The first-ever Outside Festival took place over the weekend in the heart of downtown Denver. This new event billed itself as a one-of-a-kind celebration of everything outdoors, featuring music, films, speakers, and gear. The festival is designed for beginners and experts alike, with experiences and inspiration for climbers, hikers, cyclists, skiers, and the everyday recreationists.
The Outside Festival is driven by a partnership between Outside Interactive Inc., The State of Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Office, and Visit Denver — all with a shared desire to make the outdoors more accessible and more inclusive.
The climber’s corner had three unique walls featuring competitions, demonstrations and clinics for athletes of all abilities; Film x Ideas were held inside the Denver Art Museum for inspiring documentaries and powerful speakers. The lineup of well known guests included swimmer Diana Nyad, Snowboarder Shaun White, filmmaker Jimmy Chin, mountaineer, alpinist and climber Conrad Anker and other well known figures in the sports world.
The main stage music venue hosted all-day performances from local and national artists. These artists included Thundercat, Say She She, Nathanial Riley, The Heavy Heavy and DJ Quiet Light. There was also a travel and adventure hub and wellness experience area where participants could find good food and drink as well as to take part in yoga classes with instructors from CorePower yoga, take part in innovative mobility sessions from Black Lab Sports and recharge and cool off in Finnish-style cold plunges from Redwood Outdoors.
