Red Alert Tonight: Colorado Venues Light Up for the RESTART Act

Colorado's live-entertainment venues, which are bleeding from COVID-19 closures, will shine red tonight.

From 9 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, September 1, they will join 1,500 venues around the country as part of #WeMakeEvents, #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA's effort to get the United States Congress to pass the RESTART Act, which would offer economic relief to the live-events industry.

Since the pandemic forced many venues to close their doors in March, as many as twelve million people in the live-events industry around the country are currently unemployed, furloughed, or have lost up to 90 percent of their income. The world's largest concert promoters have reported a 98 percent loss of revenue from the pandemic.

The RESTART Act is a bill that would extend the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses with fewer than 500 full-time employees that suffered a decline in revenues of at least 25 percent. 

Tuesday night's event also supports the volunteer-based group ExtendPUA.org in its efforts to extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to provide relief to those without work because of COVID-19.

Boulder-based national nonprofit Conscious Alliance will be providing meals on September 1 to live-events-industry workers across the Front Range experiencing the devastating consequences of closures.

A similar #WeMakeEvents Red Alert event was held in the U.K. on August 11, when more than 700 buildings were lit up in red, calling attention to a similar plight.


Currently confirmed Colorado venues and buildings include:

Aspen: Wheeler Opera House
Avon: Avon Performance Center
Boulder: 1STBANK Center, Boulder Bandshell, Boulder Theater, City Hall, Fox Theatre
Colorado Springs: Black Sheep, Broadmoor Arena, BruesAleHouse and Music Venue, Colorado College Fine Arts Center, Pikes Peak Center
Denver: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Archipelago Clubs (2435 7th St), Armory Denver, Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, Daniels & Fisher Tower, Dazzle, Denver Convention Center, Denver Pavilions, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver Theatre District, Empower Field at Mile High, Globe Hall, Knew Conscious, Larimer Lounge, Lost Lake, McNichols Building, Mission Ballroom, Paramount Theatre, Pepsi Center, Union Station
Dillion: Dillon Amphitheater
Fort Collins: Aggie Theatre, Avogadro's, Bud Event Center/Ranch, Colorado Room, Comedy Fort, Lincoln Center, The Armory, The Coast
Greeley: UNCO Norton Theatre
Paonia: Blue Sage Center for the Arts, Paonia Town Park Stage, The Paradise
Telluride: Liberty, Sheridan Opera House, Telluride Town Park
Winter Park: Ullrs Tavern

Colorado companies involved with #WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART include:

7S Management, Blooming Footprint, BRICONIC Productions, Brown Note Productions, Conscious Alliance, Eddy Sound, Encompass Event Group, Lifestyle Events, Longevity Productions, Multimedia Audio Visual, Night Lights Denver, Production Resource Group (VER), Production Services International, Rogue Productions, Spectrum Audiovisual, Symbiotic Events, Wiseman Event Services, Z2 Entertainment.