Flyest festival to premier

BIG NAMES TO COME TO MILE HIGH CITY

The same team responsible for putting on Bonnaroo and Outside Lands Music Festival has just chosen Denver as the newest location for their next venture. Is it fair to label this as Colorado’s best new festival before it even debuts? Yes. Beginning in September 2018, South Denver will be home to Superfly Productions’ latest music project.

The three-day event is receiving press based on the talent they’ve partnered with in the past, despite not having an official name or lineup yet. While the bands set to visit Denver for SP’s event remain unknown, the mystery is appealing to eager music-lovers.

SP recently booked Wu-Tang Clan, Florence and the Machine, Childish Gambino, and Radiohead as headliners for Bonnaroo in Tennessee. In San Francisco, they booked The Who, A Tribe Called Quest, and Lana Del Rey for Outside Lands. Both festivals had well over 50 acts set to perform, and since their Denver project is set to span over the course of a weekend next September, the same could be expected in the Rocky Mountain state.

Colorado is not a novice to music festivals; it has been home to the Underground Music Showcase, Arise Festival, and more established music festivals like Riot Fest and Warped Tour. The coordinators at SP surely have the ability to host a music event in Colorado that will stand out, given their experience.

This upcoming festival will be the second new festival they are debuting. Earlier this year, they produced the first annual Lost Lake Festival in Phoenix. Denver Post blog The Know spoke to Executive Director of Denver Special Events Katy Starscina about her visit to LLF. “It gave me some excitement for what they are going to come up with in Denver,” Starscina said.

This festival is set to be an annual event for at least five years and will include visiting and local acts. The city of Denver would also be benefiting off of the event, as they are set to profit from a portion of the ticket sales.

It is still hard to tell what exactly will be offered at the festival other than music. However, if it is anything like SP’s past productions, interactive art installations and comedians should be expected. SP also partnered with Comedy Central to host Colossal Clusterfest, a comedy and music event in San Francisco.

According to the Denver Post, 30–40 thousand people are expected daily for the festivities. Ticket scalpers are probably shaking in anticipation, so be sure to get tickets early. In the meantime, SP’s past ventures provide a good example for what Denver can expect next fall: music, comedy, and interactive art. Could this be Denver’s version of Coachella? Maybe, but just be sure to not wear Native American headdresses; don’t be ignorant, it’s 2017.

Photo: Korina Rojo – CU Sentry