After being canceled in 2020 and moving to a new format in 2021 that saw events scattered throughout downtown, Taste of Colorado will return to Civic Center Park for its 2022 edition — though that wasn't the original plan.
A Denver Labor Day weekend tradition, this year's festival was set to take place September 3-5 on the 16th Street Mall. As of August 1, that venue was still listed on both the Downtown Denver Partnership's website as well as the event's website. But the Taste is definitely moving.
"Unfortunately, due to the 16th St. Mall construction, Taste of Colorado will be held at Civic Center Park," says Tyree Johnson, office coordinator for the Downtown Denver Partnership.
The move may not be all that unfortunate, though, as it means that the festival can return to the site where it had been held from 1983 — the year it was resurrected to celebrate the opening of the 16th Street Mall — through 2019. The Taste was initially billed as a comeback of the Festival of Mountain and Plain, which ran from 1895 to 1902, then briefly returned in 1912. But over the years, that earlier identity has all but disappeared.
The 2022 Taste of Colorado at Civic Center Park will include five music stages and performances from over sixty artists, though the final lineup has yet to be announced.
The Arts & Crafts Marketplace will have over fifty local artisan booths, and more than thirty food trucks and restaurant vendors are slated to be on hand — a definite drop from previous years, but turkey legs are sure to make an appearance. The Greek Theater inside the park will become a "speakeasy," according to the Downtown Denver Partnership, with spirits from local craft distilleries. Admission is free, even if food and beverages are not.
Taste of Colorado Will Return to Civic Center Park (westword.com)