COLORADO SPRINGS — A busy weekend is planned for Colorado Springs as multiple events will take place downtown and around the city, some impacting traffic with road closures.

The 2022 What If... Festival of Innovation and Imagination will kick off at 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday morning in downtown Colorado Springs. The festival stretches across six blocks downtown, with exhibits at the Pikes Peak Center, Pioneers Museum, and Plaza of the Rockies. It includes interactive experiences for all ages in arts, science, engineering, food trucks, and four stages for live music and performances.

Road closures will take place across downtown including parts of Tejon Street, Cascade Avenue, and Vermijo Street. Those streets will be closed starting at 7 a.m. Saturday morning until 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Betsy McClenahan, one of the festival organizers, said the festival is meant to be a mix of all kinds of experiences for everyone.

"As we were developing the festival, we just kept coming up with well, 'What if? What if this happened?' It kind of stuck and we started going along with that and so that's really how it came to be," said McClenahan.

She said there will be a bike valet outside of the Pioneers Museum for festival goers to hopefully clear some parking spaces downtown.

Other events happening in the Colorado Springs area this weekend:

Air Force vs. CU Boulder at Falcon Stadium The Air Force Academy vs. University of Colorado Boulder game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. at Falcon Stadium on Saturday. More than 40,000 fans are expected to attend the game, with heavy traffic anticipated on the north side of Colorado Springs. Construction on the North Gate is expected to slow down fans and the Academy is asking the public to use the South Gate off of Academy Blvd. that opens at 9:30 a.m.

9-11 Commemoration Ceremony at Memorial Park The City of Colorado Springs and the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC Military Affairs Council will host the 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony on Sunday at the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers’ Memorial in Memorial Park from 12:30-1:30 p.m. The event will honor the lives lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The ceremony will include remarks from Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez, Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal, and Mayor John Suthers.

9-11 Stair Climb at Weidner Field First responders across the Front Range will take part in a stair climb at Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs. It's part of the Front Range First Responders memorial stair climb to honor the victim's of 9-11 and the El Paso County Deputy Andrew Peery. He was killed in the line of duty last month. The public is encouraged to attend the event from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. It's $50 per person to climb and the money raised will go to the Peery family. Sponsors and vendors are also welcome to take part. The cost for sponsors and vendors is $250. Organizers say all money raised will go directly to Deputy Peery's family. All the information and registration links can be found at Remembering the Fallen Stair Climb.

Firefighter Incline Climb at Manitou Incline The Manitou Incline will be closed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sunday for the 7th annual Firefighter Incline Climb commemorating 9/11. _____

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