Editor's Note: Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at 360@TheDenverChannel.com. See more 360 stories here.
DENVER -- Denver's first massive musical festival is a doozy, Grandoozy to be exact.
Presale tickets for the much-anticipated event went on sale Wednesday. Regular tickets will go on sale Friday.
Organizers are holding the inaugural three-day Grandoozy music festival at the Overland Park Golf Course near Santa Fe Dr. and Evans Ave., from September 14 through the 16.
Superfly, the company behind the festival, is one of the most well-known music promoters in the world and are behind other popular festivals including Bonnaroo, which takes place in Tennessee.
Co-founder Rick Farman said they have been eyeing the Mile-High City for years and were finally able to get the city's stamp of approval, but it didn't come without a battle.
"[This is] an iconic event for Denver. This becomes not only something that people locally really embrace and engage with, but also becomes an opportunity to promote the Denver brand," Farman said.
But like anything this big, there's a flip side.
Neighbors who live near the course where the festival is being held fought back against it.
"I'd rather not, I'd rather not have that many people here. I'd rather not have that much noise here," Avona Kindall, who lives less than a block away, told Denver7. "We're getting it anyways (sic) so we'll deal with it."
The founder's get the pushback, but say they are committed to doing it right.
"We want to be a great partner and that goes with spending a lot of time on the ground," co-founder Jonathan Mayers said.
"We want to leave the course better than we found it," Farman said.
Visit Denver CEO Richard Scharf said he sees the Grandoozy as an opportunity to get Denver's brand as a music mecca out there, and bring new faces to the city.
"They'll visit. They'll explore the city. They'll spend their money that they made somewhere else and of course visitors pay taxes, and those are taxes that we as residents don't have to be worried about," Scharf said.
He added he hopes to grow Colorado's outdoor music scene, and many see a musical festival as the long-awaited answer, despite the state's iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater.
"I think it's been a missing link, quite honestly," he said. "Pretty much all major cities have a music festival."
Grandoozy announced its lineup on Facebook Tuesday and the post got thousands of shares and likes.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar will be the headliner on Friday, Sept. 14, Florence + The Machine will be the headliner on Saturday and Stevie Wonder will headline on Sunday.
Other big-name acts to play the festival include The Chainsmokers, Sturgill Simpson, St. Vincent and Mavis Staples.
Early estimates also show the massive music festival will make the golf course and the city a couple million dollars in one weekend. Enough to make significant improvements at Overland, like new permanent restrooms.
"These are dollars coming directly into the community that they will be able to use to leverage on the things they know they need," Denver city councilman Jolon Clark said.
"We just want everybody to come and celebrate Denver. The amazing community that it is. Overland is an amazing place," Farman said.
