The Denver Chalk Art Festival

This past Saturday I went to the Denver Chalk Art Festival, which now takes place in the Golden Triangle neighborhood near the Denver Art Museum (the DAM) and the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art. When this festival first started, it was held in Larimer Square, one of Denver's most historic areas, and was called the La Piazza Italian Chalk Art Festival. After several years, it was evidently discovered that the word Italian was politically incorrect, and the name of the festival was changed. Then, after the end of the Covid epidemic, it was booted out of Larimer Square, and moved to the Golden Triangle neighborhood.

I was not impressed with the festival at all last year. It really lost something by not being held in Larimer Square, with it's commercial buildings from the 19th Century, filled with restaurants and shops. It definitely had a vibe that was missing last year, and so I did not expect much when I visited it this past weekend. However, I was surprised and pleased to find that the event seemed bigger and much more lively than I imagined. There was a fairly large crowd, and a lot more art to see. Of course, maybe I was just in a bad mood last year, or the weather was rainy, and affected my impression of the festival, but who knows? I still prefer Larimer Square as a location, but sadly, a new company has purchased all of the buildings on the street and driven many restaurants and shops out due to an extended renovation project. And so at least for now that Larimer Square "vibe" would have been missing if it actually had been held there.

After the pandemic ended, Cherry Arts, the same organization that puts on the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, got involved with the Chalk Art Festival, and added a music stage, as well as food and beverage booths, to the event. I am very happy to see that you can now purchase giant turkey legs at this festival, which to me means it has finally reached the big time here in Denver. I now realize that something truly important was always missing from this festival. During Oktoberfest, there is always a booth offering "Das Turkey Legs," and during the Cinco de Mayo festival they offer "Los Turkey Legs." A Taste of Colorado, an event which takes place over the Labor Day Weekend, simply offers "Giant Turkey Legs," which they now also do at the Chalk Art Festival. The Denver Chalk Art Festival has become a major player in the festival world at last.