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Blucifer’s First Rodeo, a newly-announced local music festival, will gallop into Denver this summer. That’s according to a February 24 Instagram announcement. And the location and dates of this rodeo might sound familiar: It will be on Broadway in late July.
If the festival falls on the weekend of July 24-26 (as was suggested on its now-changed website), it’ll coincide with the revived Underground Music Showcase, which held its 25th anniversary festival on that same stretch of Broadway last summer.
In 2025, the Underground Music Showcase was billed as “the last UMS in it’s current form.” And it was. At least, on Broadway.
Jordan Altergott (@jordanaltergott)
On February 9, 2026, the Underground Music Showcase announced that it’s coming back and moving to RiNo, where it will be held in assorted venues the weekend of July 25-27. Two Parts, the marketing and production company that bought into the UMS over a decade ago, will remain an owner, but the other portion of the festival that was owned by Youth on Record has been transferred to the RiNo Business District.
Does Denver Need a Local-First Festival? Blucifer’s First Rodeo Thinks, Yes.
In opposition to what some consider the no-longer-Underground Music Showcase, Blucifer’s First Rodeo is returning to the spirit of what UMS once was: a DIY, locals event. The festival, named after that devilish horse out at Denver International Airport, is so on the down-low that its organizers are letting social media do all the talking… for now. When contacted by Westword, they declined to comment or announce festival dates, though they said they’ll provide more information soon.
“The horse is out of the bag,” the Instagram announcement for the July festival states. (We prefer the traditional saying “out of the barn”…or “bar,” more appropriately, given the venues that have signed on.)
Bar 404, Skylark, hi-dive, HQ, Seventh Circle, Sputnik, Ten Penny and Wax Trax will all be official Blucifer venues.
“Blucifer’s First Rodeo, a new festival run by artists, is coming to Denver this summer, spotlighting DIY culture and South Broadway,” the post reads. “Our big goal is to throw a party that invites the larger Denver community to experience how all our diverse and talented scenes of live local music happen all year round. We are too busy to worry about being ‘anti’ any other festival. We are busy making this a big comeback on South Broadway (and a little bit beyond), a big summer holiday for the many scenes of Denver music, and everyone in Denver is invited to learn how this community is fun as hell all the time.”
The announcement nods at the possibility that this could be interpreted as a spite fest — especially if the dates ultimately announced coincide with UMS in RiNo
In the meantime, folks in the local music scene — including musicians, concert photographers, and venue owners — are showing their excitement in the comments section.
Cheers include, “LETS RIDE 🔥 Such a wonderful idea,” “I LOVE SOUTH BROADWAY AND ALL THESE VENUES AND LOCAL ART!! HELL YEAH DUDES,” and “Giddddyy up!”
