It’s the 39th year for the Colorado Black Arts Festival, scheduled for Friday, July 11 to Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the West End of Denver’s City Park. Multiple stages will showcase the finest local and regional talent performing jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, dance, and gospel. In addition, festival-goers will find a wide variety of artwork for sale, as well as food, games and services.
Source: Colorado Black Arts Festival
Throughout the festival, the four stages Kuumba (Main) Stage, brother jeff’s Cultural Center Stage., Joda Village Stage and the Gospel Stage, feature a variety of performers.
These include headliner Adam Hawley on the Kuumba Stage on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Simba appears on the Joda Village Stage on Saturday at 3 p.m. And Daryl Walker & The Legacy Ensemble perform on the Gospel Stage on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Watu Sakoni (People’s Marketplace) is the place for unique gifts, crafts, woodcarvings, clothing, jewelry, oils, incense, music and books.
A Children’s Pavilion provides hands-on fun for the younger set hosted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, Art Garage and more.
The Food Court serves up affordable dishes from the American South, the African continent, the Caribbean and American faves.
Admission is FREE.
Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Parking Info
Parking is available in the park and in the blocks surrounding the West end of City Park with the three main gates at 17th Ave. Park Esplanade, 21st and York, and next to the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument.
Please observe all City of Denver rules and regulations regarding vehicle parking. Be kind to the neighborhood residents and not block driveways or alleyways. Vehicles not following these rules will be subject to tow.
Public transportation is encouraged.
Road Closures and Parking Restrictions
NEW! The festival has had to pivot to provide additional shade for our vendors and festival patrons. As a result, the diagonal roadway running from the Martin Luther King Memorial to Cottonwood Circle at 21st avenue will be closed to vehicles, bikes, and motorized transportation from July 11 to 13.
NEW! To accommodate the flow of traffic in the park there will now be two ways to exit the park during the festival. The exits will be at 21st Avenue and 17th and Esplanade ONLY.
The ONLY entry point for vehicles on the West side of the park will be at the 23rd Avenue gate. The traffic will flow as a one way. Which means any patrons at the tennis courts will need to exit and TURN LEFT to exit the park at 17th and Esplanade. PLEASE DO NOT GO RIGHT and exit at the 21st Avenue gate. It will cause a traffic jam.
Parks and Recreation has made the decision to close access to the park at the tennis courts entrance from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 13. This is to assist with the influx of traffic during the simultaneous operations of City Park Jazz and the Colorado Black Arts Festival.
Leave a Reply