Audio By Carbonatix
Denver is experiencing a creative surge, say Timothy Arguello and Stephen Jones, the brains behind the Denver Taco Festival. “Denver’s culture is a melting pot of all these cool things happening from the coasts,” Jones says, and their street party will be no exception. Revelers will chase tacos with tequila, race Chihuahuas and cheer on lucha libre wrestlers imported from Mexico. The pair looks forward to a full-contact hot-pepper-eating trivia challenge, during which “you can eat a hot pepper to stay alive,” Arguello says. He notes that the habanero will boast the highest Scoville rating of any pepper they use; while habaneros can definitely sear your mouth, they’re unlikely to do any permanent damage.
Dubbing themselves “social capitalists,” Arguello and Jones plan to cash in on the “Spanish-Mexican flavor” of Denver culture, though the festival is not specifically Mexican, they note. They plan to share their earnings with small nonprofits. “The business model that we came up with is to give more than you get,” Jones says.
Bands including the Dendrites, the Trainwreckers, Champion and Blow the Vault have volunteered to play for the enterprise. Festivities kick off at 12 p.m. today at 3200 Larimer Street. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. For more information, go to denvertacofestival.com or call 320-420-3230.
Sat., June 28, 12-6 p.m.; Sun., June 29, 12-6 p.m., 2014
