Colfax Carousal is back this Saturday, September 19, bringing 34 bands to East Colfax Avenue in what organizers describe as a grassroots DIY music festival built to keep the historic strip’s independent venues buzzing. Wristband check-in starts at 5 p.m. sharp at Illegal Pete’s, 2001 East Colfax Avenue, with music kicking off around 6:30 p.m. near Colfax and Race Street and running until 1 a.m.
The festival nearly doubled its lineup from last year’s debut, which featured 18 local bands playing three venues, according to Westword. This year’s roster is listed as 34 bands by Lion’s Lair. White Rose Motor Oil is set to play Illegal Pete’s at 6:45 p.m., according to a listing on Bandsintown.
Where exactly the noise will echo from is a point of some confusion. The festival’s own website states the lineup spans seven venues strung along what it calls the longest, wickedest street in America, per Colfax Carousal’s website, while the Denver Post reports the 34 bands are spread across six venues. Participating spots named across event listings include Illegal Pete’s, Lion’s Lair, The Squire Lounge, Tight End Bar, Good Bones and DNVR Bar, per the same Lion’s Lair event page.
A Festival Built From Construction Headaches
Colfax Carousal wasn’t dreamed up in a vacuum. Denver’s Bus Rapid Transit Project, which began in late 2024, strained Colfax businesses and venues. Bands, venues and organizers banded together to stage the inaugural festival…