With Beacon, Nocifera and Champion wanted to encapsulate the freewheeling, accepting spirit they encountered at such festivals as Burning Man. And they found the perfect audience in the Mile High City, where they connected with local artists to fill their club with immersive installations, creating a conversational atmosphere that also lends itself to premier partying. "I don't think we realized how powerful it would be to Denver," Nocifera reflected on Beacon's one-year anniversary. "But I think whenever you create a place where you would want to be, inevitably you're gonna love it no matter what."
That means the next venture will be just as close to their hearts, and if the city is aligned with the Beacon, the new club should have a straight shot to success. When we walked through the space with Nocifera and Champion in September, they weren't ready to share either the address or the name of the spot with the public, but their vision was impressive even without such details.
Beacon owners Robert Champion and Mario Nocifera are in the midst of opening a new club.
Emily Ferguson
"Imagine a loungey space that is primarily brick & hardwood, has warm lighting, and is known for class but majorly loaded with quirks," the owners wrote in an application for artists who want to collaborate with the venue. "The story begins with: Welcome to our 1920s dream house, where when you enter via the chimney, or a fluffy cloud, you’ll find that everything in this house has gone terribly…right."
While Beacon is currently RiNo's late-night haven, Champion and Nocifera hope to capture more of the daytime, early-afternoon and evening crowds with the new club. "It's the same principle in terms of how people treat each other and how authentic we want people to feel free to be. The sound will be perfect, the lighting will be highly intentional, and that gives people a draw to connect with each other," Champion told us. "But some of the major thematic differences will be that it'll be more of a lounge, something that offers a little bit more warmth, and more caters to a broader range of audiences, especially in the earlier hours."
As at Beacon, though, the owners will put an emphasis on patrons coming to connect with others and find their tribe. Nocifera furthers that mission with his podcast, Heroic Hospitality, in which he's interviewed everyone from Youth on Record's Jami Duffy to chef Troy Guard.
So keep your eye out: A brand-new venue is on the horizon, and with Champion and Nocifera behind it, it's bound to be the city's next top club. As Nocifera promised: "The secret sauce is coming with us." Other People to Watch in 2024:
JR Payne, Head Coach of CU Women's Basketball
Andrea Gibson, Colorado's New Poet Laureate
Dede de Percin, Head of Colorado Village Collaborative
Thoa and An Nguyen, Chefs Doing It Their Way
