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On June 1 and 2, you’ll be able to watch for the first time hyperkinetic dogs wiggle through a slalom course in competition with other pups while you cold-plunge under the guidance of a breathing instructor and listen to the Fleet Foxes — live — from an outdoor adventure hub deep inside Denver.
It’s all part of the two-day Outside Festival that will sprawl out on the interlocking lawns and sidewalks of Civic Center park in Denver courtesy of Outside Interactive and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Office. The Big Gear Show happens at the same time, across Broadway in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park, adding value to the weekend but remaining its own thing, adjacent to the Outside Festival, said Chris Jerard, Outside’s vice president of marketing.
Expect film screenings, concerts, action sports contests and hands-on participation opportunities like climbing walls, camping zones and e-bike tracks as the state takes its first step in creating an immersive event for consumers and industry insiders since the massive trade show Outdoor Retailer rolled up its tents and moved to Utah in 2022.
Conor Hall, head of the Colorado outdoor recreation industry office, says the state is taking advantage of something that’s always been obvious but never truly capitalized on: Denver is “base camp to all the greatest outdoor adventures anywhere.”
“So, you know, take a day to enjoy it before heading out,” he added, “because it’s a global city with incredible sports teams and restaurants. That’s really how we view it at the office.” Visit Denver, which partnered with Hall’s office in creating the Outside Festival, “recognizes it,” he said. “They’re really embracing the idea. Let’s advertise it.”
In the years since Outdoor Retailer left, Hall has worked to create something more consumer friendly and festival-like. He has said he wanted to build a “South by Southwest for the outdoor industry,” nodding to the annual film, interactive media and music festival in Austin, Texas. And there’s a reason his office and Visit Denver are putting an outdoor festival in the heart of Denver.
“We wanted to bring people down here to see how beautiful this is, and we wanted it between the state Capitol and City Hall, because this is really a collaboration between the city and the state and so many other key partners,” he said.
“We also knew it couldn’t be in a windowless convention center, where you couldn’t see the sun for eight hours,” he added.
Over the weekend, outdoor-themed films will run in the Denver Art Museum’s Sharp Auditorium. Speakers — from Olympic snowboarder Shaun White to Oscar-award-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin — will discuss everything from “never giving up” to mentorship in the outdoors.
You can climb until your forearms are so pumped you’re crying in The Climber’s Corner, watch a slate of films curated by Boulder International Film Festival, Mountainfilm and the Mountains of Color Film Festival, check out a new e-bike at Bike Central, and listen to live music from the Fleet Foxes, Thundercat, Lettuce, Andrew Bird, The Heavy Heavy and other musical acts over the weekend.
Malik Martin, who calls himself a “storyteller in motion,” will speak about mentorship in the mountains with Conrad Anker, who discovered George Mallory’s body on Mount Everest, at the Outside Festival on June 2. (Courtesy Malik Martin)
A two-day pass costs $80 and a single day is $60 online, with higher prices for passes sold onsite. But Hall says the state has given away thousands of tickets to organizations like Environmental Learning for Kids, Blackpackers and the Denver Indian Center. “They’ll also get free entry into the Denver Art Museum, which we’re really excited about, because it’s right here. It’s beautiful. It’s a way to also showcase a pretty incredible asset of the city,” he added.
On May 31, “influential business leaders and outdoor culture visionaries” will discuss pressing issues at an industry summit in the Denver Art Museum’s Sturm Grand Pavilion, according to festival literature. Speakers and attendees will include public officials, artists, scientists, business executives and authors. Tickets are $325 plus fees and available on the Outside Festival website.
Gov. Jared Polis called the event “Colorado’s first outdoor festival,” supporting the state’s outdoor recreation opportunities, which generate $62 billion, account for 18% of the state’s workforce and draw millions of Coloradans outdoors every year, including to festivals like the 22nd annual GoPro Mountain Games, which will unfold June 6-9 in Vail.
And Hall says that although the festival will be stacked with immersive activities like climbing and biking, it’s perfectly OK to show up, chill out and soak in the changing ethos of the outdoor industry, which in Colorado, he says, is focused on getting people from every demographic outdoors, be that on the top of a fourteener or under a tree next to the Capitol.
For more information check out festival.outsideonline.com and thebiggearshow.com.
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