By Steven Bonifazi
(DENVER, Colo.) Colorado's entertainment industry is headed toward normalcy as COVID-19 vaccines are distributed and live events from sports games and concerts to local festivals return.
State data on COVID-19 vaccines shows that a total of 2,519,081 Coloradans have been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday. On May 16, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver and Jefferson counties moved to Level Clear on the COVID-19 dial, which allows them to operate at 100 percent capacity and no longer require face masks, as reported by 9News.
According to 9News, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock was joined by members from the live event industry on May 14 to announce concerts returning to the city in addition to free concerts at the 16th Street Mall and Taste of Colorado coming to the downtown area.
“After a year of challenges, Denver’s arts organizations are once again open for business, and they’re ready to welcome people back," said Hancock.
On May 18, Red Rocks Amphitheatre announced that their seating capacity limit had been increased from 2,500 to 6,300. The amphitheater also stated that it will resume full capacity of its 9,525 seats starting June 21, still requiring face masks in certain areas of the venue until then.
Other areas of entertainment, such as live sports, are also returning to normalcy, as Coors Field announced on May 14 that the stadium's capacity limit would return to 70% at 35,000 starting June 1.
The ballpark additionally announced on May 20 that masks would no longer be required as of the May 21 home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) loosened its guidance regarding masks for people who have been vaccinated on May 13, with Gov. Jared Polis lifting the statewide mask mandate the following day.
Additional areas of the entertainment industry, such as live music, have suffered from COVID-19 restrictions over the past year, as performing live is the lifeline and bread and butter for many local musicians.
During the COVID-19 pandemic last year, many venues did what they could to support live music and many artists were forced to get creative, offering fans live-streamed performances online. Unfortunately, many venues had to close their doors.
Nevertheless, the loosening of capacity restrictions and ending of mask mandates contribute to the success of the live music industry, as the opportunity to find a gig is higher than it has been over the last year.
"I think a lot of things will continue to get better for local musicians. I think we will start seeing artists be able to tour again as different states open up again," said Greta Cornett, board president for the Fort Collins Musician Association. "All of these things working together are going to create success."