Levitt Pavilion announces initial lineup for free outdoor summer concerts

In addition to Levitt’s free concerts, the nonprofit music venue will host ticketed outdoor concerts by Elvis Costello, Big Time Rush and more.
3 min. read
Levitt Pavilion at the bottom of Ruby Hill. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Time to break out your coolers and Crazy Creeks -- Levitt's summer music series is back!

Every summer, Levitt Pavilion stages 50 free, open-lawn concerts out of its outdoor amphitheater in Ruby Hill Park. Music lovers can bring their own picnic blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy live music and food from local vendors.

This week, the nonprofit music venue announced the first wave of concerts in its 2022 Free Summer Concert Series. The shows will begin on May 13 and run through early October.

This year's lineup will feature a number of Spanish language and Colorado-based acts. Performers include Son Rompe Pera, Black Uhuru, Femi Kuti, La Santa Cecilia, Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival, frequent Steve Martin and Martin Short collaborators Steep Canyon Rangers, and more. More concert dates will be added in the coming months, and some headliners and supporting acts are subject to change.

"After experiencing a year without live music in 2020, then an extremely arduous but gratifying comeback season in 2021, we are thrilled to enter our fifth season of providing family-friendly outdoor concerts where our friends and neighbors can reconnect," Levitt Pavilion Executive Director and Founder Chris Zacher said in a statement.

"With the tenuous economic situation our country is facing, free all-ages concerts are an essential meeting ground for our community to come together free of financial barriers. This year, we're focused on the ways we can provide truly exceptional live music experiences to our audience that would otherwise pose a financial challenge. We're not just putting on free concerts, we're working to put on some of the best concerts around, period," Zacher added.

This year, Levitt Pavilion is also partnering with Live Nation Colorado to produce a number of ticketed concerts by acts like Tears for Fears, Elvis Costello and Big Time Rush.

You can RSVP to free shows on Levitt's website starting a month before concert dates. Starting Friday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m., you can also purchase VIP tickets, which get you premium seats to free Levitt Pavilion shows.

Here's Levitt's initial summer concert schedule:

Levitt Pavilion 2022 Free Summer Concert Series

May 13: Son Rompe Pera

May 20: Black Uhuru with Dylans Dharma plus special guest Selasee & The Fafa Family

May 22: La Santa Cecilia

May 26: Los Amigos Invisibles

June 3: Mark Farina

June 9: Della Mae with Jacob Jolliff Band

June 10: Steep Canyon Rangers

June 11: Calexico

June 12: Kutandara with Maputo Mensah and Logo Ligi

June 15: Femi Kuti and the Positive Force

June 19: Blitzen Trapper with Laney Jones

Sept. 24: Cool Vibes Reggae Fest

Sept 25: Viva Southwest Mariachi Festival

Live Nation Colorado's Levitt Pavilion Denver 2022 Ticketed Concert Schedule

May 14: Big Head Todd & The Monsters with The Samples & Freddy Jones Band

May 29: Tears for Fears with Garbage

July 24: STS9: Walk the Sky

Aug. 16: Big Time Rush

Aug. 23: Elvis Costello & the Imposters with Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets

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