The 2024 Highlands Street Fair

I attended the 2024 Highlands Street Fair yesterday afternoon, and as in previous years, I really enjoyed it. This is a neighborhood festival that stretches for 6 blocks along Denver's West 32nd Avenue and attracts annually over 35,000 people. There are food booths, bars selling cocktails and local craft beer, artisans, as well as live music. Plus, it is a great opportunity for people watching. I know about this festival because I attend it every year, and search for when it will take place on the internet. Otherwise, at least this year, I would not have known about it, since I have not seen any publicity for it in the newspapers or on television. Denver Pride Fest is taking place this weekend, too, and I suspect all the coverage over that event has overshadowed the Highlands Fair.

The Highlands neighborhood is located on a hill northwest of downtown Denver and the Platte River. Although the townsite was laid out in 1858, it wasn't until 1875 that the Village of Highlands was established across the Platte River from Denver City and Auraria (both the Highlands and Auraria and were incorporated into Denver by the end of the 19th century). The Highlands is filled with trendy restaurants, bars, and boutiques, not to mention many Victorian era homes. When I first moved to Denver back in 1981, the Highlands was being promoted as "the low-cost alternative to Washington Park," one of Denver's most popular and prestigious neighborhoods. Needless to say, it is still an alternative, but definitely not a low-cost one. Just to the east of the Highlands is the Lower Highlands (LoHi), which used to be a rather poor neighborhood before being discovered, no doubt by Californians, and is now Denver's hippest hangout. I used to work with a woman at the Tattered Cover Bookstore who grew up in that neighborhood, and still lives in the home where she grew up. She longs for the good old days when there were crack houses in the area, the place was uncrowded, and property taxes were very low. There is definitely a high cost to gentrification.

This street fair is very dog friendly, and a number of booths cater to people and their pooches. In fact, for a number of years, a veterinarian practice was one of the main sponsors of the event. The fact that the practice is located in a beautiful Victorian house on 32nd Street, right in the heart of the Highlands, says a lot about how profitable a veterinarian practice can be, not to mention the cost of care to pet owners. But I digress. This was a very fun event, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and I even found a parking spot just a few blocks away very quickly. And best of all, I saw a sign advertising the Highlands Oktoberfest. This inaugural event will take place on Saturday, September 14th. I can't wait.