The bonkers interactive art installation brings in the kid-less crowds

Many things are more fun with kids along. But wandering around Meow Wolf in the evening with a drink in hand, well, maybe that’s better as an adults-only thing.

That’s the idea behind Meow Wolf’s “Adulti-Verse” — a series of dates at the interactive art installation near Mile High Stadium where you’ve got to be 21 to enter. So far, Meow Wolf has hosted two of these nights, with two more to come on Feb. 2 and 23 from 6-10 p.m.

My wife and I started the night at the HelloFood restaurant with a couple of Four Noses beers and some rice bowls. Jen proclaimed the adobo chicken bowl most excellent, while the smoked carnitas I tried were pretty good but a bit on the dry side.

When last I was here, I didn’t have as much time to take in the whole Convergence Station experience, nor did I partake of the “QPASS” — a card that, when “booped” at various stations lets you collect memories, or clues, about, um, something or other. (Learn more about the QPASS.)

This actually turned out to be tremendously interesting to Jen, who loves a treasure hunt and is also blessed/cursed with the inability to leave any stone unturned. Nearly three hours in, she was still jonesing to find the last booper when I dragged her out of there.

The QPASS is an additional 3 bucks, but it’s well worth it if you want to combine marveling at the many installations with a mission of sorts. And without as many kids doing the same, it was no doubt a lot easier to get your boops in without waiting in line too long.

Judging from the number of people there Jan. 26 when we went, the Adulti-Verse is becoming pretty popular. And it got busier as the night

Sparkly suits optional, but highly recommended

wore on, so if you’re super crowd-averse, showing up at 6 and leaving by 8 may be your scene. Younger booper-snappers will no doubt find that foolish, with plenty of night left to enjoy and members of both sexes likely as interesting as the Ice cities of Eemia or the rocket cars of C-Street.

I don’t think I saw a single person without a beer or a cocktail in hand, and in addition the bar near HelloFood, there are other drink stations around the multiverse. It’s definitely a different vibe sans kids, but it really made it easier to slow down and explore the dozens of mind-bending environments spread across four floors and all somehow tied into the overall narrative of four universes mixed up with one another.

Even if you’ve been to the Denver Meow Wolf, the adult nights are a good opportunity for a revisit to see in a different way — more of a party atmosphere and a little less chaotic without the kiddos running about. Many of the visitors I saw the night we went embraced the vibe with outlandish outfits, ranging from steam punk getups to shimmering suits and dresses and everything in between. If you hate the fact that Halloween only comes once a year, Meow Wolf is the place to be if you want to make the most of your cosplay outfits or thigh-high boots.

And good news: The two nights in February won’t be the end.

“Our 21+ nights in the Adultiverse have been so wildly successful that we extended it to be every first and last Wednesday of each month through April,” said Meow Wolf spokesperson Erin Barnes. “At that point, we’ll reassess, but there is a good chance they will continue. There’s nothing like wandering through the different worlds with a cocktail in hand.”

Pro tip: Take advantage of the free coat check. It gets warm in there!

If You Go

What: The Adulti-Verse
Where: Meow Wolf Denver
When: Feb. 2 & 23
Cost: $49
Tickets & Info