Denver prepares to host Cities Summit of the Americas and Biennial's cultural playground

Mayors from across the Americas in one week will join thousands of attendees in a first-of-its-kind gathering in Colorado aimed at promoting regional cooperation. The Cities Summit of the Americas says "Denver and Colorado exemplify the best in city- and state-level innovation." 

While the mayors hold official meetings at the Colorado Convention Center, the local community and visitors to the state are encouraged to take part in an array of cultural events that are open to the public.

"The Biennial of the Americas is thrilled to welcome over 100 artists, dancers, musicians and designers from across the Americas to Denver as part of the Cities Summit of the Americas. Fábrica de Arte Americas will be the cultural, creative and artistic hub of the summit and we are delighted that both the delegation of the summit and the Colorado community will have the opportunity to attend and engage in these unique events we've curated for this week," says FloraJane DiRienzo, Executive Director of the Biennial of the Americas.

The Biennial events include:

• Canada Night & Pipelines Opening Reception on Tuesday, April 25th from 4pm-7pm. Pipelines is a temporary, outdoor art installation by Canadian artists Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster, spanning approximately 115 feet long by 22 feet wide, this playful, interactive artwork repurposes over 100 PVC water and sewer pipes commonly used for water infrastructure across the world. Guests will enjoy live Canadian music, food, and beverage during this ceremony in recognition of the newly named Plaza of the Americas in Downtown Denver (at 1550 Wewatta St.) in anticipation of the Cities Summit of the Americas. Free and open to the public. RSVP today.
• Fábrica de Arte Américas, a pop-up cultural and interactive warehouse curated and produced by, X Alfonso and Sandra Lopes of Fábrica de Arte, which earned the title of Time Magazine's Top 100 Greatest Places. The space will host more than 100 international artists from across the Americas where attendees can experience music by Latin American Grammy winners, dance performances, fashion shows, visual arts, food truck lineups, creative libations, and more from Wednesday, April 26th - Sunday, April 30th. Featuring unique acts like Renata Flores Peru's Quechuan hip-hop star, the uplifting Brazilian duo ÀVUÀ, world beats of Ecuador's Swing Original Monks and the rising star of Mexican electronic folk Pahua. Fábrica de Arte Américas will take place at The Slate Hotel. For more information, click HERE.



• Caravana Americana, the best in high-end fashion, will come to Denver with Caravana Americana housed within Fábrica de Arte Américas. The show takes place twice a year in Mexico City and will make its US debut – showcasing fashion, artisans, and furniture to promote the best emerging and established brands from across Latin America from Wednesday, April 26th – Sunday, April 30th. Started by designers and retailers, the show's founders, Gina Barrios and Alessandro Cerruti, also have their own brands and have curated 3 Lago shops in Mexico City and Los Cabos. The two founders were recently recognized in 2022 by The Business of Fashion BoF500 as the Mexican representatives of those who shape the fashion industry in the world. Additionally, as part of their initiatives, they launched Caravana Destination traveling through Mexico to open new business opportunities for brands to bring audiences closer to the cultural wealth of contemporary design in the region. For more information, click HERE.
• Justen Leroy's "Lay Me Down in Praise" Exhibit, is a three-channel film installation that asks how the scream, moan, and melisma—also known as the vocal run— provide a sonic route toward Black environmentalism. LeRoy layers clips of Black performers with images of geological activity. Through this juxtaposition, the artist considers how resistance and regeneration inhabit the wordless screeches of the Earth and the history of Black sound. Lay Me Down in Praise insists the Earth's aches and upheavals, felt in volcanic eruptions, tectonic shifts, and other cataclysmic events, are entangled with Black resistance and liberation. The exhibit will be on display in Fábrica de Arte Américas. For exhibit images, click HERE.
• Bomba Estéreo + Gabito Ballesteros Cities Summit of Americas Closing Concert. To wrap up an amazing week of programming and activities, Latin grammy nominees, Bomba Estéreo along with Gabito Ballesteros, will perform at the Cities Summit of the Americas closing concert on April 30th at Mission Ballroom. Bomba Estéreo was born in Bogotá, Colombia and is known for its electro tropical and psychedelic cumbia music and Gabito Ballesteros from Sonora, México is known for his modern corridos. To get tickets, click HERE.

On the agenda for the Cities Summit meetings are all the topics on which the city leaders in the Americas are hoping to make progress.  These include energy, migration, transportation, housing, safety, climate, health, and democracy and inclusion.

A Youth Summit will also draw 350 youth from across the Americas - "aspiring world changers" who will represent diverse ages, races, ethnicities, and identities.