A Taste of Colorado has gone through many changes since it was introduced in 1983 as an addendum to the resurrected Festival of Mountain and Plain, which debuted in Denver's Civic Center Park in 1895 and had disappeared by 1912. While the revived Mountain and Plain portion of the Labor Day weekend celebration soon disappeared in a deluge of turkey legs and bad has-been bands, the Taste of Colorado became an annual tradition in Denver, even if mocking it as the "Waste of Colorado" became a tradition, too. But all that changed last year, when the Downtown Denver Partnership decided to give the Taste a facelift, booking far better bands and adding a VIP experience, moves that just earned A Taste of Colorado fourth place in USA Today's contest for the best food festivals in the country. The changes will continue at the 2019 festival, set for August 31 through September 2, with expanded food offerings and more vendors. One thing hasn't changed, though: It's still free to get a Taste.