🪄 Is Denver ready for a Harry Potter summer?

🪄 A Very Harry Potter Summer — For Some

It’s a big summer for local Harry Potter fans, with the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” making its Buell Theatre debut next week, and the new interactive “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” also preparing for a Denver run. While author J. K. Rowling’s controversial opinions on transgender rights have caused many fans to distance themselves from the franchise, the series remains highly popular nearly 30 years after the first book came out. For those who want to celebrate Harry Potter less officially, however, tread carefully: Warner Brothers recently quashed an unlicensed themed pop-up bar in downtown Denver. [DCPA; Harry Potter Exhibition; KDVR]

• The Underground School of Magic opened on May 6 in the Union Station neighborhood, boasting a themed menu, cocktails, magical newspaper clippings, and floating candles. The pop-up was supposed to run through June 21, but closed within the week. The issue? The bar was apparently “too magical,” according to one employee. [KDVR]
• Other themed pop-up bars: The Stockroom in Olde Town Arvada has become a favorite for its themed holiday pop-up bars — including a Harry Potter one in 2023 that must've been impervious to cease and desist letters! Allusion Speakeasy in Colorado Springs is open year-round, and changes up its theme every few months.
• More about "Harry Potter: The Exhibition": Tickets are now on sale for the Warner Brothers-sanctioned Harry Potter experience, which opens June 26. Guests will have the opportunity to brew potions, cast spells, and see props and costumes up close. [Harry Potter Exhibition]

📉 Fewer Denverites Homeless in New Count

Homelessness in Denver is down for the first time in nine years, according to the 2026 Point-in-Time Count, which took place back in January when volunteers counted people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on a single night. Compared with 2025’s PIT numbers, this year’s count shows a 12.5% decline in overall homelessness — and a 34% drop in unsheltered homelessness. Mayor Mike Johnston sees this as a win for his All In Mile High homelessness program. [Metro Denver Homeless Initiative; Denver Post]

• 👀 This comes on the heels of MDHI's “State of Homelessness 2025” report, which incorporated last year’s PIT numbers alongside other data and revealed that youth and family homelessness has been on the rise. [MDHI; City Cast Denver 🗞️]

🪧 REI Union Calls for Boycott

A union representing workers at REI is calling for a boycott of the outdoor retailer during its big anniversary sale this weekend — including at the flagship Denver store, which is not unionized. This comes after REI and the union failed to reach a contract agreement last month, with management's latest offer deemed "unacceptable." [Axios Denver]

• Tensions between workers and REI's corporate leadership have escalated at the 11 unionized locations. We talked about the labor dispute, possible boycott call, and REI's financial struggles on the podcast in April. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

⚖️ Antisemitism Reported at Auraria Protests

After anti-war protesters and students set up a protest encampment at the Auraria Campus quad in 2024, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission investigated allegations of antisemitism around the demonstrations. That commission concluded yesterday that some protesters’ speech was antisemitic, citing the federally accepted definition from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and that Jewish students were excluded from participation in certain federally funded programs on campus as a result of the protests. [U.S. Commission on Civil Rights]

🔥 Denver Mass Evacuation Plan in the Works

For the first time ever, Denver’s Office of Emergency Management is working on a mass evacuation plan for the city that takes into account wildfire threats. The Marshall Fire in 2021 changed Boulder County’s evacuation plans, and after a historically dry winter, Denver officials are especially concerned about wildfires this summer. In drafting this plan, Director Matthew Mueller is looking at how neighboring counties have handled past fires, and how to address traffic chokepoints. [Rocky Mountain PBS]

• Front Range firefighters are also preparing for more wildfires this year. [City Cast Denver 🗞️]

☀️ Is Denver the Best City To Visit This Summer?

City Cast Twin Cities host Sean McPherson hosts this showdown where 12 City Cast reps, including City Cast Denver host Bree Davies, compete head-to-head and debate which city is the best for a weekend trip this summer. From hot tub boats (exactly what they sound like) to epic outdoor summer festivals, our hosts are bringing the best of what their city has to offer this season. Can Bree beat out competitors from Chicago, DC, Las Vegas, Madison, Nashville, Philly, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake, Seattle, and the Twin Cities? [City Cast Denver 🎧]