City of Denver and LA-based foundation are key to thriving venue

By Gregory Daurer

It's that amphitheater in the heart of the city: Levitt Pavilion Denver, located atop Ruby Hill Park. As opposed to other outdoor concert venues in the region – like Red Rocks or Fiddlers Green – the vast majority of music shows taking place at Levitt Pavilion Denver are free to attend.

According to Meghan McNamara, the venue's executive director, it's the mission of Levitt Pavilion Denver to provide programming that's “culturally relevant, that represents the diversity of our city.” And provide it gratis, at that.

McNamara's excited to play host to Andy Frasco & The U.N. on Aug. 2. She says of Frasco, a one-time Los Angeles-based musician who's relocated to Denver, “He's wanted to play here, and we finally made it work this year. And it's so exciting when we have someone who tours nationally – who plays huge venues on a ticketed basis – who's excited to come and do a free show for the community.”

Upcoming free shows also include: Robert Randolph and local legend Erica Brown on July 31; Rebirth Brass Band on Aug. 1; singer Femi Kuti (son of legendary Nigerian musician Fela) on Aug. 3; a night of mariachi music and dance on Aug. 22; the band Dustbowl Revival on Aug. 31; a reggae and roots festival featuring Jamaica's Yellowman on Sept. 6; and a Southeast Asian gamelan extravaganza on Sept. 21.

The next ticketed concert at Levitt is The Polish Ambassador (the California EDM artist, not the European diplomat) on Saturday, July 26.

Stats from the venue's 2024 Impact Report revealed there were Levitt Pavilion Denver events with cultural ties to 20 different countries last year; 52 percent of the paid acts were local; and rock music made up about 23 percent of the programming, hip-hop 13.5 percent and electronic 7.7 percent.

There's a reason Levitt Pavilion Denver includes the city's name. That's because there are Levitt venues in seven other spots, as well, including Arlington, TX, Sioux Falls, SD and Dayton, OH. Initial and continued funding for those venues, in addition to music sponsorship in additional cities, derives from the Los Angeles-based Levitt Foundation, which says on its web site, “We believe joy, access to the arts and open green space are fundamental human rights.” They practice a “venture philanthropy” style of business, McNamara says. Additional public and private partnerships keep the Denver venue in operation. Before Levitt Pavilion Denver opened in 2017, considerable city planning noted how Ruby Hill residents desired a space for “safe and accessible, family-friendly programming,” she adds.

How have Levitt facilities across the country impacted local residents? Here's but one example: Jessi Whitten's parents went to high school in Westport, CT, where a Levitt venue had recently opened. “My mom worked in fast food and my dad was a barnacle scraper, so they didn't have any money for dates,” says Whitten, who now works for Levitt Pavilion Denver, as well as being an on air host for Colorado Public Radio. “So for a venue to offer free concerts, at the same time, was the perfect place for their love to bloom.” Whitten's favorite thing about the Denver venue? “Levitt Pavilion has a concert experience for any kind of music lover,” she says.

When people begin arriving at Levitt Pavilion Denver, some music diehards will invariably head to the front to stand near the stage. But Levitt is also a local summer hangout for folks in the Ruby Hill neighborhood – and beyond. They often spread out blankets on the sloping grassy hill, a good distance away from the stage. There they eat the picnic food they've toted along. Or they can buy munchies from the rotating selection of food trucks, which recently included tacos and African fare. Beer and wine are for sale, as well. Since there are limited seats, people carry along their own folding chairs or sit on the grass. It's not always crowded out there on the grass – except, that is, when it is. “We had about 7,400 [people] join us for our season finale with GRiZ in 2023,” McNamara notes.

Recent capital improvements have included enhanced access for people in wheelchairs. That's key for someone like Kalyn Heffernan, who relies on a wheelchair to get around. But Heffernan is more than a concertgoer: Heffernan fronts the Denver-based hip-hop act Wheelchair Sports Camp, which performed last year as part of Jello Biafra's punk rock-centric TentacleFest at Levitt.

What does Heffernan like about Levitt Pavilion Denver? The large outdoor stage that's “bigger than the typical stage I'm on.” Video screens provide views that “makes it easy to see for the audience.” And there's the “killer” sound onstage (which is also the case out in the venue itself).

“Everybody that works there is a good friend, and they're so supportive,” Heffernan says. “They treat us like rock stars there; I feel like a real rock star at Levitt.”