Emily Ferguson
Audio By Carbonatix
As Jerry Garcia once sang, “The music never stopped.”
The Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs can move forward with its 2026 concert season after it was issued a noise hardship permit on May 5.
This is the third noise hardship permit the venue has received since it opened in the Polaris Pointe neighborhood in August 2024. This time, the permit was issued to the nonprofit VENU Arts and Culture Foundation, after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled last fall that private companies would not be exempt from state noise pollution laws. The permit allows the 8,000-capacity outdoor venue to exceed the maximum volume required by city code during concerts until 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“The data consistently shows our compliance with applicable law, and the hardship permit for Polaris Pointe allows us to ensure a consistent fan experience while we conduct ongoing monitoring, including follow-up investigations of any reported noise issues,” says VENU Arts & Culture Foundation spokesman Bill Jaffee in a statement.
After its opening weekend, the venue faced 144 noise complaints, and a neighborhood organization called Ford Hurts Families formed to air grievances with Mayor Yemi Mobolade. Over the past two years, there have been thousands of complaints, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
According to a report from Colorado Springs officials, “data from the 2025 season shows sound levels generally operating within established criteria.” It noted that “a limited number of short-duration exceedances have been identified at the Front of House monitoring location within the venue, specifically during isolated five-minute intervals,” and that sound levels were immediately adjusted in real time.
“Based on the data reviewed to date,” the report continued, “VENU is not subject to any penalties outlined in the January 2025 mitigation and monitoring agreement with the City of Colorado Springs.”
After its opening year, VENU spent millions on noise mitigation, including adding a sound wall and remote noise-monitoring stations. VENU also commissioned a survey of residents while campaigning for a Senate bill that would allow local governments to implement noise standards and issue exemptions; that proposal failed to pass the Colorado Legislature.
In the meantime, eight residents have an ongoing public-nuisance lawsuit against amphitheater founders Notes Live, the nonprofit Notes Live Foundation and Sunset Amphitheater LLC, which owns the building, for exceeding the state’s Noise Abatement Act.
According to the lawsuit, “Plaintiffs, especially those with young children, are concerned about using their outdoor spaces or opening their windows or doors during concerts, thereby exposing themselves and their families to invasive, expletive-laced lyrics at levels exceeding statewide standards.”
The Ford’s 2026 season will kick off on Thursday, May 14, with comedian John Mulaney. More shows include Turnpike Troubadours, Alex Warren, Yo-Yo Ma, The Black Crowes, Sublime, Dierks Bentley, Alison Krauss, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more.
VENU is planning to open a venue in Centennial next year; it’s also looking at adding a facility in northern Colorado.
