Denver’s brand new massive three-day music festival kicks off tomorrow with six different performance areas — including three massive stages. The SuperFly-produced (Outsidelands, Bonnaroo) event is celebrating its inaugural year in the Mile High city, taking place in Overland Park just outside of downtown. Over the course of three days Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine and many more musicians are performing. When you throw craft cocktails, beer, art and South Park, into the mix, you have Grandoozy.
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Grandoozy isn’t as spread out as some massive music festivals can be — which can be a good thing and a bad thing. For attendees, the more compact layout will be easier on everyone’s legs, and navigating the festival won’t take as long as one might expect. But with six different activation areas including three massive stages, we’re interested to see how successfully SuperFly can prevent the noise bleeding from stage to stage.
The festival emphasizes a balance of music, art, food and booze — much of which is in the lens of Colorado, including about a dozen local musicians on the lineup. Throughout Grandoozy, attendees will stumble upon live mural paintings by local artists like Anna Charney and DINKC. The stage decorations are even designed by Denver artists and incorporate the stage names — Rock, Paper and Scissors. And finally — there’s an entire art installation/carnival game combo for the animated show South Park. Fans can play “Kick the Baby,” take a photo in front of Tom’s Rhinoplasty and so much more. The exhibit was originally shown at SuperFly’s comedy event Clusterfest, but the team thought it would be a great idea to take the installation to none other than Colorado for Grandoozy.
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Throughout the festival, you’ll find Illegal Pete’s, Snooze, Sweet Cow and many other Denver staples to feast on. The Arts + Crafts beer garden is decorated with real hops, creating a fun environment for the beer drinker. Next to Arts + Crafts is Flight School — Grandoozy’s craft cocktail program, appropriately designed like it’s ready for take-off. Curated by Denver bartender Chad Michael George, the bar features spirit flights including an all-Colorado spirit based sampling.
The location of the festival has some inherent perks — Overland Park is blanketed in vibrant green grass and populated with trees to provide shade. Throughout Overland Park, one may notice the differences in some grass patterns — subtle, but noticeable still. These circular patches are mounds that have been removed from the golf course. Grandoozy festival producer David Ehrlich stated that SuperFly worked in conjunction with Overland Park Golf Course to flatten the mounds — something he claims both parties wanted. Overland Park Golf Course isn’t the only community entity Grandoozy is working with, though. This year the festival teamed up with Love Hope Strength Foundation, Mo’ Betta Greens, Levitt Pavilion, Headcount (voter registration), Youth on Record (YOR) and many more. All have been encouraged to bring experiential setups, like YOR who is possibly bringing an on-site recording studio.
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For fans of dance music, The Break Room — which sports a stacked lineup of dance artists and even yoga— sports a 360-degree sound system. Other activations include the ’80s-themed ski lodge with ski-centric decorations and sponsor activations like a Bud Lite Dive Bar Lounge, a camping-themed Capital One Tent and more. The Capital One Tent includes an inside bar shaped like a giant cooler, projections of outdoor scenery on the domed-ceiling, a fake outdoor firepit and most importantly air conditioning. The banking corporation also has an elevated lounge for cardholders located on the side of the main stage — so if you have one of their cards bring it so you can get access. The ’80s Ski Lodge is hosting conversations throughout the weekend with Colorado entrepreneurs and athletes like Olympians Bobby Brown and Jeremy Bloom plus performances. In addition, just outside of the ’80s Ski Lodge, attendees have the opportunity to peruse Colorado outdoor brands such as Topo and Icelantic Skis. Topo has even created a limited-edition bag just for Grandoozy.
Grandoozy begins tomorrow at 1 p.m. The festival is taking place through Sunday night, concluding with a performance by Stevie Wonder. For a survival guide to the festival and more information go here. Three-day passes and single-day tickets are still available here.