DENVER — The Underground Music Showcase went out with a bang on South Broadway in 2025 after announcing it would cease to exist in its current form — but it turns out that wasn’t the finale.
The beloved festival plans to begin a new chapter in the RiNo Arts District, with one of the festival’s co-owners, Youth on Record, stepping away.
The new iteration comes as the RiNo Business Improvement District Board is finalizing an agreement to become a 50% owner in UMS with Denver-based events company Two Parts, which has co-owned the fest since 2018.
“We've wanted to bring energy and excitement and live music and an expansion of arts into the RiNo district,” Terry Madeksza, executive director of the RiNo BID, said. “And this is such a great fit. There's such synergy.”
It isn’t a done deal yet, but the agreement is expected to be finalized later this month, according to the press release.
“It's been an emotional ride. Last year was really sad to see this thing needing to take a pause after so many different eras and just not seeing a clear path forward,” Keanan Stoner, the festival’s new director and Two Parts’ former CEO, said. “And then, of course, RiNo kind of coming out of the woodwork and approaching us to say, 'We've got an idea to keep this thing running.’”
Last year, organizers cited rising production costs, higher safety and social standards, and less money in concert-goers' pockets as part of the “tidal wave” hitting the music community and making it more difficult to sustain festivals. Before the summer even began in 2025, more than 40 festivals announced they would not return, CNN reported, and NPR dubbed 2024 “The Year the Music Festival Died.”
Denver
Fans, businesses call UMS shutdown 'a huge blow' to Denver music scene
UMS ticket prices had climbed over the years, but so did the costs of putting on the event, and eventually it became “hard to make the numbers stack up,” Stoner said.
The new agreement will make that math work again, he said. On top of co-owning the festival, the improvement district also plans to contribute $250,000 annually for at least the next three years, the announcement said. The festival, Stoner said, costs more than a million to put on.
"With this large investment from RiNo, that removes a lot of that stress," he said. "That means that we have the money set aside for the artists, for the marketing, for all the important things."
“We're excited to have a little more freedom to build the creative community here,” he added.
Founded in 2001 by former Denver Post journalists Ricardo Baca and John Moore, UMS was once a one-day community event that has since grown to a three-day festival that organizers say draws thousands of fans and hundreds of bands over the course of the weekend.
The new location also presents fresh opportunities for the festival itself.
“There's new spaces to activate,” Stoner said. “There's more green spaces, parks, festival footprints, hidden little treat parking lots to explore. There's also … a lot of natural music venues in the district already that people have been going to for a while, but I think are always ready for fresh eyes.”
The festival’s new chapter does mark a goodbye for some, though. Youth on Record, the nonprofit that has co-owned UMS with Two Parts since 2022, will “transition out of ownership,” the release said.
“UMS was a critical part of Youth on Record’s story, but ultimately young creatives are our North Star,” Jami Duffy, executive director of Youth on Record, said in the release. “Choosing to step out of the co-ownership and management of UMS allows us to fully meet this moment in our city and across the country.
“Young people and families are navigating real and growing challenges, and they need us to provide more opportunity, creative spaces, and pathways to meaningful work. Right now, Youth on Record’s strongest contribution to our community is to focus our full energy on young people — and to help build the future they deserve."
Despite the new location and ownership, festival organizers promise the heart of UMS will remain.
"One thing that we really want to make sure everybody knows that's been to UMS is that you can expect the same spirit," Stoner said.
The 26th year of UMS is set for July 24-26. The lineup is yet to be announced, but Stoner said it will still be chock full of local and regional bands with some national headliners.
“The core mantra of UMS is discovery,” Stoner said. “Not only discovering your next favorite band, but potentially your next favorite restaurant, a cool art gallery, anything like that. It's all about discovering places, music, friends — all the things.”
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.