A Taste of Colorado
- Dates
- Dates not yet announced
- Status
- No word yet
- Venue
- Civic Center Park
- Price
- Free
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Oct 29, 2026
A Taste of Colorado in Denver, CO is not currently confirmed to be running. Froligo tracks its status, history and similar festivals still happening.
What happened to A Taste of Colorado?
A Taste of Colorado ran in Denver from 1983, most years in Civic Center Park over Labor Day weekend. It did not take place in 2020, returned in 2021 and 2022, and was cancelled in 2023. No edition has been announced since, and the festival’s own website is no longer online.
Reported by Denver Gazette (Aug 29, 2023), CBS Colorado (Sep 4, 2021), CBS Colorado.
Similar festivals that are still going ahead are listed further down this page.
The experience
What's special
A Taste of Colorado is a free, three-day food, music, and arts festival that has run in downtown Denver since 1983, traditionally filling Civic Center Park over Labor Day weekend with dozens of local restaurant booths, several live-music stages, and an arts-and-crafts marketplace. There is no admission charge, and in its peak years the event was described as drawing crowds in the hundreds of thousands, making it one of the city's largest end-of-summer gatherings. The festival has been through a turbulent stretch since 2020, including a pandemic-year cancellation and a 2023 folding into the city's ¡Viva! Streets Denver programming, before organizers announced a return to the original Civic Center Park format.
What people love
Attendees most consistently point to the lack of an admission charge as the festival's biggest draw, paired with the breadth of free live music spread across several stages running most of the weekend. For many longtime Denver residents the event carries decades of nostalgic pull, and people describe returning year after year out of habit and affection for a long-running local tradition rather than for any single vendor or headliner.
Last time around (2022)
The most recent edition held in the festival's traditional Civic Center Park format ran September 3-5, 2022, with local press reporting five music stages, more than fifty arts-and-crafts booths, and over thirty food trucks and restaurant vendors drawing thousands of visitors. Attendee reaction that weekend was mixed to negative: many regulars said the event felt noticeably smaller and more commercialized than in past years, criticized on-site food and drink as overpriced for small portions, and reported that no outside water was permitted while bottled water was sold at festival prices. The festival did not return in this format in 2023, 2024, or 2025 after being absorbed into the city's now also-cancelled ¡Viva! Streets Denver programming; a return to Civic Center Park for Labor Day weekend 2026 has been announced but had not yet taken place as of this review.
Listen
No official playlist linked yet. Find A Taste of Colorado on Spotify.
Getting there
Nearest airport DEN.
How do I get to A Taste of Colorado?
By car
Most people drive to A Taste of Colorado. The nearest major airport is DEN, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
Commuter rail runs direct from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Union Station in downtown Denver, roughly every 15 minutes. From Union Station, Civic Center Park is a further one-block-radius walk or a free 16th Street FreeRide shuttle hop (see public-transit entry below), this is the standard airport-to-festival route for fly-in attendees.
Book / infoBy bus & public transit
Free, fully electric shuttle bus running the length of the 16th Street transitway between Denver Union Station and Wade Blank Civic Center Station, one block from Civic Center Park, the connector leg for anyone arriving via the A Line.
Book / infoTaxi & rideshare
Rideshare pickups at DEN are routed to a designated zone (Island 5, Level 5, doors 504-513) reached via signed walkways from baggage claim, not curbside outside the terminal doors. Regulated taxis operate on a flat-rate zone system for airport-to-downtown trips rather than a metered fare.
Book / infoTaxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
Cost Roughly $4-$50 depending on the specific lot/garage and time booked; several sub-$10 options exist within 0.1-0.2 miles of the park (e.g. Bannock Street Garage Lot ~$20, 1268 Cherokee St. Lot ~$4).
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at DEN
If you are hiring a car, it is worth checking parking near the venue before you go.
Search car hireCar hire links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Where
Venue
Civic Center Park
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near A Taste of Colorado?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 3
1112 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates857 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203
Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates930 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80218
Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesMid-range hotels 6
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesTypically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesTypically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1450 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO 80202
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check rates1350 Elati Street, Denver, CO 80204
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesTreat yourself 2
1880 Arapahoe Street, Denver, CO 80202
Typically $350-700 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesAirport hotels 1
8300 Peña Boulevard, Denver, CO 80249
Typically $100-190 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Check ratesMore hotels nearby 1
Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Denver's downtown/Capitol Hill short-term rental supply is large (thousands of active citywide listings) with a market-average nightly rate around $180-$190. Expect higher prices on top of that over the festival's traditional Labor Day weekend slot, with the holiday plus a 500,000+ attendee downtown festival. Book early.
Search AirbnbHipcamp lists a large number (1,900+) of private-land camping/glamping/RV listings within driving range of Denver, but these cluster 30-90 minutes out toward the foothills and mountains (e.g. Idaho Springs) rather than in the city itself, better suited to attendees basing themselves in the mountains and driving in than as a true downtown-adjacent alternative to a hotel.
Search HipcampSearch all hotels near Civic Center Park
Hotel links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Accessibility & comfort
The organizer does not publish accessibility details. Ask them directly before you travel about step-free access, accessible toilets, seating and anything else you need.
Pricing
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