It seems like recently, music, arts, and cultural festivals are transforming into happenings that are almost just as popular for their unique, local food and beverage offerings as every other element of the event — and Denver’s Outside Days, happening this weekend, is no different.
It takes more than a village to curate and organize the F&B offerings at these large-scale events. We went behind the scenes to connect with Patrick Welby, Director of Partnerships & Culture Marketing at Groundswell Experiential and co-executive producer of Outside Days alongside Outside Inc., to get some insider insights into how the team has created an entire culinary experience in addition to performing arts and adventure offerings at this year’s Outside Days, taking place from Thursday, May 28 – Sunday, May 31.
We recommend making sure you’re not already hungry before diving into this Q&A, and getting a pen and paper ready to write down a plan for maximizing your F&B festival experience at this year’s Outside Days event…
What can festival-goers expect this year when it comes to their options for food and drink?
For the past three years, I’ve served as Assistant Executive Producer at Outside Days with a particular focus on the success of our food & beverage sponsor partners and experiential sponsors.
One of the most important things you can do as a festival producer is listen to your audience. We heard attendees wanted more food options and faster speed of service. We don’t want you missing an on-stage conversation from Chef José Andrés or your favorite song from Tash Sultana while waiting in line.
This year we’re launching over a dozen of our own sitewide festival eats, food stands, and beverage pop-ups with a focus on fresh, quality offerings and efficient service. Expect items like Colorado BBQ brisket, wood-fired pizza, cauliflower al pastor tacos, Colorado-style mac & cheese, or a juicy High West Burger from the Outside Diner.
How do you connect with the food and beverage partners who will be providing sustenance for this year’s festival-goers?
We look for partners that are already contributing to the outdoor community and showing up in the same spaces we participate in ourselves. That naturally leads us toward brands with shared values around sustainability, the outdoors, and community impact.
For example, this year our partners at High West Whiskey are donating $1.00 for every High West Burger sold on-site to Protect Our Winters, a leading Colorado-based nonprofit organization. Many of these relationships also grow organically through our extended ecosystem with brands like Outside Magazine and Outside TV.
The scale and operations behind a festival are incredible to watch and be a part of. With 40,000 expected attendees, our food & beverage teams are preparing to serve tens of thousands of beers, cocktails, waters, and meals across the weekend...
Do you put an emphasis on trying to find local partners?
Absolutely! For example, Woody Creek Distillers (Basalt, CO) are returning for their third year and have been the featured spirit in our most popular cocktail program year over year. We’re expanding our handcrafted cocktail offerings with them this year while also introducing their Colorado potato-based gin.
One Colorado-based brand I’m especially excited about this year is Sēkwl Beverage House, an LGBTQ+ owned and operated adaptogenic sparkling water brand harnessing the power of organic mushrooms and botanicals. I believe we’re one of their first large-scale event partnerships, which is exactly the type of opportunity we hope to create. We want to be a platform that helps elevate local partners.
Some of my favorite cocktails to look out for this year include:
- Whiskey Lemonade: High West Double Rye, House Spiced Lemonade
- Pom Pom Fizz: Woody Creek Vodka with Yerba Madre Sparkling Cranberry Pom
- Mary Collins: Woody Creek Mary’s Select Gin, Strawberry Lemonade, Soda Water
- Piña Picante: Mi CAMPO Reposado, Chipotle Pineapple Syrup, Lime
What are the biggest lessons you have learned over previous festival years through trial and error? Has there been a situation where you ran out of a specific food or drink? How did you all deal with that and plan for future events with that knowledge?
Work with trusted partners who are experts! We lean heavily on the leadership and experience of Adam Schmidt, Allie Schmidt, and Christian Martin at Colorado’s own Headline Events. Their dedication to creative thinking, thoughtful execution, and the customer experience allows us to operate a best-in-class food and beverage program at the scale a festival like this demands.
Having integrated partners year over year only builds momentum as we continue scaling the event at a new site and larger footprint.
Do you have any numbers that can show our readers what the scale of organizing and serving an enormous event like this looks like?
The scale and operations behind a festival are incredible to watch and be a part of. With 40,000 expected attendees, our food & beverage teams are preparing to serve tens of thousands of beers, cocktails, waters, and meals across the weekend. It takes an enormous amount of coordination behind the scenes, all with one goal: keeping fans hydrated, fueled, and having an amazing time all weekend long.
What seems to be a crowd favorite for F&B at these types of events from your experience?
Beer! Despite beer trends nationwide, we continue to see really strong performance from our audience. We have a little something for everyone, from a classic Mexican-style pilsner like Pacifico to a great American lager in Montucky Cold Snacks (who will also be hosting karaoke in their space!).
Sierra Nevada will also be back with their craft offerings out of their gorgeous beer garden activation again this year. We’re also excited to debut Mash Gang non-alcoholic beer at this year’s festival.