Princess Traci Johnson and Diamond the mini unicorn. The first-annual Unicorn Festival in Clement Park, Littleton. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
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Princess Traci Johnson and Diamond the mini unicorn. The first-annual Unicorn Festival in Clement Park, Littleton, on June 25, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
On Sunday morning, eager children and adults formed massive lines to enter the metro-area's first-ever Unicorn Festival. There wasn't a parking spot to be found anywhere around in Littleton's Robert F. Clement Park.
"The crowds here are so much bigger than we anticipated," said founder Dana Cain, who gave a brief interview before disappearing into the glittery crowd.
Young Paisley meets Ariel the mermaid. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Festivalgoers young and old were treated to a litany of magic inside the fairgrounds. Princesses, princes, fairies and at least one wizard could be seen floating through the crowds. A mermaid bay, a Quidditch pitch, sword fights and a dragon completed the scene.
"I hope they find it a very magical, uplifting place," Cain said. To be sure, this reporter witnessed multiple children in princess costumes become glowing beams of sunlight when they met fairy tale idols.
The fairy queen leads a group of smaller fairies on a parade through the festival. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Terek Milligan and his daughter Paige behold a skyful of bubbles. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Aiden (left) and Soren battle in the sword ring. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Prince Charming says he's on a mission to find Cinderella. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Team Gryffindor scores a point on the Quidditch pitch. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
A castle was inflated on the horizon. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Princess Squeaky dances with a bunch of smaller princesses in the "princess palace." (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Kids get airborne in a bouncy castle. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Long lines meant a lot of demand for unicorns. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Performers from the Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center leads a dragon through the audience. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
The Colorado Asian Culltural Heritage Center performs. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
The Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center performs in lion costumes. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Corynn has become a hip unicorn. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)
Kevin is a multimedia artist who flung himself into the world of journalism. He likes using a camera and microphone to tell stories about workers, the environment, social justice and fascinating humans.
