What is Coloween and how it did get started?
The story behind Coloween dates back to 2008 at the Curtis Hotel, where a local promoter collaborative began throwing yearly events primarily at hotel ballroom venues ranging from the Marriott and Hyatt DTC to the Doubletree Hilton Castle. Eventually the venues became bigger such as over 4,000 attendees at the Stanley Marketplace and hangar.
Over the years many promoters came and went but one anchor stayed consistent: JJ Walker, a Colorado native and long time entrepreneur and event producer. One of the original founders of Coloween, Michael Downey (former founder of PlayCoed, a popular Denver Sports and Social club) moved to Hollywood in 2015 to produce movies, but still lends a hand to Walker and returns for Coloween each year.
In the 21st century having a regular Halloween party is not enough. In Denver many of the hippest and most devoted Halloween trick or treaters descend each year for the one-of-a-kind Coloween, one of Colorado’s largest single night events easily attracting over 1,000 or more revelers throughout the spooky but exciting evening.
This year’s Coloween celebrated its 12th anniversary after moving from top venues around the metro region including the Curtis Hotel, Stanley Marketplace, and this year the relatively new Stockyards Events Center, a 46,000-square-foot facility that opened barely a year ago.
The event is beautifully presented by event management company Collective 360. No trick or treating, but plenty of visual treats, stages, haunted room areas and several concert dance floors, and an impressive very interactive main stage with live DJs, special effects and a sophisticated lighting system.
It’s a combination concert, nightclub, performance art, haunted house and costume party wrapped into one. The excitement of music, special effects, lights, music and an assortment of characters provides an unending array of excitement energy and, of course, fun. Coloween each year presents best of the best of Halloween characters. Here you will find superheroes, cartoon characters, historic figures, and top figures from sci-fi, nuns, cardinals, and any number of somewhat obscure figures from your favorite Netflix streaming TV show.
How do they do it? Coloween works with world-renowned set designers, Burning Man artists, and festival stage designers to create an immersive, fully interactive art and musical experience. This year featured three dance floors, over 20 interactive art installations, Burning Man art car, dozens of performers, an ice sculpture motorcycle (actual size), a man on stilts and cirque-style costumes on stage.
Every year Coloween presents a new, re-invented version of itself to entertain and attract larger and larger crowds. To read more about Coloween, click here.
