Busking in Colorado

[PeterIrish]

Does anyone know the deal in Colorado these days?
I'll be there for most of May, and was wondering about the scene
on Pearl Street in Boulder...also I hear there's a halfway decent pitch
in Denver.
Do you need permits? What's the scene like on Pearl Street?
Any info is greatly appreciated...
Thanks!

[heckler]

Insurance and permits needed for Pearl Street.
16th street Mall Denver can work for some.
Ft Collins putting in a new pitch, They have not responded to my emails.
Not sure about Colo Spgs..there's a thread here somewhere.
Aspen need permits, Breck is slow in May.

[Dr. Street]

Worked Pearl street last summer for a few weeks and never needed insurance, just need to get a permit from the city real easy. can't use sound system, all the performers are way cool. The hats were real good on the weekends all day and ok during the week after 2 in the afternoon. Denver is workable but never did it heard it is a late night pitch loads of night clubs. Good Luck!

[About Faces]

Good luck to you in Colorado, Pete. Nice to hear you're still kicking around.

[lovelylittlelolo]

Hey Pete,

We're in Denver. Not sure about the "halfway decent pitch" you're referring to, but Pearl street has been great for most of my friends. Ft. Collins also has a lot to offer, but I've never had to get my own permits there because I've always been performing at an event (not sure if you have to have permits or not). Definitely get in touch when you get here, and we'll have to meet up!

[jeep caillouet]

16 th St. in Denver for lunch. People's Fair First week of June, BIG. Laremer Sq. for bar crowds. Boulder creek fest last week of may. Aspen for the summer They have a budget to pay performers to come there and work. then back to Boulder for October Fest Call the city clerk in aspen, she can hook you up.

[Lagtime]

Colorado Springs isn't worth the gas, you make too much noise or have more than a few people around you the cops start to fuss, and I've never had good luck getting the military cats to put into the hat.

[lovelylittlelolo]

I agree with Lagtime. Avoid Colorado Springs.

[PeterIrish]

Thank you so much for all the info...much appreciated.
Lolo, would love to hook up with you all when I get out there.
Looking forward to it.

[Juggalicious]

I'll be in Boulder for a few weeks from July 12th - August 10th. Does anyone have more information on the possible pitches of fort collins, denver, and aspen.

Specifically JEEP you mentioned that ASPEN has a budget to pay performers in the summer. who should I contact to find out more information on this. Also, I've been to Denver and seen the 16th St mall but have never been to Laremer Sq for the bar crowd. What times is this workable? Are you able to do full circle shows?

and as for Ft Collins, Heckler, you mentioned that they are putting in a new pitch... is this operational yet? is it workable for the summer of 2010?

Thanks for the info everyone! I love going to Boulder but it would be great to find a few other pitches in the area.

Ohh and lovelylittlelolo - will you guys be around when we are there - it would be great to meet up as you're show looks AWESOME.

[PeterIrish]

I did Pearl street on Memorial weekend and it was pretty epic...large crowds, cool local performers, old friends and new. Good luck out there.

[jeep caillouet]

aspen

Aspens the best .You will have to call the city Clerk there to find out the money issue. If you can do the taste of Colorado its tops labor day weekend16 st. in Denver is good for maybe lunch and get off work crowd. Larimer Sq. is a bar crowd.Telluride is also good and worth the trip.

[Juggalicious]

are all these places workable during the week or is it weekends only?

[jeep caillouet]

basically 24 / 7

[Daniel Mooncalf]

Boulder/Denver

Just returned from there. The combination of fires, wind and heat probably made the trip less-successful than it could've been.

Denver - 16th street mall. Lots of rules (like not being able to set up for more than an hour in one place). Also, no fire allowed. Still, there's lots of people out from Lunch to 10ish. No permits required.

The dinner/bar crowd seemed to be more accepting of a small semi-circle show; than the lunch crowd.

The restrictions there are just asking for some ACLUish interventions. There's also a lot of homeless; but they didn't bother me.
---

Boulder - Pearl Street.

Permit required if you're doing anything remotely dangerous (fire, knives (even harmless ones), sword swallowing. Print out the permit section and keep it with you, if you plan on going without a permit. I've personally experienced cops telling you that you need a permit for things you do not.

Three good places for large shows. The "main" stage is usually at least mildly-saturated with performers waiting for a turn to go. There are 2-3 other spots that could be used, but rarely are. Anyone with good crowd-gathering skills could benefit greatly in one of these two spots.

Both Denver and Boulder have regulars, and they were all VERY nice. One was rather short with me, but apologized the next time we met.

11am - 9pm is good in any of these spaces, on just about any day.

The far end of Pearl (Old Chicago)Fri-Sat nights from 10ish to 3am was fantastic for me.

Bring something to camp in. Lodging is quite pricey. Also, Illegal Petes (a much better Chipotle-like burrito bar) will give employee discounts to regular buskers.