Outside Festival hits full speed in second year

Axios

29-05-2025

In its second year, the Outside Festival in Denver is becoming what organizers hoped to create: an interactive gathering to celebrate Colorado's great outdoors.
Why it matters: The event led by Boulder-based Outside Interactive promotes the people, places and products that contribute to the outdoor recreation industry's $17 billion annual economic impact in Colorado.
State of play: The 2025 fest is exponentially bigger than its first year.
Today, industry leaders will gather for sessions that include a startup pitch contest and a summit where leaders plan to discuss how to protect public lands, boost innovation and diversify the outdoors' appeal, among other topics.
The main attraction is the festival on Saturday and Sunday in the Civic Center area, featuring concerts with major headliners, a climbing wall, outdoor films and talks with industry icons.
Flashback: Denver previously hosted the twice-a-year Outdoor Retailer show for industry insiders before the conference returned to Salt Lake City in 2023.
The move surprised Colorado officials — who offered $400,000 in incentives for it to stay — and they vowed to create a bigger, better event to toast the industry and its fans.
What they're saying: Outside Festival "is now its own thing," Colorado outdoor recreation director Conor Hall tells us.
By the numbers: Half the crowd comes from outside Denver and the festival is anticipated to generate $16 million in economic activity, according to organizers.
About 25,000 people are expected to attend, up from 18,000 tickets sold in its first year.
The bottom line: "The outside is not just good fun, it's good business," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said at a recent event to promote the festival.