City Park Jazz Bandstand Scorched by Fire

A popular bandstand at City Park will be “a total loss” after a fire destroyed the structure early this morning, March 26, according to organizers of City Park Jazz.

In a Facebook post shortly after 10 a.m., City Park Jazz organizers shared a photo and details of the aftermath. According to the post, the bandstand was nearly 100 years old, and was going to play a big part in the fortieth anniversary of the beloved summer music series.

“Last night around 2:30 am, the bandstand at City Park was destroyed in a fire. Denver Police and Fire Departments are still on scene and an investigation is underway,” the post reads. “What we do know as of right now is that the structure — originally built back in 1929 — is a total loss. But that doesn’t mean our 40th Anniversary season is.”

The Denver Fire Department was called to the scene at around 2:40 a.m., according to DPD operations chief Ryan Murphy. An investigation will be underway soon, he says, and DFD and police are asking witnesses or anyone with video footage to come forward.

“The structure was fully engulfed when we got there, unfortunately,” Murphy says.

According to Murphy, the fire was largely contained to “just the bandstand and the balcony around it, so to speak,” and he did not believe the damage extended further.

City Park Jazz organizers say their board of directors will with city officials “to ensure we can do everything in our power to have this incredible celebration of community again this summer.”

“We have a great team in place for this. We’re evaluating our options for mobile stage set ups, power needs, and how we’ll adjust our footprint in City Park accordingly,” the statement adds.

City Park Jazz is a nonprofit, and the fire damage will add additional costs that were not originally in the program’s annual budget, the organization says. Anyone who wants to help is asked to donate at cityparkjazz.org/united4jazz.