stewart his own holiday. The man best known for his roles in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises appeared at the University of Colorado Boulder on October 7, 2023, while promoting his memoir. In the proclamation, Polis said Stewart had "shaped the lives of many Coloradans" through his work — and revealed that Stewart played Polis's favorite captain in Star Trek.
I was thrilled to recognize Sir @SirPatStew, the incredible actor who played my favorite Star Trek Captain. Besides Star Trek, Stewart is known for various renowned film, TV, and stage roles and his philanthropic and advocacy work. pic.twitter.com/YiHiLXVrW7
— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) October 7, 2023
Breakfast Burrito Day
October 12, 2019 Denver Mayor Michael Hancock started the city's Breakfast Burrito Day tradition in 2017, teaming up with Santiago’s to offer discounted burritos on the special day. That year, 28 Santiago’s locations sold almost 90,000 breakfast burritos in one day, and Illegal Pete’s gave away 4,000 free breakfast burritos. Polis threw his support behind the effort in 2019, expanding Breakfast Burrito Day statewide and "reminding everyone to choose breakfast burritos for the most important meal of the day," the proclamation read.
Concrete Pipe Week
August/September 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023This hyper-specific holiday is one of the longest enduring of Polis's tenure, receiving recognition every year except for 2022. It's intended to acknowledge the contributions that concrete pipes and the concrete pipe industry make to Colorado communities. And it's not just Colorado celebrating the pipes — the holiday has been recognized in 34 states. But Colorado also already has a Concrete Day (April 28), so why does the subset of concrete pipes get an entire week?
Square Dance Month
September 2019, 2020 and 2023Apparently, square dancing has been Colorado's official state folk dance since 1992. Polis honored the dance by giving it its own month in 2019, reissuing the proclamation in 2020 and 2023. This kickstarted a series of square-dancing events throughout the state, attempting to revitalize Colorado's dwindling square-dancing community. In his proclamation, Polis lauded the dance as "an integral part of our cultural heritage" that "exemplifies the energy that is so much a part of the spirit of Colorado."
Colorado Bean Week
September 18 to 24, 2023A whole week is dedicated to beans in Colorado. Polis recognized the state's first-ever Bean Week six months ago, at the beginning of the bean harvest period. He teamed up with the Colorado Dry Bean Committee to celebrate, with the committee providing recipes to encourage residents to eat more of the magical fruit. Polis further proved his dedication to beans by giving this opening speech at the inaugural Colorado Bean Summit.
Cowboy Poetry Week
April 19 to 25, 2020While Polis has proclaimed four different poetry-related holidays over the years, only one is exclusively for cowboys. Colorado's Cowboy Poetry Week in 2020 acknowledged the year's National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which starred two Colorado cowboys as featured guests. Colorado's other poetry holidays are Speculative Poetry Month (2023), Poetry Out Loud Day (2019) and Poetry Society of Colorado Anniversary Day (2021).
Window Film Day
April 30, 2021Another entry in the hyper-specific category: Colorado had a whole day dedicated to window film. Advocates tout the holiday as highlighting the importance of installing window film on buildings and vehicles as a way to block the sun and lower energy consumption. While the national window film movement is preparing for its tenth annual Window Film Day, Polis only recognized the holiday once, in April 2021. The state must have been short on celebrations.
Sesame Street Day
July 19, 2019Four months before the beloved children's education show, Sesame Street, commemorated its fiftieth anniversary, Polis honored the show with a Colorado holiday. In the proclamation, Polis credited the show for helping to teach young Coloradans their ABCs and 123s. "Sesame Street holds a special place in the hearts of our residents," he said. Polis announced the holiday with a book reading at the Children's Museum of Denver, alongside a very special guest: fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby, a Sesame Street character since 2006..
Proud to declare today @SesameStreet Day in Colorado! It was so much fun to read and sing with the children at the Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus with @AbbyCadabbySST! pic.twitter.com/XrKRukWqz1
— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) July 19, 2019
