Superfly Festival Opponent Invites City Council Over to Hear Levitt Pavilion Noise

Marilyn Barela is having a party, and she expects Denver City Council members to be there. The occasion? She wants them to hear how loud Levitt Pavilion concerts are and to persuade them to vote against a proposed massive Superfly music festival at the Overland Golf Course.

"The Levitt Pavilion concerts have destroyed our peace and quiet," she wrote in a letter she sent to council. And the three-day music festival would make matters worse.

The possible festival, which has raised the ire and interest of residents of the Overland Park neighborhood and the golfing community that uses the public course, would attract as many as 80,000 people to the neighborhood. Backers are touting it as a public-private partnership that would help fund the golf course into the future and bring more money to Denver. Opponents fear it will attract crime, cause a parking nightmare and disrupt the quiet community, all while selling out a public park to a private corporation.

"We cannot tolerate any more noise," Barela wrote. "You were elected to stand up and look out for the well-being of the citizens of Denver, not the private corporate interests of Denver Festivals, LLC (Superfly)."

Barela was among the festival's opponents who suffered through six hours of a city council meeting on Monday, July 24, waiting to speak against the possible event. She wants one last chance to tell the councilmembers to vote against the festival.

"This is such an abomination, this whole Overland Golf Course," Barela tells Westword. "It's just horrible. This is my last plea to these councilpeople to realize the effect on our community."

For any councilmembers who come, Barela will treat them to a nice spread of beverages: Perrier, La Croix, beer, water and frappuccino — all sealed, she assures them.

But so far, no councilors have responded to her invitation. To them, she says, "Please don't let me down."