NFL Free Agency opens up on Wednesday, with the legal tampering period beginning on Monday. The top free agents usually all commit to a team during that period, so be ready to rock and roll to start next week.
Denver, CO
Denver celebrating 50 years of LGBTQ Pride, expecting 550,000+ attendees
The City of Denver is one month away from celebrating one of the biggest festivities in Colorado: Denver Pride. This is the 50th year of the celebration.
This event brings hundreds of thousands of people together from the LGBTQ+ community with allies. CEO Rex Fuller with Center on Colfax tells CBS Colorado Traffic Reporter Brian Sherrod this is expected to be the biggest pride ever. Denver Pride is expecting to have more than 550,000 in attendance the weekend of June 22nd and June 23rd.
At the Denver Pride celebration, attendees can expect a world of dancing, multiple stages with entertainers, a trans resource center and much more. Even though this event is meant for everyone to have fun, Fuller tells CBS Colorado not to forget the people who fought and continue to fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Fuller tells CBS News Colorado in many states, communities are losing their rights to be themselves. Fuller says the fight for equality never stops.
“Fifty years ago, when they were first holding pride, there were no civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community,” Fuller said. “You could easily be fired for being gay or lose your housing. By being visible and being out and proud in the community, that really has led to changes over the last five decades where we have marriage equality. Now, we have a lot of civil rights protections in the state of Colorado in the community.”
Denver Pride will be held at Civic Center Park on Saturday, June 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday, June 23rd from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This year’s festivities will include:
· The Denver PRIDE 5K. Participants will run, walk or roll starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, while raising funds for critically important programs supporting Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community.
· Coors Light Denver Pride Parade. It will be kicking off at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 23. The parade spans 14 blocks and features hundreds of floats, music and marchers.
The Center Stage even has a new line-up to include:
Alyssa Edwards presented by Nissan (she/her) Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, widely known as Alyssa Edwards, is an American entertainer, choreographer, drag performer, and television personality. Before gaining television fame, Johnson was a highly skilled dance instructor and an accomplished figure in the drag pageantry scene. His breakthrough came on the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012, where his candid testimonials, iconic tongue-pops, and distinctive personality made him a fan favorite. He later returned for Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars in 2016, finishing as the fourth runner-up. Alyssa Edwards has since become a household name with a global presence, captivating audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. In addition to his international appearances, Johnson owns and operates the award-winning dance studio Beyond Belief Dance Company in Mesquite, Texas. The studio and Johnson are featured in the Netflix Original docuseries Dancing Queen, produced by RuPaul and World of Wonder.
Shea Couleé (she/they) is a non-binary, internationally-renowned drag superstar, recording artist, model, and actor, known for their fashion-forward editorial looks, expanding their artistry and brand into many different spaces, and their consistent use of the art of drag and costuming as a medium for larger storytelling, having been applauded by Vogue for doing so. Widely celebrated as an activist focused on uplifting LGBTQIA+ individuals and the BIPOC community, they have countlessly shared how important it is for them to harness their career in drag to inspire, calling their drag a “love letter to Black women.” Couleé is the Season 5 winner (2020) of VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and finished a finalist on Season 7 (2022), the special all-winners edition.
Pattie Gonia (they/she/he) is a critically acclaimed drag queen, artist and environmentalist. Their work exists to diversify the outdoor/environmental movements and Make Nature Gay Again. Pattie has been named Outside Magazine’s Person of the Year, National Geographic Traveler of the Year and most recently, Time Magazine named Pattie a Next Gen Leader 2023.
Together with her community, they’ve fundraised over $2 million for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and environmental non-profits, completed thousands of miles of hiking and raised awareness about the ongoing environmental crisis through their film projects like Won’t Give Up with Yo-Yo Ma and Quinn Christopherson.
Mirage, (she/her) hailed the “Legs of Las Vegas,” Mirage steals the show wherever she goes, captivating audiences worldwide with her electrifying performances and signature heel clacking. Since her crushing exit from the show, Mirage has successfully secured her spot as a fan favorite on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and with over 5 million streams on Spotify, she’s also secured her spot as an official dance floor diva with her viral hit “She’s such a B****.” What will she do next? It’s all.. a Mirage.
Also, this year, Denver PrideFest will go green with the launch of new sustainability initiatives for the festival’s 50th anniversary. With the help of Southwest Airlines, the festival will add 150 recycling bins on-site with the goal of reaching 50 percent waste diversion.
Past festivals have left Civic Center Park clean and in good condition as part of Denver PrideFest’s ‘Leave No Trace’ policies. New this year, every trash can at PrideFest will be paired with a recycling bin to increase waste diversion. A green team of volunteers and staff will focus on education, awareness, and creating a clean stream of material to be recycled after the event.
To encourage sustainability during the event and after, Denver PrideFest will partner with environmentalist and drag queen Pattie Gonia to develop sustainability education content for social media and the Denver Pride website. Pattie Gonia will also perform on Center Stage as a headliner and encourage attendees to recycle through on-site stage announcements.
“Partnering with Southwest Airlines and Pattie Gonia represents a significant step forward in Denver PrideFest’s ongoing efforts to reduce waste and increase sustainability,” said Rex Fuller, CEO of The Center on Colfax. “These collaborations allow us to make a greener festival experience a reality, resulting in a positive impact in our community.”
Additional waste reduction initiatives include:
- Water trailers on-site to fill reusable water bottles and cut down on the number of single-use plastic bottles
- Utilizing reusable cups (rcups) in the VIP area for all mixed drinks
- Moving toward serving drinks in recyclable aluminum cans
- Requiring food vendors to supply recyclable containers for their product
Find the full details including the Pride Parade and how to volunteer online: https://denverpride.org/
Brian Sherrod
Marlee Brown serves guests at Trybal African Speakeasy in Denver on Feb. 25, 2026. (Kevin Mohatt/Special to The Denver Post)
Denver’s restaurant scene is in crisis.
So much so that the city, VisitDenver and Austin, Texas-based restaurant financing company InKind commissioned a report to detail the industry.
Denver’s rising tipped minimum wage, which has more than doubled since 2019 and sits at $16.27 an hour, was the biggest complaint of local restaurateurs. But the 67-page document outlined a host of other problems creating an unfavorable environment for operators in the city.
“The energy of the city used to flow through our dining rooms,” a longtime, independent full-service operator said, according to the report. “Now it feels like people go out less often, spend more cautiously, and are more likely to stay home or order in.”
The report was written by Adam Schlegel, who co-founded Snooze A.M. Eatery and Chook Charcoal Chicken, and Dana Faulk Query, the co-owner of Big Red F Restaurant Group. To compile it, they surveyed over 150 establishments, conducted interviews with operators and brokers and analyzed profit and loss statements along with publicly available datasets.
Here are five takeaways:
Denver lost thousands of restaurant jobs between 2020 and 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that Denver had 6% fewer restaurant sector workers in 2025 than at the beginning of 2020. That’s largely due to a 15% decline in the full-service restaurant category, according to the report.
Before the start of the pandemic, restaurant employment in Denver was growing at a 2.3% annual rate. If it had continued at that rate, there would be 10,000 to 15,000 more workers today than there actually are, according to the report.
Restaurants employ 7.9% of Denver’s total workers, down 8.7% from 2019, and account for 13% of the city’s tax revenue, the report said.
Restaurants would have needed 40% sales growth to offset rising expenses
According to the report, from 2019 through 2024, hourly labor costs increased 50% to 55%, rent increased 23% and cost of goods sold rose 22%. Profits, on the other hand, declined 20%.
Sales increased by 5%, but an analysis by the report’s authors determined that number would need to be in the 36% to 40% range to offset the aforementioned hikes.
The number of guests coming through restaurant doors is also decreasing, the report said. And Denver reported the sharpest decrease of major metros in restaurant spending this past fall.
“This mismatch has left many operators with limited options beyond reducing labor hours, eliminating positions, delaying hiring, or closing altogether,” the report said.
Denver’s costs and prices are on par with New York and L.A.’s
The report said Denver’s dining scene looks less like a middle-America growth market and more like a “high-cost coastal city” without the population size to support it. Though it acknowledged that Denver’s rising wages have closed the cost of living gap compared with before the pandemic, it’s paid the price with lost jobs and other rising costs.
According to the Washington Hospitality Association’s 2025 Cost of Dining Report, Colorado’s menu prices are 5.1% above the national average and Denver’s are about 2.7% above the average for the 20 largest U.S. cities. That puts it firmly in the high-cost tier of American dining markets.
But rather than garnering the growth and attention that “tier one” cities like New York and Los Angeles get, Denver is in the category of “high-wage, tight-labor” cities like San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
“Establishments grew, but employment is up only modestly versus 2013 and down from 2019 in key categories, signaling staffing strain rather than robust job growth,” the report details.
Denver’s scene is lagging compared with the rest of the state
While dining out across Colorado has taken a hit since the start of the pandemic, the report shows that the changes are most pronounced in Denver. The industry hasn’t bounced back on par with the rest of the state, the report says.
With full-service restaurants in particular, employment and the number of establishments has dropped significantly more than the category across the state. Employment across the entire sector dropped 4.3% in Denver from 2019 to 2024 while seeing a 3.3% decline everywhere else in Colorado.
“Collectively, these findings indicate that Denver’s restaurant workforce challenges are not the result of poor management or short-term disruptions, but of sustained cost pressures that increasingly limit employers’ ability to maintain staffing levels, create new jobs, and invest in long-term workforce development,” the report says.
Despite improvements, city bureaucracy still a challenge
Architects, general contractors and operators said that while each individual city department is helpful in a vacuum, the process is fragmented and disjointed. Based on interviews with restaurant owners, those delays can cost up to $70,000 a month between operating expenses and lost revenue, the report said.
That’s despite improvements made to the permitting process by Mayor Mike Johnston, including the launch of Denver’s Permitting Office in May and programs like around downtown express permitting.
I figured now would be a good time to do a little discussion around the Denver Broncos and where we think their top priorities should be on offense when free agency kicks off.
Broncos top FA needs on offense
Tim Lynch: For free agency, I’d say running back and tight end are the highest on my wish list.
I’d say pay big for a top free agent running back and ensure you have a monster two-headed backfield next season. They need a superior run-blocking tight end and, if they move on from Evan Engram, a pass-catcher too.
Christopher Hart: I agree with Tim. Those are the biggest needs for the offense. Getting a top-notch running back and a tight end capable of playing inline to replace Adam Trautman is a must. The two players I advocated a few weeks ago were running back Travis Etienne and tight end Cade Otton. Both would be fantastic additions and help take Denver’s offense to the next level in 2026.
Scotty Payne: Playmaker is the top and biggest need. That includes a RB, TE, and/or WR in that order.
Need to improve the run game regardless, need some sort of production out of the TEs as well as improved blocking, and if they can get a true WR1, that would be great too.
Ross Allen: I think we’re all in agreement.
Getting someone who can be the dominant running back and have RJ Harvey serve that glamorous “joker” role would be huge for this offense. And given that they also don’t have a legitimate playmaker at the receiving position hurts them. A TE or WR can fill that role.
Sadaraine: The #1 need for the Broncos on offense is a top-notch running back. I will be blown away if the Broncos don’t sign a top-tier free agent running back to upgrade the offense (and no, J.K. Dobbins wouldn’t be that guy…not with his injury history).
There’s a significant gap in need after that until we start talking about tight ends and receivers. I think we’re more likely to see more money spent on a tight end than a receiver, but this offense could use both to be sure.
Ian St. Clair: Not to beat a dead horse, but running back is the biggest need and priority for this team when free agency starts. Having a consistent and effective running game will make Nix and the offense exponentially better. It will make the team better. After running back, the Broncos need to figure out their tight end.
Adam Malnati: Give Bo a weapon. I don’t care which position. Yes, RB is a need. Yes, TE is a need (thanks a lot Evan Engram). Still, a weapon would be nice.
Predictably, we’re all heavily keyed in on running back and tight end. That was a big part of our free agent profile coverage too and for good reason. There have been many rumors around Denver looking to target both positions next week and where there is smoke there is usually fire.
The question really becomes: go big or go affordable? With the championship window open, I’m leaning go big on premium play-maker positions this offseason.
Where do you stand on this discussion? Give us your top free agent needs on offense and how you hope the Broncos address them next week.
If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to carlotta.olson@gazette.com at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability. Thursday Camilla Vaitaitis Quartet — 6:30 p.m., Dazzle at Baur’s, 1080 14th St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: dazzledenver.com/#/events. Miguel — 7 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium, […]
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