The first-ever economic impact study of Red Rocks Amphitheatre has revealed that the iconic Morrison, Colorado venue brought in a total $717 million to the Denver metro area in 2022.
The study, prepared by BBC Research & Consulting, also showed that nearly half of all concert-goers who attended shows at Red Rocks last year traveled from out of state, in turn spending $305 million in the Denver area, before and after concerts.
“In addition, visitor spending is subject to sales tax and lodging tax, generating more than $20 million per year in tax revenues for state and local governments,” BBC wrote in the report. “The City and County of Denver alone generates more than $6 million in sales tax revenue from Red Rocks visitor spending.”
BBC added that as a result, this spending helps to fund other Denver arts and culture initiatives through the collection of the Facilities Development Admissions Tax, including Denver Arts & Venues, which owns the Colorado Convention Center, the Denver Performing Arts Complex and more, in addition to Red Rocks.
Further figures from the report show that Red Rocks hosted 531,906 out-of-state visitors and 106,454 out-of-region visitors, out of a whopping 1.6 million total attendees in 2022.
When taking the venue’s diverse revenue streams into account—facility rental fees, equipment rentals, concessions and merchandise, ticketing fees, and more—Red Rocks pulled in $6.75 per ticket in 2022. This is huge considering that the roughly 9,250-seat venue was booked nearly every night from April to November.
This constant flow of events comes from Red Rocks’ genre-diverse booking interests, largely managed by Denver-based AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, as opposed to individual event promoters.
Red Rocks, which first opened in 1941, has become a mecca for EDM in recent decades, in addition to upholding its rock and country-focused origins.
Red Rocks has already hosted dance music giants like Skrillex and Carl Cox this year, and its annual artist-curated events like Zeds Dead’s Deadrocks have become a staple of the global dance music ethos, as Denver’s EDM influence continues to swell.
Featured image from Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
