Underground Music Showcase 2024 returns this weekend

The streets of Denver will be alive with the sound of underground music this weekend.

The Underground Music Showcase — which started in 2001 and has hit South Broadway every year except 2020 — returns for its 2024 iteration on Friday, displaying over 175 bands throughout a nearly one-mile stretch.

The festival takes place on four outdoor stages and at 10 local music venues on Broadway between 6th Avenue and Alameda Avenue from Friday through Sunday, pulling together to create Denver's longest-running and largest music festival, according to UMS LLC — which was formed by non-profit organization Youth on Record and for-profit marketing agency Two Parts in 2021 after Two Parts purchased the festival from the Denver Post Community Foundation in 2018.

The headliners for this year's three-day festival include Beach Fossils, Tkay Maidza and Amyl and the Sniffers. There will also be performances by Vacations, Priya Ragu and a wide collection of Colorado-based bands and artists.

Along with the various genres and artists blasting one-of-a-kind performances throughout the south Denver neighborhood, there will also be a variety of pop-up bars, underground parties and merchandise booths throughout the street.

Schedule, tickets and parking

Single day passes for the festival start at $60 and full weekend passes start at $120, with a bevy of other options all available at undergroundmusicshowcase.com.

On Friday, the festival will run from 4 p.m. till 2 a.m., with outdoor stages ending at 10 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the shows will run from 2 p.m. till 2 a.m., with outdoor shows ending at 10 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively.

Standard backpacks and handbags are allowed into the festival area, but are subject to searches. Empty water bottles will also be allowed.

Audio recording devices, weapons, outside food and drink, bicycles, glass and pets (other than service animals) are prohibited.

While South Broadway will be shutdown between the outdoor stages, there will be no designated parking for the festival. Street parking will be available off of Broadway, but will be limited.

The outdoor festival is technically all-ages, with free entry for children under 10 years old, but the majority of the indoor shows at the nearby clubs and bars will be age restricted. Anyone under 16 years old must have a chaperone.

More information about the lineup of bands, venues and more can be found on the UMS website. A specific app for scheduling and navigation can also be found on the festival's website.

Editor's note: Denver Gazette Senior Arts Journalist John Moore was one of the co-founders of the Underground Music Showcase.