Since 1995, the Westword Music Showcase has turned into a staple live music gathering of local and national musical talents.
The 2020s, however, haven't been kind to the city's Showcase. Westword recently announced that the show will take a break in 2023 as a result of Denver's changing landscape.
"It's been hit hard by Denver's explosive growth, which has swallowed up every parking lot and vacant field where we could host a big music festival," wrote publisher Scott Tobias and founding editor Patricia Calhoun in their announcement earlier this week.
This is only the second time that the Showcase has been canceled in its 27 year run. The first time was in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The Showcase has been hosted in three different locations over the years: 8 years in LoDo, 17 years in Golden Triangle and twice in RiNo.
When it first moved to RiNo in 2021, Tobias, who has overseen the Showcase since its inception, spoke about the festival's departure from the Golden Triangle.
"The reality is that we lost a partner," Tobias said. "The land in the Golden Triangle where the two main stages were going to be is getting developed. The developers were great; they were trying to make something work. But as we looked at it, we knew we were always going to go to RiNo at some point."
For the first time, the Showcase was expanded to two days when it moved to RiNo and featured more than 50 local musical acts across bars, clubs and outdoor venues in the arts district.
Westword will still be hosting its Out to Brunch event on June 10 and Tacolandia event on August 19.
"The show must go on...but how and where?..." they wrote. "And to all the musicians, venues and sponsors who made those events possible, our heartfelt thanks."
