DENVER (KDVR) — MLB All-Star Week is in full swing in the Mile High City, with both locals and people from out of state bustling around town to enjoy the fun.
“It’s a place you can come to feel the energy of the game, even if you don’t have tickets to the game,” Matt Van Sistine, executive director of Ballpark Collective, said.
The Ballpark Collective is a community group run by those who live in the Ballpark District just east of Coors Field Stadium. The group organized Stars and Stripes StreetFest, which lasts through the big game Tuesday.
Van Sistine said this is their first big event back since the pandemic.
“When we heard the All-Star Game was coming, I reached out to the city, because I knew we had to do something for the local community — especially after last year,” Van Sistine said.
The street festival covers a four-block radius just south of Coors Field. It runs north to south from Market Street to Lawrence Street and east to west from 20th to 22nd street.
“The intention of this event is it would be a landing spot for local people,” Van Sistine said.
The Ballpark Collective event has no affiliation with Major League Baseball or the official All-Star Game events throughout the city. It was solely planned by the community, and Van Sistine said they planned it in about 30 days.
“Those tickets are expensive. It’s a nice way to get the whole community involved in the All-Star Game,” said Bob Wright, who is visiting from Dallas.
Admission to the street festival is free. They even have a liquor license for the area so you can buy drinks and carry them around within the four-block radius.
Lashona Gerdine, who lives in the Ballpark District, stopped by the festival and remarked on the scene.
“People just being out and about enjoying baseball and enjoying Denver style,” Gerdine said.
The festival has dozens of vendors and local businesses out so people can shop and eat. They will also have several concerts located at the stage in the far south side of the festival.
Get more information on times here.
