Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a 9,525-seat open-air concert bowl in Morrison, outside Denver. It sits between Creation Rock and Ship Rock, whose walls give the room its defining frame. The audience descends 100 feet through a natural corridor 320 feet wide, facing Stage Rock and a distant Denver skyline. That fixed geology supplies the visual architecture for every show, while the outdoor setting leaves the audience in full contact with the weather.

Built by Depression-era labor—and tested by rock

Denver architect Burnham Hoyt designed the permanent amphitheatre, and construction ran from 1936 to 1941 with Civilian Conservation Corps workers. The official dedication followed on June 15, 1941, after a June 8 pre-opening performance by the Denver Junior Symphony. Flagstone terraces, concrete walkways and geological walls still read as one built landscape.

Its formative music story also includes a civic rupture. On June 10, 1971, ticketless fans rushed the gates during Jethro Tull’s sold-out show; police used tear gas, which drifted into the seated crowd and onto the stage. Mayor William H. McNichols subsequently banned rock concerts at the venue. Red Rocks’ own history records softer acts as the dominant programming through much of the 1970s during that restriction.

A large, exposed room

The City and County of Denver runs a March-to-November concert season spanning indie, pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, metal, electronic and folk, with film and fitness events also on the calendar. Private events and group activities require registration, insurance, licensing and management permission. Seating uses wooden benches divided by concrete walkways; accessible positions sit in Rows 1 and 70. Prepare for sun, wind, rain and occasional snow, since performances generally continue through Colorado weather.