Denver, CO

Here’s what 4/20 Fest, PrideFest and other events are doing while Civic Center park is under construction

Published

3 weeks ago

March 18, 2026

Here’s what 4/20 Fest, PrideFest and other events are doing while Civic Center park is under construction

Civic Center has for decades welcomed Denver’s biggest public festivals, packing hundreds of thousands of visitors into its two dozen acres of grass, concrete paths, flower beds, and neo-classical architecture.

But with construction taking over most of the park this year, its biggest events will have to move, shrink or split into pieces. That’s due to the lack of regular space for beer tents, music stages, vendors and the public. The first phase, which includes reorienting the iconic Greek Theater on the south side of the park, is set to be completed by summer 2027.

“We are working with permit holders to continue to have limited activations in the park,” said Jenna Harris, downtown parks program manager for the city. “We’re doing our best to accommodate events as they come up, but it is a major, $50 million construction project. The more we delay it for big events that are about to happen around the perimeter, the harder it is to meet those milestones.”

The renovation project, which officials say will refresh Civic Center for another 100 years, includes glowing up the Greek Theater with a better stage and seating. “A new canopy arched over the stage will support contemporary theatrical equipment and provide shade and rain protection,” city officials wrote in a statement. “The design also improves accessibility and circulation through interconnected paths that better connect the park’s various outdoor spaces, including a new plaza commemorating the Gang of 19 protest and disability rights movement.”

The changes will close much of the park, including the Greek Theater, Central Promenade, and South Plaza of Civic Center, where big festivals often set up stages and vendors line the curving sidewalks. To continue at Civic Center this year, events must adapt.

Here’s what we know so far:

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

David Jackson maintains a chill vibe in the grass as people smoke grass (cannabis) during 4/20 festivities at Denver’s Civic Center Park on Friday, April 20, 2018.

Mile High 420 Fest, which celebrates cannabis culture every year on April 20, is still scheduled to take place in Civic Center, according to city records. Event producers couldn’t be reached for comment, but general admission will cost $28.52 this year. Expect live entertainment and food vendors, although performers had not yet been announced at the time of this writing.

Cinco de Mayo, May 2-3, draws about 400,000 total visitors each year. In 2026, the vibrant celebration of Mexican independence and culture will still take over parts of Civic Center, while shutting down Broadway just east of the park.

“The overall footprint is remaining almost the exact same, and we are reorganizing a few festival components that are impacted by construction,” said Austin Tafoya, special events manager for NEWSED Community Development Corp., which produces Cinco de Mayo. “Other than that, we will utilize the surrounding streets as we have in the years past.”

Outside Days, the entertainment portion of Outside Magazine’s industry event in Denver, held its second successful gathering at Civic Center May 31-June 1 last year. This year, it’s moving to the Auraria Campus due to space constraints. Taking place May 29-31, producers changed the name from Outside Festival to Outside Days, added an extra day, and booked top live acts such as Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Cage the Elephant.

Denver PrideFest, which typically takes place in late June and draws more than 500,000 total visitors, rivals Cinco de Mayo in size and footprint. This year they’ll reimagine the event from the ground up, said organizers at the nonprofit LGBTQ organization The Center on Colfax, CEO Kim Salvaggio said.

The Denver Pride Parade will move to 17th Street on Sunday, June 28 (from East Colfax Avenue), while the Denver Pride Festival will be held the same day on 16th Street. The annual Denver Pride 5K will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, starting at Cheesman Park Pavilion. A route is still being finalized, according to Salvaggio.

Independence Eve, a free, popular program that taps live orchestral music and a drone show to celebrate Independence Day, will not take place this year on July 3, said Eric Lazzari, executive director of the Civic Center Conservancy, which works with the city to program and maintain the park.

However, there will still be smaller events in the park throughout the year, he said, such as the return of the food truck gathering Civic Center Eats, a Dia de Los Muertos celebration, and a local-vendor Night Market, among many others.

“We haven’t seen many public announcements yet about the bigger festivals, but we’ll have about 60 to 80 events over the course of the next year produced by Civic Center Conservancy and partners in the park, including some new events we’re working on.”

The long-running A Taste of Colorado festival, the food event that typically runs on Labor Day weekend, has not used Civic Center for a large-scale festival since 2022, so don’t expect that to jump to another large location. And by the time it’s fall, start looking for the wildly popular Christkindlmarket and Mile High Tree attraction to stay put at the Auraria Campus, where they moved for their 2025 event to make way for Civic Center’s November groundbreaking.

“The reality of an urban park in the 21st century is that it has to work for groups of 5,000 or 20,000,” Lazzari said. “On the other side of this construction, we’ll see a blend of what it’s traditionally been, but also how it is gathering people in smaller sizes for new events.”

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Denver, CO

Link on Demand offers free rideshare service around communities south of Denver

Published

3 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Link on Demand offers free rideshare service around communities south of Denver

People in many cities south of Denver now have a new ride option to get them around for free.

The Link on Demand rideshare service will travel around areas including Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, and select areas of Parker. Many popular areas include:

Town Center, Village Center, and Highlands Ranch Senior Center in Highlands Ranch
Park Meadows Retail Resort, Lone Tree Rec Center, and Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree
Parker AdventHealth Hospital, Downtown and Parker Senior Center, and Twenty Mile/Dransfeldt Shopping Center in Parker
Littleton Mineral Station
Safeway Transfer Hub
Lincoln Station Transfer Hub
Parker RTD Ride and Share

A map shows different areas in Douglas County served by Link on Demand, a free ride-share service.

Link on Demand

Booking Link on Demand is similar to booking an Uber or Lyft. It starts by downloading the Link on Demand app. Then you book the ride and meet up with your driver. The only difference; this ride is free all the time.

Link on Demand is designed to increase mobility, reduce barriers, and support daily travel needs. It helps people who don’t own a car or older adults who can’t drive, for example. The vehicles are ADA-accessible too, so they help people who use wheelchairs and walkers.

Anyone over the age of 13 can ride the service, so this helps if your child misses the bus or needs a ride. This service does operate corner to corner instead of door to door. This means you might have to travel a short distance to your pickup point. Your phone will show you the availability.

This is a Monday through Saturday rideshare service. The hours of operation include:

Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. through 7 p.m.
Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Highlands Ranch and Parker are non-adjacent zones, so you’ll book a two‑leg trip via a Transfer Hub. Here’s how:

1. In the Link On Demand app, book your first on‑demand ride:

From Highlands Ranch to Lincoln Station Transfer Hub or Safeway Transfer Hub, or
From Parker to Lincoln Station Transfer Hub or Safeway Transfer Hub.

2. Ride to the Transfer Hub.

3. After you’re dropped off at the Transfer Hub, open the app and request your second on‑demand ride, from the Transfer Hub to your final destination in the other zone.

4. Wait at the Transfer Hub until your next van arrives. Typical wait times are 15-30 minutes.

If you have any questions, all information can be found here.

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Denver, CO

Montel Williams’ national tour on school safety kicks off in Denver

Published

15 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Montel Williams’ national tour on school safety kicks off in Denver

DENVER (KDVR) — Many remember Montel Williams as the Emmy-winning daytime talk show host from the 90s. Now, he’s on a tour leading discussions about school safety and the first stop is Denver.

On Thursday, Williams will host a free public forum and open discussion as part of a national tour for his “The Only Way Out is Through” project.

Williams has tackled dozens of important topics over the years, including school safety, for decades.

Williams sat down with FOX31 on Wednesday. He said it’s time to get serious about preventing school shootings.

“It’s time for us to get ahead of this, to be proactive. I hate to use an old cliché phrase, but it takes a whole village to raise a child. Well, it takes an entire community to keep a child safe. And unless the community recognizes their role in keeping that child safe. You know, there’s no telling where this is going to end,” said Williams.

Williams then described how he thought about his grandson’s safety during a recent visit to his school.

“And when I walked up to that school, I’m going to tell you something. Knowing that I was doing this this week, it struck me viscerally and emotionally,” said Williams. “I hate to say it this way. I’m in my last quarter. You know what I mean? I’m at that age where, you know, I’m in the last quarter, and I still have an opportunity to hit a home run in the last second of this game. The home run I want to hit is making sure that my grandson is safe.”

The free public forum will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Shorter Community AME, 3100 Richard Allen Court in Denver.

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Denver, CO

Water prices increase for outdoor use in Denver due to drought conditions

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Water prices increase for outdoor use in Denver due to drought conditions

DENVER (KDVR) — Those who use outdoor water in Denver may have higher bills through the rest of the outdoor watering season as temporary drought prices will be implemented by Denver Water due to severe drought conditions.

Denver Water said that the Denver Board of Water Commissioners approved temporary drought pricing Wednesday morning, to begin in May and be seen on bills for June through next April, or until the board takes further action.

This means there will be an additional “drought charge” for outdoor water use only on top of the price increases for 2026 Denver Water announced last fall. All outdoor water use in Denver and some other metro area cities like Aurora and Arvada will be subject to mandatory restrictions due to Stage 1 drought declarations.

What Denver water prices will look like amid 2026 drought

Water rates per 1,000 gallons are different for three different service areas, each with three tiers: the first being for regular indoor household water use for things like bathing and drinking (less than 5,000 gallons per month), the second for “efficient outdoor water use” (Up to 15,000 gallons), and the third for additional water use over 15,000 gallons.

The drought pricing adds $1.10 per 1,000 gallons in tier two and $2.20 per 1,000 gallons in tier three.

The tier 1 rate for Denver proper was $2.90 in 2025 and is $3.02 for 2026, and that price will not be impacted by the drought pricing, nor will the monthly fixed charge, which increased by $1.85 for a total of $20.91 each month in 2026 for 95% of customers.

Denver Water CEO Alan Salazar said this is the first time the company has used drought pricing since the drought from 2002 to 2004. He said the historic low snowpacks and potential lack of runoff could make this year even worse than those years.

“Implementing temporary drought pricing is not a step we take lightly. It is one of many tools Denver Water has available — when needed — to respond to drought conditions, encourage customers to conserve our water supply, and ensure our ongoing ability to operate and maintain the system that delivers clean, safe water to 1.5 million people,” said Alan Salazar, Denver Water’s CEO/Manager.

How snowpacks, reservoirs are looking

Despite recent storms, a history-making warm and dry winter in Colorado has snowpack levels at an all-time low. Denver Water said the snowpack for its water collection system is at the lowest level seen in 40 years.

As of Tuesday, the Colorado River Basin was at 26% of average snow-water equivalent for this time, and the South Platte River Basin was at 34% of average, which is based on median levels from 1991-2020, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Denver Water said reservoirs are below average but in “reasonably good shape for the time being” at 80% full versus the average of 85% for this time of the year. Runoff may not help much, though, with forecasts calling for levels to be 10-40% of average.

The reservoir water depends on mountain snowpack levels, which were already low before they took a nosedive melting in statewide record-breaking heat last month. Statewide, snowpack levels range from 12-40% of normal.

Snowpack levels in Colorado amid 2026 drought as of April 7. (USDA National Resources Conservation Service)
Black line shows snowpack levels for 2026 below the minimum recorded for the state. (National Resources Conservation Service)
Snow has melted off the west facing side of the mountains on Loveland Pass on the west side of the Continental Divide on April 5, 2026. A sign of the early snow melt, low snowpack and warm temps this year. (Denver Water)
Dillon Reservoir on April 5, 2026 amid historic drought conditions in Colorado. (Denver Water)
Record low snowpack in Summit County east of Keystone on March 21, 2026. Snowpack 65%. This is snow along the Snake River, mostly melted out. This is at 9,600 feet (Denver Water)
This photo shows the rapid snowmelt in Summit County. On February 25, Denver Water crews measured the snowpack east of Keystone. The snowpack was at a near record low in February, and when they returned on March 27, to measure the snow, it had all melted away due to unseasonably warm weather. This is at an elevation around 9,600 feet above sea level. The snowpack typically peaks on April 23 in this area. (Denver Water)
Snowpack comparison between 2019 and 2026 in Summit County from March. Photos are Dillon Reservoir, Dillon HQ and Snake River east of Keystone. 2019 snowpack for the date was 147% compared to 65% for 2019. (Denver Water)
March 21, 2026. 76% capacity before runoff. Average for this date is 86%. Note how think the ice is due to lack of snow and record warm temps. (Denver Water)
Frisco Marina on March 9, 2026. Dillon Reservoir 76% full. Boat ramp and docks not expected to be accessible this year due to low water. (Denver Water)

Water conservation urged amid drought

The board last month declared Stage 1 drought, implementing a mandatory schedule to limit outdoor water use. Violators could face fines of $250 or more. The goal, Denver Water said, is to see a 20% decrease in water use.

Denver Water said that customers need to conserve water to protect the supply that there is now.

Ways to conserve water at home:

Denver Water offers some simple strategies to save water, including:

The provider said customers will need to follow its annual summer outdoor watering rules:

Use a hose nozzle with a shut-off valve when washing your car
Water only during cooler times of the day, between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m.
Do not allow water to pool in gutters, streets and alleys
Do not waste water by letting it spray on concrete and asphalt
Repair leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days
Do not irrigate while it is raining or during high winds

Experts say impacts like water restrictions and increased pricing are some of the few outcomes that were expected, as snowpack levels being so low and peaking so early is unprecedented. April could bring some snow to the high country but is not expected to be significant in Denver.

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