DENVER — Preparations are now well underway in the Tivoli Quad on the Auraria Campus for what’s promising to be an epic Avs watch party.
“We feel amazing,” said Ari Opsahl, CEO of Tivoli Brewing Company. “I don’t want to say I want it to go to seven games, but we want as many watch parties as possible.”
Tivoli Brewing Company is one of three venues, including Chopper Circle outside Ball Arena and McGregor Square outside Coors Field, that have applied for expanded watch party serving areas for the Stanley Cup Final.
“We were in talks with the NHL and the Avs, and we said if anybody’s going to pull this off – we need permits, right?” Opsahl said. “You can’t just throw a huge party and serve everybody alcohol who wants to show up. The city was amazing, they reacted very quickly.”
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“We’re excited for Avs fans to have more outdoor areas to be able to go and watch the games and participate in the games,” said Molly Duplechian, executive director of the Department of Excise and License for the City of Denver.
The City of Denver is waiving the 30-day review process for bars, restaurants and other venues wanting to serve alcohol outside – what is known as a Temporary Modification of Premises.
“Given the unexpectedness of these exciting events, we decided we would waive those 30 days,” Duplechian said. “Bars and restaurants were heavily impacted by COVID and had to spend a lot of time closed or at reduced capacity, so this is just a great opportunity for them to come back a little bit.”
Avs fans can’t get enough.
“Every time I go to a game or watch party, something crazy happens, so it’s awesome,” said Avs fans Brendan Gillooly.
“So excited,” said Avs fan Carrie Mihaljevich. “I was in tears when they won, and I cannot wait to see this happen. I don’t think we can afford the game, unfortunately – even though we’d love to. We’ll definitely be at some watch parties, though.”
As for Tivoli’s watch party – the map shows a huge stage and screen marked in yellow overlooking Ball Arena with several makeshift bars marked in blue and green located throughout The Quad.
“A lot in the industry are still recovering because of COVID, so we want to see everybody win,” Opsahl said. "Personally, I think we’re going to have an amazing party. The initial play was four bars, now we’re at eight. So, we’re making moves in the right direction.”
