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Red Rocks Amphitheatre
RedrocksCOlogo.jpg
A shot of an outdoor amphitheatre taken at dusk, looking down towards a brightly lit stage. Large red cliffs are visible in the background, sloping down to the right. Several hundred people are visible between the camera and the stage.
Location 17598 W. Alameda Parkway
Morrison, Colorado, U.S.
Coordinates 39°39′55″N 105°12′21″W / 39.66528°N 105.20583°W / 39.66528; -105.20583
Owner City and County of Denver
Operator City and County of Denver
Capacity 9,525
Opened 1906; 118 years ago (1906)
1941; 83 years ago (1941)

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, ten miles (16 km) west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left and a seating area for up to 9,525.

In 1927, the City of Denver purchased the area of Red Rocks; construction of the amphitheater began in 1936, and was opened to the public in June 1941. Since then, many notable performances and recordings for film and television have taken place there. In June 2015, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame opened in the Trading Post at Red Rocks.

The elevation of the amphitheatre's top row is approximately 6,450 feet (1,965 m) above sea level, and the surrounding Red Rocks Park covers 868 acres (1.4 sq mi; 3.5 km2). The amphitheater is owned and operated by the City and County of Denver and is located in Red Rocks Park, part of the Denver Mountain Parks. The audience faces east-northeast, toward southern Denver, with the skyline of downtown visible to the left.

After Pollstar magazine awarded Red Rocks the annual honor of best small outdoor venue for the eleventh time, this leading concert industry magazine decided to name the nationally coveted honor the Red Rocks Award—and remove Red Rocks from the running. Also, in 1957, the American Institute of Architects selected Red Rocks to be Colorado's entry at the National Gallery of Art for the AIA's Centennial Exhibition.

Construction began in October 2020 to replace the existing stage roof and structure.

Gallery

Images for kids

  • Red Rocks Amphitheatre from top of amphitheatre

    View east from top of Red Rocks Amphitheatre

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