Outside Days, formerly known as the Outside Festival, has been gunning for a citywide event in the style of South by Southwest since it landed in Denver three years ago. This year they’re moving the event to Auraria Campus from Civic Center Park and expanding to three showcase days.
We’ve also got Denver Fringe, an electronic arts festival in Lafayette and a festival celebrating a headless chicken on the Western Slope.
May 28-June 3
Outside Days. Spurred by the move of massive trade show Outdoor Retailer to Utah in 2022, an event that once attracted hundreds of gear brands to the Colorado Convention Center, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and Outside Inc. banded together to bring not just the brands, but also big-name bands, movies and athlete panels to Civic Center in 2024.
This year, the festival has moved to Auraria Campus, physically expanding its reach and extending offerings from two days to three, slowly creeping toward that townwide takeover.
Headliners this year include Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant. A heavy roster of athletes, adventurers and other industry pros will present panel talks throughout the weekend on the “ideas” side of the festival, while 11 short films and feature documentaries will screen throughout the weekend.
Tickets start at $115 for a one-day pass, or $350 for the full experience.
Various prices; May 29-31; Auraria Campus, Denver
Other events to consider
- Mike the Headless Chicken Festival. A weekend of music, comedy, cars, drinks and eats — including a wing-eating contest Saturday — all in the name of a 1940s chicken that survived 18 months without a head. Free; May 29-30; Downtown Fruita
- Denver Fringe. A smorgasbord of independent acts scattered around Denver and Aurora for the seventh year running. Denver Fringe is for the comics, the clowns, the improv artists, the opera singers, and especially for anyone whose act can’t quite be described with one word or shoehorned into one genre. $95 full festival pass, various individual ticket prices; June 3-7; Various venues in Denver and Aurora
- Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival. The annual convergence of classical music, contemporary art and electronic media in Lafayette. Enjoy the ambient sounds of M. Sage Thursday night, Field Theory’s blend of acoustic and electronic improvisation Friday, a sound bath Saturday and ongoing light projections around town. Various prices; May 25-30; Various venues in Lafayette
Note: This is a curated list by the reporter to give readers a sense of arts and culture events happening across Colorado that they may not have otherwise known about. This is not meant to be an exhaustive account of things to do.