MORRISON, Colo. (KDVR) — The Colorado Council of Churches is prepping for the 76th annual Easter Sunrise Service, despite a concert Saturday night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
“It’s people not only in the Colorado community but around the world,” Adrian Miller, the executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches said Saturday.
According to our Pinpoint Weather meteorologist, Liz McGiffin, the forecast for Sunday morning will make for a nice sunrise with not many clouds in the sky.
“I think because of the weather forecast we are expecting about 10,000 people,” Miller said. “We will be quite full.”
McGiffin explained Colorado can see all types of weather during April. But she said on average, March and April are the snowiest months of the year.
“This time of the year the weather can do just about anything,” McGiffin said.
She said Easter Sunday back in 2020 there were just above-freezing temperatures in the Denver area with a 10th of an inch of snow on the ground. But the hottest Easter on record was 83 degrees back in 1963.
“Happy Easter,” Miller said.
Miller said in his 10 years there they’ve only had to cancel the service once for weather. That was back in 2016.
“We had to cancel the service altogether not just because of snow that day but a few days before. But even if crews at Red Rocks could remove it, there was nowhere to put it,” Miller said.
He said they also had to cancel both 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
“No other years we’ve had to cancel which is remarkable because it’s Colorado,” Miller said. “We’ve been blessed.”
The year with the highest attendance was 2015, when Miller said 15,000 people were there.
“Sometimes we get less it depends on the weather,” Miller said.
Red Rocks will open for the Easter Sunrise Service at 4:30 a.m. Miller said people will get there well before 4:30 a.m. Miller said music will start at 5:30 a.m. and the service is expected to start at 6:00 a.m. and last until 7:30 a.m.
Miller said it costs about $30,000 to put on the event for free for those attending. They rely on donations to make sure this happens every year.
McGiffin said it’s going to be cooler in the morning and to dress warm but as the sun starts to rise it will warm up. She also said Sunday is expected to have clear skies which will make for a wonderful sunrise.