The inaugural Outside Festival will land in Denver’s Civic Center park in early June with concerts, films, outdoor gear and speakers as the first step in creating an immersive event for both consumers and industry insiders to replace the massive trade shows that rolled up its tent two years ago.
“With the Outside Festival, we are creating a gathering that unifies our voice and empowers the industry and community it represents,” Conor Hall, the head of the Colorado outdoor recreation office, said in a statement. The latest numbers show outdoor recreation contributing $62 billion to the Colorado economy and supporting more than 500,000 jobs.
“The outdoors is the lifeblood industry of the state of Colorado,” said Hall, whose Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office is sponsoring the Outside Festival alongside 25-brand media giant Outside Interactive Inc. “ “There is no better place to reimagine outdoor industry events than Colorado.”
Since the twice-a-year Outdoor Retailer trade shows left Denver for Utah in 2022, Hall has worked to create something more consumer friendly and festival-like. Hall has said he wanted to build a “South by Southwest for the outdoor industry,” noting the massive annual tech, music and media festival in Austin, Texas.
Tickets to the June 1 and June 2 Outside Festival will sell for $39 for one day and $59 for two-day passes, with VIP passes selling for $103. Live concerts will include Fleet Foxes, Thundercat, Lettuce, Andrew Bird, Say She She and The Heavy Heavy at Civic Center park.
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Boulder-based Outside Interactive Inc., the publisher of 25 media brands like Climbing, SKI and Outside magazines, has joined with the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and Visit Denver in creating the new festival. The Big Gear Show that drew about 100 outdoor exhibitors to the Colorado Convention Center for a two-day event in June 2023 will offer an industry-only day at the Outside Festival on May 31, before the weekend concerts and festivities.
Outdoor adventure films and documentaries will screen all weekend at the Denver Art Museum, in partnership with the Boulder International Film Festival, Telluride’s Mountainfilm Festival and the Mountains of Colorado Film Festival.
An outdoor gear festival will offer demos and equipment displays in partnership with the new Outside Lab gear-testing facility at the University of Colorado at Denver. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will offer kid-focused activities through the weekend as well.
Gov. Jared Polis, in a statement announcing the Outside Festival, said Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry is “not only a lot of healthy fun, but also an economic engine for our state.”
“The Outside Festival will be a celebration of outdoor recreation and help grow this important part of our economy and lifestyle,” Polis said.