Denver Botanic Gardens’ summer concert series returns after two-year hiatus

Denver Botanic Gardens’ beloved summer concert series returns this year with a lineup of local and touring artists, following an unprecedented year off in 2020 and clipped programming last summer.

Tickets for the outdoor shows, scheduled June 12 through July 27, are on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. March 22 at concerts.botanicgardens.org. They will be available to members about a week before that, at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 14.

Artists announced for this year include Denver favorites DeVotchKa and Judy Collins; Grammy-winning blues maestro Keb’ Mo’; singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter; British vocalist Corinne Bailey Rae; and composer and trumpet master Chris Botti. The series is once again presented by Swallow Hill Music.

The lineup is smaller in scale than pre-pandemic summers — past shows have included huge names such as Steve Martin, Neko Case, David Byrne and other headliners — but demand will likely see 2022’s shows selling out well before the performance date. Last summer, the gardens experimented with smaller ensembles playing live music as something of a replacement for its summer music series.

Evenings al Fresco, as the scaled-down replacement was called, sold out quickly and will be brought back on select Mondays and Wednesdays in June and August, 4:30-8:30 p.m. at the Gardens’ main Denver location, 1007 York St. During those shows, audiences can stroll the 24-acre site while the music plays, officials wrote in a press statement.

Tickets for that are on sale March 22, and a full lineup is forthcoming.

Here’s Denver Botanic Gardens’ current Summer Concert Series lineup. All shows start at approximately 6:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5:45 p.m. See botanicgardens.org/events/special-events/music-gardens for more information.

DeVotchKa
Sunday, June 12
Keb’ Mo’
Wednesday, June 29
Mary Chapin Carpenter & John Craigie
Thursday, July 7
Monsieur Periné
Wednesday, July 13
Corinne Bailey Rae
Tuesday, July 19
Judy Collins & Chatham County Line
Sunday, July 24
Chris Botti
Tuesday, July 26
The Mavericks
Wednesday, July 27

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