Denver International Airport expects to see more than 1.3 million passengers go through security during the spring break window between March 11 and 29, a challenging amount of traffic in and of itself.

And doing that with Transportation Security Agency workers who are not getting paid because of the partial federal government shutdown seems like a recipe for massive lines.

 That scenario is playing out in airports across the country already, as security workers are calling out so they can work other jobs to pay their bills.

Denver International Airport has yet to be hit as hard, but the potential remains there. March 20 and 22 are expected to be among the busiest days for screenings during the season, according to the airport.

Here is how to get real-time updates on security wait times.

How to check wait times at DEN?

To check wait times at Denver International Airport, go to flydenver.com/security. The page gives waiting times for each checkpoint, differentiating for those who will undergo a standard screening and the line for those with TSA Precheck and CLEAR.

The page also has other important information, including directions on how to sign up for an appointment to skip part of the line at the checkpoints, the latest directions on what to do with your belongings at the screening and how long average walking times are to go to gates.

How long are wait times at Denver International Airport?

As of 2 p.m. MT on March 19, times were:

• East Security, standard: 3 to 7 minutes  
• East Security Precheck: 3 to 7 minutes
• West Security, Standard: 0 to 4 minutes
• West Security, Precheck:  1to 5 minutes

Denver is considering dropping its two scooter providers in favor of a sole operator — a company called Veo that plans to offer cheaper prices for rides and more scooter options.

If the City Council approves the deal, Denverites would no longer see Lime and Bird scooters on the streets beginning in May. Veo would take over that month, offering the familiar standing scooters now used, along with seated scooters, two-person scooters, cargo bikes and trikes.

The company also plans to offer cheaper rides for all users and a discount for Denver residents.

The current rate is $1 to unlock a scooter or e-bike, plus 44 cents per minute of riding. Under the new deal, the $1 unlock fee would remain but Denver residents would pay 25 cents per minute while other riders would pay 39 cents per minute.

The new provider would also enter Denver as new city rules for riding are taking effect. Veo’s scooters and bikes would have a built-in audio system warning riders when they’re breaking safety rules — like riding on sidewalks or stopping erratically. The council last year passed an ordinance that will require sidewalk-detection technology by July 1, with parking restrictions required for some areas by next year.

The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure selected Santa Monica, California-based Veo from among several providers through a competitive bidding process, said senior city planner Nathan Pope. The licensing agreement with Veo would last at least three years, with Veo paying the city $250 per scooter device each year for up to 9,000 of them deployed throughout the city.

That would mean a cost of up to $2.25 million annually if Veo maximizes its Denver fleet.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Pope said Wednesday about Veo’s selection. “They were the strongest across all criteria.”

The council began the process of formally considering the deal when DOTI and Veo staff members presented the framework to its Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The panel’s members unanimously decided to delay voting on the contract until April 1, citing an interest in seeing the full contract first.

“You can’t ask this body to vote on things we can’t read,” council President Amanda Sandoval said. “I just want to read contracts. It’s my job.”

Public commenters and some council members expressed an interest in keeping the two-provider system by extending the city’s contract with Lime, which is backed by Uber. Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said that would create redundancy in case of service interruptions.

“That is a risk that I’m not really sure DOTI considered,” she said during the meeting.

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:

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.”