Founder and co-director Peter Newlin says that putting on the festival this year has been a lot to take on, but he hopes the momentum he's building by doing so will continue for years to come. He envisions Denver Deluxe expanding with each iteration.
“It has always been important to build a sustainable festival so that we can continue to increase the music and arts budget every year based upon the success of the previous year," he explains. "This is the first year in four years, so let's get it off the ground and then see where it goes.”
Denver Deluxe was founded in 2016, with the most recent iteration in 2019. Newlin maintains that he could not have brought it back this year without the help of co-director Cassie Pinckney and the enabling presence of Gastamo founder Jean Philippe Failyau.
The 2023 musical lineup includes Langhorne Slim, Jade Bird, Mihali, Ballyhoo and Joe Purdy, among many others. Festivities will also include live painting on temporary mural stands, as well as food and drink from Illegal Pete's, Park Burger, New Belgium Brewing and more.
Newlin sees the festival as a way to give back to the community. Proceeds are designated to support Colorado UpLift, a nonprofit in the Denver community whose mission is to provide resources and mentorship to children in lower-income schools.
“UpLift has been around for over forty years in the Denver community," says Nicole Wirtz, the organization's director of revenue and strategic communication. “We serve about 4,000 students annually with five program areas that we offer free of charge.” Denver Deluxe is just a part of raising the $5 million that it takes to make that happen.
“It takes a love of Denver and a commitment to our communities and a reinvestment in the city, and there’s no one doing more beautiful work than Colorado UpLift,” Newlin says.
Although the festival has partnered with other nonprofits in the past, including Urban Peak and Denver Urban Gardens, the plan is to “continue to work with Colorado UpLift for the foreseeable future,” he adds.
Three ticket packages are available for Denver Deluxe, ranging from general admission to the Deluxe and Super Duper VIP tiers. While the Deluxe pass offers general admission access as well as two New Belgium beers and a Park Burger cheeseburger, the VIP tier allows access to a late-night set spotlighting Purdy at Park Burger. After the main stage on Walnut Street closes down at 8 p.m., holders of a VIP pass will be invited back to Park Burger for an intimate set from the singer-songwriter, followed by tunes from local DJ Erin Stereo until 11 p.m.
“I don’t think I have ever seen [Purdy] live,” says Newlin, “and it’s just supposed to be him and a guitar. We wanted to curate this special moment to conclude the day...and he’s a great storyteller, so it should be a pretty magical moment.”
Two stages — the main stage on Walnut and another at Park Burger — will open at 2 p.m., alternating artists throughout the day. “It's gonna be up-tempo, good vibes and a lot of happy-go-lucky music,” promises Newlin. "That's just the intention — to infuse a ton of joy.”
While Denver Deluxe will wrap up the Gastamo group’s upcoming programming for the time being — giving Newlin, Pinckney and other collaborators some much-needed rest — UpLift has several events scheduled for the near future. A career fair for students will be held on October 6 at Bear Valley Middle School and November 9 at Kepner Beacon Middle School; the nonprofit is still looking for presenters for each date. Those interested in volunteering can learn more on the UpLift website.
The partnership of Denver Deluxe, Colorado UpLift and Gastamo is serendipitous for Newlin, who assigned a mission statement to the upcoming festival: “It should be a place to cherish community, a place to remember how thankful we are to live in such a great city.”
Denver Deluxe, 2 to 11 p.m., Saturday, September 30, 26th and Walnut Street; tickets from $30 to $75.
