Top 5 Reasons to Visit Denver This Summer

Seeing a concert at Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is a high point of any summer. More than 70 events have been announced already, including Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Brandi Carlile, Dermot Kennedy, Widespread Panic, CAAMP and many more. What’s more, the surrounding park offers gorgeous hiking around sandstone monoliths. Plus, you can practice morning yoga at Yoga on the Rocks, get the heart pumping with Red Rocks Sunrise Hikes, take in the fresh air on a yoga hike with Zen Out Yoga or catch a movie under the stars during the Film on the Rocks series. 

Summer is festival season where The Mile High City celebrates many cultures! In May, the Denver Cinco de Mayo Festival (May 5–7, 2023) is a weekend filled with food, fun and culture. The Taste of Colorado at ¡Viva! Streets Denver (May 14, June 4 and July 19) reformatted annual festival will take place over three Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Civic Center Park to celebrate diverse food, music and culture. The Denver BBQ Festival  (May 27–28, 2023) brings together top pitmasters from Denver and around the country to serve award-winning barbecue.

In June, Denver Day of Rock (June 3, 2023) features four stages of live music in LoDo/downtown Denver. ayA Con  (June 9–11, 2023) is Denver's Indigenous comic and art festival. The Five Points Jazz Festival (June 10, 2023) features a diverse lineup of music, from Latin to blues to funk and many other styles of jazz. The Juneteenth Music Festival (June 16-19, 2023) offers a parade, live performances, art, vendors and fun for the entire family. Denver's two-day PrideFest (June 24–25, 2023) draws visitors from throughout the state of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. 

In July, the free Cherry Creek Arts Festival (July 1–3, 2023) will transform the streets of Cherry Creek North into an innovative outdoor fine art show. The Colorado Black Arts Festival  (July 7–9, 2023) celebrates African American art and culture. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (July 22–23, 2023) showcases The Mile High City's Asian and Asian American heritage with the biggest dragon boat festival in the country! For music, head to South Broadway for three days of tunes at more than a dozen music venues from more than 100 live bands at the Underground Music Showcase (July 28–30, 2023). 

There’s no better way to soak up summer and experience the thriving culinary scene than on one of The Mile High City’s splendid restaurant patios. From skyward rooftop terraces to lushly landscaped gardens, these are the ultimate spots to eat and drink alfresco in Denver.

At Denver Art Museum, Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography (thru May 22, 2023) explores the practices of Indigenous photographers working over the past three decades, while Memory Mirror (thru June 19, 2023) invites visitors to explore their relationship with memory through animation, dioramas, and interactive storytelling. Enter the world of bugs through immersive activities that get you thinking and hands-on games that get you moving at Denver Museum of Nature & Science's Bugs (thru Aug. 27, 2023).

At History Colorado Center, Return of the Corn Mothers (thru Sept. 30, 2023) honors Southwest women through this revitalized exhibit, and Rainbows & Revolutions (thru June 30, 2023) explores how LGBTQ+ people’s very existence in Colorado has been a rebellious act beyond the rainbow. Vance Kirkland’s Cosmos (thru May 28, 2023) at Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art features examples from eight series of Kirkland's visions of the cosmos from 1954 to 1981, while Awful Bigness (thru Sept. 10, 2023) fills the Clyfford Still Museum's largest, skylit galleries and celebrates Still’s biggest, most ambitious works.

Denver and the neighboring Rocky Mountains are overflowing with outdoor activities like cycling, running, white water rafting, kayaking, rock climbing and more. You can play in the mountains and stay in the city. Let Basecamp Denver be your one-stop shop for outdoor fun with links to urban adventures, day trips, outdoor tips, only-in-Denver experiences and unique hotels.