DATE
Labor Day Weekend
Friday, Aug. 29 through Monday, Sept. 1, 2008
HOURS (subject to change)
Friday: 4 pm to 10 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30 am to 10 pm
Monday: 10:30 am to 8 pm
LOCATION
Civic Center Park, Downtown Denver (intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway)
ADMISSION
FREE!
Tickets must be used to purchase food, beverages, and carnival rides.
View the 2007 A Taste of Colorado Web site.
INFO LINE
303-295-6330
Festival of Mountain and Plain … A Taste of Colorado is a community celebration that is produced by and benefits Downtown Denver Events, Inc., the Downtown Denver Partnership family’s community events non-profit organization. The Festival is an opportunity for people throughout the region to come together to experience and appreciate our diverse cultural traditions, and to learn more about our state’s Western heritage. The Festival highlights visual and performing arts in addition to featuring educational programs and culinary demonstrations.
HISTORY
Festival of Mountain and Plain ... A Taste of Colorado
Click to view larger version of these vintage Denver postcards.
1895-1902
Festival of Mountain and Plain was established and held in Downtown Denver's Civic Center Park. Originally a carnival similar to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, Festival of Mountain and Plain was created by the Chamber of Commerce to boost community spirit and pride following the silver panic of 1893. Local businessmen raised over $35,000 to put on the 3-day event. The Festival included a parade, a masked ball, fireworks from the D & F Tower, and hundreds of trade, social, and civic organization displays, exhibits, and demonstrations. Civic leaders along with their wives and daughters masqueraded as kings, queens, and princesses. Hundreds of people marched inside a block-long, dragon-like monster made of silver cloth. Slithering through the streets, the people sang the serpent's song. Forty thousand visitors rode the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to town to attend the Festival. Everyone hoped to make money during the annual event. Unfortunately, the Festival did not end the depression.
1902
The Festival folded when organizers were unable to obtain financial support. Cold weather and lackluster attendance contributed to its demise.
1912
An attempt was made to revive the event. However, when those efforts failed, committee members poured oil on City Park Lake and set the lake on fire. Competition from Cheyenne Frontier Days and the onset of the First World War made Festival of Mountain and Plain a thing of the past.
1983
Denver Partnership decided to bring back the spirit of the original Festival as the inaugural celebration of the opening of the 16th Street Mall. It was a celebration of Denver and Colorado's heritage, rich cultural and ethnic background, and the lifestyles of the region. The event was a success. Over 100,000 people attended the three-day event in mid-October and enjoyed the historic displays, traditional music and dance, children's rides, and outdoor food festivities (including a pancake breakfast with accompanying melodrama performance).
1984
A Taste of Colorado was added to the Festival of Mountain and Plain name and concept. The expanded event, highlighting the region's favorite restaurants and their specialties, proved an even greater success. The Festival was moved back to Civic Center Park in Downtown Denver. The historic theme was enhanced by the proximity to the Denver Public Library, the Colorado Heritage Center, the State Capitol, and the Denver Art Museum. Thirty-four restaurants, three stages, and 45 arts and crafts booths on the grounds entertained some 175,000 people who attended.
2005
Festival expanded to Lincoln Street, showcasing Lincoln Park and enhancing the event site.
2008
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of A Taste of Colorado. The Festival is a community celebration produced by Downtown Denver Events, Inc.
Festival of Mountain and Plain ... A Taste of Colorado stands proud as the end-of-summer celebration of community pride and spirit in the Denver region. Over 500,000 people make the four-day Festival their Labor Day Weekend celebration and enjoy the offerings of over 50 area restaurants, 250 marketplace artisans and vendors, seven stages, and educational programs promoting the diverse cultural and western heritage of the region — all for no admission fee.
