BY ZACH TIMBERLAKE

Indie music lovers of Denver, rejoice! Outside Days has cemented itself as the premiere summer music festival in the 303!

The last weekend of May, Outside Magazines third installment of Outside Days took over Downtown Denver, now in a new location of Auraria campus. With an extra third day added, its artist roster expanded to host some of the biggest acts in the indie music scene. Death Cab for Cutie and Cage the Elephant being a few names in particular that garnered some of the biggest crowds.

Outside Days as usual does a great job staying on theme, with the entire festival grounds being centered around the idea of getting out in nature. Sponsors ranging from REI to Jeep hammered home this idea with some great activities to participate in. Jeep hosted an off-roading exhibition for festival goers to sit in during, and REI and Outside hosted a multitude of speakers in the space throughout the week and weekend, including climbing legend Alex Honnold.

This theme oozed its way into the music side of the festival too. Both days I attended (Friday and Sunday) were great weather, and had most of the festival goers laying blankets out in the grass and soaking up the sun with friends as the amazing afternoon and evening acts set some of the most impeccable vibes to be had. Some real standouts from the weekend were Japanese Breakfast, Goth Babe, and GROUPLOVE each.

Japanese Breakfast (who we now know was pregnant during this set, woo!!!), with her quirky stage presence, and huge bombastic choruses, played some of her classics from Jubilee like “Paprika” and “Be Sweet.” She ended her set on one of the biggest highs of the weekend with “Everybody wants to love you.”

Goth Babe, who is a huge supporter and advocate of the environment and the outdoors, fit this festival like a glove. His smooth melodies and hypnotic and rhythmic breakdowns, really set the backdrop for the weekend. The crowd was a giant dance party throughout his entire set, even prompting numerous crowd surfers to mount on top of an inflatable mattress as they rode over the crowd.

GROUPLOVE may have been the secret biggest hit of the weekend. The second they hit the stage, everyone piled in as close to the stage as possible. The energy they laid out with their classic indie rock anthems, was infectious. It was impossible to witness this set without a massive smile on your face. Tongue Tied playing on the MainStage of a massive festival in the year 2026 was actually pure magic.

With the uncertainty around the validity of the new refresh of the Underground Music Showcase, and the insane success of Outside Days this year, I believe Denver now has a new paramount music festival, and I cannot wait to see what new heights it rises to for next years edition.