Embrace the carefree spirit of summer at downtown Denver’s historic Larimer Square, which has an amazing lineup of events planned for July and August, including the special first-year festival A Taste of France on July 14-17. It's a four-day fête celebrating all things France and Denver’s official Sister City of Brest, France.
Held in partnership with presenting sponsor Air France, highlights of A Taste of France will definitely be the delicious Brest Bistro Brunch prepared by James Beard Award-winning chef Jennifer Jasinski at Bistro Vendôme and the free DJ set with Grammy award-winning French artist Cedric Gervais, both on Saturday, July 16.
A mix of free and ticketed events as well as special art installations at A Taste of France will include an Air France vinyl mural by Adam Vicarel, a major chalk art piece by Steve DeOrio, a pop-up Eiffel Tower and block-wide projection mapping by Deep Space Drive-In. Corridor 44 will be transformed into Gate 44: A Pop-Up Bar Experience presented by Air France featuring first-class entertainment. Learn “the language of love” with two free French classes in Larimer Social taught by Alliance Française of Denver and French American School of Denver.
A portion of proceeds from each ticketed event at A Taste of France will go directly to Denver Sister Cities International, the Alliance Française of Denver, and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the French American Chamber of Commerce.
Also, this summer, embrace Denver’s diverse local music scene at Larimer Sessions, a weekly series of live outdoor concerts held on Larimer Square each Saturday from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. These FREE performances will continue until the end of October and feature a wide variety of top Mile High artists like DZIRAE GOLD, DJ Bella Scratch, Wes Watkins and Alex Heffron.
On Thursday evenings this summer, head to Larimer Square for Thirsty Thursday, an upbeat DJ set by There Were Baers covering disco, funk, dance, pop and more. Thirsty Thursday will be held from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. every week until Aug. 25.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, help Larimer Square celebrate its birthday with a street party featuring live music by Denver’s premier street band the Brothers of Brass, a chalk art piece, free walking history tours around the block, family-friendly activities, birthday treats and much more.
Find out more about summer events at Larimer Square.
A Brief History of Larimer Square
Saved by award-winning preservationist Dana Crawford, Larimer Square became Denver’s first historic district in 1971. The district’s landmark ambiance and unique mix of critically acclaimed restaurants and boutique shops draw more than 4.5 million people each year. Alongside budding new concepts like Garage Sale and Bao Brewhouse, the street also features one-of-a-kind award-winning chef-driven concepts like Rioja and Bistro Vendôme created by chef Jennifer Jasinski, and Osteria Marco and Green Russell by chef Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno.
Between the restaurants, Larimer Square is dotted with a variety of unique and noteworthy shops, many beloved brands like Cotopaxi and Pendleton. The leadership team is working to keep Larimer Square the most vibrant and exciting block in Denver.