DENVER — The latest report from the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP) shows that November downtown foot traffic reached 92% of November 2019 levels, as city leaders work to attract more people to the area.
This comes after the partnership said September saw the highest pedestrian traffic recovery rate since the pandemic, at 93% of September 2019 levels.
"We are seeing and feeling so much optimism downtown, so much momentum, and it's actually showing up in the numbers. We are seeing foot traffic continue to tick up and up and up," said Britt Diehl, Senior Director of External Affairs and Marketing & Communications for DDP.
Data from the DDP shows that average daily visits to downtown have increased by 3,700 per day so far in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
City leaders are also working to get more people to visit 16th Street since the area reopened in October. The $175 million revitalization project aimed to improve pedestrian safety and transit infrastructure, while adding more kiosks, seating, and public spaces for families and visitors to enjoy. 16th Street was under construction for more than 3.5 years.
Diehl said foot traffic along 16th Street is up 26% year-over-year as of November.
"We know that for a lot of people, they haven't been back since the pandemic. Maybe they haven't been back since the 16th Street construction. And we really want to show people that it is a whole new world downtown," said Diehl.
Denver7 followed up with families in the area on Saturday to hear what they think of the improvements.
"I think they've done a great job. I think it's hard to revitalize an area that people thought was dead, so it's great to see it come back," said Rhonda McManus, a Louisville resident who came to Denver for the Parade of Lights.
"I see people, like, cleaning the streets fairly often," said Carolina Zuniga, who moved to downtown Denver a month ago from San Antonio. "So it's really nice to have something like this in an area where I feel perfectly fine walking alone every day. So we really enjoy it so far."
Concerns about cleanliness and safety along 16th Street were top of mind for downtown residents and visitors, especially during the pandemic.
"Walking with my grandson here, we always had to kind of keep our head on a swivel," said downtown Denver resident Amy Velazquez. "During COVID... you know, things were slower, businesses were closed, and, you know, since they are redoing everything now, it's so much better with security and a lot more families I'm seeing down here and so forth."
Diehl said the DDP's goal is to get downtown foot traffic to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Data shows downtown office vacancy remains a challenge, with the area recording a 29% vacancy rate in Q3 of 2025, up from 11% in 2019.
