The departure of summer is nigh. Although autumn doesn’t officially begin until Sept. 23, Labor Day weekend ushers in many summer endings and fall beginnings as swimsuit season comes to a close and Broncos fever rises.
In Colorado, one of the traditional signs of the changing season is the last of the big Civic Center festivals — A Taste of Colorado.
The event, which runs through Monday, is in its 34th year and is known around the region for its opulence of good eats.
Gargantuan turkey legs and ears of roasted corn have always been festival staples, but have recently been joined by a doubling of gourmet food trucks.
Whether you’re looking for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options like rasta bean stew and potato onion pierogies, or you’re blowing your entire calorie budget with fried oreos and lobster sliders there is something to sate every appetite at this gastronomic extravaganza.
You can expect bites from more than 50 different restaurants, wares from upwards of 300 vendors and concerts spread across six stages.
Rick Springfield, Sheila E., Lauren Duski were just a few of the big headliners of this year’s festival as the festival has kicked the caliber of its musical acts up a notch in recent years. Taylor Dayne, Boyz II Men, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Blues Traveler and other artists headlined last year’s event. The four-day festival is expected to draw right around a half million people and the hodgepodge of musical talent is part of what helps draw them in.
Part food festival, part music festival and part flea market, those who spent the holiday weekend strolling the streets under the hot summer sun said they had come because it offers something for everyone in the family.
“We always come out,” Jen Newman said she worked her way toward the food booths. “We always just wander around, try some new food and the vendors are fun to look at.”
This year the People’s Fair, which opens the festival season in May, did away with a ticket-based food purchases, but A Taste of Colorado doesn’t plan on making any changes.
“Patrons really like the ticket concept,” festival spokesperson Sharon Alton said. “That structure isn’t going to change.”
Entry is, as always, free. Food-and-beverage tickets cost $15 for a strip of 10 while merchandise vendors will take cash or credit card.
Alton reminded festival goers that they don’t expect any rain this year and said the best place to be is near one of the performance stages under a tree with a blanket or folding chair.
Meanwhile, just south of Civic Center, the Denver Art Museum is free the first Saturday of every month and they expect to see an uptick of people this weekend as the afternoon ushers in the day’s hottest temperatures and beckons people to its air conditioned art studios.
Sometimes people come here when it gets hot,” Kerry Weigner, a museum volunteer said. “Later in the afternoon they tend to wander in.”
This year they cracked down on its animal policy, which now only allows service animals, leaving several Denver natives and their chihuahuas on the wrong side of the fence. Cathy K. said that she’d never been turned away with her animal before and she’s been coming for 20 years. Though the event website states the updated animal policy, Cathy said this was the first she’d ever heard of it and didn’t think they’d done a good job of advertising the change.
“Cinco De Mayo, Gay Pride, and I brought my dog last year,” she said. “It’s a park. It’s just surprising. I won’t be back this year. I don’t know about next year yet.”
Traveling to or around this event is no joke. Don’t get stuck trying to navigate around it.