In Denver, Festivals and Food Are on the Rise

On a recent Tuesday evening, diners surrounded marble-topped bistro tables at Chez Maggy in the new Thompson hotel, open since February in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood. The draw: the opportunity to taste the chef Ludo Lefebvre’s classic French fare — garlicky escargot, curry-tinged mussels frites, duck breast à l’orange — at his first venture outside of Los Angeles.

The restaurant and the hotel are among the fresh crop of ventures gaining buzz in this gateway city to the Rocky Mountains, which has reclaimed its prepandemic vibrancy. And visitors are welcomed with open arms: By year’s end, Denver International Airport — which the trade group Airports Council International recently ranked as the world’s third busiest facility — will have 39 additional gates, increasing capacity by 30 percent.

Tempting travelers are a slew of new cultural offerings, hotels and restaurants, plus the return of favorite events. An anticipated two-year renovation and revitalization of downtown’s 16th Street Mall was launched this spring, and once it is completed, wider sidewalks and new infrastructure should restore the appeal of this 40-year-old pedestrian thoroughfare, which had lost its luster.

Festivals resume

Thanks to Denver’s ample sunshine, numerous festivals and events take place outside, and annual favorites returned in full force this year, including June’s PrideFest and July’s Underground Music Showcase. The year-round First Friday Art Walks in the Art District on Santa Fe, which drew up to 20,000 gallery hoppers before the pandemic, are regaining their popularity, with the heart of the action among the eclectic galleries and boutiques that line Santa Fe Drive between 5th and 11th streets.

After two years of mostly drive-in showings, Denver Film presents its annual Film on the Rocks series at the Red Rocks amphitheater (through Aug. 15) and, after a two-year hiatus, will hold its adults-only Summer Scream event (Aug. 25) at the vintage Lakeside Amusement Park northwest of downtown; besides unlimited rides, actors will spotlight the park’s almost 125 years of history. Outdoor film buffs can experience an offshoot of Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga called Goatflix and Chill at Denver’s second-oldest cemetery, Fairmount, which has parkland among its 280 acres. (A herd of goats nuzzles viewers during the screenings.)

From Sept. 5 to 11, Art RiNo, a new festival, debuts in the RiNo (River North) Arts District with six new outdoor murals (adding to the…