Westword’s Tacolandia is back! Saturday, June 4, 2022

The first round of restaurants have been announced for Tacolandia, the taco festival of the year! 

Join us on Saturday, June 4, at Civic Center Park in the heart of downtown Denver for unlimited tacos, live mariachi, lucha libre, beverage sampling and more! 

Our first round of participating restaurants includes: 3 Margaritas, Bellota, Cabrón Carbón, Casa Cortés, Chile con Quesadilla, Dee Tacko, El Jefe, El Reparo Mexican Grill, La Diabla, Las Delicias, Los Molinos, Migrante Concept, Moya’s Tacos, Necio, Que Bueno Suerte!, Street Side Eats, Taco Block, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Teocali Cantina, Work & Class and XATRUCHO, with more to come! Check out the current lineup.

Ticket prices start at $30 during presale and the general public will have access this Saturday, March 19!

WHERE: Civic Center Park, 1480 Bannock Street, Denver, CO 80202

TICKETS:

Starts: March 15 @ 10 a.m.

Ends: March 18 @ 11:59 p.m.

Public On Sale: 3/19 @ 10 a.m. www.etix.com

TICKET HOLDERS WILL RECEIVE:

VIP - Presale/Early Bird ($55): Includes early access to the event at 3 p.m., unlimited taco samples from 40 plus taquerias and Mexican restaurants, a special VIP area featuring exclusive food samples from VIP restaurants, and two drink tickets redeemable at VIP bars.

GA - Presale/Early Bird ($30): Includes entry into the event at 4 p.m., unlimited taco samples from 40 plus taquerias and Mexican restaurants, drink samples from beverage partners, live entertainment, and full cocktails for purchase.

More information available at www.westwordtacolandia.com   

Guests must be 21+, with valid ID

A portion of the proceeds benefits Civic Center Conservancy

Our Journey To A Place Called Tacolandia

Tacos and lowriders. (Photo Credit: Samantha Bliss)

As we have mentioned on many occasions we are pretty big fans of tacos here at Ultra5280. From al pastor to carnitas any edible morsel of goodness that can be filled in a warm tortilla we are big fans of. This year we were fortunate enough to cover another edition of Tacolandia presented by our good friends at Westword.

We had pretty large helpings of the vast selection of some of the cities best taco establishments. It is hard to pick a favorite amongst the wide selection so we will just say we enjoyed them all. What is becoming a taco lovers destination event was once again filled with food, music, a car show and an outrageous lucha libre ring.

Mariachi America (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Music from Mariachi America had everybody dancing to the rhythms of salsa and cumbias, while fellow Denver spanish rock bands such as iZCALLi and Los Mocochetes brought the local flavor. Members of the Saints and Sinner Car Club had their finest whips (it's what the cool kids say instead of cars) on display. With candy coated paint jobs to dizzying chrome wheels. The event is always a favorite of ours and if you have never been we suggest you mark it in your calendar asap for next year.

All the tacos. (Photo Credit: Samantha Bliss)

The proud traditions of the latino culture were on display. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Photo Gallery 1: Samantha Bliss (Staff Photographer)

Photo Gallery 2: Robert Castro (Editor in Chief)

Tacolandia: The Blueprint For a Perfect Taco Festival.

Let's "taco bout" this amazing event.

Our fair city is slowly becoming a hub for all things considered tacos. With the rise of niche owned restaurants as well as out of town chains (Torchy's and R Tacos), it's pretty easy to find a good taco in Denver nowadays. Now when it comes to taco festivals...well those can be hit or miss. We have attended our fair share of decent festivals (Top Taco) as well as some pretty (Denver Taco Festival) nightmarish ones. At this point our taco expert staff has come up with three essential ingredients to pull of a great festival.

1. Location, location, location.

2. Organization and variety.

3. Other activities (music, car shows, games, dancing, etc.).

The colorful Baile Folklorico dancers on hand.

A perfect venue should include plenty of space, a decent amount of grass, plenty of shade and for fun maybe throw it at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions. Tacolandia had all of the above (could have had a bit more shade, who are we to complain we had VIP treatment and an umbrella table all to ourselves). The layout was set up perfectly along the Noble Energy Sports Legend Mall, typically reserved for an epic tailgate experience during Sundays. A green patch of grass separated two sides of the festival with taco slanging experts stationed on each side. A stage was setup within the middle providing for entertainment the whole day (more on that below).

Peyton Manning is enjoying himself after retirement.

This was hands down one of the most organized taco festivals we have ever attended. Along with great organization was the amount of variety options to choose from. Albeit we got in an hour before everybody else we were able to hit up about 80 percent of the taco tastings before we had to shut it down due to the possibilities of heat stroke and the overdose of tortilla filled morsels of heaven. The people at Westword handled everything pretty well, although lines did build up at various points, they seemed to move quickly from station to station. The VIP section was placed towards the back of the mayhem and could have used an extra station or two for beverages in this case Estrella Jalisco's (name drop). All in all great organization and an abundance of choices to select from.

This Camaro tho!

A good festival always has various different activities to do while enjoying the fest itself. This one had it all from traditional Baile Folklorico dancers, to a car show that would make Jay Leno jealous, to great music to compliment the great cultural event. Music by iZCALI (one of our favorite local groups) provided some good ol' fashion Spanish rock. Cars from every era adorned the back lot of the festival with some awesome customized automobiles that had us drooling like this Camaro above.

Some of our favorite tacos:

Best Fish Taco-Southside Kitchen

Best Al Pastor-EL Aguascalientes and Los Chingones

Best Korean Pork-Ursula's Food Truck

Best BBQ-R Tacos

Best Mexican Street Corn-Lola's

Best Cabrito (Goat) Tacos-Work and Class

13 Denver Events That'll Make Your Weekend

FRIDAY, 8/12

TICKET GIVEAWAY! 

We are looking to give away two tickets for Children of Pop, Curious Wav and Julian Church of Air Dubai at Lost Lake this Friday. Take a selfie with your best friend and Tag @FASORLAb & Ultra5280 to enter! Winners announced Thursday! 

8/12 @ LOST LAKE LOUNGE

Doors open at 8 PM, show starts at 9 PM

 $10  

Buy tickets here.  

BOHEMIAN NIGHTS @ NEWEST FEST: A truly free festival showcasing local Colorado bands in downtown Fort Collins. 

8/12-14, 12 PM- 11 PM 

Get tickets here. 

SAVE THE ALES: Located in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood with 40+ local breweries, food, and live music. All proceeds from the event go toward Conservation Colorado’s work to protect Colorado’s land, air, water, and people. 

V.I.P. Tasting: 6:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
General Admission: 7:00 P.M. – 10:30 P.M.
V.I.P. Tickets: $60, GA Tickets: $35
Designated Driver Tickets: $20

More info here. 

JACKALOPE ART AND CRAFT FAIR- @ THE SUMMER 2016 CARNATION FESTIVAL

Friday 8/12, 4 PM- Saturday, 8/13 @ 11 PM

@ Anderson Park- 4355 Field St Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

The fair will span over a 2-day period on Friday August 12th (4pm-11pm) and Saturday, August 13th (12pm-11pm).  During this time 200+ artisans and crafters will get a chance to feature and sell their work, while giving attendees a chance to meet the maker behind their one of a kind goods. 

THE WHEAT RIDGE CARNATION FESTIVAL: Featuring the Zoppe Circus as the main attraction, the Carnation Festival is one of the oldest and the strongest community festivals in the Mile High. 

8/12 - 8/14 

Events span from 3 PM- 12 AM. 

Check their website for more info. 

TICKET GIVEAWAY! 

QUEENS CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL: 

Two Day Event at City Hall featuring performances by The Gaslamp Killer, Esta., Taylor McFerrin, Masego + Traphouse Jazz Band,  Louie Lastic, Michael Christmas, Chase N. Cashe, Waldo, Reese LaFlare, Trev Rich, Spydatek, Povi, Turner Jackson, Pries, Tnertle + Lily Fangz, Future Heros, CRL CRRLL, Sur Ellz, Kid Astronaut, U.T.I.C.A, LXST BXYS, Jilly.FM, Bigwheel Electrosoul, YaSi, Write Minded, Curci and more.

Tickets range from $35- $60.

All sales are final.

Check out our Instagram to enter our contest for two free festival tickets! 

Purchase tickets here. 

8/12, 7:00 PM- 8/14, 1:30 AM

BROODS @ THE OGDEN

Ages: 16 & Over
Doors Open @ 8:00PM
$22.50 - $25.00
Door Price: $25.00
 Get tickets here. 

SATURDAY, 8/13

CORONA ELECTRIC BEACH BASH: 

 2 PM - 8 PM
Lincoln St Station Bar and Grill– 776 Lincoln St, Denver, Colorado 80203
 

FREE EVENT, but you MUST RSVP here: info@findyourelectricbeach.com 

TAPPED BREW FEST 

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
6000 Victory Way, Commerce City, CO 80022

Tapped Brew Fest will feature a giant beer pong tournament and energy flip cup. 50+ breweries will be present, live DJ's and a LED Jenga station. 

Tickets here. 

THE BIG WONDERFUL'S TOP SECRET SHOW

Golf Clap, Ben Silver of Orchard Lounge, Rose Quartz, The Reminders and more. 

Get more info here. 

THE DENVER FLEA 

8/13- 8/14 10AM-6PM 

Located at City Park 

FREE

More event info here. 

Support our local creators and businesses. 

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS- 1940's Jazz Themed Dance Party

FREE

1701 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202

5:30 PM- 9:00 PM

A 1940's Jazz themed outdoor dance series at the historic Denver Union Station. The live music and swing dancing activities will take place next to the water fountain on Wyncoop. ZoZo Outdoor is a proud sponsor of the summer dance series.

More info here. 

SUNDAY, 8/14 

TICKET GIVEAWAY! 

TACOLANDIA HOSTED BY WESTWORD

4-7 PM @ Sports Authority Field 

You can grab your tickets during a special presale that starts at 10 a.m. today and ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday here. 

Check out our Instagram for a chance to win two free tickets to Westword's Tacolandia! 


This giant celebration of Mexican street-style tacos will feature samples from forty-plus restaurants — including El Trompito Taqueria, Tacos Jalisco, Tortas a Toda Madre, La Loma Restaurant, Tamale Kitchen, Yareth’s on 54th, Bubba Chinos, Burrito Giant, El Taco de Mexico, Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, Lola Mexican Fish House and Los Chingones, with more to be announced — along with Estrella Jalisco beer, spirits and lots of spicy entertainment, including cars as hot as those tacos.