Denver news

The most striking sights we saw around Denver in 2024

Denver, it has been a year. Thanks for letting us tag along.
Denverite
9 min. read
A Populus Hotel guest in a window. Dec. 7, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Denver, it has been a year. Thanks for letting us tag along as you did your thing.

To celebrate another 12 months of important news, goofy characters and moments of joy, we present our annual year in photos:

  • Jesús Rafael Abreu, AKA Yupi the clown, and in his hotel room at the Western Motor Inn in Elyria Swansea. Jan. 19, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Maria Gabriela Alcina Figueroa watches as her partner, Jesús Rafael Abreu, unicycles back to their hotel room at the Western Motor Inn, in Elyria Swansea. Jan. 19, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Read Isaac's story about Yupi the clown and his long journey to the U.S.

  • A man who fled Venezuela and is living at a motel reconfigured as a shelter by the city near Denver International Airport. Feb. 5, 2024.
    Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
  • Yeslis Velazco stands outside a motel reconfigured as a shelter, with other new immigrants trying to find work and get settled. Feb. 5, 2024.
    Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu students run a dragon through Westwood's Far East Center during their annual Lunar New Year celebration. Feb. 10, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Frank Locantore has a Leap Day birthday. Feb. 27, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Dez brought us this nice story about Denver's Leap Day babies. See y'all again in 2028!

Blake Jackson (left) and Yonnas Abraham, creators of "A Love Letter to Black Liberation Part II the Red Carpet," wear suits by a pool in Abraham's Capitol Hill condo building. March 3, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Fontaine Swann stands outside in Northeast Park Hill on a cold day. March 14, 2024.
Kyle Harris/Denverite

Kyle and Rebecca went out to talk to everyone who wasn't afraid of a springtime snowstorm.

  • Noah Maxey attends a "goth takeover" of the Federal Boulevard Denny's. March 24, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

  • The crowd raises horned fists into the air during Cultus Black's set in Combichrist's "Only Death Is Immortal Tour" at Federal Boulevard's Kulture Music Hall. March 24, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin went to hang out at Goth Night at the Federal Boulevard Denny's.

Kyle Schtul (second from right) and her friends throw color in the air during the Hindu Temple of the Rockies' annual Holi celebration, held for the first time at Centennial Center Park. March 30, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Ahyanni McCray (left) and Sydney Odion-Smith stare at the partially eclipsed sun at Observatory Park near the University of Denver. April 8, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Remember that eclipse?

  • Carly Sullivan rides Ryan Wilson's shoulders after the University of Denver men's hockey team won it all. April 14, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • University of Denver fans burn a couch in the middle of Evans Avenue after the Pioneers beat Boston College. April 14, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin went to DU to document their craziness after the Pioneers won the NCAS Frozen Four hockey tournament.

Vio the Violinist plays Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" at Town Hall Collaborative as he tries out for Center Stage at the Center on Colfax's annual PrideFest in Civic Center Park. April 18, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Yelling protesters seen in the reflection of a Denver Police officer assisting in the arrests of protesters who occupied the Auraria Campus's Tivoli Quad to advocate for the end of Israel's offensive in Gaza. April 26, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

We covered a whole lot of protests about Israel's war in Gaza.

  • Auraria police arrest protesters on the quad. April 26, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Men pray on the Tivoli Quad lawn on the Auraria Campus as activists begin a planned occupation there. April 25, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
You are here: Denver Health Paramedic James Boyer outside Meow Wolf, May 6, 2024. Boyer trains new paramedics on how to get around Denver’s not-always-logical street layout.
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Rebecca went to paramedic school to learn how they learn Denver's streets. Think you've got it down? You should try her navigation quiz.

Crane operator and TikTok phenom Anthony Villalobos climbs down from his rig over a Sun Valley construction site. May 24, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kyle talked to the Colorado Crane Guy who has the best office views in the city.

  • Jenny Alvarez takes her son, Osiel, by the hand as they head into Florence Crittenton High School's graduation ceremony at the Auraria Campus' King Center. May 28, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • East High School's graduating class goes wild as their end-of-year ceremony concludes at the Denver Coliseum. May 21, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kyle, Rebecca and Kevin brought us some very sweet coverage of high school graduations.

Denverite’s Rebecca Tauber and Paolo Zialcita, and Rocky Raccoon, at Antiques Roadshow, May 29, at Chatfield Farms Arboretum.
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News

Rebecca and Paolo went to the Antiques Roadshow. And they brought our taxidermied raccoon.

Jonny Barber stands with his collection of Colfax Avenue signs. May 22, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin got to see Jonny Barber's backyard, which, as expected, was filled with Colfax Avenue goodies.

Franklin Stiger sits in his long-standing barber shop, which is separated by an unappreciated fence from Welton Street ahead of the Five Points Jazz Festival. June 7, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kyle spoke with barber Franklin Stiger, who was none too happy about Jazz Fest fencing outside his shop.

  • A top-down view of grasshoppers pinned to a white board, each with a little typed piece of paper beneath them.
    Grasshoppers collected in Colorado, now pinned and part of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's permanent collection. July 30, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • A close-up look at dead mosquitoes. They're piled on top of each other, a maw of wings, legs and abdomens; the image is surrounded by a black circle, so you know you're looking through a microscope
    Mosquitoes seen through a microscope in the Broomfield office of entomologist Michael "Doc" Weissmann, Ph.D. June 25, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The silhouettes of two people holding hands can be seen in the foreground as the sky behind them is illuminated by bright red fireworks.
Fireworks light up Ruby Hill Park on July 4th, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
A kid lays in the sand, covered by the sand, with his arms stretched out as if it were winter and he was making a snow angel.
El'heiris (8) lies in the sand during a very hot day at Confluence Park. July 12, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • A woman scrunches her face, clearly upset, in front of a glowing theater sign. She's in profile and lit from behind, so one lamp in this dark night illuminates the rim of her face and her eye, dramatically.
    Jolee Harston, an organizer of an effort to save the Esquire Theater, gets emotional before one of the theater's last screenings. July 12, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • The Esquire Theater's illuminated letters glow above a lone of people waiting on the sidewalk to get inside.
    People wait in a long line to see "2001: A Space Odyssey" at the Landmark Esquire Theatre. July 12, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Lauren went to chat with people attending one of the Esquire Theatre's last shows. It was a sorrowful evening.

A firefighting plane skims the surface of the Chatfield Reservoir during efforts to quell the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County. July 31, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • A driver speeds out of an Aurora parking lot as people at Nationwide Productions' weekly Sunday meet go cruise the metro. July 7, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • People gather to watch a burnout competition during Down to Earth Days 2024, at the Adams County Fairgrounds. June 9, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin spent the summer hanging out in the metro's car scene.

A view over the shoulder of a man in a red headband who's drumming with two wooden sticks. Beyond him, a woman looks up, crouching as she dances in a circle of kids who match her moves.
Mario Jose Olvera (left) plays the huehuetl as Danza Mexika summer camp leader Metzli Aragón leads a practice in Hecho en Westwood's headquarters on Morrison Road. July 31, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Irianny Perez shouts and chants through a megaphone as she and her neighbors are forced to move out of Aurora's recently closed Fitzsimons Place apartments. Aug. 13, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Antonio Ortiz (right) loads his belongings into a truck as he hastily moves out of the recently closed Fitzsimons Place apartments in Aurora. Aug. 12, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

We covered evictions and controversy surrounding apartment buildings in Aurora, which ended up making international news.

A man in a suit jacket walks through a golden doorway, backlit by the morning sun. His mouth is agape in what could be excitement.
Mayor Mike Johnston walks through a big golden door, reopening a few blocks on the 16th Street Mall between Wazee and Larimer Streets. Aug. 29, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

We were there as the 16th Street Mall started to wake from its long construction slumber.

  • Francisco Arteaga stands among the lamb carcasses hanging in Superior Farms' slaughterhouse and meat processing plant in Globeville. Aug. 30, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Jose Cruz tosses lamb steaks into a marinating tank in Superior Farms' meat processing operation in Globeville. Aug. 30, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kyle spent time with the worker-owners of the Superior Farms meat processing plant, which was under fire from a local ballot measure that would have closed it down.

A man in an orange Darth Vader costume and a woman in an orange Broncos jersey point at the camera, as if to say: We rule.
James and Isabel Chavez hang out at the tailgate before the Denver Broncos' first home game of the season at Mile High Stadium. Sept. 15, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin got down with Orange Vader, an OG Broncos super-fan.

A man in a black t-shirt spreads out his arms like a magnificent eagle as another man, latched onto him as a piggyback rider, raises one arm above his head, as if to say: ONWARD WE GO!
Nathan Eagan (eagle) and David Wright (rider) pull off a Scrubs meme in front of Our Mutual Friend Brewing's Larimer Street taproom. Sept. 24, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Rebecca and Alex created Denverite Classifieds and followed up with a couple of dudes who found bromance through the project.

A pie can be seen through the window of an over door; in the oven's reflection, a girl can be seen kneeling and watching it bake.
Jade Speaks watches her pumpkin and Nutella pie bake in the oven, in her aunt's Golden home. Sept. 25, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Lauren went to visit Jade Speaks to hear what she was cooking up for Rebel Bread's second-annual bake-off.

  • Kenny Violett launches candy towards crowds of costumed children from the Wizard's Chest's float in the annual Broadway Halloween Parade. Oct. 19, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Julie Abbott is a daytime ghost during the annual Broadway Halloween Parade. Oct. 19, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin immersed himself in the annual Broadway Halloween parade, which almost became a ghost itself this year.

  • The Ginger Pig founder Natascha Hess in her Berkeley restaurant. Oct. 17, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • The Ginger Pig founder Natascha Hess runs the counter during a dinner rush in her Berkeley restaurant. Oct. 17, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Haylee chatted with some of Denver's Michelin Star honorees. They were honored to receive the honor.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Aurora's Gaylord Rockies hotel. Oct. 11, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

We chatted with voters before Election Day, then visited with some people angry with the outcome who yelled into pillows to re-center themselves.

Stassi Costache (left to right), Rachel Wiley and Kristin Schneck yell into pillows as Scream Church reaches its climax at Sunnyside's VIBE Gym. Nov. 10, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Turkeys Lady Riketa Featherington, Dinger, Rockette and Fred stand on the Governor's Mansion's lawn as Gov. Jared Polis pardons them from the Thanksgiving table. Nov. 21, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Kevin met a couple of (actual) turkeys who got to sleep inside the Governor's Mansion.

Nick Juele plays a tune onstage at the Mercury Cafe. Nov. 23, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Paolo dug deep into controversy at the Mercury Cafe.

Thomas "Detour" Evans and JC Futrell sit in in Evans' Five Points studio. Dec. 4, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Goats Emma (right) and Ricky walk down the Weir Gulch Trail with a line of mourners memorializing Kurtis Keele. Dec. 9, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • Carmen Hernandez embraces her son, Jeremy, during a memorial service for their friend, Kurtis Keele, at the Barnum Community Orchard. Dec. 9, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Paolo went on a walk with goats, a solemn occasion to remember a man who adored an urban garden.

  • The Masterpiece Lowriders cruise 15th Street in 9NEWS' annual Parade of Lights. Dec. 7, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
  • The Colorado Fire Tribe illuminates 9NEWS' annual Parade of Lights downtown. Dec. 7, 2024.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Denverite

Recent Stories

View more posts