Metalheads, rejoice! Unhinged Festival will visit Denver for the first time this summer, joining new and returning events that are bolstering the Front Range’s buffet-style music scene.
Unhinged Fest will play the National Western Stockyards July 26-27, with a roster of metal, hardcore and post-punk bands like Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, In This Moment, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Body Count, Power Trip, and more (full lineup and tickets available at axs.com).
Despite a sleepy period just after the holidays, the Denver festival scene has ramped up in recent weeks with news of Unhinged and other large events debuting in or returning to Denver; see the retooled, three-day Punk in the Park (July 18-20, also at National Western Stockyards) and the 5th annual Deadbeats Backyard Jamboree (Zeds Dead & Friends, July 4 at Civic Center park).
Englewood, which has seen an inflow of Denver businesses over the past year or two, will also host a music festival, Swallow Hill Music’s first Indiewood Street Festival on June 7. The day-long party, headlined by Kiltro, will takes place near South Broadway and West Hampden.
The announcements belie a wary festival circuit that has gone increasingly niche to attract crowds. Denver does not have a Coachella or a Bonnaroo — two national festivals that feature a wide range of genres and music lovers — but we do have the 25th, indie-focused Underground Music Showcase, which highlights 200-plus up-and-coming acts (July 25-27 along South Broadway), and further afield, the FoCoMx Music Festival, with a whopping 420 performances on 40 stages (April 18-19 in Fort Collins).
Denver has not supported many new, mainstream festivals in recent years, with examples such as Grandoozy and Vertex coming and going after only one year. Rolling Stone this week asserted “No, the SXSW Music Festival Is Not Dead” as organizers vowed that the sprawling, Austin event would return in 2026 with a single week of scaled-back programming (instead of two, as usual).
While it appeared that Colorado was facing some festival fatigue, with individual bookings at amphitheaters and venues such as Mission Ballroom, replacing larger events, that may not have been the case as stalwarts such as Telluride Blues & Brews, JAS Aspen Snowmass Experience, Bravo! Vail and Country Jam joining the new(er) events.