City Cast Denver
🚩 Dozens leave Red Rocks concert injured
June 23, 2023
Good morning, Denver! No rain in the forecast for this weekend! Get out and get you some sunshine! 😎
What's CITY Talking About?
🏥 Dozens Injured by Hail at Red Rocks Concert
Nearly 100 people were injured and several were hospitalized after a severe hail storm tore through a Louis Tomlinson concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday night. Hailstones varied from pea-sized to golf ball-sized. First responders said concertgoers suffered cuts, welts, and broken bones. [Colorado Sun]
🍄 Gov. Polis Hopes to Take Psychedelics Legalization Further
While making an appearance at the massive, five-day Psychedelic Science conference that took place in Denver this week, Gov. Jared Polis called on state lawmakers to permit mass pardons for criminal charges related to psychedelic drugs. He also said he would like to call on insurance companies to cover the cost of psychedelic drug therapy and medical treatments. [Axios Denver]
🚐 Free North Denver Shuttle Service Sees Continued Success
Earlier this week, The Connector — an experimental free shuttle program servicing the Montebello and GES neighborhoods — officially reached 100,000 riders. The program, which launched as a pilot in 2021, has been successfully received by the community. Next steps: the city plans on improving the program’s mobile app to be more accessible to older riders. [Denverite]
What To Do
⭐⭐⭐ = The official City Cast Denver ‘Maybe’ of the weekend, as in maybe you’ll see us there! Listen to today’s podcast for more deets.
🍽️ Food Truck Fridays | Friday | 5-7:30 p.m.
Taste your way through some of Denver’s best food trucks every Friday evening now through September at Central Park. [Central Park; Free]
💖 Pink Party | Friday | 6-10 p.m.
RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Angeria Paris VanMichaels will host a dance party fundraiser to support One Colorado, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Pink outfits are encouraged! [Five Points; $75 GA, $90 at the Door, $150 VIP]
👟 Health and Fitness Expo | Saturday | 10 a.m.
Get out in nature to celebrate health and fitness at Barr Lake State Park! [Brighton; Free]
⭐⭐⭐ Plant Swap and Giveaway | Saturday | 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Whether you’re trying to get your garden going or you want to show off this season’s success, community gardeners are invited to come talk all things plants and pollinators while swapping tips, tricks, seedlings, and propagations. [Sun Valley; Free]
📷 Pride Portraits | Saturday | 4-8 p.m.
To commemorate Pride weekend 2023, River & Root Photography is offering free portraits — of couples, families, friends, or solo! — in Cheesman Park. [Cheesman Park; Free]
🍻 Pride Bar Crawl | Saturday | 4-10 p.m.
Not sure which bar to celebrate Pride at this weekend? Why not all of them! Enjoy drink specials, live DJs, and cover-free entry to participating bars on the official Denver Pride Bar Crawl. [Union Station; $14.99]
🏳️🌈 PrideFest | Saturday-Sunday | All Day
Denver’s official two-day celebration at Civic Center Park will include hundreds of local exhibitors, vendors, and artists, plus a Pride 5K and the annual parade covering 14 blocks of Colfax Avenue. Don’t miss the main event with Big Freedia on Sunday! [Civic Center; Free]
🍨 Beer and Ice Cream Pairing | Sunday | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Denver Beer Co. partners with Little Man ice cream to combine two summer faves: five scoops of uniquely flavored handcrafted ice cream with five 4-ounce pours of signature DBC brews. Yum! [Denver / Arvada; $30]
🛍️ Larimer Square Summer Market Series | Sunday | Noon-4 p.m.
Spend a summer afternoon sipping and splurging in the buzzy heart of downtown Denver at Larimer Square. [Union Station; Free]
Sponsored Content
Plan ahead for a bad air day.
Did you know that the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue is invisible? Colorless, odorless ground-level ozone is created from pollutants like car exhaust that react in sunlight and heat. Sign up for ozone alerts and learn about simple steps you can take to help, at SimpleStepsBetterAir.org.
Where Is It?
Last week’s answer: Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms (Littleton)
- This extension of Denver’s Botanic Gardens is a 700-acre working farm nestled alongside the banks of Deer Creek in Jefferson County. It is home to a number of historical structures, 2.5 miles of nature trails, an abundance of native plants and wildflowers, and exceptional bird-watching.
🥳 👏 An extra special shoutout for our ONLY correct guesser: Keegan!
This Week’s Photo:
🕵️ Do YOU know where to find this floral mural? Be among the first to respond with the right answer and you’ll get a special shoutout in next Friday’s newsletter!
Today on City Cast
Queer Book Bans, Disaster at Red Rocks, and an Ice Cream Beer Experience
It’s Friday, so the City Cast Denver team is looking back at the news stories of the week that caught our attention. Host Bree Davies is on the mic with returning contributor Ann Marie Awad and Indie 102.3 host Demi Harvey to talk about Pride weekend and the state of our LGBTQ community in Denver right now. Plus, we’ve got our recommendations for your weekend fun.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading 👋
— Peyton Garcia
Free · Daily