New details: Overland music festival could pay Denver millions

Under the current proposal, Superfly would lock down Overland for its music festival for five years, starting in 2018.
2 min. read
The Madness at Main stage festival in 2009, which has no relation to the event proposed for Denver or Westminster. (Exit Photo Team/Wikimedia Commons)

The Madness at Main stage festival in 2009, which has no relation to the event proposed for Denver. (Exit Photo Team/Wikimedia Commons)

It's looking more and more certain that the organizer of Bonnaroo will bring a huge music festival to Overland Golf Course in Denver for multiple years. Now we have the latest details on what the organizers would pay to put the event in a city park.

Under the current proposal, Superfly would lock down Overland for its music festival for five years, starting in 2018. The expectation is that the three-day festival would attract 30,000 to 60,000 people per day.

Superfly would rent out and likely close the golf course for five weeks each year. The company would pay:

  • $200,000 per year to the city's golf program
  • About $180,000 to $420,000 per year to build golf infrastructure (That's $2 per ticket)
  • About $1 million to $2 million per year into the city's general fund (That's 10 percent of ticket revenues, the standard tax on tickets in Denver)
  • About $100,000 to $200,000 per year for community improvements (That's $1 per ticket)

The proposed contract would require that some of that money create discounts for golfers who can't use the park. The event is set to include music, food, art and other culture. AEG originally was a partner, but isn't involved any more.

The proposed contract goes before the Denver City Council's committee on land use on June 20. It would go to the full council later.

Check out our earlier coverage of the debate over whether the event is appropriate for the venue.

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