As days become longer and the nights warmer, the city’s best free concerts are moving outdoors. Denver is brimming with opportunities to enjoy live music, from relaxed park performances to more structured amphitheater events that bring the community together under the stars. The city offers the perfect soundtrack to your summer evenings. Here are a few of our favorites.
City Park Jazz
Set along the shoreline of City Park’s Ferril Lake, this gathering stands out for its long-standing commitment to showcasing only Colorado-based musicians—a policy put forth by a few enterprising neighbors that relaunched the historic event nearly four decades ago. Today, thousands descend on the grassy knolls of Denver’s largest park to enjoy a summer lineup that spans the many styles of jazz, from soulful big band to the groove-heavy rhythms of funk. The season kicks off on June 1 with Blessing Bled Chimanga, a Zimbabwean percussionist, vocalist, and composer celebrated for his masterful marimba playing—an instrument in the same family as the xylophone.
Museum of Outdoor Art
Each month, the Museum of Outdoor Art (MOA) hosts Bluegrass on the Green, a free concert series held in the museum’s adjacent green space on the north side of Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre called Marjorie Park. With more than forty works of art surrounding the stage, the park becomes a one-of-a-kind venue where art and music meet—and where you’re just as likely to pause for a sculpture as you are for a song. It’s a laid-back, come-as-you-are kind of evening where lawn chairs are about as VIP as it gets. Taking the stage July 23 is High Lonesome, considered one of Colorado’s top bluegrass bands. Then on August 20, Grammy-nominated Sister Sadie— an all-female powerhouse that’s played WinterWonderGrass—closes out the season.
Levitt Pavilion
Nestled in the heart of Ruby Hill Park, Levitt Pavilion brings a summer of free concerts that celebrate music in every form. What sets it apart? The lineup ranges from emerging local talent to artists who’ve headlined Red Rocks, covering genres as eclectic as the city itself. Bring a blanket, find a spot on the lawn, and prepare for an evening of unforgettable entertainment under Colorado’s natural light show, the stars. From hometown heroes like the Flobots on July 4 to international acts like Viva Southwest Mariachi, the lineup delivers something new each week. No matter your taste, odds are you’ll discover a sound that moves you.
