Yes, “Shamrockin” is a truly terrifying concept, but Denver’s actual St. Patrick’s Day parade promises to be loads of fun.

St. Patrick’s Day may be on a weekday, but that’s no excuse to take it easy. Instead, nearly everyone is moving the partying to this weekend. With Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade coursing through LoDo on Saturday morning, downtown Denver is going to be soaked in green beer and filled with goofy smiles.

Navigating the sea of green could be rough: Some bars are charging covers — that means spending extra bucks to warm a bar stool. On the other hand, the cover-chargers often offer nice incentives, like live music and drink specials.

Whatever your St. Pat’s budget, there’s a party that will fit. It’s the day when everyone is Irish, right? Throw on some green, dot a few freckles if necessary and get out there.

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No, you can’t have one, but you catch watch other undeserving people get them whilst drinking!

For movie buffs and celebrity watchers it might as well be Super Bowl Sunday: the Academy Awards. Oscar parties will be springing up over the next couple of days. It’s a fine tradition: Gather at a friend’s house, maybe get gussied up, talk trash about the super-rich and glamorous movie stars on TV.

Even casual film fans can get in on the fun, especially if there’s some friendly wagering involved. Sometimes, however, it’s fun to break from tradition and get out of the house-party circuit. If so, there are ways to take the Oscar party on the road and live it up, Hollywood-style.

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Tucked among the showrooms of the Denver Design District, Di’s Cafe caters mostly to designers and their clients, but like the center itself, the restaurant is open to the public.

Owner Di Glotfelty (she pronounces her first name D.I.) runs the breakfast/lunch spot with cheerful sass, teasing the customers who order at her little counter. She rewards their goodwill with homemade soups, fresh salads and wraps, and expertly seasoned daily specials — delivered tableside.

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Who needs the corporate life? Bobby Collins left it more than three decades ago to become a national comedy headliner.

Bobby Collins never meant to be a comedian. As a young, fast-talking jewelry designer he caught the eye of a Calvin Klein executive in New York’s Garment Center. Within a few months he was a sales manager, then vice president of the company. He lived the high life and relished its perks, but comedy was in his blood.

“Once I got to the big paying job as a headliner comedian in a comedy club, that’s when I really started doing comedy,” he said.

The Queens, N.Y., native gave up the corporate life and worked to become a headliner at clubs around the country, eventually opening for musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Cher and Julio Iglesias and playing the White House. We spoke with the Grammy-nominated Collins in advance of his shows at Comedy Works South tonight-Saturday (Feb. 26-27) about his beginnings, his longevity and what bugs him the most about his fellow comics.

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Are we in San Diego or Denver? Hard to tell at Gaslamp, one of LoDo’s newest upscale watering holes.

“Do my bangs look cool?”

It’s Saturday night in LoDo, in a women’s restroom. Because the ’80s are long gone, one can assume that the person asking this question probably does, indeed, have cool bangs. And because the restroom is located at Gaslamp (1437 Market St.), it’s practically guaranteed that those are some super-cool, totally sweet bangs.

The crowd at Gaslamp is almost disturbingly attractive. Walk through its doors, and it suddenly feels like a pricey hangout in SoCal or Scottsdale. It seems like everyone is young and well-dressed, with sparkling white teeth and expertly groomed hair. The clothes look expensive, the shoes even more so. The music is a perfectly selected mix of classic party-rock and more sensitive, semi-indie tunes. Think Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” and “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse.

Saturday night is just getting started.

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